WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.639 --> 00:00:11.080 You are now listening to True Murder, the most shocking 2 00:00:11.160 --> 00:00:14.199 killers in true crime history and the authors that have 3 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:21.559 written about them Gaesy, Bundy, Dahmer, The Nightstalker BTK. Every 4 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:25.280 week another fascinating author talking about the most shocking and 5 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:29.839 infamous killers in true crime history. True Murder with your host, 6 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:32.759 journalist and author Dan Zupanski. 7 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:43.439 Good evening. Step back in time to the winter of 8 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:47.079 nineteen twenty nine, where the magic of Christmas in Brooklyn, 9 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:51.000 New York was shattered by a heinous act that reverberated 10 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:55.679 through the ages. In the Murder of Mary Falzone, a 11 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:00.600 shocking true crime story, Rod Cackley unravels the chilling tale 12 00:01:00.679 --> 00:01:04.000 of a family torn apart by an explosion that claimed 13 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:08.760 the lives of Mary, Philip and Rose Falzone, innocent children 14 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:13.159 whose lives were extinguished by a bomb disguised as a 15 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:18.000 holiday gift. As the city grappled with the aftermath of 16 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:24.040 this unspeakable tragedy, a relentless investigation unfolded to unmask the 17 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:30.000 perpetrators behind the merciless attack. Rod Cackley takes readers on 18 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:33.959 a gripping journey through the dark alleys of nineteen twenties Brooklyn, 19 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:39.400 where organized crime thrived and the thin line between justice 20 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:46.000 and retribution blurred. The narrative unfolds like a suspenseful thriller, 21 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:50.760 capturing the tension of a city on the brink. Through 22 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:56.000 painstaking research and vivid storytelling, Rod Cackley paints a vivid 23 00:01:56.040 --> 00:02:00.959 picture of a bygone era, immersing readers in the sights, sounds, 24 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:05.120 and emotions of a community grappling with grief and the 25 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:11.280 quest for justice. As the investigation deepens, readers will be 26 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:16.919 engrossed by the cast of characters, dedicated detectives, reaving family members, 27 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:21.800 and the shadowy figures lurking in the criminal underworld. The 28 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:25.599 book unveils the layers of deception and betrayal that led 29 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:29.639 to that fateful December morning, keeping readers on the edge 30 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:34.560 of their seats with every revelation. The murder of Mary 31 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:40.240 Falzone transcends the true crime genre, becoming a poignant exploration 32 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.680 of the enduring quest for justice and the impact of 33 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:48.240 violence on a family and a community. This is a 34 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:52.879 tale that goes beyond the headlines, inviting readers to contemplate 35 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:56.680 the fragility of life and the strength that can emerge 36 00:02:56.840 --> 00:03:01.879 in the face of tragedy. Gripping, evocative, and profoundly moving. 37 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:05.520 This true crime narrative is a must read for those 38 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:09.319 seeking an unforgettable journey into the heart of a dark 39 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:14.159 chapter in American history. The book that were featuring this 40 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:18.879 evening is The Murder of Mary Fellzone, a Shocking true 41 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:26.039 crime Story with my special guests, author Rod Cackley. Welcome 42 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:28.199 back to the program, and thank you very much for 43 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:33.240 this interview. Rod Cackley, Hi, good morning, Dan, good morning. 44 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:35.000 Thank you so much for this interview. 45 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:37.039 You're welcome, thanks for having me. 46 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:42.199 You take us in the Murder of Mary Fellzone, a 47 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:47.479 shocking true crime story, certainly is. You take us to 48 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:51.919 October fourth, nineteen twenty nine, and in an apartment on 49 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:58.319 the outskirts of Brooklyn, New York, and a nineteen year old, 50 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.479 you say, a hulking nineteen year old and his older 51 00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:09.360 accomplice in his early thirties, and these people are drafting 52 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:11.759 a letter. The nineteen year old is drafting a letter, 53 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:16.319 and they have in the letter. You say, somebody in 54 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:22.600 their crosshairs. Tell us about this letter writing duo and 55 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:26.040 what they are writing about. Before you tell me, or 56 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:30.160 tell our audience exactly what they have drafted in that 57 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.439 letter and whoever they are sending it to. 58 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:36.560 Sure, Yeah, we've got a nineteen year old, as you said, 59 00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:39.600 with a pension for intimidation. His accomplice, I write as 60 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:42.439 a seasoned brute in his early thirties, with the demeanor 61 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:45.519 is whether it has a scuffed leather boost. These guys 62 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:48.120 are partners, but not friends. Okay, they don't care for 63 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:53.519 each your other, munch, but they're joined in this mutual business, 64 00:04:53.560 --> 00:04:58.160 if you will, of intimidating people and extorting money. Now 65 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:00.800 they have set their sites to be Now on a 66 00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:04.319 guy by the name of Joseph Falzone. He's a rich 67 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:08.680 Sicilian immigrant, very well to do. He owns with a partner, 68 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:15.279 he owns a marble contracting company. They really specialize in tombstones, 69 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:19.600 ironically enough, and they made three hundred thousand dollars in 70 00:05:19.720 --> 00:05:23.319 profit last year, which is in nineteen twenty eight, which 71 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:26.879 is we're talking several million dollars in today's money. And 72 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.720 living in Brooklyn, New York. Now this is October fourth, 73 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:32.720 nineteen twenty nine. The date is important because right now, 74 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:35.839 for the past ten years, living in Brooklyn is a 75 00:05:35.879 --> 00:05:39.360 license to print money. The factories are humming the waterfront 76 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:43.120 is bustling with activity every day. Tony Island was jammed 77 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:45.279 last summer and it should be next season to see 78 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:48.120 you at least, that's what they think. Money is everywhere, 79 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:51.040 and this guy, this nineteen year old, wants his on 80 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:54.759 fair share. He's a high school graduate, a rarity in 81 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:57.720 nineteen twenty nine. And right now he's at a chipped, 82 00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:01.519 scratched wooden desk in his buddy apartment. The thirty year 83 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:03.879 old hard at works scribbling out a letter. 84 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:05.160 He's wearing a. 85 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:08.319 Well worn tweed suit featuring a jacket just a bit 86 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:11.519 too small for his large muscular frame. He's got a 87 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:14.639 thin tie hanging loosely around his neck, a dingy white 88 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.240 shirt on button to the collar, and right now he's 89 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:19.519 on his fourth attempt to get the wording of this 90 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:23.000 letter just right. He's using a fountain pen, and if 91 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:25.040 you've ever used a fountain pen, we don't use them 92 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:27.319 much anymore. But they've got a nub on the front, 93 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:30.800 on the tip, and he's doing his best or the nib, 94 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:34.360 doing his best not to crush it into the paper 95 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:37.360 at the same time he's writing. He's pressing hard enough 96 00:06:37.399 --> 00:06:39.560 on his paper. It's like the paper owes him money. 97 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:42.680 He's trying to get this right the fourth time out, 98 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:46.439 and he's doing more now than just extorting money. He 99 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.000 wants this guy, the target of his letter, to leave Brooklyn. 100 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:53.079 So he writes, if you don't leave this city within 101 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:56.160 thirty days, you will hear from us. You are a sneak, 102 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:58.240 and we, with a sneak, are going to. 103 00:06:58.199 --> 00:07:00.959 Cut the head. This is what he wrote. 104 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:03.920 Okay, what he means to write is the snake, but 105 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:06.519 he wrote it with a sneak, and we are going 106 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.120 to cut the head. Be quick to send if you 107 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:11.920 value your life and that of your wife, and that's all. 108 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:16.040 We won't sign surname, not because we're afraid, but just 109 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.399 because you are a rat. And he turns to his 110 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:22.839 partner and says that great, isn't it. You know, the 111 00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:25.240 partner really couldn't care less. He just wants to get 112 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:29.600 this done now. Back in nineteen twenty nine, when gangs 113 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:33.120 ran out of money, they kidnapped and they extored it. 114 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:36.079 It was a quick way to print money, if you will. 115 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:38.920 And that's what these guys are doing right here, is 116 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:41.920 they're trying to get money and get money fast. But 117 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:44.600 the nineteen year old now there's a reason he wants 118 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:46.279 his target to leave town. 119 00:07:46.439 --> 00:07:46.560 Now. 120 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:48.160 I don't know if you want to talk about that 121 00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:50.959 right now, but there is a reason that he wants 122 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:54.079 more from money, or more than money from this guy. Dan. 123 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:59.920 Let's get to we opened that October fourth, nineteen twenty nine, 124 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:05.800 and this letter was constructed, drafted that day. Certainly the 125 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:09.199 target received that in a certain amount of time, within 126 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:11.360 a week or so. But you take us in the 127 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:17.000 story to October twenty third, nineteen twenty nine, and these 128 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:21.079 guys are talking about not getting a response from that 129 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:22.519 letter that they had drafted. 130 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:24.480 They can't believe it. 131 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:27.399 Of The nineteen year old is totally fomis. He cannot 132 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:31.199 believe that this Sicilian businessman, this immigrant, has not even 133 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:34.159 responded to the letter. The older man, the guy in 134 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:37.200 his thirties, he's ready to do whatever it takes, but 135 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:41.240 he's not getting excited about too much. The nineteen year old, though, says, 136 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:43.519 we need to get more explicit and give this man 137 00:08:43.559 --> 00:08:46.639 a better idea of what will happen if he ignores 138 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:50.519 the ultimatum. And so she writes another letter, and which 139 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:53.720 he writes, so you've come back again, skunk. I thought 140 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:56.120 you'd gone. Maybe you think that in the last letter 141 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:58.480 I wrote you I was fooling. But listen to rant 142 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.039 and get this straight. If you don't do as I 143 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:03.759 ask in the last letter, you know what to expect. 144 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:06.519 Since you couldn't get that straight, get this straight. 145 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:07.080 Friday. 146 00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:09.159 You are to get on the boat for Boston, which 147 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:12.720 leaves Friday, October twenty five, at six pm p here fourteen. 148 00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:15.159 You are to get on this boat alone. You are 149 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:18.279 to have with you six thousand dollars in cash American money, 150 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:21.559 all in twenty dollars bills wrapped in plain brown paper. 151 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:24.080 You will be informed what to do with the package 152 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.480 when you were on the boat. Remember this does not 153 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:29.159 mean you were paying for your liberty. You will have 154 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:33.840 thirteen days to leave the country. So he's upping the 155 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:37.360 ante here, obviously. And I should say that when I 156 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:41.960 get the story the letters mainly out of newspaper accounts 157 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:45.360 from that day. This is how it was reported. This 158 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:48.480 is where I'm getting it from the way he's writing 159 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:48.919 the letter. 160 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:52.879 Absolutely. Now you take us just a couple of days later, 161 00:09:52.919 --> 00:09:57.559 October twenty fifth, nineteen twenty nine, and so you say 162 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:01.919 that they're meeting at eight pm. There's no sign of 163 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:06.519 their mark, and so they wonder what went wrong. They 164 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:09.480 contemplate what went wrong, and you say that there was 165 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.679 an incredible moment in history that was occurring at the 166 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:16.279 same time, especially in New York. 167 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:20.559 Yeah, right, exactly. This is the crash on Wall Street. 168 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:23.480 And so our nineteen year old here now the boat 169 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:26.639 we're talking about the boat from Boston to New York. 170 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:29.240 These boats would go back and forth. It was really 171 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:32.120 the most efficient way to travel between the two cities. 172 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:35.559 So there were many boats going back and forth. And 173 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:37.919 the nineteen year old is thinking, you know, his mark 174 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:39.639 has not shown up with the cash. 175 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:40.360 The mark. 176 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:42.360 He's thinking, he's wondering if the guy got on the 177 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:45.200 wrong boat, if he was ignoring him, or just simply 178 00:10:45.240 --> 00:10:45.919 made a mistake. 179 00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:48.799 But at the same time, this is the crash. 180 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:52.200 This is when the newspapers are reporting that business people 181 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:55.039 are jumping out of their windows. They have no idea 182 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:58.159 how bad it's going to get, but it's bad enough 183 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:01.399 that he's thinking that this business maybe he jumped out 184 00:11:01.399 --> 00:11:04.200 a window. So they really don't know where to go next. 185 00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:08.000 So what's their next step to try to determine what 186 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:08.679 had happened. 187 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:14.879 Well, their next step is to write another letter well, 188 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:17.320 and but they decide to up the ante too. 189 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:19.600 They're going to make it clear. 190 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:22.720 To this guy that they're not messing around. They put 191 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:26.360 together a pipe bomb and wrap it in, put it 192 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:29.679 inside a Christmas package and take it to the target's home. 193 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:35.279 You take us to December eighth, nineteen twenty nine, and 194 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:39.679 Jenny fell Zone, the wife, is struggling to get her 195 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:44.639 five children ready for her fifteen year old daughter, Mary 196 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:48.360 fell Zone's first communion. It's a big deal. The family 197 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:52.000 has to be at Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church before 198 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:57.240 nine am, and it's eight twenty am. And Joseph, her husband, 199 00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:00.240 has promised to be there for that first communion, and 200 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.879 so she's busy getting the kids ready. She's bemoaning the 201 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:06.039 fact that he's not around. He has said he is 202 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:09.840 on one of his numerous hunting trips with his friends, 203 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:13.399 but he assured her he would be back. Tell us 204 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:18.200 what happens with Jenny and the children and getting them 205 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:19.840 ready for this first communion. 206 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:22.879 Yeah, Jenny is struggling to get her daughter, her oldest 207 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:26.720 daughter Mary in you her communion dress. They have not 208 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:29.000 many they don't have long as you said, It's about 209 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:31.480 eight twenty in the morning. They have to get to 210 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:34.840 the church before nine am to get this communion going. 211 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:37.759 This happens to be a rather warm day in December, 212 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:40.480 warmer than they usually have in Brooklyn. That's where the 213 00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:43.320 home is in Brooklyn. Not a drop of rain is falling, 214 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:45.879 not a flake of snow. It's really a spring day. 215 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:48.759 As a matter of fact. New Yorkers are not playing golf. 216 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:51.399 They have been yesterday and they will be again today. 217 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.960 But Jenny doesn't care about that. What she's interested in 218 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:58.440 is getting her kids together. She's upstairs in the bedroom 219 00:12:58.440 --> 00:13:02.559 with Mary, Peter Rose. She's with Mary, also with the 220 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:06.960 youngest kids, Patrick and Sally, now Peter and Rose and Mary, 221 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:08.960 the three middle aged. 222 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:12.919 Peter and Rose are down in the kitchen. She hears noise. 223 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.720 Jenny hears a lot of noise downstairs. She's wondering what's 224 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:18.960 going on. She's got two choices here. Either she can 225 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:21.440 stay with Mary and get her dressed, or she can 226 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:24.200 go downstairs and find out what all the noise is about. 227 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:29.720 She decides to stay upstairs with Mary and get her 228 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:32.600 in her dress. Now, as he said, Joseph is not there. 229 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:36.120 The husband, the father, is not there. He promised he 230 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:38.759 put his hand literally put his right hand on a bible, 231 00:13:38.840 --> 00:13:42.200 promising that he would be home for Mary's communion. But 232 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:44.720 so far, no, he's not there, So she's doing this 233 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:48.679 all on her own. Finally she goes downstairs. Mary gets 234 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:51.799 downstairs in her white communion dress. Bill up and Rose 235 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:54.720 look at her. Not because of the dress, but Mary's 236 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:57.679 eyes also grow wide as saucers when she spots the 237 00:13:57.720 --> 00:14:00.399 source of all the noise from downstairs. 238 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:03.759 On the kitchen table. In the middle of the kitchen is. 239 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:07.720 An ornately decorated package, wrapped with bright Christmas paper, ribbons 240 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:12.080 and bows, and bound with a string. All three kids, Mary, Peter, 241 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:15.360 and Rose gather around the table, jumping up and down. 242 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:17.799 They're excited, as any kid would be with a mysterious 243 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:20.519 Christmas package mysteriously appearing on. 244 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:21.320 Their kitchen table. 245 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:24.799 Well, the thing is is that they're looking at that 246 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:29.879 Christmas looks like a Christmas present in their minds. What 247 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:33.320 do the children You can only suppose, But what were 248 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:35.960 they thinking this present on December eighth? 249 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:38.840 Might be they're thinking their father might have dropped the 250 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:42.080 package off. First off, the house was locked, so you know, 251 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:44.159 kids don't think like this, but how did the package 252 00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:47.440 get there? So they're thinking and Jenny, when she comes 253 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:51.360 downstairs with Patrick and Sally, the two youngest kids, she's 254 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:54.480 thinking that maybe Joseph put this Christmas package on the 255 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:57.840 table as a present or had it sent over as 256 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:00.799 a way of apologizing for being light this morning. 257 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:02.960 So she allows the kids to. 258 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:06.039 Jump around in the kitchen and try to open the package. 259 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:09.720 They pull a string and it explodes. There was a 260 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:13.639 pipe bomb inside this package. It explodes, and it is 261 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:17.519 just a pipe bomb of death. Iron and steel slugs 262 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:22.039 ripped through the kitchen. The concussion of the blast rips 263 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:26.559 through the kitchen. The children and Mary, Peter and Rose 264 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:27.840 are grievously injured. 265 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:33.000 You say, this blast is right outside and has an 266 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:38.360 effect on the literally the skin of this Giuseppe dee 267 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:40.399 Benedetto's his body. 268 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:44.480 Yeah. The wave, Yeah, the blast wave is incredible. This 269 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:47.480 is an incredible bomb. Now this is in the kitchen, Okay. 270 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:52.080 It destroys the kitchen, the ice box, the stile. They 271 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:56.240 are destroyed. The kids are literally blown to pieces. Mary 272 00:15:56.279 --> 00:16:01.320 and Peter are killed instantly. Rose is still breathing. Jenny, 273 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:05.360 Patrick and Sally all suffer concussion. They were not actually 274 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:07.759 at the table, They were kind of in the hallway 275 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:11.320 off the kitchen. They saw what happened, but they are 276 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:16.759 blown back. But yeah, there's a taxi driver, Giuseppe de Benedetto. 277 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:19.679 He's in a taxi that happens to be driving by 278 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:23.279 the house when it explodes. The windows on the right 279 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:26.320 side of his taxi are blown out. He feels the 280 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:30.000 concussion of the blast and he's outside. Now windows in 281 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:33.919 the neighborhood. Houses in the neighborhood lose their windows. The 282 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:37.120 concussion is so extreme that it blows the windows out 283 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:40.440 of houses, It blows the windows out of cars parked 284 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:43.799 across the street. This is an incredible explosion. 285 00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:49.080 Now right away you say that or Giuseppe runs in 286 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:52.720 and grabs the two children, the two younger children, then 287 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:56.240 comes back for Jenny. They seem to be okay. And 288 00:16:56.279 --> 00:16:59.279 then right away, of course, the police are called, and 289 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:03.759 you say, they're contingent of people, including people associated with 290 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:07.759 the mayor, the district attorney. And people are soon at 291 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:10.319 this bombed out home, aren't they. 292 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:13.039 Yeah, Giuseppe was in the World War, the first what 293 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:15.319 we call now the First World War, but back then 294 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:18.119 was just the World War or the Great War. Giuseppe 295 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:21.279 was in the war, so he's familiar with the concept 296 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:26.039 of triage and wounded people. He immediately goes to the mother, Jenny, 297 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:29.079 and the two youngest kids, Patrick and Sally, and gets 298 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:31.839 them out of the house because in terms of triage, 299 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:34.519 they are the most likely they do not need as 300 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:37.279 much attention as anyone else. He goes back in the 301 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:39.920 kitchen then, and he looks at Mary and Peter and 302 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:41.920 realizes they're gone. 303 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:42.599 There's dead. 304 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:45.759 There's nothing that they can he can do for them. 305 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:50.079 But Rose is still alive and breathing. So he struggles 306 00:17:50.119 --> 00:17:52.680 to get hurt out of the house. At the same time, 307 00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:54.960 as you said, now, this is Brooklyn. This is a 308 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:59.359 very nice, upscale neighborhood in Brooklyn, and neighbors from blocks 309 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:02.160 away are coming over to find out what's going on. 310 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.799 And at the same time, excuse me, at the same time, 311 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:08.039 city officials are showing up right away. As I write 312 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:11.240 in the book, Joseph bel Zone the husband here, he's 313 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:14.279 not a nobody, Okay, this guy's got money, this guy's 314 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:18.079 got power, this guy's got influence. And all of a sudden, 315 00:18:18.119 --> 00:18:21.839 police officials, the mayor shows up. Jenny looks around and 316 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:25.599 realizes there have never been so many Irish in this 317 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:30.200 Sicilian Italian neighborhood before, and they're all on her front lawn. 318 00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:35.279 You say that picking through the rubble. This Inspector Sullivan, 319 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:39.559 who heads up this team of investigators is discovers an 320 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:42.759 alarm clock, a spring, and a six volt battery. 321 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:45.160 Right. John J. 322 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:48.480 Sullivan is a very interesting guy who was destined to 323 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:51.599 rise in an NYPD in the New York Police Department. 324 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:54.960 He takes the lead of all the Irish cops on 325 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:57.400 the scene. He takes the lead in this and he 326 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:00.160 goes into the house and he finds the kitchen is 327 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:03.279 absolutely destroyed. There's really nothing left. 328 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:04.160 Really. 329 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:06.799 He finds, as you said, he finds the alarm clock. 330 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:07.200 You find. 331 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:10.599 He realizes right away that when the children pulled the string. 332 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:13.279 He heard from Giuseppe and the kids he survived that 333 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:15.720 the string was pulled. That didn't have anything to do 334 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:18.240 with his bomb going off. The reason the bomb went 335 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:20.759 off is it was timed. There was a clock in 336 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:23.240 there and it was time to go out. This obviously 337 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:26.640 was put together by a professional. They knew what they 338 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:30.559 were doing. Sullivan decides, so the cops descend into the 339 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:35.160 kitchen while taking Rows on the stretcher to Whycloth Heights Hospital, 340 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:38.839 hoping that she will survive. Jenny is outside with her 341 00:19:38.839 --> 00:19:43.720 two surviving kids, Patrick and Sally, and it's a manic scene, 342 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:47.480 as you can imagine. So Sullivan's in the house with 343 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:50.839 all the cops and suddenly, guess what, the phone rings. 344 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:53.839 The phone is still working, and who's on the phone. 345 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:55.559 It's Joseph Fellzone. 346 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:57.000 He's one. 347 00:19:57.160 --> 00:19:59.680 He's saying he's in Brooklyn, He's on his way back. 348 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:01.920 I want to say hello to the family and assure 349 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:03.359 them that he was going to be back. And at 350 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:06.400 the church. Well, Sullivan is suspicious right away. 351 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:07.960 I mean, why. 352 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:11.119 Would out of the blue fell Zone Paul, Why would 353 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:14.240 he stop and call? Why wouldn't he just come to 354 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:17.480 the house. Remember this is the Joseph fell Zone is 355 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:20.759 the only surviving family member here who wasn't hurt by 356 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:24.720 this explosion. And he calls out of the blue. Well, 357 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:27.319 they tell him what's happened, and so he says, I'll 358 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:31.680 be right there. The same time, Sullivan looks around and 359 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:35.640 he hears he hears a bird singing. There's a bird singing, 360 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:38.880 a canary there's a canary in a cage in the kitchen, 361 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:44.799 not hurt, absolutely not hurt. This canary survived and was 362 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:47.720 not injured at all, and Sullivan just can't believe it. 363 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:52.079 Now, Sullivan is very interested, along with the other police. 364 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:55.680 But Sullivan is very interested to see Joseph's reaction when 365 00:20:55.680 --> 00:20:58.720 he comes to the site of this bombing and finds 366 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:02.079 out about his dead children. So what is his reaction 367 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:03.640 and what does Sullivan note? 368 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:08.119 Balzan comes in Sullivan, as he said, is very interested 369 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:12.079 in going on, and Sullivan asks him, you know where 370 00:21:12.119 --> 00:21:14.079 are you? He talked to him on the phone and 371 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:16.920 told him to get down right away. When Sullivan, or 372 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:20.200 when Falzona rather, comes in the kitchen, he's still wearing 373 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:23.880 his khaki hunting outfit. He's got a double barreled shotgun 374 00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:25.960 on the crook of his arm, and he strides into 375 00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:28.319 the house like a man who knows he's supposed to 376 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:31.039 be there. He still has burrs and stick tights in 377 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:34.559 his clothing, his hands and face scratched by briars, his 378 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:37.519 beard badly needing a shave to scrape off a four 379 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:40.680 days worth of growth. His eyes bounce around the kitchen. 380 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:44.160 He can't believe what's going on? His response, what does 381 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:47.680 Joseph do? He raises that double barreled shotgun in his 382 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:52.279 clenched fist, and with furious anger, swears a terrible vengeance 383 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:55.119 upon the killer of his children, a slow, painful death, 384 00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:58.279 he says, even worse than what happened to his offspring. 385 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:03.759 Detectives still don't believe him, though they see him as 386 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:05.119 the number one suspects here. 387 00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:09.359 Now, what does he tell him about his experience with 388 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:12.480 receiving letters from this Black Hand gang. 389 00:22:13.079 --> 00:22:14.000 He's been saying. 390 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:17.000 He tells Sullivan and the other detectives that he well, 391 00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:19.519 he goes outside and collapses too. We shouldn't say that. 392 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:22.359 He goes outside on the front lawn and just collapses. 393 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:25.200 It takes a couple of the strongest detectives to pick 394 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:27.880 him up and put him in the car. He immediately 395 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:31.319 starts talking about the threatening letters he's been receiving from 396 00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:35.279 what he describes as the notorious Black Hand Gang. Now, 397 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:37.880 the Black Hand Gang was big back in the day. 398 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:40.359 I don't know if he saw Godfather too, the movie, 399 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:43.079 but you'll remember one of the characters in there was 400 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:46.480 supposedly connected with the Black Hand Gang. And this is 401 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:49.519