In the second and final episode Gary and Aaron reveal the subsequent investigation by the Kansas City Police Department.
Officer Joseph Raimo was assassinated at 11:15 PM on March 28, 1911 at 5th and Holmes. The officer was noted for his bravery and diligence in the performance of his duties. He had been especially assigned to the various Italian cases, and his untiring efforts aroused considerable enmity among the criminal classes of that nationality. Officers will use every means to bring to justice the perpetrators of this foul crime.
March 29, 1911, KC Police arrest 4 men for the murder of Paulina Pizano. They are Lorenzo Messina, Nick DeHernnado, Sam Genuso and Joe Denusisio. The paper identifies as Syrians. They are found in possession of 3 shotguns exactly like the shotguns left by the assassins of Joe Raimo. We don’t know the disposition of these three men.
By April 7, 1911, 300 copies of a reward poster were published in both English and Italian. The City Council offered a $1,000.00 reward. The Police Board discussed offering their own reward, but they never offered any reward. Because Joseph Raimo had recently become a member of the Police Relief Association, his widow was to be paid about $1500.00 from a life insurance policy they purchased for each officer. The Police board did pass a resolution to ask the court council to pay Raimos’ widow his salary for 6 months.
During the next few days, speculation abounded. Some Italian residents speculated that the “bad” Italians were trying to raise a lot of money in the United States to be sent back to Italy to pay for the defense of a member of the Camorra. When asked what that had to do with the death of Joe Raimo, the residents said that Officer Raimo must have possessed that knowledge and since he was a man who treated all alike and would do his duty to stop them from using criminal methods to obtain this money. They also speculated that the spectacular killing of a man like Joseph Raimo would strike terror into the hearts of the gang’s proposed victims making their work easier. By this time, all Italian residents understood that only Sicilians could be members of the Black Hand and the public murder of a police officer was more likely to be a Black Hand crime.
During the investigation, the KC Star printed an article explaining the two different Italian criminal organizations. One gang was the Camorra and to be in the Camorra, the member had to be from Naples. The paper said these two organizations never worked together and the Camorra was highly organized. The Camorra was a degeneration of several secret societies that brought about the unification of Italy. They learned the Black Hand was Sicilian and any members had to be from Sicily They believed the Black Hand was more a criminal method rather than an organization. They hold power by inveigling hope in some by hope of gain, in others by the fearful knowledge of its unscrupulous vengeance people it deems as traitors to their organization. The paper asked the question, does the Black Hand in Kansas City have anything to do with the Black Hand anywhere else?
The police and the KC Star had obtained the Black Hand Letter by this time. They are convinced this was a legitimate Black Hand letter because it was written in Sicilian and in the manner the Sicilian words were pronounced. They noted the letter was written by two different people because there were two distinct handwriting styles. They connected this with the fact there were two assassins. A prominent Italian businessman agreed to provide some information on the Black Hand if he could remain anonymous. He said that until a couple of years ago, there was no La Mano Nera. Since that time, he knows of several businessmen who have received extortion letters from the Black Hand or La Mano Nera. He said they feel safer paying the protection money than going to the police and that is how they obtained power. He told the story of a friend who received an extortion l...
Officer Joseph Raimo was assassinated at 11:15 PM on March 28, 1911 at 5th and Holmes. The officer was noted for his bravery and diligence in the performance of his duties. He had been especially assigned to the various Italian cases, and his untiring efforts aroused considerable enmity among the criminal classes of that nationality. Officers will use every means to bring to justice the perpetrators of this foul crime.
March 29, 1911, KC Police arrest 4 men for the murder of Paulina Pizano. They are Lorenzo Messina, Nick DeHernnado, Sam Genuso and Joe Denusisio. The paper identifies as Syrians. They are found in possession of 3 shotguns exactly like the shotguns left by the assassins of Joe Raimo. We don’t know the disposition of these three men.
By April 7, 1911, 300 copies of a reward poster were published in both English and Italian. The City Council offered a $1,000.00 reward. The Police Board discussed offering their own reward, but they never offered any reward. Because Joseph Raimo had recently become a member of the Police Relief Association, his widow was to be paid about $1500.00 from a life insurance policy they purchased for each officer. The Police board did pass a resolution to ask the court council to pay Raimos’ widow his salary for 6 months.
During the next few days, speculation abounded. Some Italian residents speculated that the “bad” Italians were trying to raise a lot of money in the United States to be sent back to Italy to pay for the defense of a member of the Camorra. When asked what that had to do with the death of Joe Raimo, the residents said that Officer Raimo must have possessed that knowledge and since he was a man who treated all alike and would do his duty to stop them from using criminal methods to obtain this money. They also speculated that the spectacular killing of a man like Joseph Raimo would strike terror into the hearts of the gang’s proposed victims making their work easier. By this time, all Italian residents understood that only Sicilians could be members of the Black Hand and the public murder of a police officer was more likely to be a Black Hand crime.
During the investigation, the KC Star printed an article explaining the two different Italian criminal organizations. One gang was the Camorra and to be in the Camorra, the member had to be from Naples. The paper said these two organizations never worked together and the Camorra was highly organized. The Camorra was a degeneration of several secret societies that brought about the unification of Italy. They learned the Black Hand was Sicilian and any members had to be from Sicily They believed the Black Hand was more a criminal method rather than an organization. They hold power by inveigling hope in some by hope of gain, in others by the fearful knowledge of its unscrupulous vengeance people it deems as traitors to their organization. The paper asked the question, does the Black Hand in Kansas City have anything to do with the Black Hand anywhere else?
The police and the KC Star had obtained the Black Hand Letter by this time. They are convinced this was a legitimate Black Hand letter because it was written in Sicilian and in the manner the Sicilian words were pronounced. They noted the letter was written by two different people because there were two distinct handwriting styles. They connected this with the fact there were two assassins. A prominent Italian businessman agreed to provide some information on the Black Hand if he could remain anonymous. He said that until a couple of years ago, there was no La Mano Nera. Since that time, he knows of several businessmen who have received extortion letters from the Black Hand or La Mano Nera. He said they feel safer paying the protection money than going to the police and that is how they obtained power. He told the story of a friend who received an extortion l...
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