New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-01-14
BLACK HAND LETTERS
. WORRY GR|FENHACEN
Four Men Arrested After In
vestigation Of Registers
Complaint.
ONE HELD FOR EXTORTION
Police Say Trouble Arose
Through Italians Resentment
at Being Replaced by
Waterman.

The latest man 10 feel the weight OF
the Black Hand Is Max S Grifenhagen,
Register of New York County. While
Mr. Grifenhagcn had only a warning tap
on the shoulder. so 10 speak. he was
sufficiently impressed 10 summon the po-
lice to his aid in running down the
agents of the much hunted society Four
men were arrested last night by Italian
detectives and locked up in Police Head
quarters, charged with writing threaten
ing letters to Mr.. Grifenhagen. The
Register slept better than he has done
! in several weeks
The trouble dates back to the day
/ Louis Cavalcri was employed as a
Waterman by the Grifenhagen & Co.'S
/ bottle works, at Nos. 249 and PSI Tenth
! avenue Previous To Iouiss appearance
| at the bottle works man named Mike"
! had been holding down the watChman's
! Job and had given universal satisfaction
/ in that capacity. Unfortunately, Mike"
! dallied too long with the red wine one
| night two years ago. and when he failed
/" SHOW up LOulN was H'H'''i'u 80 ~"
place.
ON November 80 Mike presented
! himself at the bottle establishment. IN
Tenth avenue, properly penitent and got
! his old job back once more. As for
| Louis, well, there was no other job and
| so he was put out in the cold.
Before Mike" had fairly rc-estab-
! lishcd himself In Che comfortable hayloft
! wherein he slept Louis and some friends
/ came around to the stable and demanded
| Of Mike" that he give up his job.
/ Mike" has never been schooled in phi
! lanthrOpy, and refused the invitation y
| couple of days followed without incident
and then Mike" was again visited by
| Louis and his brother. Tony.
/ This time Louis used persuasion OF a
gentIer kind. and asked Mike" TO come
/ out to supper with himself and Tony.
! The cautious Mike" refused the invita-
/ ton, and then the threats were brought
! into use again \ week later Mike
was aroused from his bed IN the hayloft
one dark night and beaten severely. He
took the matter so much TO heart that
4 he disappeared and has not been seen
since.
/ Two weeks ago Register Grifenhagen
received a letter signed with the omnous
! Black Hand, demanding that he deposit
| 81 100 in IA certain spot and discharg"
/ the German Waterman and take back
! Louis. When this advice was not needed
Louis visited Mr.. Grfcnhagen ana
asked him If he had been getting letters
| from the Black Hand. The next day an
! other letter was received, asking that
the German Waterman take the Wee
| hawken ferry TO New Jersey. walk up
| the Hudson Boulevard for hvc minutes
and there drop the sack of money. The
| German begged off from the job and
! nothing was done.
! The next day Louis returned 10 see
! Mr.. GrifenhaCcn and again asked II ne
had been getting letters. when tod
| that such was the case, he cvinccd "A as
/ interested interest IN the fact and ad-
| vised that the demands be met
! When still another letter was receiver
| nv MIR. Grifenhagen, threatening that
| ono az his children would be kidnapped
he became alarmed and complained In
! the notice. As result b" was told 70
invite Louis 10 the ofiiC" yesterday.
when the Italian walked In five dctec-
! tives sccrcted themselves in an inner
room and waited Mr.. Griicnhag"n
begged Louis TO call of the BACK haha y,
/ I his said that this could be done II
,bo Popister would fire the German. put
7 .ouis IN his place and pay him S2l a
/ wnek TO seal tho bargain Mr.. Grifen-
I,,gcr Maid Louis S2l I'm marked bills.
ySen the Italian left the Office he wac
| followed by the detectives TO NO. ~"
West 18th street.
Hero he met Tony cavalier. STAINS,
49, yaIcnti and Pcttenato Biengio all
ii,,irc al The house Despite their pro
,,ets the men were hustled 10 Head
quarters, where an additional charge OF
rytortIon was registered against Louis
| CaValCri