Evening journal., 1910-09-12
BLACK HANDLERS.
EXPLODE BOMB
Request for $4,000 Ignored,
TerranOVa'S House is
Blown Up
OCCUPANTS ESCAPE;
POLICE HUNT SUSPECT

The police are working hard on
clues they have unearthed following
the attempt made late Saturday night
t. murder Peter TerranOva, an Italian
shoemaker, at No. 1907 Delaware ave-
nue.. by the BLACK Hand A bomb
placed at the back door Of his home
shortly before IL o'clock after the per-
petrators of the outrage had raped
to summon him to the door. exploded
with great force and badly DANCED
the rear portion of the house and incl
dentally shattered large number of
panes of glass In houses in the neigh
borhood.
The report Of the explosion was
heard as far as Bancroft's and many
thought there had been an explosion
at the dupont Powder mills.
The police are now searching for a
man who Terranova believes Is re-
sponsible for the outrage. This man
formerly lived In Wilmington and vas
engaged I'm business. and through
some business deal, became very bit
ter toward Terranova. He has since
left the city. He remained about tie
city following this trouble for some
time, and later left town.
Three letters, all in regulation
"Black Hand style, with cross bones
and skull affixed, We're received since
last May by Terranova demanding So,
000 The first two letters were mailed
i'm Wilmington. one I'm May and the
other in following month. The third
was mailed I'm New York about two
weeks ago. and it is in that city that
the supposed "Black Hand" agent is
thought to be living.
Terranova turned all the letters
over to the police and the latter had
an expert penman compare the writ
ing in them with that of the man ior
whom the authorities are searching.
and this expert was OF the opinion
that they were not the same. The
authorities, il was said today, how
/ ever, think that it is, and they believe
| that the arrest of the man in ques-
tion will solve the mystery.
Answered Rap on Door.
While Terranova and a friend, Dan.
nano Guida, were seated I'm the dininl
room of the formers home talkinl
Saturday night, there came a rap a
the kitchen door. Terranova, who ha
been taking great care not to expos
himself unnecessarily since receivin
the letters. did not go 10 the doc
: but asked who was there. For answe
there came q terrific explosion
followed by a cloud Os dust an
smoke. He and his companion wey
considerably frightened and fled
the front part OF the house. thus Civ
ing the perpetrator of the crime am
: pie oportunity to make his escape un
! noticed. There is a yard in the rea
} of the house, which runs back TO
vacant lot, with a dividing fence. 4
board was ripped from this fence ant
the opening was sufficiently large 70
man to crawl through. The fencl
is not high, however. and it would TAX
no effort TO Chamber over il.
The door OF the kitchen was blowI
away and the pavement of the littl'
courtyard where the explosion occur
red was covered with broken glass ant
debris. The force of the explosion
blew a hole in the bricks I'm the yarI
, and then going straight up strippe'
the side of the building of shutter
and breaking all window panes.
, Firemen on the Scene.
The Water Witch Fire Company hur
2 ried TO the scene thinking that a fir
e was I'm progress, but the services O
I the firemen were not needed. Polio
/. Sergeant White and PatrOlmen Elliot
: Edwards and Boughman were on tn
I scene within a few minutes after tn
- explosion, but found no trace Of tn
: man who placed the bomb
y The police think the perpetrator q
\ the outrage used either stick dyna
- mite or nitroglycerine. The latter ca
4 plosive might have been placed in
. bottle and touched Off with a fuse b
the man, who raped at the door an
fed.
- Terranova's house was damaged
the extent OF several hundred dollars
/ and a house belonging to the Bait
= more and Ohio railroad adjoining ais
was considerably damaged.
Terranova owns the property he o,
/ cupies and also owns a small plaC
2 IN East Lake. There is a mortgae
against his Delaware avenue hous
I however, and he says he cannot undel
z stand where the man who threatene
r him in the letters got the informatio
that he had $1,000.