The New York herald., 1922-02-10
Thugs SEEK TO KILL
SLAIN BOYS FATHER
Police Guard Home of Va
rOtta, From Where 5-Year-
Old Was Kidnapped.
SHOTS FAIL TO HIT HIM
ASSaSSinS Climb From Roof
to Home, but Escape
Searchers.
AVENGERS NEVER RELAX
Push Cart Peddler's Testimony
Sends One to Chair; Others
Await Trial.
AVENGERS NEVER RELAX

recent attempts to murder Salvatore
Varotta of 354 East Thirteenth street,
father of the five-year- boy who
was kidnapped last May and his body
thrown into the Hudson River near
Nyack, have caused the Police Depart
ment to exert unusual precautions to
guard him.
He Is accompanied by a uniformed
policeman when he leaves his home in
the morning to take up his days work
with pushcart at Second avenue and
Thirteenth street, and during the day
another policeman and several detec-
tives pay frequent visits to the corner
to see that everything goes well with
him. When he goes home at night
another policeman goes along. and
while the Varotta family sleeps a po-
liceman watches in the lower hallway
of the house.
AS was exclusively told in THE NEW
York HERALD of November 26, 1921, the
friends of the gang that kidnapped Giu-
seppe Varotta and killed him when his
father reported the case to the police
have been bounding Varotta with every
means in their power. They prevented
him from getting work on the East Side
by threatening the men who would have
hired him. they put obstacles of every
sort in his way But so far as the po-
lice would admit, they did not actually
try to kill Varotta until the night of
December II. Then they sent two men
who shot twice at Varotta. 1t was re-
ported that another attempt was made
later but the police would not verify
this.
Assassins Travel over Roof.
But on the night of December II while
Patrolman James Brady of the East
Fifth street station watched in the hall
way below two men came across the
roofs of the tenements and dropped
through the scuttle of the house where
Varotta and his family have an apart
ment They fumbled at the door Of the
Varotta fiat. apparently intending to
make their way inside and Kill the Va
rotta family before the police could be
summoned. They made so much noise
though that Varotta heard them.
Getting out of bed. Varotta got his
revolver-be has had a permit to carry
one ever since he first learned that the
gang was after him-and went to the
door. He heard the men working with
Jimmy. Suddenly throwing open the
door. Varotta confronted the men, at the
same time crying out to Patrolman
Brady to hurry upstairs. The men,
who had been bending before the door.
Strengthened, and one fired twice at
Varotta, both bullets humming past his
head and crashing into the door. Va
rotta returned the fire. but missed. and
the men ran UP the stairs toward the
roof
Patrolman Brady was up stairs In 3
moment. He went to the roof, and dowr
through an open scuttle into $50 East
Thirteenth street, into which IL SCENE
the men had gone. He searched the
house. but could find no one who could
not prove an alibi. and no one that Va
rotta recognized as one of the men who
had tried to kill him. Other policemen
came. and the whole block was searched
but the would-be murderers were not
found. Since then the guard has beer
strengthened.
Evidence Sends Man to Chair.
IT was Varotta's testimony that sent
Roberta Raffaele. one man concerned
in the kidnapping, to the death house
at Sing Sing prison TO await exc
cution after being convicted of murder
In the first degree. -Four other men are
in the Tombs awaiting trial. and the
District Attorney believes that he has
sufficient evidence TO send them to join
Raffaele.
Friends ofRaffaele and the others have
spent much money ana time making
things hard for the Varottas. and they
succeeded in preventing Varotta from
obtaining work. He was not able to
make living until he went to the police
with his troubles, and Capt. McNeill Of
the East Fifth street station bought him
a pushcart and set him up in business.
With the proceeds of this. varotta has
been able to care for his wife and sew
eral Of his children. His eldest sons.
Rodolfo. aged Q. and John. Z. were sent
TO the country some time ago by the
family OF Nicholas Biddle of East
Eighty-sixth street.