Milford chronicle., 1914-01-30

and Reveals Working Of "5lack
Handlers"
A tale that laid bare the inside
workings Of the most desperate band
OF "Black Handlers that the police
have ever coped with was told by a
youthful witness before Judge Rosals-
ky, in the court of general sessions in
New York, at the trial OF a member OF
the gang.
The witness, who confessed to the
police after he was arrested and
thought that the gang was not stand
ing by him, confessed on the stand
under oath to being implicated in two
murders, nearly a score OF bomb out
RACES, abduction Of young girls for
white slave purposes and other crimes
of lesser magnitude.
His recital, as a matter Of fact, was
a story never equalled in the blood
and thunder" yarns of the penny nov
elettes and astonished everybody in
the court room. Judge Rosalsky sat
on the bench in amazement while the
witness glibly told of his connection
with the activities of the gangsters.
The witness was Alfred Lehman,
known to his associates as "Schmit-
ty." He is only twenty-three years Of
age and is slight of build with a pale,
anaemic face, looking anything but
the desperate criminal he confessed
himself to be.
Lehman was arrested with two 9TH
ers in Lyndhurst, n. j., in October.
The three were charged with setting
off a bomb in the establishment Of
Klee & Co., in Lyndhurst. Lehman
thought that the gang did not intend
to aid him, and accordingly the New
York police received word that he had
a tale that would interest them.
Deputy Police Commissioner Dough
erty went over to the jail and heard
Lehman's story. Afterward, when Leh-
man was brought to New York he re-
iterated his confession.
Lehman was placed on the stand as
the principal witness against Angelo
Sylvestro, who was charged with
placing a bomb in the hallway of the
tenement at 10 East Houston street.
Lehman, in addition to telling about
his knowledge Of and participation in
the score of bomb Outrages and two
murders, also told the court about the
burning of two Brooklyn houses for
the insurance. He said that the bomb
outrages usually brought the men do
ing the work $50.
One robbery in which a Chinaman
was killed, he said, netted him 81,
while the two men with him, who, he
said, killed the Chinese, got the same
amount.
Regarding the bomb set off in the
tenement in East Houston street, Leh-
man said that the leader of the Black
Hand gang was interested in woman
and that a man living in the tenement
was interested in the same woman.
The gang leader, he said, wanted to
get rid of this man.
"On Aug. 81 Sylvestro and a man
known as lump took the bomb hand
ed to us by the gang leader and went
to the back yard of the tenement at
10 East Houston street" said Leh-
man.
"This was next door to the Hippo
drome moving picture theater, which
was crowded at the time we set about
to blow up the place. We didn't care
a rap for the danger to the crowd in
the theater. We were there to set off
the bomb and we were going to do it"
The witness went on to tell how
the bomb failed to explode after the
fuse had been lighted twice.
He then told of having personally !
set from sixteen to eighteen bombs, |
some of which did great damage and |
others refusing to explode.
Cross-examined by Sylvestro's law
yer, Lehman said that he had begun
his career of crime at the age of |
seven. Two other members of the |
gang are expected to corroborate his
story.
Rocco Pueblo, another member Of |
the gang, also confessed. He said he
participated in the setting off Of
thirty-fve bombs in different parts Of
the city.
81 was paid from $50 to 500 for
each bomb that | planted myself" he
said, "and I received S25 each time
other members of the
gang who planted bombs"