SOME "AFTER-DINNER" CONFESSIONS
"One night in the month of April (1909) I was sitting with the bandits
in the stone house and listening to their stories. Calichio,
Sylvester, Giglio and Bernardo were there. Among other exploits
Calichio remarked that he had once printed one million lire for a
baronial family residing at Naples in Italy. This was about fifteen
years back, he said, when his father was alive.
"Sylvester boasted that his first sentence was for five years in the
reformatory as a minor. He ran away from the reformatory in company
with several other boys and got into the horse-stealing business. He
was sentenced several times for small offenses and he once was
arrested for carrying concealed weapons.
"During his imprisonment he came to know a certain Terranova, who was
a half-brother of Morello, and they became fast friends. They stole
horses in New York and sold them in other cities at reduced prices; or
they would bring the horses to friends in the country (Highland) and
receive payment. He told of being arrested once when with Morello's
son and brother; they had thrown a bomb into a store in Mott Street.
They were let go because there were no witnesses to the crime. In
concluding his recitation Sylvester said:
"'One night I went with the Morello brothers and other friends into a
hall where a Jewish wedding was being celebrated. As we entered the
hall we recognized two policemen who had helped us before in our jobs.
Our idea was to steal watches. We succeeded in stealing about fifteen
watches when a Jew I was robbing got onto me. He grabbed me by the
coat and called the police. The policeman knew me and took my part. He
pushed the Jew aside and told him to go away. The policeman said he
knew me to be a fine young man for more than ten years. The policeman
told the Jew he was lying and that if he said any more about the
matter he would be put under arrest. The Jew was crest-fallen, but
went on dancing all the same. As we came outside, I gave three watches
to the policeman, two of silver and one of gold. I disposed of the
others in New Jersey. We divided the proceeds equally among us.'
"Then Giglio made the boast that the police had never been able to
arrest him. He had been in great danger, though, he said. One night in
the winter of 1906 he went to Newburgh to steal a horse and carriage.
While running away with the stolen property he was shot at twice.
Neither bullet hit him, though, he said. Two months later the same
horse and carriage were sold in Poughkeepsie for one hundred dollars.
"Bernardo had nothing to relate except the innocent amusement of
having stolen fruit in his native town. The others grinned.
"On April 26th or 27th the second lot of Calichio's two-dollar notes
were ready. They totalled fifteen thousand dollars and were wrapped up
in rags. Giglio and Sylvester took them to New York.
"Calichio and I then renewed work on the five-dollar notes, which we
figured on finishing about the middle of May, when a communication
from New York made us stop again on the five-dollar notes, and we
started on the third lot of Calichio's two-dollar notes. During the
month of May, I, Calichio, Sylvester, Giglio and Bernardo all had a
hand in the completion of this third lot of two-dollar notes, which
amounted to $10,000; then, too, we finished up by the end of May
$14,700 of the five-dollar notes. During this period Calichio received
his wages punctually, but he did not let on to me.
"When the work had been completed I called Caterina aside and told her
that I was going to New York and would not return to the stone house,
as I did not intend to continue at that sort of work. In fact, I
dismantled the press, piece by piece, took the genuine five-dollar
note that was used for comparison, it being the original from which
the plates were made, and said to Giglio:
"'Don Vincenzio, I am going to New York to seek rooms and will see
Cecala there; I am going because, counting this last batch, I have
printed about $60,000 and have received nothing for my labor.'
"'You deserve to have your head smashed on a rock,' was the cheerful
reply. 'If the money is not yet sold, who will you see to get paid?'
"'Cecala.'
"'Cecala is not in New York. If he were, I certainly would bring him
this last batch of money. We must wait until my brother-in-law comes.'
"'I don't care whether it is sold or not. I am in a miserable
condition and will not remain here.'
"'Do as you like, but look out, though, if you do any harm there will
not be a hair left of you.'
"'I want to go about my own business and do not care about others.'
Thereupon, I took a suit-case with a few rags that I had left and went
on foot to the Highland Railroad station where I changed the
five-dollar bill and bought a ticket to New York. Arriving in the city
I went directly to my aunt's, who was surprised to see me so poorly
clad and in such a miserable condition. I told her that I had had a
quarrel with my employer because he had not paid me.
"On June 2nd, while walking about my business, I met Cecala at
Bleecker and Carmine Streets. He laughed at me, shook my hand, and
inquired why I had not remained at the stone house in Highland and
continued the work.
"'I could not continue,' I replied, 'because I was treated too
shabbily there by the others. And why should I continue to work when
no word had come to us from New York for more than two weeks?'
"'Well, Don Antonio,' said Cecala, 'I will fix all your affairs so
that Caterina will remain in New York, for you and Don Peppe _must
continue the work_. The man who made the plates has been working on
another set of Canadian notes, not like the first that we printed, but
of the same denomination, five dollars.'
"'Write and let Caterina come now,' I said. 'As to my doing more work
for you, let's talk about that later.'
"'It is not necessary to write; I will telephone. Come with me.' From
a drug store at Carmine and Bleecker Streets Cecala telephoned to
Highland, or rather to Cina's house.
"Cina's wife said that her husband had gone with Ignazio (Lupo) to
Newburgh and that she would tell him when he returned. Coming out of
the drug store Cecala handed me ten dollars, saying:
"'Take this ten dollars and find rooms for yourself. I will provide
for the rest later when Caterina comes to-morrow or the next day.
Your things will arrive in a few days.' He told me to keep him
advised. I could meet him at a barber shop in Carmine Street, he said.
"Not seeing anything of Caterina, on June 4th I wrote a letter to Cina
at Highland, and requested him to send my things immediately and to
give Caterina the money for her fare to New York.
"Cina received my letter and got the impression from it that I was
going to tell the police, and he went right over to the stone house to
ship my furniture.
"On the fifth of June, in the evening, Don Peppe (Calichio) came to my
aunt's house and there told me that he had run away from the stone
house with Caterina because they had threatened to kill him. He said
that the threats were made by Sylvester, Giglio and Bernardo. Hearing
this I hastened out on the stoop and saw Caterina all trembling. She
said: 'I don't know how we escaped--Don Peppe and me.'
"'Why?'
"'Bernardo, Sylvester and Giglio wanted to kill us; and Bernardo had
already got hold of a shovel to dig a hole.'
"'And who gave you the money for the fare?'
"'Lupo.'
"'How much did he give you?'
"'He gave ten dollars to Don Peppe in the presence of Cina, Uncle
Vincent, and the other men, whom I do not know, and he gave me five
dollars.'
"'Well,' I said, 'to-night you will sleep at my brother's home, and do
not tell him any stories nor let him understand the circumstances of
our trouble. To-morrow I will find a house. Cecala gave me ten dollars
the other day.'
"I thanked Calichio for getting Caterina out of the stone house to New
York, and then went away leaving Caterina at the home of my brother."