Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-09
BANKER ACCUSES
CAPT. CARROLL OF
NEGLECT|NG DUTY
Blames Black Hand Outrage to
Refusal to Act, and Ap-
peaIs to Mayor.

VIII William A. Carroll, captain of
the detective bureau of the police de-
partment of the city of Newark, be
placed on trial at the meeting of the
police commissioners on Friday next,
to answer charges of inactivity, un-
civility, etc.?
Mayor Haussling will decide that
question late this afternoon. The
mayor has already heard considerable
evidence in the case in which Gregario
Pignataro, who conducts a banking
houss-and ticket agency at So Madi-
son street, figures as the complaining
witness. The banker, who is highly
respected and trusted by residents of
the Ironbound district, is very indig-
nant at the treatment he alleges he re-
ceived at the detective bureau in the
City Hall.
The trouble between Captain Carroll
and the banker is of recent origin. The
latter's uncle, Ruggiro Rodano, who
conducts a grocery, and is the owner of
three-story brick building at Madison
and Dowling streets, has received sew
eral threatening "Black Hand" letters.
1t was while appealing to the police
for protection for him that the banker
claims to have been insulted,
On Thursday an attempt was made
to dynamite the grocery.
Pignataro claims that IL the detec-
tive bureau had properly handled the
case the gang which made the attempt
he nd
fear that now reigns in the neighbor-
hood would be removed.
Receipt of the first "Black Hand
letter by Rodano did not cause much
excitement Neither did the second,
but when the third came, in which
specific demands and threats were
made, the recipient became uncomfort-
able and his nephew agreed to take the
matter to the police and ask for pro-
lection. Pignataro first reported to the
Third Police Precinct. He was referred
to the detective bureau and with the
threatening letters he called upon Cap
| tain Carroll.
| According to Pignataro, Captain Car
roll glanced at the letters and tossed
them back to him, saying, "Oh, there's $
nothing serious about them. We get
! thousands of them every day" sPig-
! nataro explained .iiar ms uncle was
alarmed, and urged the officer to send
detectives to investigate the case. Cap
tain Carroll, according to the banker,
ordered him out of the bureau, saying
in an off-handed way that the BLACK
Hand" men would be attended to.
Pignataro says that he was not exact
| ly satisfied with the interview with
| Carroll, but that he went away feeling
satisfied that the sacred duty of the
police would be to give the matter the
attention that the case deserved. Pig
nataro claims that Carroll did moth
ing to find the authors of the notes
When the fourth note came Pignataro
rushed to the detective bureau again.
He claims Captain Carroll said to hinf:
"Take your troubles to the Third Pre-
cinct police, they have better Italian
detectives down there than we have
here at headquarters" In other words.
Pignataro alleges, Captain Carroll prac-
tically refused to investigate. The
dynamite attack followed. The banker
now declares that If the police were on
the job the "Black Hand" men would
have been apprehended and he reported
to the Mayor.