PINCHING THE GREENHORN
"I had been at this place about a month and a half when, on the night
of January 4th, 1910, about eight o'clock, six men came into the house
and, motioning me not to move, declared that I and Caterina were under
arrest.
"'But who are you?' I asked in Italian.
"'We are government officers,' one of them replied in Italian, and he
showed me his shield.
"'Well, the place is at your disposal,' I said, sitting down on a
chair and smoking my pipe, feeling quite sure of myself.
"When they had finished searching the rooms and us personally they
brought Caterina and I to the office of the Federal Secret Service
(United States Secret Service) and we were taken to the head of the
service, a Mr. William J. Flynn. To him I had no courage to deny what
I had done and confessed all. I assumed all the responsibility for
Caterina, and told everything without any thought of getting off
without punishment. Following my arrest the Secret Service men
arrested Cina, Giglio, Uncle Salvatore, Sylvester and Lupo. On January
26th, 1910, Ignazio Lupo, Giuseppe Morello, Antonio Cecala, Salvatore
Palermo, Giuseppe Calichio and Nick Sylvester appeared before the
Judge of the United States Court to answer the indictment of making
and passing counterfeit money.
"I appeared before the jury in the Federal Court as a witness,
repeating what I had confessed to the Secret Service men. I did not
contradict myself on cross-examination when the defense tried to show
that I was a Calabrian bandit and had come to America for the purpose
of joking with the law and justice, and that I was telling these
'stories' and thus having eight innocent and perfect gentlemen
condemned.
"I was not disturbed at the assault made upon my character by the
ignorant Italian press, who through libels and threats of many kinds
tried to shake my determination. I only laughed when I read and heard
of those things.
"The Black-Hand crowd should be destroyed. The one great blow that
started the downfall of this murderous band of outlaws has been dealt
by William J. Flynn, when he sent to prison the arch-bandits Lupo and
Morello, and the lesser evils, Cecala, Cina, Giglio, etc.
"My final word here is that my purpose in giving testimony before the
Secret Service was not done to have eight fathers of families
condemned, but for the purpose of removing from among us eight
Sicilian criminals who horrified and preyed upon honest men under the
leadership of murderers of the worst type that are a menace to
civilization.
"(Signed) Antonio Viola Comito."