Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-02-21
GROCERYMAN FIRES
AT BLACKHANDGANG
AFTER HOLDING WATCH IN DARK.
ENED STORE ANOTHER PRE-.
VENTS EXPLOSION; CHICAGO
FAMILY's NARROW ESCAPE.

Nv" iOlh, pCU. ~. DlOChLdnOF
gangs, defying the efforts Of Commits
sioner Flynn and detectives to check
t cir operations, have continued their
reign Of terror with torch and bomb
every night for the past week, and
early today made two daring attempts
to wreck with dynamite. Every avail
able detective in the central Office has
I been sent out to round up the black
handlers.
Two agents of the Matchmaking
society drove up in front of the house
Of DR.. Bartoli, a wealthy physician, on
East 106th street today, laid a bomb
near the Doctors door, touched 1t off
and then fed in a carriage. The ex-
plosion caused panic among 100 girls
in st. Cecelia's convent. The doctor
had been receiving blackhand letters
for some time.
Gioavani Cataldo, a groceryman on
Christie street, sat up last night in his
darkened store and awaited the COM
ing OF the bomb throwers. He had
kept watch for several nights. Just
before dawn the. groceryman saWvftWo
Figures near his door getting ready to
set of bomb. Cataldo blazed away
with revolver and the blackhanders
fed. The police searched the neigh
borhood without result.
Panic in Girls School.
! The inmates OF the St. Cecilia con-
vent We're thrown into panic by the ex-
plosion Of the dynamite bomb in the
street few feet from the entrance OK
the convent. The bomb did practically
no damage, as the force OF the blast
spent itself on the pavement and the
air, but the noise of the explosion
was terrific and buildings for block
or more in either direction were
shaken The inmates Of the convent
were asleep in their dormitory quart
ers at the time, but at the sound Of
the bursting bomb they jumped out of
their beds and rushed in terror to stair
ways and fire escapes. The sisters
quieted them with difficulty, while the
convent watchman rushed from his
room in the cellar to investigate.
Another Bomb In Street.
On reaching the street the watchman
caught sight Of a carriage being driven
rapidly eastward In 106th street. It
disappeared in the shadows of the e}e-
vated railroad structure in Park
avenue The watchman gave chase.
but when he got to Park avenue
there was no trace of the carriage.
On the trail Of the carriage the
watchman picked up a package wrap
ped in paper and heavily corded. 1t
contained the second bomb, unexplod-
ed, and loaded with about pound Of
dynamite. He turned the explosive
over to the policeman who immerged
1t in pail of water pending examina-
ton by the bureau of combustibles.
The police later learned the bombs
were not intended for the convent but
for the physician, whose residence ad-
Joins the institution. The physician
admits to the police that he had re-
ceived threatening letter purporting
to come from the blackhand and de-
manded money from him.
Bomb Found In Chicago.
Chicago, Feb. 20.--A dynamite bomb
with lighted time fuse two feet long
sputtering and about to fire was found
early this morning on the front steps
OF house occupied by Giacomo Frisa,
an italian laborer. Two policemen
passing saw an open door and within
the burning fuse, and extinguished the
blazing powder before 1t could reach
the explosive.
The bomb consisted Of five sticks Of
high percentage dynamite, bound to-
gether with string and fuse and cap
adjusted to one stick.
Frisa lives In the two story house
with his wife, f1ve children and mar
ried daughter and her husband. He
has received number Of threatening
letters in the past few months signed
''the blackhand" and asking for money.
The last, received week ago, ad-
y.aed him that his home would be
blown up If he failed to leave $500 in
a package on his front doorstep or II
he notified the police. He is section
kand for railroad.
The fuse, when taken to the police
station, was found to have burned
scarcely an inch, although the indica-
tions were that the missile had been
left on the doorstep only a moment be-
fore it was found. The policemen saw
no one leaving the place or in the
neighborhood. Frisa's wife was pre-
pairing breakfast when she was in.
formed by the police Of their find, and
the neighborhood soon was in an up-