The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-29
Suggests Probability Of Oper-
alton of "BIack HAND
Among italian Merchants Of
This City.
REQUEST FOR MONEY
BUT NO ADDRESS GIVEN
Recipient and Family Unable
To Fathom Meaning Of the
Epistle and Police Are Told
About Il.
BLACK hand-blackhand."

:.
Black hand-blackhand."
The word was spoken with incrsas.
Ing volume among police circles and
the local Italian business houses To-
day. 1t was suggested by the receape
of a mysterious letter, which Wa
directed to "Sognore r. Mercurio. 70
North Fifth street. Richmond City.
The epistle asked that 1900 francs
be sent the writer or writer's sieniue
their names by the initials '.R de O..
The letter was without marks Of
Identification. 1t probably win b
placed In the hands OF the postal au-
thorfties AZ the recipients can gain
no definite information from its per.
usal. Other letters are expected to
follow and this 10 what leads to the
probability OF the operation OF the
black hand" II 10 customary In the
mysterious operation Of this secret or.
ganixation to follow the first letter
containing request with q second
containing . more forceful demand
and then probably . third which
transfers the demand from one OF q
polite nature to . threat for failure
to comply. Direful consequences are
expected to follow and the recipient
OF one Of such letters always BEGINS
to fear for his personal safety ana
that Of his property.
Family 10 prosNlnsnt.
The Mercurio family Ii the most
prominent Of the Italians in the city.
The several branches are engaged In
the fruit business and are rexardea
as good citizens. Two brothers. nep.
hews OF the r. Mercurio written to.
have often been called in by the police
to act as court interpreters. One Of
these young men officiated in that
capacity in circuit court today. Since
coming to the city. the family has
prospered and now operates four
stores. Some wealth has been acouir-
ed and 1t is probably due to this fact
that the letter has been received.
The letter purports to be from q
countryman, who 10 In distress. The
address Of the sender is not Owen and
the postmark on the stamp 10 20 badly
blurred as not to be decipherable.
The stamp Is Spanish and In the letter
Madrid Is. mentioned several times,
From what can be surmiscd q to tho
meaning Of the writer. he or they have
bean-Aetatned someplace. because Of
the loss OF trunk. II II represented
that 1t will take 1900 francs to re-
cover the trunk. which also contains
tickets. passports or other creden-
tials.
No Addrese Wao Given.
Strange AZ II may seem, NO address
ID given to which the money might
be sent It II claimed the money n
needed urgently and the name Of the
Deity IL invoked for aid. n well -
for . protection and guidance to the
recipient Of the letter. It 10 believed
two persons are concerned In send
Ing the letter from the fact the sig.
nature is .R de o." The word de" I'm
italian meaning and. % translated the
signature would read In Eugiish "R
and O."
such N II familiar In the southern
European countries. Its kind has been
seen by the recipient Of . letter from
nearly any part Of Europe. a ven.
The envelope 10 square and dark blue
on the interior. The letter paper =
criscrossed with blue lines dividing
1t into tiny squares. The orthography
IN excellent A water stamp in the
paper reads Original iberia N1I~ ana
the trade mark II . crown.
Everything in connection With the
letter 10 % mysterious that no atteu-
ton Will b paid to II BY Mr.. Nercus3o.
Further Developments are expected n
the course of time. II may b. The 1t.
ter was written by . stranded fellow
countryman, bat this ID not Given cre.
dence by the recipient NOR membau
Of the family.