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Speaker 1: The Black Hand by Arthur b Reeve. Kennedy and I

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had been dining rather late one evening at Luigi's, a

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little Italian restaurant on the Lower West Side. We had

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known the place well in our student days, and had

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made a point of visiting it once a month since

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in order to keep in practice in the fine art

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of gracefully handling long shreds of spaghetti. Therefore, we did

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not think it strange when the proprietor himself stopped a

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moment at our table to greet us. Glancing furtively around

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at the other diners, mostly Italians, he suddenly leaned over

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and whispered to Kennedy, I have heard of your wonderful

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detective professor. Could you give a little advice in the

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case of our friend of mine? Surely, Luigi, what is

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the case? Asked Craig, leaning back in his chair. Luigi

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glanced around again apprehensively and lowered his voice not so loud, sir.

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When you pay your check, go out, walk around Washington

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Square and come in at a private entrance. I'll be

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waiting in the hall. My friend is dining upstairs. We

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lingered a while. O ra Quianti, then quietly paid the

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check and departed. True to his word, Luigi was waiting

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for us in the dark hall with a motion that

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indicated silence. He led us up the stairs of the

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second floor and quickly opened a door into what seemed

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to be a fair sized private dining room. A man

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was pacing the floor nervously. On a table was some

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food untouched. As the door opened, I thought, he started

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as if in fear, and I am sure his dark

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face blanched, if only for an instant. Imagine our surprise

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at seeing Gennaro, the great tenor, with whom merely to

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have his speaking acquaintance was to argue oneself famous. Oh

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it is you, Luigi, he exclaimed, in perfect English, rich

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and mellow, and who are these gentlemen? Luigi merely replied

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friends in English also, and then dropped off into a voluble,

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low toned explanation in Italian. I could see as we

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waited that the same idea had flashed over Kennedy's mind

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as over my own. It was now three or four

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days since the papers had reported the strange kidnapping of

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Gennaro's five year old daughter, Adelina, his only child, and

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the sending of a demand for ten thousand dollars ransom,

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signed as usual with the mystic black Hand, a name

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to conjure with in blackmail and extortion. As Signor Dinero

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advanced towards us after his short talk with Luigi. Almost

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before the introductions were over, Kennedy anticipated him by saying,

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I understand Signor before you ask me. I have read

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all about it in the papers. You want some one

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to help you catch the criminals who are holding your

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little girl. No, no, exclaimed Gennaro excitedly, Not that I

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want to get my daughter first. After that, catch them

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if you can. Yes, I should like to have someone

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do it. But read this first and tell me what

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you think of it. How should I act to get

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my little Adelina back without harming a hair of her head?

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The famous singer drew from a capacious pocket book a dirty,

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crumpled letter scrolled on cheap paper. Kennedy translated it quickly.

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It read, honorable sir, your daughter is in safe hands.

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But by the Saints. If you give this letter to

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the police as you did the other, not only she,

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but your family also someone near to you will suffer.

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We will not fail as we did wednesday. If you

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want your daughter back. Go yourself alone and without telling

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a soul to Enrico Albano's Saturday night, at the twelfth hour,

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you must provide yourself with ten thousand dollars in bills

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hidden in Saturday's hill Progresso Itariano. In the back room,

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you will see a man sitting alone at a table.

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He will have a red flower on his coat. You

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are to say, a fine opera, is i Pagliacci? If

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he answers not without Gennaro, lay the newspaper down on

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the table. He will pick it up, leaving his own.

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The bolletino. On the third page you will find written

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the place where your daughter has been left waiting for you.

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Go immediately and get her. But by the God, if

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you have so much as the sh shadow of the

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police near Enrico's, your daughter will be sent to you

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in a box that night. Do not fear to come.

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We pledge our word to deal fairly. If you deal fairly,

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this is the last warning, lest you shall forget. We

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shall show one other sign of our power tomorrow La

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mano nera. The end of this letter was decorated with

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a skull and crossbones, a rough drawing of a dagger

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thrust through a bleeding heart, a coffin, and under all

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a huge black hand. There was no doubt about the

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type of letter. It was, such as have of late

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years become increasingly common in all our large cities. You

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have not shown this to the police, I presume, asked Kennedy. Naturally,

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not are you going Saturday night? I am afraid to

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go and afraid to stay away, was the reply, and

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the voice of the fifty thousand dollars a season tenor

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was as human as that of a five dollar a

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week father. For at the bottom, all men high or low,

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are one. We will not fail as we did Wednesday,

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reread Craig, what does that mean? Gennaro fumbled in his

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pocket book again, and at last drew forth a typewritten

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letter bearing the letter head of the Leslie Laboratories Incorporated.

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After I received the first threat, exclaimed Gennaro, my wife

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and I went from our apartments at the hotel to

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her father's, the banker Sazara, you know who lives on

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Fifth Avenue. I gave the letter to the Italian squad

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of the police. The next morning, my father in loss Butler,

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noticed something peculiar about the milk. He barely touched some

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of it to his tongue, and he has been violently

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ill ever since. I at once sent the milk to

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the laboratory of my friend doctor Leslie to have it analyzed.

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This letter shows what the household escaped, my dear Gennaro

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read Kennedy. The milk submitted to us for examination on

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the tenth has been carefully analyzed, and I beg to

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hand you herewith the result. Specific gravity one point o

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three six at fifteen degrees centigrade, water eighty four point

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six zero percent, k sine three point four nine percent,

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albumen point five six percent, globulin one point three two percent,

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lactose five point eight percent, ash point seven two percent

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fat three point four two percent. Rysinus one point nine percent.

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Risinus is a new and little known poison derived from

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the shell of the castor bean. Professor Erlik states that

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one gram of the pure poison will kill one million,

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five hundred thousand guinea pigs. Rysinus was lately isolated by

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Professor Robert of Rostock, but is seldom found except in

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an impure state, Though still very deadly. It surpasses strychnine,

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prussic acid, and other commonly known drugs. I congratulate you

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and yours on escaping, and shall of course respect your

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wishes absolutely regarding keeping secret this attempt on your life.

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Believe me very sincerely, yours, C. W. Leslie. As Kennedy

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handed the letter back, he remarked, significantly, I can see

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very readily why you don't care to have the police

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figure in your case. It has gone quite beyond ordinary

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police methods, and tomorrow too, they are going to have

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another sign of their power, groaned Gennaro, sinking into the

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chair before his untasted food. You say you have left

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your hotel, inquired Kennedy. Yes, my wife insisted that we

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would be more safely guarded at the residence of her father,

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the banker, but we are afraid even there since the

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poison attempt. So I have come here secretly to Luigi,

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my old friend Luigi, who is preparing food for us,

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And in a few minutes one of Cisare's automobiles will

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be here and I will take the food up to her,

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sparing no expense or trouble. She is heart broken. It

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will kill her, Professor Kennedy, if anything happens to our

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little Adelina. Ah Sir, I am not poor myself a

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month's salary at the opera house. That is what they

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ask of me. Gladly would I give it ten thousand

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dollars all if they asked it of my contract with

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Signor Cassanelli, the director. But the police, bah, they are

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all for catching the villains. What good will it do

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for me if they catch them and my little de

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Lina is returned to me dead. It is all very

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well for the Anglo Saxon to talk of justice and

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the law. But I am what you call it, an

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emotional Latin. I want my little daughter, and at any cost,

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catch the villains. Afterward, yes, I will pay double then

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to catch them so that they cannot blackmail me again.

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Only first I want my daughter back, and your father

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in law. My father in law, he has been among

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you long enough to be one of you. He has

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fought them. He has put up a sign in his

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banking house no money paid on threats. But I say

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it is foolish. I do not know America as well

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as he, but I know this. The police never succeed.

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The ransom is paid without their knowledge, and they very

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often take the credit. I say pay first, then I

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will swear a righteous vendetta. I will bring the dogs

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to justice with the money yet on them. Only show

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me how, Show me how? First of all, replied Kennedy,

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I want you to answer one question, truthfully, without reservation,

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as to a friend. I am your friend. Believe me.

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Is there any person, a relative or acquaintance of yourself,

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or your wife, or your father in law whom you

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even have a reason to suspect of being capable of

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extorting money from you in this way? I needn't say

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that it is the experience of the district Attorney's office

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in the large majority of cases of this so called

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black hand, No, replied the tenor without hesitation. I know that,

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and I have thought about it. No. I can think

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of no one I know you. Americans often speak of

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the black Hand as a myth coined originally by a

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newspaper writer. Perhaps it has no organization, But Professor Kennedy,

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to me, it is no myth. What if the real

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black hand is any gang of criminals who choose to

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use that convenient name to extort money? Is it the

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less real? My daughter is gone? Exactly, agreed Kennedy. It

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is not a theory that confronts you. It is a hard,

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cold fact. I understand that perfectly. What is the address

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of this Albanos? Luigi mentioned a number on Mulberry Street

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and Kennedy made a note of it. It is a

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gambling saloon, explained Luigi. Albano is a Neapolitan, a camorrista,

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one of my countrymen, of whom I am thoroughly ashamed of,

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Professor Kennedy. Do you think this Albano had anything to

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do with the letter? Luigi shrugged his shoulders. Just then,

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a big limousine was heard outside. Luigi picked up a

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huge hamper that was placed in a corner of the room,

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and followed closely by Signor Gennaro hurried down to it.

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As the tenor left us, he grasped our hands in

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each of his. I have an idea in my mind,

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said Craig, simply. I will try to think it out

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in detail to night. Where can I find you tomorrow?

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Come to me at the Opera House in the afternoon,

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or if you want me sooner, at mister Caveryer's residence.

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Good night and a thousand thanks to you, Professor Kennedy,

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and to you also, mister Jameson. I trust you absolutely,

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because Luigi trust you. We sat in the little dining

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room until we heard the door of the limousine bang

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shut and the car shoot off with the rattle of

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the changing gears. One more question, Luigi, said Craig, as

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the door opened again. I have never been on that

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block in Mulberry Street where this Albano's is. Do you

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happen to know any of the shopkeepers on it or

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near it? I have a cousin who has a drug

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store on the corner below Albano's, on the same side

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of the street. Good do you think he would let

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me use his store for a few minutes Saturday night,

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of course, without any risk to himself. I think I

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could arrange it very well. Then tomorrow, say, at nine

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in the morning, I will stop here and we will

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all go over to see him. Good night, Luigi, and

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many thanks for thinking of me in connection with this case.

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I've enjoyed Signor Gennaro singing often enough at the opera

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to want to render him this service, and I am

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only too glad to be able to be of service

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to all honest Italians, that is, if I succeed in

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carrying out a plan I have in mind. A little

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before nine the following day, Kennedy and I dropped into

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Luigi's again. Kennedy was carrying a suit case which he

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had taken over from his laboratory to our rooms the

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night before. Luigi was waiting for us, and without losing

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a minute, we sallied forth by means of the tortuous

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twists of streets in Old Greenwich's village. We came out

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at last on Bleeker Street and began walking east amid

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the hurly burly of races of Lower New York. We

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had not quite reached Mulberry Street when our attention was

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attracted by a large crowd on one of the busy corners,

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held back by a cordon of police, who were endeavoring

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to keep the people moving with that burly good nature

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which the six foot Irish policemen displays toward the five

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foot burden bearers of southern and Eastern Europe whose thronged

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New York. Apparently, we saw as we edged up into

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the front of the crowd there was a building whose

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whole front had literally been torn off and wrecked. The

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thick plate glass of the windows was smashed to a

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mass of greenish splinters on the sidewalk, while the windows

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of the upper floors and for several houses down the

239
00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:57,279
block in either street, were likewise broken. Some thick iron

240
00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:00,360
bars which had formerly protected the windows were now bent

241
00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,879
and twisted. A huge hole yawned in the floor inside

242
00:13:03,879 --> 00:13:06,879
the doorway, and peering in we could see the desk

243
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,120
and chairs a tangled mass of kindling. What's the matter,

244
00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:13,759
I inquired, of an officer near me, displaying my reporter's

245
00:13:13,799 --> 00:13:16,879
fire line badge, more for its moral effect than in

246
00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,440
hope of getting any real information in these days of

247
00:13:19,559 --> 00:13:23,759
enforced silence toward the press. Black hand the bomb was

248
00:13:23,759 --> 00:13:28,639
the laconic reply, phew, I whistled, anyone hurt? They don't

249
00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,080
usually kill anyone, do they asked the officer by way

250
00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,440
of reply, to test my acquaintance with such things. No,

251
00:13:35,799 --> 00:13:39,440
I admitted, They destroy more property than lives. But did

252
00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:41,840
they get anyone this time? This must have been a

253
00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,000
thoroughly overloaded bomb, I should judge, by the looks of things.

254
00:13:45,639 --> 00:13:48,600
Came pretty close to it. The bank hadn't any more

255
00:13:48,639 --> 00:13:51,679
than opened when bang went This gas pipe in dayna

256
00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,159
made thing crowd collected before the smoke had fairly cleared.

257
00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:57,919
Man who owns the bank was hurt, but not badly.

258
00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:00,559
Now come beat it down to headquarters. If you want

259
00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,120
to find out any more, you'll find it printed on

260
00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,320
the pink slips this squeedle book. By this time gainst

261
00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:08,919
the rules for me. Tetok, he added with a good

262
00:14:09,039 --> 00:14:12,600
natured grin. Then to the crowd, quan, Now ye are

263
00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:17,039
blockin traffic. Keep moving. I turned to Craig and Luigi.

264
00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,279
Their eyes were riveted on the big gilt sign, half

265
00:14:20,279 --> 00:14:24,879
broken and all askew. Overhead it read Sierro de Cesaire

266
00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:30,480
and Company Bankers, New York, Genoa, Naples, Rome, Palermo. This

267
00:14:30,759 --> 00:14:32,879
is the reminder that Gennaro and his father in law

268
00:14:32,919 --> 00:14:37,039
will not forget. I gasped, yes, added Craig, pulling us away.

269
00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,519
And Caesar himself is wounded too. Perhaps that was for

270
00:14:40,559 --> 00:14:43,799
putting up the notice refusing to pay. Perhaps not. It's

271
00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:46,399
a queer case. They usually set the bombs off at

272
00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:48,879
night when no one is around. There must be more

273
00:14:48,919 --> 00:14:51,840
back of this than merely to scare Gennaro. It looks

274
00:14:51,879 --> 00:14:54,559
to me as if they were after Cesare too, First

275
00:14:54,559 --> 00:14:58,360
by poison, then by dynamite. We shouldered our way out

276
00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:00,320
through the crowd and went on until we came to

277
00:15:00,399 --> 00:15:03,960
Mulberry Street, pulsing with life down. We went past the

278
00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,080
little shops, dodging the children, making way for the women

279
00:15:07,159 --> 00:15:10,600
with huge bundles of sweatshop clothing accurately balanced on their

280
00:15:10,639 --> 00:15:14,279
heads or hugged up under their capacious capes. Here was

281
00:15:14,399 --> 00:15:17,559
just one little colony of the hundreds of thousands of Italians,

282
00:15:18,039 --> 00:15:21,600
a population larger than the Italian population of Rome, of

283
00:15:21,639 --> 00:15:24,360
whose life the rest of New York knew and cared nothing.

284
00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:28,919
At last we came to Albano's Little Wine Shop, a dark, evil,

285
00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:32,039
malodorous place on the street level of a five story

286
00:15:32,159 --> 00:15:37,639
alleged New law tenement. Without hesitation, Kennedy entered, and we followed,

287
00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,559
acting the part of a slumming party. There were a

288
00:15:40,559 --> 00:15:44,080
few customers at this early hour, and an inoffensive looking lot,

289
00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:48,159
though of course they eyed USh sharply. Albano himself proved

290
00:15:48,159 --> 00:15:50,639
to be a greasy, low browed fellow who had a

291
00:15:50,679 --> 00:15:53,600
sort of cunning look. I could well imagine such a

292
00:15:53,639 --> 00:15:56,960
fellow spreading terror in the hearts of simple folk by

293
00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,200
merely pressing both temples with his thumbs and drawing his

294
00:16:00,279 --> 00:16:03,919
long bony forefinger under his throat. The so called black

295
00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:06,360
hand sign that has shut up many a witness in

296
00:16:06,399 --> 00:16:09,759
the middle of his testimony, even in open court. We

297
00:16:09,799 --> 00:16:12,759
pushed through to the low ceilinged back room, which was empty,

298
00:16:12,919 --> 00:16:15,600
and sat down at a table over a bottle of

299
00:16:15,639 --> 00:16:20,399
Albano's famous California red ink. We sat silently. Kennedy was

300
00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,080
making a mental note of the place. In the middle

301
00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,559
of the ceiling was a single gas burner with a

302
00:16:25,559 --> 00:16:28,159
big reflector over it. In the back wall of the

303
00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,919
room was a horizontal oblong window, barred and with a

304
00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,240
sash that opened like a transom. The tables were dirty

305
00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,759
and the chairs rickety. The walls were bare and unfinished,

306
00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:43,879
with beams innocent of decoration. Altogether, it was as unprepossessing

307
00:16:43,919 --> 00:16:47,559
a place as I had ever seen. Apparently satisfied with

308
00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:51,360
his scrutiny, Kennedy got up to go, complimenting the proprietor

309
00:16:51,399 --> 00:16:53,919
on his wine. I could see that Kennedy had made

310
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,360
up his mind as to his course of action. How

311
00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,360
sordid crime really is, he remarked, as we walked on

312
00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,440
down the street, Look at that place of Albano's. I

313
00:17:03,519 --> 00:17:06,119
defy even the police news reporter on the Star to

314
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,720
find any glamor in that our next stop was at

315
00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:11,960
the corner at the little store kept by the cousin

316
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,079
of Luigi, who conducted us back of the partition where

317
00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:19,480
prescriptions were compounded, and found us chairs. A harried explanation

318
00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:21,839
from Luigi brought a cloud to the open face of

319
00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:25,160
the druggist, as if he hesitated to lay himself and

320
00:17:25,279 --> 00:17:28,839
his little fortune open to the blackmailer's. Kennedy saw it

321
00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,799
and interrupted. All that I wished to do, he said,

322
00:17:32,039 --> 00:17:34,559
is to put in a little instrument here and use

323
00:17:34,559 --> 00:17:37,200
it tonight for a few minutes. Indeed, there will be

324
00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,599
no risk to you, Vincenzo. Secrecy is what I desire,

325
00:17:40,799 --> 00:17:43,960
and no one will ever know about it. Vincenzo was

326
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,880
at length convinced, and Craig opened his suitcase. There was

327
00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:51,680
little in it except several coils of insulated wire, some tools,

328
00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:54,799
a couple of packages wrapped up, and a couple of

329
00:17:54,839 --> 00:17:58,319
pairs of overalls. In a moment, Kennedy had donned overalls

330
00:17:58,559 --> 00:18:01,279
and was smearing dirt and grease over his face and hands.

331
00:18:01,759 --> 00:18:05,240
Under his direction, I did the same. Taking the bag

332
00:18:05,279 --> 00:18:08,119
of tools, the wire, and one of the small packages,

333
00:18:08,519 --> 00:18:10,839
we went out on the street, and then up through

334
00:18:10,839 --> 00:18:14,079
the dark and ill ventilated hall of the tenement. Half

335
00:18:14,079 --> 00:18:18,200
way up, a woman stopped us suspiciously. Telephone company, said

336
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:20,720
Craig curtly, here's permission from the owner of the house

337
00:18:20,759 --> 00:18:23,960
to string wires across the roof. He pulled an old

338
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,279
letter out of his pocket, but as it was too

339
00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,559
dark to read even if the woman had care to

340
00:18:28,559 --> 00:18:32,160
do so, we went on up as he had expected, unmolested.

341
00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:35,119
At last we came to the roof, where there were

342
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,799
some children at play a couple of houses down from us.

343
00:18:38,319 --> 00:18:41,079
Kennedy began by dropping two strands of wire down to

344
00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,440
the ground in the back yard behind Vincenzo's shop. Then

345
00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:46,759
he proceeded to lay two wires along the edge of

346
00:18:46,759 --> 00:18:49,559
the roof. We had worked only a little while when

347
00:18:49,599 --> 00:18:53,480
the children began to collect. However, Kennedy kept right on

348
00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,880
until we reached the tenement next to that, in which

349
00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,759
Albano's shop was Walter. He whispered, just get the children

350
00:18:59,759 --> 00:19:03,400
away for a minute. Now, look here, you kids, I yelled,

351
00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:05,319
some of you will fall off if you get so

352
00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:08,279
close to the edge of the roof. Keep back. It

353
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,759
had no effect. Apparently, they looked not a bit frightened

354
00:19:11,799 --> 00:19:15,279
at the dizzy mass of clothes lines below us. Say

355
00:19:15,599 --> 00:19:19,799
is her candy store on this block? I asked, in desperation, Yes, sir,

356
00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:22,480
came the chorus. Who'll go down and get me a

357
00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,880
bottle of ginger ale? I asked? A chorus of voices

358
00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:29,519
and glittering eyes was the answer. They all would. I

359
00:19:29,599 --> 00:19:31,680
took half a dollar from my pocket and gave it

360
00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:34,759
to the oldest. All right, now, hustle along and divide

361
00:19:34,759 --> 00:19:37,519
the change. With a scamper of many feet, they were

362
00:19:37,559 --> 00:19:41,400
gone and we were alone. Kennedy had now reached Albano's,

363
00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,079
and as soon as the last head had disappeared below

364
00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:47,160
the scuttle of the roof, he dropped two long strands

365
00:19:47,319 --> 00:19:50,640
down into the back yard, as he had done at Vincenzo's.

366
00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:53,880
I started to go back, but he stopped me. Oh,

367
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:56,559
that will never do, he said. The kids will see

368
00:19:56,559 --> 00:19:59,079
that the wires end here. I must carry them on

369
00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,519
several houses far as a blind and trust to look

370
00:20:02,559 --> 00:20:05,799
that they don't see the wires leading down below. We

371
00:20:05,799 --> 00:20:08,839
were several houses down, still putting up wires, when the

372
00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,799
crowd came shouting back. Sticky with cheap trust made candy

373
00:20:13,079 --> 00:20:16,279
and black with east Side chocolate. We opened the ginger

374
00:20:16,319 --> 00:20:18,440
ale and forced ourselves to drink it so as to

375
00:20:18,519 --> 00:20:21,839
excite no suspicion. Then a few minutes later descended the

376
00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:25,799
stairs of the tenement, coming out just above Albano's. I

377
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:28,640
was wondering how Kennedy was going to get into Albano's

378
00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:33,039
again without exciting suspicion. He solved it neatly. Now, Walter,

379
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:35,440
do you think you could stand another dip into that

380
00:20:35,559 --> 00:20:38,799
red ink at Albano's? I said, I might, in the

381
00:20:38,799 --> 00:20:42,920
interests of science and justice, not otherwise. Well, your face

382
00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,200
is sufficiently dirty, he commented, so that with the overalls,

383
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:48,079
you don't look very much as you did the first

384
00:20:48,079 --> 00:20:50,839
time you went in. I don't think they will recognize you.

385
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,599
Do I look pretty good? You look like a coal

386
00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:56,559
heater on the job, I said, I can scarcely restrain

387
00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,480
my admiration. All right, then take this little glass bottle,

388
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:03,079
go into the back room and order something cheap in

389
00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,799
keeping with your looks. Then, when you are all alone,

390
00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:09,160
break the bottle. It is full of gas drippings. Your

391
00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,880
nose will dictate what to do next. Just tell the

392
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,839
proprietor you saw the gas company's wagon on the next block,

393
00:21:15,279 --> 00:21:18,799
and come up here and tell me. I entered, there

394
00:21:18,839 --> 00:21:22,240
was a sinister looking man with a sort of unscrupulous intelligence,

395
00:21:22,319 --> 00:21:25,079
writing at a table. As he wrote and puffed at

396
00:21:25,079 --> 00:21:28,039
his cigar, I noticed a scar on his face, a

397
00:21:28,079 --> 00:21:30,319
deep furrow running from the lobe of his ear to

398
00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,839
his mouth that I knew was a brand set upon

399
00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:37,079
him by the Camorra. I sat and smoked and sipped

400
00:21:37,079 --> 00:21:40,759
slowly for several minutes, cursing him inwardly more for his

401
00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:45,079
presence than for his evident look of the malavitta. At

402
00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:47,119
last he went out to ask the bar keeper for

403
00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,400
a stamp. Quickly, I tiptoed over to another corner of

404
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,200
the room and ground the little bottle under my heel.

405
00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,640
Then I resumed my seat. The odor that pervaded the

406
00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,920
room was sickening. The sinister looking man with the scar

407
00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,960
came in again and sniffed. I sniffed. Then the proprietor

408
00:22:04,079 --> 00:22:08,000
came in and sniffed. Say, I said, in the toughest voice,

409
00:22:08,039 --> 00:22:11,240
I could assume you got a leak. Wait. I seen

410
00:22:11,279 --> 00:22:13,400
the GA's company wagon on the next block when I

411
00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:16,279
came in. I'll get the man. I dashed out and

412
00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:18,880
hurried up the street to the place where Kennedy was waiting,

413
00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:23,319
impatiently rattling his tools. He followed me with apparent reluctance.

414
00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:26,960
As he entered the wine shop, he snorted, after the

415
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,319
manner of gas men, where's the leak? You'll find it?

416
00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,960
A leak grunted albana. What do you gett you'll pay for?

417
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:35,920
You wanted me to do yo work? Well, half a

418
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,799
dozen you wops get out o here. That's all use water,

419
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:42,200
be browned er pieces with them, pipes and cigarettes clear out,

420
00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:47,599
growled Kennedy. They retreated precipitately, and Craig hastily opened his

421
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:50,519
bag of tools. Quick Walter shut the door and hold it,

422
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:54,440
exclaimed Craig. Working rapidly, he unwrapped a little package and

423
00:22:54,519 --> 00:22:58,400
took at a round, flat, disclike thing of black vulcanized rubber.

424
00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:01,200
Jumping up on a table, he fixed it to the

425
00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:03,640
top of the reflector over the gas jet. Can you

426
00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:06,920
see that from the floor, Walter, he asked under his breath. No,

427
00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:10,400
I replied, not even when I know it's there. Then

428
00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:12,880
he attached a couple of wires to it and led

429
00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:16,559
them across the ceiling toward the window, concealing them carefully

430
00:23:16,839 --> 00:23:19,440
by sticking them in the shadow of a beam at

431
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,400
the window. He quickly attached the wires to the two

432
00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,799
that were dangling down from the roof and shoved them

433
00:23:24,799 --> 00:23:27,440
around out of sight. We'll have to trust that no

434
00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:29,839
one sees them, he said. That's the best I can

435
00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:32,559
do at such short notice. I never saw a room

436
00:23:32,599 --> 00:23:35,000
so bare as this. Anyway, there isn't another place I

437
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,039
could put that thing without its being seen. We gathered

438
00:23:38,079 --> 00:23:40,480
up the broken glass of the gas dripping's bottle and

439
00:23:40,559 --> 00:23:44,160
I opened the door. It's all right now, said Craig,

440
00:23:44,279 --> 00:23:46,960
sauntering out before the bar. Only the next time you

441
00:23:47,079 --> 00:23:49,839
has anything the matter, call the company up. I ain't

442
00:23:49,839 --> 00:23:53,279
supposed to do this without orders. See a moment later,

443
00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:56,599
I followed Glad to get out of the oppressive atmosphere

444
00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,160
and joined him in the back of Vincenzo's drug store,

445
00:23:59,319 --> 00:24:02,240
where he was again at work. As there was no

446
00:24:02,319 --> 00:24:04,599
back window there, it was quite a job to lead

447
00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:07,319
the wires around the outside from the back yard and

448
00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:10,799
in at a side window. It was at last done, however,

449
00:24:11,079 --> 00:24:14,839
without exciting suspicion, and Kennedy attached them to an oblong

450
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:18,000
box of weathered oak and a pair of specially constructed

451
00:24:18,039 --> 00:24:21,440
dry batteries. Now, said Craig, as we washed off the

452
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:24,200
stains of work and stowed the overalls back in the suitcase.

453
00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:27,839
That is done to my satisfaction. I can tell Gennaro

454
00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:30,640
to go ahead safely now and meet the black handers

455
00:24:31,599 --> 00:24:35,559
from Vincenzo's. We walked over towards Center Street, where Kennedy

456
00:24:35,559 --> 00:24:38,279
and I left Luigi to return to his restaurant with

457
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,039
instructions to be at Vincenzo's at half past eleven that night.

458
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,559
We turned into the new police headquarters and went down

459
00:24:45,599 --> 00:24:48,920
the long corridor to the Italian bureau. Kennedy sent in

460
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,039
his card to Lieutenant Giuseppe, in charge, and we were

461
00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:56,319
quickly admitted. The lieutenant was a short, full faced, fleshy

462
00:24:56,319 --> 00:24:59,640
Italian with lightish hair and eyes that were apparently dull

463
00:25:00,079 --> 00:25:03,000
until you suddenly discovered that that was merely a cover

464
00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:06,359
to their really restless way of taking in everything and

465
00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,400
fixing it on his mind, as if on a sensitive plate.

466
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:12,839
I want to talk about the Gennaro case, began Craig.

467
00:25:13,319 --> 00:25:15,759
I may add that I have been rather closely associated

468
00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,920
with Inspector O'Connor of the Central Office on a number

469
00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,880
of cases, so that I think we can trust each other.

470
00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:24,240
Would you mind telling me what you know about it?

471
00:25:24,279 --> 00:25:27,359
If I promise you that I too have something to reveal.

472
00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:31,559
The Lieutenant leaned back and watched Kennedy closely, without seeming

473
00:25:31,599 --> 00:25:34,640
to do so. When I was in Italy last year,

474
00:25:34,839 --> 00:25:37,160
he replied at length, I did a good deal of

475
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,359
work in tracing up some Camorra suspects. I had a

476
00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:42,759
tip about some of them to look up their records.

477
00:25:43,279 --> 00:25:45,759
I needn't say where it came from, but it was

478
00:25:45,799 --> 00:25:48,279
a good one. Much of the evidence against some of

479
00:25:48,279 --> 00:25:51,640
those fellows who are being tried at Viterbo was gathered

480
00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,240
by the Carabinere as a result of hints that I

481
00:25:54,319 --> 00:25:56,759
was able to give them clues that were furnished to

482
00:25:56,799 --> 00:25:59,680
me here in America from the source I speak of.

483
00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:02,440
I suppose there is really no need to conceal it.

484
00:26:02,519 --> 00:26:06,480
Though the original tip came from a certain banker here

485
00:26:06,519 --> 00:26:11,920
in New York, I can guess who it was. Nodded Craig. Then,

486
00:26:12,039 --> 00:26:15,039
as you know, this banker is a fighter. He is

487
00:26:15,079 --> 00:26:18,440
the man who organized the White Hand, an organization which

488
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,240
is trying to read the Italian population of the Black Hand.

489
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:25,079
His society had a lot of evidence regarding former members

490
00:26:25,079 --> 00:26:27,440
of both of the Commodo in Naples and the Mafia

491
00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:30,240
in Sicily, as well as the Black Hand gangs in

492
00:26:30,319 --> 00:26:33,759
New York, Chicago and other cities. Well. Caesare, as you know,

493
00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,759
is Gennio's father in law. While I was in Naples

494
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:41,039
looking up the record of a certain criminal, I heard

495
00:26:41,039 --> 00:26:44,880
of a peculiar murder committed some years ago. There was

496
00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,839
an honest old music master who apparently lived the quietest

497
00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,000
and most harmless of lives. But it became known that

498
00:26:52,039 --> 00:26:55,599
he was supported by Caesire and had received handsome presents

499
00:26:55,599 --> 00:26:58,279
of money from him. The old man was, as you

500
00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:01,720
may have guessed, the first music teacher of Gennaro. The

501
00:27:01,839 --> 00:27:04,759
man who discovered him. One might have been at a

502
00:27:04,839 --> 00:27:07,200
loss to see how he could have an enemy, but

503
00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,440
there was one who coveted his small fortune. One day

504
00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,640
he was stabbed and robbed. His murderer ran out into

505
00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:17,519
the street, crying out that the poor man had been killed. Naturally,

506
00:27:17,559 --> 00:27:19,839
a crowd rushed up in a moment, for it was

507
00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,559
in the middle of the day before the injured man

508
00:27:22,599 --> 00:27:25,880
could make it understood who had struck him. The assassin

509
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,119
was down the street and lost in the maze of

510
00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:30,519
old Naples, where he well knew the houses of his

511
00:27:30,599 --> 00:27:33,279
friends who would tide him. The man who is known

512
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:37,319
to have committed that crime, Francesco Peoli, escaped to New York.

513
00:27:37,839 --> 00:27:40,000
We are looking for him to day. He is a

514
00:27:40,039 --> 00:27:43,559
clever man, far above the average son of a doctor

515
00:27:43,559 --> 00:27:46,200
in a town a few miles from Naples, went to

516
00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:50,160
the university, was expelled from some mad prank. In short,

517
00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:53,160
he was the black sheep of the family. Of course,

518
00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:55,480
over here he is too high born to work with

519
00:27:55,519 --> 00:27:58,480
his hands on a railroad or in a trench, and

520
00:27:58,559 --> 00:28:01,720
not educated enough to work anything else. So he has

521
00:28:01,759 --> 00:28:05,359
been preying on his more industrious countrymen. A typical case

522
00:28:05,359 --> 00:28:08,079
of a man living by his wits with no visible

523
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:11,519
means of support. Now I don't mind telling you in

524
00:28:11,559 --> 00:28:15,440
strict confidence, continued the Lieutenant, that it is my theory

525
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:18,920
that old Cesar had seen Paoli here, knew he was

526
00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:21,640
wanted for that murder of the old music master, and

527
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,640
gave me the tip to look up his record. At

528
00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,160
any rate, Paoli disappeared right after I returned from Italy,

529
00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,359
and we haven't been able to locate him since he

530
00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,599
must have found out in some way that the tip

531
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,680
to look him up had been given by the White Hand.

532
00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,079
He had been a camorrista in Italy and had many

533
00:28:39,079 --> 00:28:43,279
ways of getting information here in America. He paused and

534
00:28:43,359 --> 00:28:46,559
balanced a piece of cardboard in his hand. It is

535
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:48,799
my theory of this case that if we could locate

536
00:28:48,839 --> 00:28:52,400
this Pioli, we could save the kidnapping of little Adelina Geneiro.

537
00:28:52,599 --> 00:28:57,160
Very quickly, that's his picture, Kennedy and I bent over

538
00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:59,920
to look at it, and I started in surprise. It

539
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,440
was my evil looking friend with the scar on his cheek, well,

540
00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:07,119
said Craig, quietly, handing back the card. Whether or not

541
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,160
he is the man, I know where we can catch

542
00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:12,440
the kidnappers to night, Lieutenant, it was Giuseppe's turn to

543
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:15,920
show surprise. With your assistance, I'll get this man and

544
00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:19,440
the whole gang to night, explained Craig, rapidly, sketching over

545
00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,920
his plan and concealing just enough to make sure that,

546
00:29:23,039 --> 00:29:25,640
no matter how anxious the Lieutenant was to get the credit,

547
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:30,119
he could not spoil the affair by premature interference. The

548
00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:32,680
final arrangement was that four of the best men of

549
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,640
the squad were to hide in a vacant store across

550
00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:39,599
from Vincenza's early in the evening, long before anyone was watching.

551
00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,519
The signal for them to appear was to be the

552
00:29:42,559 --> 00:29:45,119
extinguishing of the lights behind the colored bottles in the

553
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,519
druggist's window. A taxicab was to be kept waiting at

554
00:29:48,559 --> 00:29:51,920
headquarters at the same time, with three other good men

555
00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:54,880
ready to start for a given address. The moment the

556
00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:59,519
alarm was given over the telephone, we found Gennaro awaiting

557
00:29:59,599 --> 00:30:02,640
us with the greatest anxiety at the opera house. The

558
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,759
bomb at Cesarre's had been the last straw. Gennaro had

559
00:30:05,799 --> 00:30:09,400
already drawn from his bank ten crisp one thousand dollar bills,

560
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,400
and already he had a copy of Il Progresso, in

561
00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:16,440
which he had hidden the money between the sheets. Mister Kennedy,

562
00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:18,599
he said, I am going to meet them to night.

563
00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,640
They may kill me. See I have provided myself with

564
00:30:21,759 --> 00:30:25,200
a pistol. I shall fight too if necessary for my

565
00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,079
little Adelina. But if it is only money they want,

566
00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,279
they shall have it. One thing I want to say,

567
00:30:31,599 --> 00:30:35,880
began Kennedy. No, no, no, cried the tenor I will go.

568
00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:38,680
You shall not stop me. I do not wish to

569
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:42,720
stop you, Craig reassured him. But one thing. Do exactly

570
00:30:42,759 --> 00:30:45,400
as I tell you, and I swear not a hair

571
00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,599
of the child's head will be injured, and we will

572
00:30:47,599 --> 00:30:52,000
get the blackmailers too, how eagerly asked Gennaro, what do

573
00:30:52,039 --> 00:30:54,319
you want me to do? All I want you to

574
00:30:54,359 --> 00:30:56,920
do is to go to Albano's at the appointed time,

575
00:30:57,359 --> 00:31:00,480
sit down in the back room, get into conversation with them,

576
00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:03,240
and above all, signor. As soon as you get the

577
00:31:03,279 --> 00:31:07,000
copy of the Bolletino, turn to the third page, pretend

578
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:09,680
not to be able to read the address, ask the

579
00:31:09,759 --> 00:31:13,200
man to read it, then repeat it after him, Pretend

580
00:31:13,279 --> 00:31:16,000
to be overjoyed. Offer to set up wine for the

581
00:31:16,039 --> 00:31:18,960
whole crowd just a few minutes. That is all I ask,

582
00:31:19,559 --> 00:31:21,799
and I will guarantee that you will be the happiest

583
00:31:21,839 --> 00:31:26,000
man in New York tomorrow. Gennaro's eyes filled with tears

584
00:31:26,039 --> 00:31:29,640
as they grasped Kennedy's hand. That is better than having

585
00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:32,160
the whole police force back of me, he said. I

586
00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:36,839
shall never forget. Never forget. As we went out, Kennedy remarked,

587
00:31:37,039 --> 00:31:39,599
you can't blame them for keeping their troubles to themselves.

588
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:42,640
Here we send a police officer over to Italy to

589
00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,200
look up the records of some of the worst suspects.

590
00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:49,119
He loses his life, another takes his place. Then after

591
00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,119
he gets back he is set to work on the

592
00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,799
mere clerical routine of translating them. One of his associates

593
00:31:54,839 --> 00:31:57,160
is reduced in rank. And so what does it all

594
00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:00,279
come to. Hundreds of records have become useless becaus the

595
00:32:00,319 --> 00:32:03,240
three years within which the criminals could be deported have

596
00:32:03,319 --> 00:32:07,079
elapsed with nothing done. Intelligent, isn't it. I believe it

597
00:32:07,119 --> 00:32:09,920
has been established that all but about fifty of seven

598
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,599
hundred known Italian suspects are still at large, mostly in

599
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,640
this city, and the rest of the Italian population is

600
00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,039
guarded from them by a squad of police in number

601
00:32:20,119 --> 00:32:23,559
scarcely one thirtieth of the number of known criminals. No,

602
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,240
it is our fault if the black can thrives. We

603
00:32:27,359 --> 00:32:29,799
had been standing on the corner of Broadway waiting for

604
00:32:29,839 --> 00:32:33,640
a car. Now, Walter, don't forget meet me at the

605
00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:37,359
Bleaker Street station of the subway at eleven thirty. I'm

606
00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,400
off to the university. I have some very important experiments

607
00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,640
with phosphorescent salts that I want to finish today. What

608
00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:45,759
has that got to do with the case, I asked,

609
00:32:45,799 --> 00:32:49,720
mystified nothing, replied Craig. I didn't say it had at

610
00:32:49,759 --> 00:32:53,599
eleven thirty. Don't forget by George, though, that Paoli must

611
00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:56,559
be a clever one, think of his knowing about riceness.

612
00:32:56,920 --> 00:32:59,799
I only heard of it myself recently. Well, here's my

613
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:06,200
good bye, Craig swung aboard an Amsterdam Avenue car, leaving

614
00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:09,000
me to kill eight nervous hours of my weekly day

615
00:33:09,039 --> 00:33:12,119
of rest from the star. They passed at length and

616
00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:16,000
at precisely the appointed time. Kennedy and I met with

617
00:33:16,039 --> 00:33:19,319
suppressed excitement, at least on my part. We walked over

618
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,559
to Vincenzo's at night. This section of the city was

619
00:33:22,599 --> 00:33:26,240
indeed a black enigma. The lights in the shops where olive, oil,

620
00:33:26,319 --> 00:33:29,079
fruit and other things were sold were winging out one

621
00:33:29,079 --> 00:33:32,000
by one here and there. Strains of music floated out

622
00:33:32,039 --> 00:33:35,599
of wine shops, and little groups lingered on corners conversing

623
00:33:35,599 --> 00:33:39,680
in animated sentences. We passed Albanos on the other side

624
00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:41,839
of the street, being careful not to look at it

625
00:33:41,839 --> 00:33:45,720
too closely. For several men were hanging idly about pickets,

626
00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:49,119
apparently with some secret code that would instantly have spread

627
00:33:49,119 --> 00:33:53,000
far and wide the news of any alarming action. At

628
00:33:53,039 --> 00:33:56,000
the corner, we crossed and looked in Vincenzo's window a moment,

629
00:33:56,519 --> 00:33:59,279
casting a furtive glance across the street at the dark,

630
00:33:59,319 --> 00:34:02,759
empty store where the police must be hiding. Then we

631
00:34:02,839 --> 00:34:06,279
went in and casually sauntered back of the partition. Luigi

632
00:34:06,359 --> 00:34:10,119
was there already. There were several customers still in the store, however,

633
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,440
and therefore we had to sit in silence while Vincenzo

634
00:34:13,559 --> 00:34:16,679
quickly finished a prescription and waited on the last one.

635
00:34:17,159 --> 00:34:19,559
At last, the doors were locked and the lights lowered,

636
00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:22,079
all except those in the windows, which were to serve

637
00:34:22,119 --> 00:34:26,559
as signals. Ten minutes to twelve, said Kennedy, placing the

638
00:34:26,639 --> 00:34:30,079
oblong box on the table. Gennaro will be going in soon.

639
00:34:30,639 --> 00:34:33,119
Let us try this machine now and see if it works.

640
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,239
If the wires have been cut since we put them

641
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:39,320
up this morning, Gennaro will have to take his chances alone.

642
00:34:39,599 --> 00:34:42,639
Kennedy reached over and, with a light movement of his forefinger,

643
00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:46,960
touched the switch. Instantly, a babel of voices filled the store,

644
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:51,440
all talking at once rapidly and loudly. Here and there

645
00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:55,440
we could distinguish a snatch of conversation, a word, a phrase,

646
00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,320
now and then even a whole sentence. Above the rest,

647
00:34:59,039 --> 00:35:01,880
there was the clink of I could hear the rattle

648
00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,760
of dice on a bare table, and an oath, A

649
00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:09,639
cork popped, somebody scratched a match. We sat bewildered looking

650
00:35:09,679 --> 00:35:12,920
at Kennedy. Imagine that you are sitting at a table

651
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:16,000
in Albano's back room, was all he said. This is

652
00:35:16,039 --> 00:35:18,920
what you would be hearing. This is my electric ear.

653
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,239
In other words, the dictograph used. I am told by

654
00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:25,719
the Secret Service of the United States. Wait in a moment,

655
00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:29,159
you will hear Gennaro come in, Luigi and Vincenzo translate

656
00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,360
what you hear. My knowledge of Italian is pretty rusty,

657
00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:36,639
can't they hear us? Whispered Luigi in an awe struck whisper.

658
00:35:37,119 --> 00:35:40,639
Craig laughed, no, not yet. But I have only to

659
00:35:40,639 --> 00:35:43,480
touch this other switch, and I could provide an effect

660
00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:45,880
in that room that would rival the famous writing in

661
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:49,239
Belchaszar's wall, only it would be a voice from the

662
00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:52,760
wall instead of writing. They seem to be waiting for

663
00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:56,599
some one, said Vincenzo. I heard somebody say he will

664
00:35:56,599 --> 00:36:00,119
be here in a few minutes. Now get out. The

665
00:36:00,159 --> 00:36:02,920
babble of voices seemed to calm down as men withdrew

666
00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:06,280
from the room. Only one or two were left. One

667
00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:09,280
of them says, the child is all right. She has

668
00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:13,360
been left in the Bacqua yard. Translated Luigi, What yard

669
00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:17,320
did he say, asked Kennedy. No, they just speak of

670
00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:20,840
it as the yard. Jameson, go outside in the store

671
00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:23,800
to the telephone booth and call up headquarters. Ask them

672
00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:25,960
if the automobile is ready with the men in it.

673
00:36:26,559 --> 00:36:29,000
I rang up, and after a moment the police central

674
00:36:29,039 --> 00:36:32,639
answered that everything was right. Then tell Central to hold

675
00:36:32,639 --> 00:36:35,559
the line clear. We mustn't lose a moment. Jameson, you

676
00:36:35,639 --> 00:36:38,840
stay in the booth. Vincenzo, you pretend to be working

677
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,280
around your window, but not in such a way as

678
00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:44,119
to attract attention, for they have men watching the street

679
00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:48,360
very carefully. What is it, Luigi Gennero is coming. I

680
00:36:48,519 --> 00:36:51,760
just heard one of them say, here he comes. Even

681
00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:54,119
from the booth, I could hear the dictograph repeating the

682
00:36:54,159 --> 00:36:57,920
conversation in the dingy little back room of Albano's down

683
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:02,760
the street. He's outre above Le Ferdoine, murmured Luigi, dancing

684
00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:06,159
up and down with excitement. Vincenzo was so nervous that

685
00:37:06,199 --> 00:37:08,480
he knocked a bottle down in the window. And I

686
00:37:08,519 --> 00:37:11,440
believe that my heartbeats were almost audible over the telephone,

687
00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:14,519
which I was holding for The police operator called me

688
00:37:14,599 --> 00:37:17,480
down for asking so many times if all was ready

689
00:37:18,199 --> 00:37:21,559
there it is the signal, cried Craig. A fine opera,

690
00:37:21,679 --> 00:37:26,719
is I Pagliacci? Now listen for the answer. A moment elapsed,

691
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:30,679
then not without Gennaro, came a gruff voice in Italian

692
00:37:30,679 --> 00:37:36,480
from the dictograph. A silence ensued. It was tense. Wait, wait,

693
00:37:37,199 --> 00:37:40,760
said a voice which I recognized instantly as Gennaro's. I

694
00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:43,760
cannot lead this. What is this? Twenty three and a

695
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:47,920
half Prince Street, No. Thirty three and the half. She

696
00:37:48,039 --> 00:37:51,599
hasn't been left in the back yard. Jameson called Craig.

697
00:37:52,079 --> 00:37:53,920
Tell them to drive straight to thirty three and a

698
00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:56,320
half Prince Street. They will find the girl in the

699
00:37:56,360 --> 00:37:59,280
back yard quick, before the blackhanders have a chance to

700
00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:02,280
go back on their work. I fairly shouted my orders

701
00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:05,760
to the police headquarters they're off, came back the answer,

702
00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:08,559
and I hung up the receiver. What was that, Craig

703
00:38:08,679 --> 00:38:11,039
was asking of Luigi. I didn't catch it. What did

704
00:38:11,079 --> 00:38:14,280
they say? The other voice said to Gennaro, sit down?

705
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:18,119
What I count this? Sh he's talking again. If it

706
00:38:18,239 --> 00:38:20,280
is a penny less than ten thousand, or if I

707
00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:22,519
find a mark on the bills, I'll call to Enrico

708
00:38:22,559 --> 00:38:26,039
and your daughter will be spirited away again translated Luigi.

709
00:38:26,519 --> 00:38:30,519
Now Gennaro is talking, said Craig. Good, he is gaining time.

710
00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:34,119
He's a trump. I can distinguish that, all right. He's

711
00:38:34,199 --> 00:38:36,480
asking the gruff voice fellow if he will have another

712
00:38:36,519 --> 00:38:39,800
bottle of wine? He says he will. Good. They must

713
00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:42,199
be at Prince Street now. We'll give them a few

714
00:38:42,199 --> 00:38:45,280
minutes more, not too much for word will be back

715
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:49,840
to Abano's like wildfire, and they will get Gennaro after all. Ah,

716
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,079
they are drinking again. What was that, Luigi? The money

717
00:38:53,119 --> 00:38:56,679
is all right, he says, Now, Vincenzo out with the lights.

718
00:38:57,159 --> 00:39:00,000
A door banged across the street, and four huge dark

719
00:39:00,079 --> 00:39:03,639
figures darted out in the direction of Albano's. With his finger,

720
00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:07,239
Kennedy pulled down the other switch and shouted Gennaro, this

721
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:11,760
is Kennedy to the street. Polizia, Polizia. A scuffle and

722
00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:15,039
a cry of surprise followed. A second voice, apparently from

723
00:39:15,079 --> 00:39:18,079
the bar, shouted at with de lights, At with de lights.

724
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:22,320
Bang went a pistol and another. The dictograph, which had

725
00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,079
been all sound a moment before, was as mute as

726
00:39:25,119 --> 00:39:28,320
a cigar box. What's the matter, I asked Kennedy as

727
00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:30,960
he rushed past me. They have shot out the lights.

728
00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:35,519
My receiving instrument is destroyed. Come on, Jamieson, Vincenzo, stay

729
00:39:35,559 --> 00:39:38,199
back if you don't want to appear in this A

730
00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:41,199
short figure rushed by me, faster even than I could go.

731
00:39:41,639 --> 00:39:44,960
It was the faithful Luigi. In front of Albano's. An

732
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,559
exciting fight was going on. Shots were being fired wildly

733
00:39:48,599 --> 00:39:51,199
in the darkness, and heads were popping out of tenement

734
00:39:51,239 --> 00:39:54,840
windows on all sides. As Kennedy and I flung ourselves

735
00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:57,679
into the crowd, we caught a glimpse of Gennaro, with

736
00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:00,639
blood streaming from a cut on his shoulder, struggling with

737
00:40:00,679 --> 00:40:04,119
the policeman, while Luigi vainly was trying to interpose himself

738
00:40:04,159 --> 00:40:08,000
between them. A man held by another policeman was urging

739
00:40:08,039 --> 00:40:11,280
the first officer on that's the man. He was crying,

740
00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:15,039
that's the kidnapper. I caught him. In a moment, Kennedy

741
00:40:15,159 --> 00:40:18,719
was behind him. Paoli, you lie, you are the kidnapper.

742
00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,519
Seize him. He has the money on him. That other

743
00:40:21,719 --> 00:40:25,599
is Gennaro himself. The policeman released the tenor and both

744
00:40:25,639 --> 00:40:28,840
of them seized Paoli. The others were beating at the door,

745
00:40:29,159 --> 00:40:33,920
which was being frantically barricaded inside. Just then a taxicab

746
00:40:34,159 --> 00:40:37,320
came swinging up the street. Three men jumped out and

747
00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:42,000
added their strength to those who were battering down Albano's barricade. Gennaro,

748
00:40:42,079 --> 00:40:45,519
with a cry, leaped into the taxicab. Over his shoulder,

749
00:40:45,559 --> 00:40:48,119
I could see a tangled mask of dark brown curls

750
00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:52,199
and a childish voice list why didn't you come for me? Papa?

751
00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:54,599
The bad man told me, if I waited in the yard,

752
00:40:54,639 --> 00:40:56,840
you would come for me. But if I cried, he

753
00:40:56,880 --> 00:41:00,000
said he would shoot me. And I waited and waited.

754
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,199
There there, Lena, Papa's going to take you straight home

755
00:41:04,239 --> 00:41:08,360
to mother. A crash followed as the door yielded, and

756
00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:11,360
the famous Paoli gang was in the hands of The

757
00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:16,559
Law End of the Black Hand by Arthur Bereaved