Badges in Little Italy
by Thomas Hunt
genre:
History
description:
Joseph Petrosino and New York's Italian Squad
chapters
chapter 1:
Introduction
chapter 2:
Joseph Petrosino
chapter 3:
Antonio Vachris
chapter 4:
Michael Fiaschetti
chapter 5:
Conclusion
chapter 6:
Notes
Introduction
chapter 1
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updated 11/06/07
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1 person liked it
[Author's note: "Badges in Little Italy" was first published in the On the Spot journal of crime and law enforcement history, summer 2007.]
After completing an evening meal of fish and pasta at the Caffé Oreto on March 12, 1909, Joseph Petrosino walked into the Piazza Marina, a wooded, public square just to the south of the busy docks of Palermo, Sicily.(1) Petrosino, a New York police lieutenant, leader and founder of the Italian Squad, was in Italy to gather evidence against Italian fugitives living in New York and to assemble a network of informants to report on abuses of the immigration laws.(2) For his safety, the mission was supposed to have been secret – criminals in Italy and Sicily had threatened to take his life. However, details of the trip had been leaked to the New York press and made their way into newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic.(3)
Petrosino ended his walk at the ornate iron fence of the Garibaldi Garden in the center of the piazza. While the 48-year-old lieutenant’s first visit to Sicily was a matter of business, he could not have helped noticing that spring had reached Palermo. Petrosino’s mind, typically alert and focused, might have been momentarily distracted by the smell and feel of the ocean breezes, the sights and sounds of the gardens.
The lieutenant apparently had planned to meet an underworld informant at the garden that evening at nine.(4) Petrosino showed up about 15 minutes early. So did at least two gunmen.
From close range, four shots were fired at Petrosino, who was completely unarmed.(5) One shot missed the mark. But three slugs ripped into his body. He was disabled immediately by a wound to his back, which pierced both of his lungs. Another slug cut into his throat. An apparent coup de grâce shot was delivered to the side of his head.(6) Observed only by forgetful witnesses, the gunmen fled. One dropped a handgun on his way from the piazza.(7)
Petrosino’s assassination was by far the most significant event in the annals of New York’s Italian Squad. It became a historical fulcrum for the squad, serving as the dramatic climax of all that went before and casting a long, dark shadow on all that was to come.
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After completing an evening meal of fish and pasta at the Caffé Oreto on March 12, 1909, Joseph Petrosino walked into the Piazza Marina, a wooded, public square just to the south of the busy docks of Palermo, Sicily.(1) Petrosino, a New York police lieutenant, leader and founder of the Italian Squad, was in Italy to gather evidence against Italian fugitives living in New York and to assemble a network of informants to report on abuses of the immigration laws.(2) For his safety, the mission was supposed to have been secret – criminals in Italy and Sicily had threatened to take his life. However, details of the trip had been leaked to the New York press and made their way into newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic.(3)
Petrosino ended his walk at the ornate iron fence of the Garibaldi Garden in the center of the piazza. While the 48-year-old lieutenant’s first visit to Sicily was a matter of business, he could not have helped noticing that spring had reached Palermo. Petrosino’s mind, typically alert and focused, might have been momentarily distracted by the smell and feel of the ocean breezes, the sights and sounds of the gardens.
The lieutenant apparently had planned to meet an underworld informant at the garden that evening at nine.(4) Petrosino showed up about 15 minutes early. So did at least two gunmen.
From close range, four shots were fired at Petrosino, who was completely unarmed.(5) One shot missed the mark. But three slugs ripped into his body. He was disabled immediately by a wound to his back, which pierced both of his lungs. Another slug cut into his throat. An apparent coup de grâce shot was delivered to the side of his head.(6) Observed only by forgetful witnesses, the gunmen fled. One dropped a handgun on his way from the piazza.(7)
Petrosino’s assassination was by far the most significant event in the annals of New York’s Italian Squad. It became a historical fulcrum for the squad, serving as the dramatic climax of all that went before and casting a long, dark shadow on all that was to come.
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