The sun., 1919-07-29
CANISTER SHOOTS
MAN IN COMFY TRAIN
Ralph the Barber, Who Told Of
23 Murders and Forgot
More, Is Captured.
PASSENGERS IN A PANIC
Betrayer of italian Gamblers
Accused Victim of Hitting
His Wife in Crush.

A Brighton Beach elevated railroad
train lert the West End station at Coney
Island at 1880 o'clock last night
crowded with people, mostly women and
children, who had been spending the day
at the resort. Among the passengers
were Ralph Daniello and his wife Vir-
ginia Of 95 Corinth avenue, Elmhurst,
l.. /. Daniello is known to the police as
Ralph the Barber. and until he was ar
rested two years ago and confessed to
participation in twenty-three murders
bore a reputation as a gangster and a
killer for the zaconet padrones of Little
Italy and Brooklyn.
Daniello and his wife were standing
near. the door of one of the cars when
the train stopped at the West Eighth
street station. There was crowd there
waiting to get on and when the cars
stopped everybody made rush. as the
crowd always does. There was much
jostling and pushing, and when George
Buses, his wife and two children. of 161
Washington street Hoboken, pushed
their way into the car Daniello accused
Buses OF striking his wife. Buses de-
MED 1t, and the two men argued for a
few minutes, and then Daniello struck
Buess in the face. Buses returned the
blow and the two men went at 1t ham
mer and tongs in spite-pf the efforts Of
the others on the train 70 separate them.
After a few minutes fighting Daniello
drew a revolver and damned it against
Buess's stomach Buses tried to get
away but before he could do so Daniello
pulled the trigger. The bullet entered
Buess's stomach. ranged upward and
lodged near his heart. He, fell and
Daniello left his wife and began push
ing his way through the crowd, swing
ing his revolver before him and knock
ing several people down. AS he passed
Michael Klein of 46S Bergen street,
Brooklyn, Klein swung at Daniello and
hit him In the eve. Daniello paid no at
tention to- the blow. however. but left
the train and ran down the stairway to
the street, pursued by a crowd OF SOL
diers and sailors who were on the train.
Daniello headed straight for Surf ave-
nue., with the crowd chasing him and
was caught by Patrolmen William L.
Lau and Walter Mitchell of the Coney
Island station. The officers had to fight
the crowd to keep them from hurting
Daniello. and before they could be dis
persed It was necessary to call the re-
serves from the Coney Island station.
Daniello was then taken to the station
and locked up charged with felonious
assault. Buess was taken to the Coney
Island Hospital, where 1t was said he
probably would die.
Daniello's real name is said to be
Giuseppe Pepi. although he had been
known only as Ralph the Barber for
several years. He was arrested in 1917
and confessed to District Attorney Lewis
of Kings county. revealing twenty-three
murders in which he claimed to have
participated.
Danelio and other sanEsters wero
employed as killers by the zaconet
padrones of Little Italy and Brooklyn.
the men who controlled the italian gam
bling games of those districts and killed
those who crossed them. Most of these
murders, Daniello said. were plotted in
the celebrated murder stable near 109th
street and First avenue, in which Giosue
Gallucci. the king of Little Italy" since
murdered, was interested.
Four indictments we're found against
Daniello, but owing to his confession
he had never been placed on trial. He
gave very valuable information to Dis
trict Attorney Lewis by means of which
many indictments were found against
italian gangsters and through which
the activities OF the zaconet padrones
were largely broken up. Daniello told
of three gangs operating in Brooklyn
and Harlem and he said that he knew
of twenty-three murders these gangs
had committed. while there might have
been more that he had forgotten. The
killings covered a period OF some Ave
or six years. Daniello expressed great
fear of the gangsters. and declared that
they probably would kill him for squeal-
Ing on them.