Lt. Joseph Petrosino

[joetucciarone]

Here's an interesting bit of history...

Joseph Petrosino was a renowned New York City policeman who solved crimes other officers couldn’t, earning him the nickname the “Italian Sherlock Holmes.” One example of Petrosino’s diligence was his discovery of a plan to assassinate President McKinley. He warned the Secret Service of the danger, but the President ignored the threat. McKinley was shot on September 6, 1901 and died eight days later.

Nearly thirty years earlier, several hundred Italian immigrants arrived penniless in New York City, having been scammed by their own countrymen. Among the swindled newcomers was a peasant named Prospero and his 11-year-old son, Giuseppe. The boy’s introduction to America as the victim of con-men may have influenced his career, for he would one day be known as the legendary crime-fighter, Joseph Petrosino. As Paul Harvey would have famously said, "and now you know the rest of the story."

[MarcuccioV]

Awesome..! Love these tidbits of history. Looks like Petrosino was most common in/around Naples...

[joetucciarone]

Yes, he was born in Padula, about 100 miles southeast of Naples. His life story (except for the bit I posted) is on this website:

https://www.petrosinousa.org

[PippoM]

I remember when I was a child, in the early 70ies, Italian TV gave a series about him.

[erudita74]

A number of interesting theories to explain his murder are espoused in the book, The Black Hand: Terror by Letter written by Robert M. Lombardo (pp. 179-183). Also movie actor Ernest Borgnine played him in Pay or Die!

Erudita

[joetucciarone]

Speaking of the Black hand, this article appeared on the front page of the New York World the day after his murder:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn ... nge&page=2