FOUR ITALIANS SENT
TO THE WORKHOUSE.
BELIEVE THEY ARE BLACK
HAND SOCIETY MEMBERS.
Two Were Fined $1,000 and Two
$500 -- Any Attempt to Secure
Their Release Will Be
Fought.
Four Italians who were arrested by Detectives J. L. Ghent and "Lum" Wilson in a rooming house at 503 East Third street, and who are suspected by the police of belonging to the Black Hand society, were fined yesterday morning in the municipal court for vagrancy, and in default of payment of the fines were sent to the workhouse. Vincenzo Domenico and Frank Bruno were fined $1,000 each on two charges, while Francesco Amelo and Maro Choapa, the other members of the gang, were fined $500 each.
Ever since Italian business men received threatening letters demanding money a few weeks ago the detectives have been investigating the matter. Domenico and Bruno first excited suspicion, and after watching for several days, the detectives decided to bring them to police headquarters. When searched, both were found to be armed with revolvers. The other two Italians were arrested, and when their room, on Third street, was entered, where all had been living, several revolvers and shotguns were found.
In court yesterday morning, none of the prisoners professed knowledge of the English language. The court failed to establish that any of the men had been the authors of the threatening letters.
The police will fight any attempt to get them out of the workhouse as they regard them as dangerous characters and while it was not proved that they were actually members of the dread Italian society it is thought that they know more than they care to tell.
