At 11:20pm 109-years ago today thirty-five year old
Felipo Randazzo locked the door to his butcher shop, located at 177
Christie Street, and turned to begin his walk home. After a couple of
steps a large caliber bullet fired from a powerful rifle plowed through
his heart, went out his back, passed through the shop door and hit a
column inside before coming to a rest on the floor.
At first it
was thought that he was an innocent victim of the Black Hand until a
search of his shop turned up a dynamite cartridge of the type used in
some recent Black Hand explosions.
The NYPD's famous Mafia fight
cop Lt. Petrosino put his entire sixteen man Italian Squad on the case
and soon learned that Randazzo was indeed a member of the Black
Hand. He had come over from Palermo three years previously and worked as
a plasterer before hooking up with a nefarious band of extortionist.
With his profits he was able to open his butcher shop three months
before being shot down.
During the investigation the Italian
Squad learned through one of Randazzo's friends that the dead man had
had a falling out with some of the members of his gang and he [Randazzo]
intended to supply the police with information that would have resulted
in their arrests but his confederates were faster and took care of him
first.
"He must have done something. They don't kill you for nothing." - Chicago Gangster Ted Newberry. Rubbed out January 7, 1933
3 comments:
Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in. And shot him.
With a name like Randazzo, I'm thinking that they were a gang of magicians and, I don't have to tell you, those guys play for keeps.
"That's what friends are for..."
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