The New York herald., 1921-06-18
DUEL MAY Be LINK
IN KIDNAPPING Case
Two Italians Cry Death to
InfOrmers' as They Shoot
Down Their Foes.
LETTER FOUND ON BODY
Police Believe Man Killed
May Have Threatened to
Solve Varotta Case.
PRISONERS ARE SILENT
Officials Refuse to Indicate
Progress Made in Finding
Murderers of Boy.
LETTER FOUND ON BODY
PRISONERS ARE SILENT


The police are endeavoring to link
the kidnapping and murder Of five
year-old Giuseppe Varotta with the
fatal pistol duel between Italian gun
men on the Schiff Parkway late
Thursday night, which resulted in one
man being killed, another mortally
wounded and bullets slightly wounding
four passersby, including two women.
Detectives are working also on a
suggestion that the shooting affray
might have been the result Of a gam
bling feud or the aftermath of a fight
over the division Of money obtained
from the sale of smuggled narcotics.
A score Of Italians living in the
neighborhood We're questioned yester-
day by Assistant District Attorney
Dineen, who has been active in the in
vestigation of the Staying Of the Va
rotta boy, whose body was found in
the Hudson River last Saturday. De-
tective Sergeant Michael Fiaschette
also questioned number Of Italian
men and women who witnessed the
pistol duel.
When the first volley was fired by
two Italians they cried. Death to in
formers!' which leads the police to be-
iieve that the man killed, or the one
they were going to tell the authorities
something about the Varotta case. In
one of the pockets of the dead man. be-
lieved to be vincenzo Alfalo of Prince
street. was found letter postmarked
Norfolk, Va. the contents OF which
the police refuse to make public at
this time.
Salvatore viscone of $40 East 1o6th
street, who was arrested near the scene
of the shooting with revolver in his
refused to talk except to say he had
been shot at, but did not know his at
tackers.
Pasquale Cappola of ia Chrystie
street, who was with Viscone, is being
held as a material witness. He also
would not give any information only
that they had picked up the weapon
from the gutter. Another revolver found
at the scene contained five empty
cartridges. In all there were about fif-
teen shots fired. so the police say.
Mrs. Anna Waxman of 16 Schiff Park
way and her daughter. Lena, were sit
ting before their home the time the
bullets began to f1y. The mother was
shot through the left and the daughter
in the right leg. 1t Is believed that one
of the duellists escaped probably slightly
wounded.
Nicholas Ventura OF "a Delaney
street, who is in Gouverneur Hospital
in dying condition. is charged with
killing Alfalo. In one OF Ventura's
pockets was found a permit to carry a
revolver which was signed by the Justice
of the Peace of Haverstraw, N. Y, which
is a few miles from the place where the
Varotta boys body was discovered.
There is a large Italian settlement
in Haverstraw, where they are en-
ployed in the brick yards. 1t has been
the theory of the police that the Varotta
boy was thrown into the Hudson near
Haverstraw and floated down the river
to Piermont. a few miles away.
Neither the police nor the District
Attorneys office would give out any
information yesterday indicating that
furthc. progress had been made in
bringing to justice the persons respon-
sible for the death of young Varotta
after being refused blackmalf money by
his parents for the return of the boy
alive.
Failure Of the police to make more
progress In the varotta case is due, in
the opinion of persons familiar with po-
lice history. to the breaking UP OF the
old Italian squad.
The Italian squad, which drove the
Black Hand from New York city. has
been a thing OF the past since the Police
Commissionersbip of Rhinelander Waldo,
who reorganized the Detective Bureau
by splitting 1t into sections. There is an
Italian squad now. under command of
Detective Michael Fiaschetti. but it does
not contain a single man of the detec-
tives who made the italian squad ter
rble to the blackmaiiers. kidnappers and
counterfeitcrs Of a decade ago.
Detective Lieut.. Petrosino, under
whose leadership the Italian squad was
first got together and who was killed in
Palermo. Italy. In 1903. and his sue
cessor. Lieut.. Antonio vachris, deserved
the credit for this result. vachris is out
Of the Police Department now. having
retired. Among the thirty to forty
men who served under Petrosino and
v1chris were Rocco Cavone, Joseph
Digilio. Ralph Micelli. John Arcgiopoli,
Charles Corrao. John Cassetti. Hugh
Cassidy and Jim Crowley (Irishmen
who could speak Sicilian with the
best). Dan Devotti. I'D Castano,
Trebucci. Monde. Botti De Martini
and Archiello. Many of these men are
still in the Police Department. Some
Of them are In the Detective Bureau.
Others are pounding the pavement" as
patrolmen others are precinct detec-
tives and on inspectors STATS; others
have been promoted. But there Is not
one Of them on the italian squad or as
signed to "Black Hand" or kidnapping
cases especially.