The Detroit times., 1909-05-18
lS|C|[|ANs TAKE
SECRETS To GRAVE
That Is Why Petrosino's slayers
Are Free-"Betray no One" Is
Greed of Race.

Palermo, is now In this city. He Is
not telling his abiding place. for 1t
seems desirable on more than one
account that members or the Black
Hand In New York should not learn OF
his whereabouts.
Mr.. Bishop has received two letters
warning him that unless he ceases
lending hand in the search for Lieut..
Petrosinos assassins and oin the de-
Lortation OF several OF the notorious
Italian blackmailers now IN this coun-
try he will meet his fate which befell
Commissioner Binghams special
agent From the time the first warn
ing letter was received until he was
safely on his way To this country Mr..
Bishop was under the constant sur
veillance OF two Italian detectives.
liner Carpathia with the consul and
his wife and remained until the vessel
had cleared Palermo.
Mrs. Bishop says that, although the
danger of assassination by Black Hand
agents In this country Is not SO great
as In Sicily, he is not taking any
chances. He expects TO remain two
months In the United States. During
that time he will lay before the state
department a plan which he believes
will lead to the material iessening OF
the number OF Italian criminals who
land In New York and other Atlantic
ports. and also Will provide a means
Of deporting many already here who
have been troubling the police or this
aud other cities in the last few years.
Mr.. Bishop will meet Police Commits
sioner Bingham In the near future TO
place certain information IN his hands
0concerning the Petrosino case.
Mr.. Bishop and his wife walked
down the gangplank OF the Carpathia,
entered close vehicle. and were
whisked away to their temporary
home here. In his retreat he was
found by a reporter. and talked about
his recent experiences I'm Palermo. so
far the most trying period OF hisl lie.
His coming to this country had moth
ing TO do directly with the Petrosino
case this being his annual leave OF
absence. While here he had some i'm
portant matters TO communicate.
Despairs Of Catching the Assassins.
Mr.. Bishop said frankly that he did
not believe that the murderers OF
Lieut.. Petrosino would ever be caught.
The Sicilian police have been ham
pered from the start, he says, by the
TACT that nearly every Sicillian Is
averse TO telling anything he knows
10 thep olice.
There is dogma which has come
Town from the middle ages and is still
Al full force in Sicily, which makes 1t
vell-nlgh impossible for the police to
latch some criminals said Mr..
Bishop. This Is the belief that IT is
,nmanly TO tell anything about fell
lcw-countryman which could get him
into trouble. II Is called 'Omerta' IN
the Sicilian tongue. which means man
Illness. They believe II Is dishonorable
to inform on any one, even In a case
Of murder.
"Of course, the fear OF being killed
in revenge Is also a factor In the
Petrosino case. There have been
many arrests and long inquisitions,
but absolutely nothing has been
learned, SO far as l know, TO point TO
the guilty men. Just before | left
Palermo they arrested two men, GER
tain Castantino and one Pasanani.
relatives. who, the police learned, had
been communicating In cipher tele-
grams Castantino, | understand, Is
wanted in this country for bankruptcy
frauds. When he arrived In Palermo
he deposited 30.000f. | have not learn.
ed the result OF the investigation or
these men.
Il found myself plunged up to the
ears In the Petrosino matter before l
knew Il. When Petrosino came 70
Palermo he visited the Consulate al
most every day He told me that he
had lists OF Italians with criminal rec
ords now living in America, and that
hew ished to get from the Italian au-
thorities the records OF each man so
that they could be deported. | gave
him such help as could"
Mr.. Bishop said that Lieut.. Petros-
inc had asked him to indorse his re-
quest to the authorities asking for the
information he wished. and that he did
affix his name TO the papers. In most
instances these requests were honored.
Lieut.. Petrosino was just beginning to
receive reports from the district
courts when he was shot. Several OF
the lists OF criminals with their Sicil-
ian records were found In his pockets
after the murder
Petrosino Knew No Fear.
Mr.. Bishop said that Petrosino did
not seem TO realize the danger OF his
mission He even went about the
streets unarmed, and had no revolver
with him when was murdered. In the
dispatches from Palermo at the time
IL was said that Petrosino did have a
revolver land fred back at his assas-
sins.
IL frequently spoke to Lieut.. Petros-
ino about his danger" said Mr.. Bishop,
but he made light OF It, I>asked him
IL the Black Hand agents In New York
had never tried TO kill him. He said
he had been threatened many times.
but was never afraid.
"All the stories about his wearing Il
coat OF mail were untrue. When he
was shot his revolver was In his room
at the hotel. Wher he first came to
Palermo the authorities asked him III
he didn't want a guard to accompany
him. They told him II was dangerous
10 90 about on such n mission alone.
Put be refused any escort.
"One day he was going into very
DANGEROUS locality infested with men
known TO be desperate. He asked me
what he had better do. told him to
take along some OF the carabinero, but
he finally decided TO go alone. That
was just before he was shot down.
1.-THE people OF Palermo were In
clined to look upon Lieut.. Petrosino
as an intruder, and after his murder
many would say that he got what he
deserved. only tell this To show
what a dificult proposition the author
tiles have been up against In trying
to locate his murderers."
Mr. Bishop said that the immigra-