The Colorado statesman., 1915-08-28

less dynamitings, with attendant dam
Sge;to property and human life.
The recent explosion in the base
ment of Manhattan's palatial police
headquarters was a great piece of i'm
pudence, but in this respect it scarcely
exceeded some other points in bomb
history here. Many men have been
the victims of several successive
bombs, with the police striving to
give them protection all the time.
mere are notorious bomb blocks" in
the city, where the inhabitants time
and again have been thrown from their
beds in the middle of the night and
descended the hre-escapes in barefoot,
nightie-clad, squeaking multitudes.
Bomb explosions fall naturally into
three major groups:
First, blackmailers' crimes, intend.
ed to intimidate obstinate intended
victims of extortion.
Second, anarchists crimes, meant to
protest against society.
Third, deeds of private vengeance.
Records of bomb explosions here
are not carefully kept and it is prob
able that many frightened victims of
minor explosions never bring the mat
ter to the attention of the police. But
1t is known that in 1914 there were
at least fifty bombs set off, or about
one a week.
The year preceding. 1913, saw more
than four times as many, or about $50
crimes of this character, brought to
the attention of the authorities and the
newspapers. The drop in bombs fol-
lowing this high tide was largely due
to the rounding up of the notorious
pomb gang which included Antonio
Levantino. "Zump" Piccarelle, and
"Burkey."
lump confessed touching off "a
bombs in different parts of New York
city He said the band had received
from $25 to $75 when it set off bombs
Tor other persons. They had also
murdered a Chinese for 81. and stolen
a young girl for $50.
With the rounding up of this gang
and the ending of the activities of its
bomb factory" the police thought
bomb planting would cease. But II
did not, proving that many single
criminals or independent bands were
operating with explosives.
Undoubtedly the ease with which
dynamite and other high explosives
can be procured and the WIDESPREAD
knowledge of their use in this civ
is to large extent to blame for con.
ditions. Enormous rapid transit
projects. employing tens of thousands
OF workmen, are under way, besides
the countless other construction iobs
most of which involve blasting into
the solid rock base of Manhattan Is
land.
Italian laborers can easily steal a
few sticks of dynamite from a con-
tractor for whom they are working.
Probably 80 per cent of bomb crimes
are committed by Italians, the VIC
tins usually being other Italians.
The police have never been able
to persuade Italians upon whom the
blackmailers of their own race have
set their mark to cooperate In thwart.
ing the gangs.
When an Italian shopkeeper has
prospered he is apt to be proved
upon by men coming from his own
town or province in Italy. The Black
Handlers" who attacked him probably
leave immigrants from other sections
of Italy. and. indeed. all other persons
in peace.
Until the last two years Italian
matchmaking bombs were confined to
the foreign sections of the city, but
recently prosperous Italians have
found that moving their residence to
a better district has not saved them.
There have been several crimes of