The Hidden
War
The “ Castellammarese War “ has been researched and written
about many times over the past few decades. Our perceptions of this period have
changed over the years. At the time, 1930-31, the outlines of the conflict were
lost in the general mayhem of Prohibition era crime. Dixie Davis, Dutch Schultz
lawyer, was the first to talk about the war and the resulting purge*. His
description was of a large scale gang war, numbering dozens of casualties. Then
he added another 60 plus old “ Mustache Petes “, in Luciano’s supposed
nationwide massacre of opponents. At this point Davis statements were taken at
face value. No other informant had emerged to contradict him, and writers
reiterated the “ Purge of the Greasers “ fable for many years thereafter.
Even when Joseph Valachi emerged in the 1960’s*, his
testimony tended to support the accepted version. His view from the street
level gave many previously unknown details. However as a low level combatant he
lacked the overview of a higher ranking member. We had to wait for Nicola
Gentile’s revelations* for just such a member. Fortunately, Valachi and Gentile
told their stories from opposing sides, giving us a better overview. Later Joe
Bonanno’s book*, self-serving as it was, reinforced our information.
It was not so much what was included in these sources
information, as what was not, that changed our perceptions. It became clear
that the number of casualties were much lower than Davis claimed. And of the
celebrated “ Purge of the Greasers”,there was no mention at all. Modern day
research, and the questioning attitude of recent researchers have demolished
these and several other “ mafia myths”.
So why did these myths gain such credence in the first place
? Older writers seemed to just accept these theories without any research, and
just kept repeating the same old fables. The Internet and the release of
Government documents* have eased this task, but many sources, such as newspaper
archives, have been available for decades.
Having said all that, there were mitigating factors that may
have led writers to believe these old theories. For instance, the sheer scale
of Italo-American violence in those years. According to an article in the New
York Times*, there had been 114 underworld murders in Brooklyn alone in 1930.
Of course many of these had no Italo-American connection. Alan Block in his
book, East Side / West Side, he listed 21 killings in 1930, and 28 in 1931, all
with Italo-American involvement*.
Which brings us to the point of this article, were there
other conflicts in the years 1930-31, and did the “ Castellammarese War “ hide
them from our view ?
There appear to have been as many as three
other conflicts active during the years 1930-31, in NYC and Brooklyn. These
were, in rising importance : -
1
The Dutch Schultz – Vincent Coll conflict, but
only as it concerned Ciro Terranova’s group. The Coll brothers had previously
worked for Schultz, but had broken away and tried to compete with him*. This
inevitably led to confrontation and violence. As a partner of Schultz in the
Harlem numbers racket*, and members of Masseria’s faction, Terranova and his
followers were targets for Coll’s men. Two attempts were made to kill Joseph
Rao, in May 1931* [ Frank [Big Dick] Amato and Dominic Bologna were killed ]
and August 1931* [the Harlem baby massacre]. Another Terranova associate Daniel
Iamascia, Schultz bodyguard, was killed when he and Schultz mistook Detectives
for Coll gunmen*. All this happened during the truce period in the
“Castellammarese War “. After Masseria’s liquidation and his apparent victory,
Maranzano found Luciano and his group even more troublesome. This may explain
why, when Maranzano planned to kill Luciano and Genovese, he chose Coll*,
possibly thinking the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Of course it is possible
that Maranzano and Coll were secretly allied all along. One of the oddities of
this conflict was the fact that many of Vincent Colls followers were young
Italo-American’s*. And at least one of these, Arthur Palumbo, would later
become a member of the Genovese Family*, the old Masseria Family. Indeed, this
could have been Palumbo’s reward for betraying Coll, who was set-up and killed in
February 1932.
2
The Ice Industry conflict. Supplying Ice was an
important and lucarative job, especially before the introduction of
refridgeraters. As early as 1928 Jacob Stoffenburg, a Jewish dealer from the
Bronx, was murdered. Three Italo-Americans were given long prison sentences for
this killing*. At least four known Ice Dealers were killed in 1930, starting
with Gaetano Reina in February. Generally considered the first casualty of the
“ Castellammarese War “, Reina was the Capo of a Family and had a monopoly on
the ice trade in the Bronx. The following month John Riggio*, a Brooklyn ice
dealer was killed. A six month lull followed before Joseph Riggio, John’s
brother, was murdered in Brooklyn. The riposte followed two weeks later, Natale
[Charles] Durso* a close associate of Reina was killed in Harlem. This is the
least understood of the conflicts and the hardest to prove. It could just be
coincidence, but for the obvious connections and the fact that they all worked
in the same industry. Against this is the territorial problem, the Riggios in
Brooklyn and Reina-Durso in Manhattan. I will leave the reader to decide for
themselves.
3
A Sicilian-Calabrian conflict in South Brooklyn,
over control of the territory formerly dominated by Frankie Yale. Yale, real
name Ioele and a Calabrian, controlled the local docks until his murder in July
1928. There followed the murder of Michele Abbatemarco*, a close Yale
associate, as Salvatore D’Aquila, the NYC Mafia Boss, attempted to claim the
territory for the Sicilians. Four days later D’Aquila was killed, possibly by
Yale loyalist’s supported by Joseph Masseria. The area remained volatile, with
Calabrians like Johnny Giustra, Carmelo Liconti and Albert Anastasia active on
the docks. Among the Sicilians Giuseppe Peraino, AKA the Clutching Hand,
controlled President street, in the Red Hook district and Joseph Profaci was a
rising force in the Bay Ridge area. These last two were members of a faction
led by Salvatore DiBella, which evolved into the future Colombo Family*.
In March 1930 Peraino reportedly attended a
meeting in Brooklyn, called to broker a solution. It seems to have been a
failure, as Peraino was killed* the same day. Arrested for the murder was
Joseph Florino, a Calabrian and close associate of Albert Anastasia, with who
he had spent several months on “Death Row”. At this point Profaci may have assumed control
of the local Sicilian group. Several killings followed throughout the rest of
1930, including 4 in May. Anastasia was a suspect in the June murder of Carlo
Bonacurso*. An ex-Yale associate Giuseppe Micello* was murdered in July,
followed by another, Michael Pietro, in August. In the Pietro incident, Ernest
[Hoppy] Rossi was wounded.
The carnage resumed in October
when first Carmine Peraino, son of the “Clutch Hand”, was murdered*. According
to an informant called Sardini, the murder was committed by Profaci members at
the request of Manfredi Mineo, a successor to Salvatore D’Aquila. On the 18th
Giovanni Anselmo*, a Sicilian and ex-associate of Giuseppe Peraino, was killed
in Brooklyn. Revenge followed on the last day of the month as Nicholas Candido,
a Calabrian was murdered. December brought an attempt on Cassandros [Tony the
Chief] Bonasera*, one of the men suspected in the Carmine Peraino murder and a
known Profaci follower.
The new year [1931] started with
an unsuccessful attempt to kill John Oddo*, friend of Bonasera and future
Profaci Capo. Both Bonasera and Oddo were wounded, but these incidents have
never been claimed to be a part of the Masseria-Maranzano conflict. In fact Joseph
Bonanno claims Profaci’s group was neutral during that conflict. In April
Ernest [Hoppy] Rossi*, the old Yale associate and survivor of the Pietro
shooting, was killed. This was four days after Joe [the Boss] Masseria’s
murder, and police thought it was connected. After Masseria’s death a truce was
called in the “Castellammarese War “, and held until September.
During this period attempts were
made to broker a peace deal between the Sicilian and Calabrian factions.
Anastasia seems to have accepted a position in the new set-up, but at the price
of betraying his old associates. Carmelo Liconti and John Giustra, fellow
Calabrians may have opposed the settlement. On their way to a meeting in Manhattan
the pair had a puncture, and Liconti sent Giustra on to the meeting place
whilst he stayed with the car. The meeting was a trap, and Giustra* was killed
on arrival there. Liconti booked himself into hospital, and sought to discover
who had set him up. It seems he did not learn his lesson as two months later,
in July, he attended another supposed meeting in a NYC hotel. The next morning
his body was found stabbed in a hotel room*. Anastasia took-over Giustra’s dock
rackets, in association with Vincent Mangano. There remained one last loose end
to clear-up, Peter Leone a brother-in-law of “ Clutch Hand “ Peraino was killed
10 days later.
It must be remembered that all of
the killings since April 1931 had occurred during the truce period in the “
Castellammarese War”. To understand the
confusing reasons behind this series of murders it is important to look at its
aftermath.
Anastasia and his Calabrian
followers entered the old D’Aquila Family, soon to be headed by Vincent
Mangano. He controlled the ILA Locals formerly under Giustra, and the Mangano Family
took-over Liconti’s Coney Island territory. Meanwhile the Profaci Family
retained a foothold on the docks, and absorbed several ex-Yale associates.
Abbatemarco and Peraino relatives joined Profaci as Anastasia continued to be
hostile to them.
In support of this
interpretation, as well as my own research, I offer the following souces.
Dave Critchley on page 163 of his
book The Origin of Organized Crime in America explains how some of Yale’s old
group joined Masseria’s faction, while others went with Profaci. This split
seemed to go along ethnic lines.
Anthony Carfano, Joe Adonis,
Frank Galluccio, ect. all Neapolitans allied to Masseria, known to accept
non-Sicilians into his Family. Sicilians like Peraino and his followers
answered to D’Aquila’s successor, as NYC Mafia head. The exception to this
being Frank Abbatemarco from Salerno, although he was related by marriage to
the Fontana brothers, Sicilians and Profaci members.While as we have seen, the
Calabrians remained independent and enemies of the Peraino-Profaci group.
In Alan Block’s book East Side /
West Side he provides a list of Anastasia’s victims, including Peraino,
Bonacurso, Barbieri, Martura and Simonelli. The source for this was Abe Reles.
[Page 107]. On page 254 of the same book
Seymour Magoon, a Jewish associate of Anastasia, states that Anastasia
told him that he was an enemy of Harry Fontana. As previously shown, Fontana
was a cousin of Michele and Frank Abbatemarco, and both he and Frank were future
Profaci Capo’s.
Finally there was an article in
the Los Angeles Times [13th June 1982] which stated that Anthony
Peraino, son of Giuseppe “ Clutch Hand” and brother of Carmine, was ordered out
of NYC by Anastasia. He only returned to Brooklyn after Anastasia’s murder in
1957. Anthony and his brother Joseph were members of the Profaci Family. Proof
that Anastasia feared revenge as the man responsible for their father’s death.
Notes
1
Thompson + Raymond book [Gang Rule in
NewYork] page 374
2
Valachi testimony + book
3
Gentile book
4
F.O.I.
5
NY Times 11th Jan. 1931
6
Block book [East Side / West Side] page 207
7
Downey book [Gangster City] page201
8
Downey
page 202
9
Downey page 211
10
Downey page 214
11
Downey page 202
12
Downey page 165
13
Downey page210
14
Valachi charts 1963 [Genovese Family]
15
NY Times 30th Jan. 1930
16
Downey page151
17
Downey page157
18
Critchley book [The Origin of O.C. in
ASmerica] page 163
19
Downey page 151
20
Downey page 152
21
Block page107
22
Downey page152
23
Downey page154
24
Critchley page 300
25
NY Times 23rd Dec. 1930
26
NY Times 2nd Jan. 1931
27
Downey page 161
28
Block page 161
29
Block page 162
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