1 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McClain Smith, where 2 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 1: for the weeks in between episodes, we look at stories 3 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: and ideas that, for one reason or other, didn't make 4 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: it into the previous show. In our last episode, Profit 5 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: and Loss, we looked at the brutal and disturbing murder 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: of the Evangelista family in Detroit in nineteen twenty nine. 7 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: With so many separate elements to this extraordinary story, I 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,160 Speaker 1: must confess that in the chaos of it all, as 9 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: was pointed out to me by one listener last week, 10 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: I actually forgot to wrap up one of the more 11 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: mysterious aspects of the crime. I mentioned early on in 12 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: the story that when police found Benny Evangelista's head, it 13 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: was surrounded by three pictures of a child lying dead 14 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: in a coffin that, as far as we can tell 15 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: from the reports, appear to have been deliberately placed there. Sadly, however, 16 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: and possibly why I so carelessly neglected to elaborate on this, 17 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: the significance of these photos was never actually established. It's 18 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: been speculated that the child was either another of the 19 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: Evangelist's children who died, or it was someone related to 20 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: the killer. Who'd possibly once been a patient of Benny's 21 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 1: but had died despite Benny's self proclaimed powers of healing. 22 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: If it was the latter, determining the child's identity would 23 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: have gone some way to revealing the identity of the 24 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: culprit and possibly their motive, but sadly, nothing to that 25 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: effect seems to have been established. One possible reason for 26 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: this was because so few people in the local community 27 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: were willing to come forward with information to help the investigation. 28 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: Some have suggested this was largely due to fear of 29 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: reprisal from the culprit, or more pertinently, fear of reprisal 30 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: from the supposed organized crime group known as Lumano Neera 31 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: or the Black Hand, who some suspected were ultimately responsible 32 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: for the murders. But who were the Black Hand and 33 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: were they even real at all? On the afternoon of Wednesday, 34 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: May thirteenth, nineteen fourteen, at the intersection of Bleaker Street 35 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, a deeply troubled Maria Longo 36 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: was pacing the streets outside her home. Her six year 37 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 1: old son, Francesco, who attended the local public school at 38 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: Grove and Hudson less than ten minutes walk away, who 39 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: yet to return home despite school ending hours ago. Maria's husband, Frank, 40 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: who ran the family's bakery located on the ground floor 41 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: of their home on Bleaker Street, did his best to 42 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: calm her down, believing the boy was probably just playing 43 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: with friends in the street and would return unscathed any moment. 44 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: But as evening began to descend, with none of his 45 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 1: usual companions having seen him since lunch, the boy had 46 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: yet to appear. Unable to wait any longer, Maria was 47 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 1: about to call the police when a letter arrived at 48 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 1: the bakery addressed to Frank, sent special delivery from Brooklyn 49 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 1: earlier that afternoon. It read, dear friend, beware not to 50 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: seek your son Francesco. He will be found in good 51 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: hands and we want the sum of five thousand dollars. 52 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: Beware not to have anything to do with the police, 53 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: because it will be worse for you and your son 54 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: if this comes to the attention of the police. You 55 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: will receive the body of your son by parcel post. 56 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: Wait and keep your eyes open, Signed the Black Hand. 57 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: Maria's worst fears had been realized, and she had good 58 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: reason to be worried. As many as five children had 59 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: been kidnapped and killed under similar circumstances in the last 60 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: few years. In fact, only two years ago, Maria's brother 61 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: Felippo di Fiore, had been a victim of the exact 62 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: same crime, when his four year old son, Giuseppe, was 63 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: abducted and held for ransom. Despite a commitment from the 64 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: police to help locate the boy, Felippo was too scared 65 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: to wait and wasted little time in paying the money. 66 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: His son was immediately returned unharmed. Not one to be 67 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: messed with, Maria's husband, Frank stormed to Filippo's house and 68 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: scolded him for paying Giuseppe's ransom, believing that had now 69 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: made their family an easy target. Frank, who couldn't possibly 70 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 1: pay the ransom, then marched Felippo to nearby McDougall Street 71 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: police station and demanded he tell them everything he knew 72 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: about the people who abducted Giuseppe in the hope it 73 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: might help them find frances. Here's something you don't know 74 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 1: about me. I often have trouble sleeping. Though I might 75 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: get to sleep easily enough, within a few hours, I 76 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 1: could be wide awake as my mind races through everything 77 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: I didn't do everything I still need to do, or 78 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: even just to some embarrassing thing I said years ago 79 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: that no one else even remembers relatable. Yeah, it sucks. 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Visit Sunday Scaries dot com 90 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: and use my promo code unexplained for your discount. That's 91 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: promo code unexplained for twenty five percent off at Sunday 92 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: Scaris dot com. Please note Sunday Scary should not be 93 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: used of your pregnant or nursing Consult with a physician 94 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: before use. If you have a serious medical condition, or 95 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: use prescription medications at the station. Maria and Frank were 96 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: fortunate to be met by Lieutenant Rocco Cavoni, who'd worked 97 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 1: at Giuseppe's ransom case two years before and had been 98 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 1: left disappointed not to have found the culprits. Though he 99 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: couldn't be sure it was the same people, there was 100 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: good reason to suspect it was. He was also well 101 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: versed in the workings of the apparent Black Hand group 102 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 1: who'd been terrorizing the Italian immigrant community for years with 103 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: their sinister letters. Though mainly focused on extortion, child abduction 104 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,919 Speaker 1: for ransom, had become somewhat of a growing trend in 105 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: recent months. Lieutenant Cavonie, the first Italians in New York 106 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: to become a member of the New York Police Department, 107 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: had once been a colleague of Joseph Petrocino, the former 108 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 1: head of the NYPD's Italian Squad. The squad had been 109 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: set up to deal with a rise in organized crime 110 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: among the Italian communities that had emerged in a number 111 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:24,320 Speaker 1: of major US cities over the last few years. With 112 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,119 Speaker 1: as many as three million Italians moving to America since 113 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: the turn of the century, with the majority coming from 114 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: the south of Italy, it was becoming apparent that some 115 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: of the South's leading crime organizations, specifically the Sicilian Matthia 116 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: and the Camorra from the region of Campania, had also 117 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: come too. The Black Hand, however, was something new, with 118 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: the Italian Squad formed in nineteen oh eight. Joseph Petrocino, 119 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: who in eighteen eighty eight became the first Italian Speaker 120 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: to join the NYPD and had since establist himself as 121 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: an uncompromising enforcer of the law, was promptly appointed as 122 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: its head the following year, while on an intelligence gathering 123 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: trip to Palermo in Sicily, Petrosino was assassinated. The next day, 124 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: an anonymous letter was sent to the Italian Squad headquarters 125 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: stating that the New York Black Hand had arranged the murder. 126 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: By nineteen fourteen, this enigmatic group appeared to have established 127 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:34,079 Speaker 1: itself as a serious challenger to the better known crime families. 128 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,719 Speaker 1: Apart from the occasional arrest, however, little progress had been 129 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 1: made in getting to the heart of the organization. With 130 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: the abduction of Francesco Longo, Lieutenant Cavoni was determined to 131 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: get his men. After initial investigations, the police soon turned 132 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: their attention to local green Francesco Macaluso, who, along with 133 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: the network of twenty or so individuals, appeared to be 134 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 1: at the center of the case. Finally, after forty nine 135 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 1: days of stakeouts and close police surveillance, Cavoni orchestrated a 136 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: pretend deal in exchange for the young boy. When Francesco 137 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:23,719 Speaker 1: Longo was finally returned to his family, the NYPD swept in, 138 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 1: arresting everyone they believed to be involved in the crime, 139 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:32,359 Speaker 1: although some were able to escape prosecution. The grocer Macaluso 140 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: was convicted and sent down for twenty five years, with 141 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: the individual who'd kept the boy prisoner all that time 142 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: receiving fifty years. And Yet, despite the clear criminal intentions 143 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,439 Speaker 1: of those claiming to be representatives of the Black Hand, 144 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: as it turned out, none of the individuals involved actually 145 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: belonged to any such organization. The men had merely used 146 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: the name as a tactic to instill fear in their victims. Incredibly, 147 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 1: despite hundreds of seemingly Black Hand related crimes and extortion 148 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 1: demands occurring each year, it is thought this might be 149 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 1: all it ever was. Though, a loose criminal organization known 150 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 1: as the Society of the Black Hand is said to 151 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: have existed in Spain in the late nineteenth century. Its 152 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: association with the Italian immigrant community in America is thought 153 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 1: to have been simply invented by an overzealous journalist back 154 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh eight, writing about the murder of an 155 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: Italian man in New York's The Herald newspaper. The journalist 156 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,959 Speaker 1: appears to have plucked the apparent involvement of a black 157 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: Hand organization out of thin air, using the name of 158 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 1: the Spanish group as inspiration. From that moment, however, the 159 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 1: phrase and all its sinister connotations, was gleefully lapped up 160 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,559 Speaker 1: by the press looking for a quick way to sensationalize 161 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: stories relating to the new arrivals from Italy. Amazingly, it 162 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: seems that precisely due to the hysteria drummed up around 163 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,520 Speaker 1: the notion of this secretive band of criminals, a number 164 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:14,199 Speaker 1: of opportunistic individuals quickly began to take advantage, with only 165 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: a pen, some paper and the name being required to 166 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:23,319 Speaker 1: strike immediate fear into their victims, and before long, suddenly 167 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: the Black Hand was seemingly everywhere. In the year after 168 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: the Herald article alone, there were said to have been 169 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 1: as many as four hundred and twenty four reported cases 170 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,440 Speaker 1: involving the Black Hand throughout the major cities where Italian 171 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: immigrants had settled, from New York all the way to 172 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: San Francisco. It had become such a powerful tool even 173 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:49,199 Speaker 1: established mafia leaders such as Giuseppe Morello in New York 174 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,960 Speaker 1: had taken to using it in their extortion enterprises. In 175 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: the end, however, due to a zero tolerance policy adopted 176 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: by local police forces on any one claiming association with 177 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: the group, with no reason to remain loyal to it 178 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 1: since it never truly existed in the first place, the 179 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: Black Hand soon evaporated back into the air from where 180 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 1: it had once come. If you enjoy Unexplained and would 181 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: like to help supporters, you can now do so via Patreon. 182 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: To receive access to add three episodes. Just go to 183 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:28,439 Speaker 1: patron dot com, forward Slash Unexplained Pod to sign up, 184 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 1: or if you'd like to make a one time donation, 185 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: you can go to Unexplained podcast dot com Forward Slash Support. 186 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: All donations, no matter how large or small, are greatly appreciated. Unexplained. 187 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 1: The book and audiobook, featuring ten stories that have never 188 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: before been covered on the show, is now available to 189 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: buy worldwide. You can purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 190 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: and Waterstones, among other bookstores. All elements have Unexplained, including 191 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: the show's music, are produced by me Richard McClain smith. 192 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: Please scribe and rate the show wherever you listen to podcasts, 193 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,080 Speaker 1: and feel free to get in touch with any thoughts 194 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: or ideas regarding the stories you've heard on the show. 195 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:10,440 Speaker 1: Perhaps you have an explanation of your own you'd like 196 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: to share. You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast 197 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: dot com or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at 198 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 1: Facebook dot com, Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast