The New York herald., 1921-06-04
ARRESTS GIVE CLUE
IN BOYS KIDNAPPING
Police Follow Trail Barred
by Confession. but Fail
to Find Child.
SEEK LEADER OF BAND
Said to Be Nephew of One of
Five Caught in Trap
Set by Woman.
PRISONERS ADMIT PLOT
Motive for Crime Found in
Gossip of Lads Mother About
Family Funds.
SEEK LEADER OF BAND
PRISONERS ADMIT PLOT

Though FIVE Sicilians were locked up
each in default of $25,000 bail yester-
day, after their arrest charged with
completely in the kidnapping ten days
ego of Giuseppi, the five-year-old son
Of John Verotta, from in front of his
home, 354 West Thirteenth street, the
rolice have not yet succeeded in re-
covering the child. Members of the
Italian bomb squad of Police Head
quarters, under the leadership of De-
tective Michael Fiaschetti, worked all
day, but until late hour last night
their quest for the lad had been fruit
less
Early in the day the police an
nounced they had obtained from one
or the prisoners the name and ad-
dress of the principal who. it is all
legged, kidnapped the boy and who was
supposed to have the child in his keep
Ing. Detectives hurried in a motor
car to the address named but neither
the man nor the boy was found there.
The father of the suspect, however,
was taken to Police Headquarters to
be questioned. The man is Sicilian
baker. He said his son had been in the
habit of returning home from mis- work
at about s o'clock every morning, but
that he has not seen him for several
days. When pressed ne said he did not
know just where his son worked.
May BE Hidden Near Home.
Some of the prisoners. all of whom
were subjected to relentless interroga-
tion caused the police TO believe the
kidnapped boy had been concealed in
the same block in which is his home
They insisted, however, that they had
not seen this chief suspect since the day
of the crime, which was May "a. The
man who is said to have been the actual
kidnapper, according to the police. is
nephew of one of the Ave prisoners
who. told in late editions yesterday
OF The NEW York HERALD, were
trapped when the police lured them to
to them marked money supposed to be
in ransom of the kidnapped child.
The capture of these five alleged mem
bers of the black hand band was ac-
complished largely through the clever
work of Mrs Rae Nicoletti a police
woman. who posed in the Verotta home
as a Detroit cousin of Mrs. Verotta
kept her eyes and ears open, and noticed
that the Verotta house was under cease
Less espionage from a house on the op-
poslte side of the street. IL was this
Information. developed by the coopera-
tive work of Detectives F'iaschetti
Thomas Greco. James Pollegrino, Angelo
Trezza. Louis Dardis. George Teste aud
others. that led TO the setting and
springing of the trap late Thursday
night.
Police Claim Confessions.
The prisoners when arrai igned de-
soribed themselves as follows: Antonio
Marino. laborer $40 East Thirteenth
street. Santo Cosumano, laborer, and
James Ruggiere, chauffeur. both OF the
eame address John Melchionne, no oc-
cupation. and Roberto Raffaele. a plano
tuner III Palisade avenue. Union Hill,
". j.
Ruggiere. who. the police aver, Is the
stepson of Antonio Marino. has admitted
70 tnen, they say, that he wrote the two
black hand letters which were sent to
Verotta threatening his child's life and
his own unless he should pay the ransom
demanded. The Detective Bureau made
public also the substance Of confessions
alleged to have been made by Melchi-
onne and Raffaele, telling how they went
TO Nerotta's house at the behest Of 'the
gang" to get the money promised at the
time when they were seized by the police
What led the extortioners TO suppose
the Verottas had money enough 10 make
the kidnapping worth while CONNER
cially came to light Yesterday rne
police learned that on May % the childs
mother was gossiping with the wife OF
one OF the men now under arrest who Is
neighbor. concerning a new automobile
which the Verottas had just purchased
1T doesn't look like much Of a car
10 me-" the wife OF the suspect is under
stood 90 have commented.
''Oh. but that isn't because we
couldn't afford It," returned Mrs.
verotta. I'VE have plenty Of money and
could have bought better car II we
wanted t."