TRACING A LETTER
While I was hot on the trail of the counterfeiting gang led by Lupo
and Morello, a letter came to my hand which contained a counterfeit
five-dollar note. The letter was addressed to Andrea Pollara, Portage
La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. The letter was written in Italian and
translated was as follows:
"DEAR FRIEND:
"I enclose a sample of those for $5 and beg you buy five
cents of Griciria (the "black-hand" word for glycerine) which
if rubbed on certain counterfeit bills will give them the
appearance of age, and so make them the more easy to pass,
and rub it on your hands, and then you will do whatever you
want. If you see they will go well, notify me at once and I
will send you as many as you want."
The note was signed I. P. It was a registered letter and sealed with
black wax by a stamp seal bearing the name of F. Acritelli, No. 243
Elizabeth Street. The return address on this letter was Giuseppe
Conti, No. 8 Prince Street, New York City. The letter also showed that
it had been mailed at Sub-Station No. 78, which is in the Italian bank
conducted by Pasquale Pati, at No. 240 Elizabeth Street, just across
the street from where the letter had been sealed at Acritelli's
banking place. This Acritelli, by the way, is the father of the former
Coroner Acritelli.
The initials on the signature of the letter, I guessed were those of
Pietro Inzarillo. This man conducted a little Italian café at No. 226
Elizabeth Street, in the same block where Acritelli's bank was, and
also in the same block where the sub post office station was located
where the letter had been registered. Also, I knew that this Inzarillo
was just around the corner from the grocery store of Lupo, at No. 8
Prince Street; and in the back of Lupo's café, Morello conducted his
Italian restaurant.
I examined the five-dollar counterfeit bill and saw that it was the
work of the Lupo-Morello gang.
Then, too, the return address, No. 8 Prince Street, was where Morello
and Lupo were doing business. The problem was how to connect these two
fellows with the writing of the letter. It had been rejected when
brought back there by the letter carrier.
I hit upon the plan of finding out whether the handwriting was that of
Lupo, which I had reason to believe it was. I remembered that several
of the Lupo-Morello gang were in the Tombs awaiting trial for
counterfeiting. I knew that many of their friends applied to United
States Marshal Henkel for passes to visit the members of the gang
locked up. Two of these were Isadore Crocervera and Giuseppe DePriema.
The latter, by the way, was the brother-in-law of the man found
murdered in the barrel.
I went to Marshal Henkel and told him what I was after, and made
arrangements with him to get the handwriting of all those who called
and asked for passes to see the two Morello-Lupo counterfeiters. So
whenever the visiting members called at the marshal's office and asked
for passes the marshal pretended that he did not understand and had
the visitors write out what they wished and required them to sign the
request for passes. In this way I obtained the signature and
handwriting of a number of the gang, but failed in the main purpose,
namely, that of obtaining a sample of Lupo's handwriting or his
signature.
Despite the fact that I was satisfied that the workmanship of the bill
was that of the Lupo-Morello crowd, and though I was confident that
Lupo wrote the letter, yet when the letter was returned to No. 8
Prince Street nobody there would accept it for Giuseppe Conti, the
information to the letter carrier being that no such person lived
there or was known there. When you know the ways of the Sicilian
criminal this occurrence alone is good grounds for believing that a
great deal more was known about Giuseppe Conti at the Prince Street
address than was given to the letter carrier.
I hit upon another plan. I knew that Lupo was importing into this
country a large quantity of olive oil, which had to pass the
government officials. Accordingly, I went to see John Hughes, brother
of former Inspector of Police Edward Hughes, who was at one time in
charge of the Detective Bureau at Police Headquarters. I told Hughes
what I wanted. He was in the Custom's service.
Hughes brought it about so that the consignment of olive oil to Lupo
was held up, compelling Lupo himself to write out a list of the goods
he desired to have admitted over his personal signature. The statement
was then taken to a handwriting expert and also the letter containing
the counterfeit five-dollar bill was placed at the disposal of the
expert, who declared that the handwriting of the letter and that of
the statement written by Lupo for his consignment of olive oil was one
and the same.
Now I had established a connecting link that would stand the test of
the courts. But there were many other things about the letter that led
me to go further before making any allegation against the wily Lupo.
It occurred to me it might be well to know why the letter had been
sent away out to a railroad camp in Portage La Prairie. I got men to
work on that end of the case. We found that Andrea Pollara was a
laborer in a railroad camp at the address to which the letter had been
sent. Further, it was established that Andrea Pollara was the agent
of the gang in the camp where a number of Italians were employed
mending and building spurs on the railroad. He had been sent there to
investigate and see whether it was a profitable place in which to
distribute some of the spurious bills. Additional information
disclosed the fact that the railroad camp had moved and the letter
having been addressed to Portage La Prairie, and not being called for,
was returned to the address written on the back, Giuseppe Conti, No. 8
Prince Street. This cleared up in my mind the reasons for the letter
being sent to the Canadian railroad camp and also the cause of its
being returned.
Other little connecting links were established over which I was
building a bridge to Lupo in his Italian grocery store. It came to my
mind that Lupo had done quite some business with Banker Acritelli, and
Lupo was also on more than familiar terms with Banker Pati. I knew
that Lupo and Inzarillo were very friendly. It was found that the man
to whom the letter had been addressed to in Canada was not Andrea
Pollara. This was an assumed name. The right name of the
"Black-Hander" was Salvatore Maccari, who had a wife living in New
York City. The net of evidence was closing on Lupo.
While I was gathering the threads together, the tragedy of the barrel
murder came to public notice. While the police of New York were
groping around in the dark, I submitted information of which I have
spoken previously in this book, and the arrest of a number of the gang
for the murder of the victim in the barrel followed. Among those
arrested was Lupo. When he was placed in custody his house was
searched, and the following letter, written in Italian, was found. It
was postmarked Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, addressed to
Pietro Inzarillo, No. 226 Elizabeth Street, New York City, dated
September 4, 1902, and translated reads:
"DEAR FRIEND:
"By the present I give you the news of my good health and of
all the friends who are with me, and so we hope to hear from
you and all the friends in New York, whom we respect.
Meantime, I beg of you warmly to tell me when the goods
arrive, and to send me the samples of a five in order to see
whether we can do business, prompt answer and samples. I and
all the friends salute you together with the friends over in
New York, I am your friend Andrea Pollara. My address is the
following, Mr. Andrea Pollara, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba,
Canada. P. S. Dear Paolo, I beg of you to send me five
dollars you or Ignazio (meant for Ignazio Lupo) that as soon
as I get my money I will return them to you, nothing else, I
am your friend 'Salvatore Matisi.' Be so kind as to put them
in the letter of your friend, I am sure you will favor me."
The reader will not require much taxing of his thinking powers to
realize that the returned letter containing the counterfeit $5.00 note
was written in response to the above letter.
When Lupo was searched we found another clue. A note book was found on
him in which the following entry is recorded:
"S. Matisi, sent to Canada $5.00--to his wife $5.00--ditto $4.00."
Opposite this entry, that is, on the opposite page in the note book,
is written:
"The name Matisi is mentioned a number of times in this book as are
also the names of a number of counterfeiters including Isadore
Crocervera and Giuseppe DePriema."
These entries were taken to a handwriting expert who declared that the
handwriting was the same as that in the letter which I started tracing
after its return here from Portage La Prairie. These entries, however,
were in English, and I may note here that Lupo wrote English.
Twelve of the gang were arrested by the New York police when they
rounded up the crowd incident to the barrel murder. Among those
arrested with Lupo was Pietro Inzarillo. When the latter was arrested,
his café at No. 226 Elizabeth Street was searched and a letter from
Maccari was found. The letter was postmarked Portage La Prairie,
Manitoba, Canada, dated September 1st, 1902, and addressed to Pietro
Inzarillo, alias Saitta (Lupo's full name being Ignazio Lupo Saitta),
Elizabeth Street, New York. The rest of the address is illegible. The
letter reads:
"Canada Pacife, August 31, 1902.
"DEAR FRIEND:
"With these few words I come to make you a note of my perfect
health, the same I hope to hear from you, you brothers also,
I desire to know how your father has been; therefore I
recommend to you that affair that I left in your charge. If
my Uncle Thomas comes from Ebgostien, do not forget the
affair that is the direction that you have given to Carmino,
do not let it go up in the air. As soon as possible that you
can, make it. Nothing else to tell you. Give my regards to
Paolo Marchese, regards to Giuseppe Morello and John Pecorain
and all the friends that ask for me, with the best of regards
to you, I say your dear friend 'Salvatore Matisi' accept the
regards from Carmelo Blandina. This is the direction--Salvatore
Maccari, P. O. Portage La Prairie Manitoba, Canada."
No comment is necessary concerning the letter. It speaks for itself as
another thread in the net I was weaving.
It did not take agents of the Secret Service long to "pick up"
Maccari. He was not aware of the fact that he was under surveillance
for some time prior to May 2, of 1902, when he was placed under arrest
at his home in No. 70-1/2 James Street, New York City. When his
apartments were searched agents of the service looked under Maccari's
bed and found letters written from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba,
Canada, and signed Salvatore Maccari. These letters were addressed to
Maccari's wife, and contained what is termed "rivetting" evidence.
Also, there were letters from his wife to Maccari and addressed to him
at Portage La Prairie.
When placed under arrest Maccari at first denied that he knew either
Lupo or Inzarillo, and proved to be a proverbial Italian at giving
information to the police. He would not admit that he had ever seen or
heard of either of the two men. He knew nothing about the counterfeit
money, and had never even seen any spurious bills either in this
country or in Italy. He made the sign of the cross and called on the
saints to prove the truth of his lying statements. He declared that he
could not read, neither could he write.
Later on he admitted that he was intimately acquainted with Lupo and
that Lupo's father and his father were great friends in Italy for
years and that both families were life-long friends. He also admitted
that he was well acquainted with Inzarillo. He also declared that the
letters were written by a friend and signed at his, Maccari's,
dictation. And more evidence was ferreted out.
The water mark in the billheads used by Lupo in his grocery business
was identical with that in the letter sent to Portage La Prairie, and
having on it the return address of Giuseppe Conti, No. 8 Prince
Street. The envelope upon which the return address was written was the
same make as the envelopes found in the café of Inzarillo when that
place was searched following Inzarillo's arrest in connection with the
barrel murder.
On October 24, 1902, a registered letter addressed to Andrea Pollara,
with the return address P. Inzarillo and Giglio, was returned to Lupo
at his residence, No. 433 West Fortieth Street. Pollara could not be
located in the Canadian camp and so the letter came back. Lupo signed
the receipt for the returned letter. The handwriting was the same as
in the instances already related wherein the "Black-Hander's"
scribbling was identified by an expert.
I will not weary the reader with further efforts along this line of
reaching one of the big chiefs of the gang as he stood far in the
background, certain of his immunity from any connection in a legal
sense with the distributor of the money his brain had planned to build
up his fortune on.