Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-12


q thieves. although there were few among
them with real honest talent for detecting.
Some time after 1901 the best Of them became
EnglAnd's first professional detectives, and
when Scotland Yard was formed in 1928, these
few selected man-hunters became part-in-
deed, the nucleus-of the organization. But
Sir Robert Peel, father Of the present London
Metropolitan Police, took the precaution, when
the Yard was established, to warn his handful
Of sleuths that ii they initiated the old run
the spot. Thus the racket disappeared 90 . side
line of the English police
COME time IN the 90s-probably quite early
the modern racket. unknown, Of course,
by that term, was introduced to America. The
introduction came about through the wide use
By italian families Of the artichoke, kin Of
the thistle, which, to Americans, is more Of
q novel table delicacy or salad than q staple
foodstuff. To native-born Italians, however,
the artichOke Is q basic food. In one fair-sized
axtichoke there Is nutritive value equal to
three-course meal for one person. No italian
truck garden here or abroad is without an
artichoke bed.
In New York City the vegetable dealer re-
eeives his supply Of artichokes from two States
California and Florida. You win find them
on his stand in the italian quarters at differ
ones, while dwarfs sell for cents.
In the sos one Caranovalla, recent arrival
from Sicily and member Of the Mano NeT1,
or Black Hand, and other Italian secret So
cieties, effected control Of the incoming ship
ments Of artichokes, 30 that ne was able TO
force vegetable dealers to pay him cents on
every artichoke that reached the city. About
50 900 arrived each week from the two distant
sources. Caranovalla had a neat income, with
NO more excuse for getting it than that he
n nks0r Of ffRa
q vegetable dealer sought to get artichokes
from another source his shop was damaged
and his vegetables ruined, or he was beaten
ND or killed by gangsters in Caranovalla's en-
ploy. In the racket language Of today, he was
'muscling IN" on the artichoke trade.
Caranovalla did not pocket all he collected
He shared his income with a hulk Of man
known as king" Joe Strapone, who ruled the
Little Italy OF the lower East Eide and the
upper East Side Of Harlem.
In the late '9Os another hefty gentleman set
his homemade Neapolitan brogans on Man
hattan's shores. He was a man with soft
sounding name Giosue Ga1luci. He brought
with him his wife, an infant son, Luca, and
younger brother, Genro. The two brothers
could bake to perfection that coarse grained but
exceedingly palatable Neapolitan bread which
makes an excellent companion for steaming
cup Of morning coffee The brothers opened
little bakeshop in James street, in the center
of Little Italy
They made money and GioSue made dreams.
He saw Caranovalla and Strapone struttng
about with no visible means Of support, but
abundant evidence Of wealth. Giosus stood
above feet, and In his blue flannel work shirt,
open at the neck and skn-tight about his
massive shoulders, he bulked large and dom
mant. He spoke occasionally to Strapone. They
talked together for long periods, and mostly
about the thing that was then being widely dis
cussed all over America-trusts. The italian
newspapers spoke of the trusts. Great battles
were being waged IN Congress over the new
Of bow the giants crushed little business men.
CIOSUE also was q member Of the Mano
Nen. He had about him a small group of
Tony Baker Nick Baker. He grew 10 know the
district political leaders and the police. They
would come into his bakeshop and talk things
over. Among this group were the brothers
Lomonte, Tom and Charles, who ran an ice
hay and grain business, and the three brothers.
Vincent, Nicolo and Giro Terranova, and their
half brothers, Giuseppe and Ignazio Morello, the
latter called Lupo the Wolf. The Terranova
business, while Lupo the Wolf imported fake
United States bills and sold few artichokes
which he managed to smuggle past King"
Etrapone's watchful vassals.
To these countrymen Galluci told his dreams
With the talk Of trusts In the air, why, he
asked couldn't the baking, ice peddling and
coal and grain business be organized under one
rhief-namely, himself? He suggested also that
since many of his countrymen were arriving In
America seeking work at good wages in the new
Golconda his trust might also mlade control
Of their labor They were strange u the coun-