Arizona republican., 1921-08-25
Stanley

ing, white slavery or liquor selling. These activities are controlled en- tirely by boss men, of the district, who earn luxurious livelihood by licenses and tributes exacted from the owners of such enterprises. Oc- casionally they go in for blackmail- ing or kidnapng. but these are usual ly- resorted to in order to terrorize someone who has defied their au- thority. Through Ralph the police learned that there were three big gangs or trusts tha, controlled all of the big Italian colonies of the city. One of them was the Mulberry street or down town gang. one was the Harlem gang and the third was the Nevy street or Brooklyn gang. Each of the first two was ruled by three padrones, while the Brooklyn gang had four bosses. These ten men had 70 or 50 killers. he told the police. who were each paid s15 or $20 week. They administered justice by means of these henchmen and never person. ally participated in the shedding of blood. All of them were engaged in legitimate enterprises of some sort
 being either wholesale merchants or l importers-but most of their wealth was obtained through taxes and blackmail.
 i Kines of the Underworld No man could open a gambling
 house in their districts without con-
 sulting them first and paying for the | privilege. They encouraged and profited from the sale of illicit drugs. l and they even levied a special tax on artichokes, demanding $25 for ev- cry wagonload taken by an Italian From the city markets The con-
 trolling ten also granted monopolies on olive oil,> ice, coal and wood to certain peddlers of their districts. in | consideration of specified payments of course, and once sSch a monopoly | was established no enc dared dis pute it.
 1 To those who paid their dues 1 promptly the pardones gave their ut most protection, but rpon those whc l failed in this duty vengeance de- scended. Only two or three remind | CTS were accorded the rebel. After that one of the 70 killers was called before his general, presented with suitable weapon and given precise in- structions Then it was only ques- ton of time before the offender was 1 gracing his hearthrug or doorstep. g knife wound in his back or bullet in
 his forehead.
 As a result of Ralph the Barber's | confession. IT gangsters were lndict- l ed for murder, and several men were 1 brought to trial. In many cases con viction failed, because the principal l witnesses insisted upcn maintaining an obstinate silence, refusing to cor | roborate Ralph's testimony. Further | more. the chief offenders-the pa drones-were able to leave the coun- try before the police could get or
 their trail. Nevertheless, the confes- sion had a restraining effect upor
 the gang activities of Little Italy. ant
 for a time things were remarkabl,
 quiet. Then, suddenly, with the en- forcement of prohibition, an epidemic
 of "vendettas" started up again.
 All the recent Italian murders
 which have figured so prominentl. in the newspapers are due to feud'
 resulting from traffic in liquor, tn
 police believe. The chief padrone
 are fighting for the control of boot logging monopolies and there are con
 stant ouarrels. constant strategy ant ], constant murder.
 "Prohibition is incomprehensible t the Italian of New York" explains one police official. "Ir his opinion 1 man can no more be prevented b, law from drinking than he can iron } eating, and he regards water as l liquid to be used only for cleansini }, purposes. The boss men Of the un
 derv-orid do not regard the prohioi ton law as a joke. however. The' regard it as a godsend. It mean. huge and easy profits to a man witt
 strong nerves, hardy staff of killer and keen appreciation Of ven , reance"