Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1907)
THE SUNDAY OREGON LAN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 22, 1907. 1 Wfm m, ViwM r'X ' W0ffy 0 NLY In Pennsylvania has a means been found of curtailing the mur derous activities of that terrible or ganization, which, under the name of "Black Hand," has been committing out rages all over the United States. While the entire police force of the city of New Tork is powerless to prevent the almost dally murders that mark the work of the Black Hand In the metropolis, while Postal Inspector Cortelyou Is striv ing to find means by which the Postmaster-General's department can prevent Un cle Bam from Innocently acting as the agent who carries dread threats, and while special laws are being enacted in some states and legislation may be Intro duced into Congress at the next session, the Keystone State, through Its own nor mal police machinery. Is steadily stamp Ing out every vestige of this Italian out lawry. The work is being done through the State Constabulary, an organization unique In the United States. It consists of four troops, each made up of a captain, lieutenant, Ave sergeants and 50 men. The force, under the com mand of Captain John C. Groome, has been most carefully made up of picked men, and there are many noted athletes, rough riders and men who made -reputations In the short-lived Spanish-American War, Included In the number. This organisation Is entirely separate from any local police organization, and takes precedence in authority anywhere It goes. The superintendent. Captain Groome, can compel local authorities to give aid to his men, though usually he prefers to work alone. The original intention in creating the state constabulary was to have available at all times a well equipped force that could be moved quickly from the place when turbulence or disorder too great for the strength of the local authorities, ne cessitated outside help. Particularly was it expected that the state constabulary would have 'its work cut out In the coal regions, where thousands of foreigners, unfamiliar with American Institutions, and In many oases out of sympathy with them, were too strong to be bandied by city and town police or county squires. It was feared at first that unlimited powers of the state constabulary might lead to friction with local police, and at first there were some hints of difficulty, but in Its two years of existence the new body has done such valuable work that it Is welcomed everywhere in times of dis order. Undoubtedly the best of achievements has been the recent triumph over the Black Hand. No less a person than Secretary Cortel you Is authority for the statement that the breeding ground of this dread Italian or ganization In this country Is the anthra cite coal district of Pennsylvania. Cer tain is It that in the district whose big gest cities are Wllkesbarre and Scranton Its first serious outrages are noted. The Black Hand stood as the successor or partner of the Mafia and Camorra, and was but another outcropping of the custom which more in Italy than any other country seems to force criminals 4nto oath-bound unions. The motive which actuates all these companies of assassins Is the desire for blackmail. Blackmail causes -them to abduct children of rich men. Blackmail Inspires the threats they hang over the poor who can only yield small tribute, blackmail Is the motive for which they commit arson, murder, torture, and defy the police powers of state and nation. In Pennsylvania 4tffc first display of the power of the Black Hand was disclosed in a curious system by which a whole com pany of miners was made to pay tribute. Into a company of workmen went a trusted member - of the organization. No pne knew his connection with the Black Hand. After a time he com municated to one of Ms new acquaint a, 4 1 . 1 "" " "' "" ' " iiMMMMMiriMrii .wiiMiipuliHW i I J V 7MLtuuii. mi ",ilmiBi?r'"tr ' " 1 rT"" " " " ' " -- ' " Maps iii I "lWmillMMal"MMaMMMl"WMIM'M f,;;r rfelXTf (Tfl aS' : "-- iwtllL if I II IIH 'ii - iff i;,; wTiK ances tliat. he had received a message which said that unless he gave up one dollar of his next week's wages his child would be murdered. , He craftily spread the Idea that not less than a dozen members of the Black Hand were working in the mine, and that every miner who declined to pay or who dared to expose the blackmailers was spotted and would be dealt with to the limit. Thus a condition of panic was spread, and by the time the' Black Hand collector was ready to appear the entire company willingly pur chased Its immunity by giving up the dollar. Such men as refuse to contribute are handled with gloves. They get an an nouncement that because of their re fusal the tax on them has been in creased to $50 or $100 apiece. In un mistakable terms the letter, makes clear that the price of a second refusal will be assassination. Nor has there been any hesitancy In carrying out the final threat. Italians in New York have actually been terrorized for the last 12 months by a few of their dastardly country men. Crime has succeeded crime. In the county of Westchester, alone, ac cording to police authorities, more than $30,000 was paid in blackmail in one month. Murders are of dally occurrence. There are said to be more than 50 bands at work in the metropolis and the cities nearby. To one of these bands alone is credited not less than 50 murders. Men, women and children have been shot down in the streets of New York, and but scant justice has been brought to the criminals because of the difficulty of securing evidence. Those innocent Italians who see -the shooting are so much in terror of the organization that they decline to go on the stand as witnesses or give the de tectives any help. In fact, they flee the country, returning to Italy, rather than incur the risks of assisting the state in breaking up the murderous order. ' Most of these bands have some sep arate individual method of killing that marks their work. One uses dynamite alone. Another sticks to the pistol. A third commits all its crimes by the I GMLY AG&NCY OF THE L5o EQUAb TO THB TASKs OF BREAKING UP THE MURDEROUS BLACK, HAND ORjQONIZATim use of the easily concealed and noise less dagger, and a fourth employs a razor, then after the murder is accom plished breaks the slender blade, and leaves half on the breast of the victim as a warning. Almost every member of the Black, Hand has a criminal record, which qualifies him to join. He is bound by the most terrific oaths never to forsake his comrades or to expose them to the police. Some 30 years ago Pennsylvania had to deal with a similar organization of assassins, and the wonderful work by which It was broken up always stands as a model for the police authorities the country over. The Molly Maguires held the entire coal region in terror, they wrecked trains, carried on a system of the most ferocious blackmail, fired buildings, had an organized system of murder, while local authorities were powerless. In this crisis President Franklin B. Gowan appealed to the Pinkerton De tective Agency to break up the organi zation. Under the name of Jim Me Kenna, James McParland, a detective, went among the miners, ingratiating himself with the Molly Maguires, at the peril of ' his life worked his way into their secrets, joined their organiza tion, and eventually landed them so completely that through his evidence 11 were hanged, and the era of crime was brought to a close, after a' three years' exhibition of the most matchless courage on the part of the detective. McParland was aided in his difficult work by the late Robert Pinkerton, Eastern head of the great agency, who helped plan the downfall of the notori ous band. In the present battle with a similar organization, made up this time of Italians, but having the same alms, the Keystone state did not have to have recourse to a private detective agency. In its State Constabulary it possessed an organization of well-equipped, fear less men, who could work among the desperate Italians with a safety not possible" to local authorities. The State Constabulary went Into the very hotbed of the Black Hand. It in vestigated every cpje of attempted blackmail. It protected those who had ASSZTBZJMS- 7OK DCryjWT&e CALL 727 courage to report to the police threats made against them. It gathered evi dence that culminated in the arrest and conviction of 13 leading Black Hand conspirators at Wllkesbarre. These convictions while they have not ended the reign of terror inspired among Italians by this ferocious or ganization, have, nevertheless, dealt the Black Hand an awful blow, and have shown that the proper kind of forces cau deal with one of the most How the Garage Victim Tells of Items You Discover GREAT deay has been written and said about the ways of the garage . keeper," said a' man who once owned 'an automobile to a New York Sun reporter, "and it Is a truth often expressed that the first cost of a car is not the greatest. "That is all the more true if the car wasn't new when you got It. The car I had dated back a couple of seasons and when I had a chance to sell it early this year, losing only a little ore the original purchase price, I took the chance right away. The car needed a little overhauling. In fact, I never saw a car that didn't if the garage man was allowed to go over it. "In connection with that overhauling I noticed some funny things for one, the varying price paid for labor. In the last month's . assortment of bills there are four distinct charges for time put In on the car. "The first item Is for 12 hours work, for which the charge is $9.56. If my figures are right, that is at the rate of 74.98 cents an hour. Very well. "Take the first item on the next bill. That is 11 hours for work on the car. The sum is $13.13, a fatal combination, especially as the bill is rendered on a Friday. The rate by the hour is 70.45 cents. So much for that one. "Then on another pink slip is noted a charge of 14 hours labor, for which perilous forms of lawbreakers. Cap tain Groome and his men will keep tip the fight, and shift quickly from place to place whenever the ene my becomes active. Other states, impressed by the suc cess of the Pennsylvania State Con stabulary, are contemplating the or ganization of similar bodies, if not permanent, at least till the murdering Italian? have been brought under con trol. Man Pads Bills When Your Auto Is Repaired. the charge Is $1.13. That rate Is 75.33 cents an hour. "On another day it is alleged that the men in the garage put in 11 hours on the car. The rate figured on the price of $8.63 in the bill is 75.04 cents an hour. "Now, inasmuch as my understand ing is that the real charge is 73 cents an hour, neither more nor less, how is it that the garage man can charge sums varying from 70.45 cents to 75.33 cents and still not be cheatine himself or his employes? Those cents and mills may appear to be trifling things, but I want to tell you that when the garage man gets in his work they will mount up. "The moment it is taken down the owner cannot get it for his use. That means the car is dead to him. It be comes a source of profit to the repair department. "A man goes around and fiddles with it for a few moments and then goes away. All t'he time the hours of labor mount up. Eventually some one gets gumption enough to finish up your car and you get it back with a bill as long as your arm. "If you kick about the length of time the car has been held up because of trifling repairs you are told that there are so many cars in the shops that yours has to wait its turn. But, as a matter of fact, no matter how busy they may be, they will take your car down n t.i mfllr cur. that vnn tinnt trmi It out and then let it lie there idle and charge 'time all the same. "I have known all sorts of bills to b made up just on this basis. For In stance here is one: m hours' labor putting catch on door under front seat $1.18 1 brass covered catch 1.00 s bolts 18 $2.31 "Isn't that a work of art? One and a half hours to put a catch under a seat that would take the' average man who never was educated as a mechanic about 20 minutes. And notice the art ful touch with which the bill is round ed out. 'Sif bolts' to show that there was soma work Involved in putting them in. "All he bills made out have som little Joker In them like that. They all have the appearance of wishing to show you exactly what you are getting. They lea'e out nothing, not even a 2-ent item. For instance, note ho V complete the following bill is: 17 hours' labor repairing catch on steering, housing and ex amining links on front anl rear spring. ' examining gas line and connections, put ting new washer In hand air pump and grinding poppet and Intercepting valves, ex amining driving shaft tog gles, fastening steering . housing to frame, repairing body, repacking power air pumps $13.18 f ollowing parts vsea: 1 Footpacklng 6 Spring yokes & spring yoke bolta. ......... 1 H-inch nut 1 hand air pump leather washer 1 lone nower air numn spring 02 2.40 a.oo 02 10 OR 1 short power air pump spring 06 $17.83 "I believe that bill comes pretty near to being the champion. You see, most of that bill was taken up with examining things. The expert repair man actually went to all the trouble of looking at several of the parts of the car before he put in two springs and a washer. "You'll notice he repaired the body of the car, but if he did, what did he use in repairing it? These garaga keepers aren't in the game for their health, and it is not exactly dear what he used to repair the car. "He may have used that foot at packing for which an item of 2 cents Is set down with religious care. Or it might be that one lone nut three eighths of an inch in size for whloh 1 cents also is charged. "After that bill on July 25, with all the practically limitless repairs It suggests, you'd hardly expect that six days later another would come detailing that this had happened: , 114 hours' labor testing water regulator, taking lost motion out of driving shaft, fasten ing gas tank frame, repair ing blowofC from engine, putting In new hand air pump plunger, adjusting foot and emergency brakes, put ting release spring on foot brake, cleaning water and gas tines, tightening rear wheels $ 8.63 Following parts used: 1 r engine brake drum 8.RO 1 toggle cross 2.56 1 brake shaft hand lever dog 45 1 brake shaft quadrant l.oo 1 throttle rod end...'. "tO 1 power air pump check valve 7r Pmall parts supplied 40 $17.78 61 gallons gasoline 16 pints cyl inder oil 17.65 month live storage 5.00 22. 6S Total $40.44 "That is pretty good all by itself. Do you notice the cumulative touches? "The week before the gas lines were merely examined. This week they are cleaned. Also last week a washer was put in the hand air pump, and this week in goes a plunger. "Several little springs are put in and the gas tank frame Is fastened. I be lieve they had to fasten the gas tank to hold the 61 gallons of gasoline that went v in to the bill. That is In itself one of the best things in the whole lot. "You notice that the car was on live storage one quarter month. That means for three-quarters of a month it was on dead storage in the repair shop. In spite of that for one-quarter of a month sixty one gallons of gasoline were necessary. "That means some awful extended driv ing which the car did not get, because I didn't use it at all that month. However, if you say anything about It, they can produce slips to show that the tank was filled so and so often and that you ows for what they say. And you cannot go behind the returns at all. "The unfortunate steering housing la not through with its troubles yet, as you can see by a bill which comes in only a few days afterward. This bill says; 12i hours' labor patching steering housing and putting In new ad justing cone on right front wheel, putting oversise pins in steering ends, taking lost motion out of steering arm on steering shaft, re- . pairing water tank B.6S ; "Following parts used: 2 steering rod end pins P0 1 front wheel adjusting cone... 2 stove bolts 1 bolt j. Total $10.89 "It is obvious that taking out lost mo tion is a specialty. Motion is taken out and applied to the bill. If they only took . out a bit of the lost motion by the re pairer the bills would be loss. "Also it is worthy of mention that stove bolts and bolts are not the same. To be sure if they had said three bolts at a to tal cost of 15 cents that would have been different. You might have been able to allege that they were not Itemizing the bills. But they want to let you know that you are getting just what you pay for, and when they use two stove bolts and one bolt they let you know It. "Earlier in the month I got a bill which indicated that some of the things which later apparently had to be duplicated had been drawn from the repair shop. This bill mentioned the following: 2 gas tank cap washers $ 06 y 1 main burner bracket connection pin.. 02 1 "A" front wheel lock washer OS 1 short power air pump spring....... 06 1 front wheel lock washer ' 12 2 tire valve plungers JO 18 inches condenser hose -X 2 6-lti-inch machine bolts 1 1 -lnch machine bolt nut 02 2 front wheel steering rod ends .1-50 Total 2 33 "That is the system they play. They send in the bills piecemeal, at any time that they think you will have forgotten the foregoing bill, apparently. There may seem to be reduplications, but there is nothing that they cannot explain away. "And why shouldn't they be able to make it all clear? The garage man Is honest and even if he does appear to be throwing it into a man, charging him for 61 gallons of gasoline, on which a car could run some hundred odd miles, when the car was not out of the garage, if the slips can be produced to show that the car used that much, it used that much, didn't it?" ' i