Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-08-28
Mew York
Letter

OAAAf $50
nightmarish horror OF children
being moved down IN the streets
BY gang bullets has brought sud-
denly into the national limelight
one Of those sections Of New York
where the melting pot" has failed
to remove much Of the old worlds
Stag.
There are several such districts
where dregs Of an ancient and un-
familiar cups may be found.
To all outward intents and pur-
noses. the immigrant families are
living in o~vercroWded, Uttered quar-
tiers like millions Of other tene-
ment jewellers. The slum belt in
and about Third Avenue and lO7th
Street, scene Of the recent outrage,
Is a replica Of several other Squalld
areas.
But let some tragedy momen-
tarily tear away the eXteriors, ana
Manhattan learns that thousands
Of its people still suffer from age
ola Sicilian chills and fevers. The
shadow of the old Malta, pre-
sumed TO have been long since re-
moved, stu hauntS the private
lives Of those who heard OF its
menace from a grandsire's knee.
Old world fears have not been Ill
tered from the blood. The Malla-
like attitude OF American gangdom
has done much 10 keep them
alive.
And SO when the law went out
10 revenge the shooting OF babies,
it met a tight-lipped neighborhood.
Even the kin OF u dead child
had various seeming lapSe5 OF
memory. The ancient Sicilian codes
had suddenly been applied.
one mother Of the district frank
ly admitted: we are not blaye
enough to tell what we know. We
are afraid"
They have learned this, as their
fathers learned it-and as some CT
our own younger generator are
learning It from mob threats.
hEEEIlAAA Il SAW a llA0AAOA BANNLAG
which drove this point home. IL was
titled. The Star witness" The
story had TO do with a family that
was sitting at the dinner table
when a commotion was heard out
side. The various members rush TO
windows and doors to see what all
the shOOting's about and become
eyewitness to a gang Staying.
Thereafter, all the well-known
methods Of intimidating witnesses
are practiced upon them by the
agents of the underworld. But
there's an old whiskered grandpa,
who fought in the Civil War, who
is thoroughly Lincolnian and who
remembers the foundations of his
country.
He isn't going 70 be buffaloed by
any mObstersl Nor is he. Nor can
ne understand what's getting into
the rest Of the people 10 stand for
such gUings on.
All OF which is instructive fic-
ton, and quite worth needing. But
I'D in the Manhattan section where
gang guys dared TO point their
guns on playing youngsters, tene-
ment life Is likely 10 60 on quite
the same for some time. Another
generation may change 1t. but
%gangsterism is likely 10 have an
important effect upon their lives.
During these hot sticky days
they fairly pack pavements that
are soggy from melted tar.
The hot days. too. carry I'M
pleasant odOrs out OF thousands Of
opened windows. The same is true
Of the East Side ghetto and the
upper Bronx ghcttO-wherever poor
families thus c~ongregate.
When the present indignation
dies down, New York will forget all
about this vast Sicilian and italian
section until something happens
again. The men Will continue 10
|cOngregate In front OF the social
clubs" and porches and sidewalks
will 90 on being cluttered with
mothers and their babies.