THE BLACK HAND.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10032, 5 July 1910, Page 5

THE BLACK HAND.

TWO CRUEL MURDERS

United Press Association—Fy Electric Telegraph Copyright. Received July 4, 10 a.m. NEW YORK, July 3.

Members of the notorious "Black Hand" Society waylaid and shot Mr Piccolo, a merchant of Brooklyn.

While the unfortunate man way dying in the hospital the miscreants visited his home and strangled and stabbed with knives Mrs Piccolo. N Both Mr and Mrs Piccolo succumbed to their injuries. So far the police have made no arrests.

The United States was some months ago intensely excited over the murder of the police officer Petrosino, at Palermo, by the agents of the secret society of the Black Hand. No wonder, for these Italian secret societies have become a nuisance and terror in New York and other large cities of the Republic. The "Mafia" and the "Camorra" have carried their methods to the new. world, and have made the life of many wealthy Italians in the Scates a misery by their threats and extortions. Nor do they confine their operations t> their own compatriots;many people with no Italian blood in their veins have been victimised by these conspirators,and some have been murdered Over three years ago Mr D. ii. Wesson, of the great gun-making firm of Smith and wesson was practically worried to death by tne annoyances of the Mafia gang; and a governess in the family of Edison,the inventor, was so frightened by the menaces of these ruffians that she committed suicide. Two years ago a reign of terror was produced in New York by an epidemic of violent crime, which was known to have originated with the itaafia, though ths perpetrators could not be brought to justice.