THE BLACK HAND FORUM

Thanks, Rick. Would be nice to streamline it a bit. Always hoping for more info too.

You should turn this into an Informer Journal article.

Finally had time to make some much-needed updates to the Alabama article, particularly some "Black Hand" activity from the 1920s that is very interesting.

One of them was an extortion case involving a Campofranco native who was very likely a member and another was an Eastern Sicilian who flipped in 1925 and discussed how he was an initiated member of the "Camorra" or "Black Hand Society" in the Birmingham area and provided a list of members (sixteen total, though only one is named) plus other general info about the org he joined, then committed suicide. The member who was named was from Gibellina in Trapani but there are a lot of questions about the organization described by the turncoat.

Other stuff too where Bisacquino natives were both extortionists and extortion victims.

I tweaked a few other things but the new additions are mostly toward the bottom in the "1920s Revelations" section and the section immediately before it.

https://mafia.substack.com/p/alabama-new-jersey-and-the-agrigento

Great to see new stuff on your site. Will listen to this this weekend

Was very excited to see this email this morning. Should we/someone post it outside of this sticky so more people have a chance of seeing it?

[quote=B. post_id=269861 time=1698868294 user_id=127]
Recorded a new audio episode talking about Manfredi Mineo:

https://mafia.substack.com/p/the-movements-of-manfredi-mineo#details

It's very long, just exploring Mineo's roots and connections, how he might have gone from being boss of a separate Family only to take over D'Aquila's Family. Didn't hit on the Colombo Family as much as I would have liked but it was already over 2.5 hours so ah well.

As the write-up on the page and the episode notes it draws heavily from Rick, Angelo, and Lennert's discoveries published in 2014 with some additional details and analysis.
[/quote]

Thank you. Looking forward to listening to it.

Recorded a new audio episode talking about Manfredi Mineo:

https://mafia.substack.com/p/the-movements-of-manfredi-mineo#details

It's very long, just exploring Mineo's roots and connections, how he might have gone from being boss of a separate Family only to take over D'Aquila's Family. Didn't hit on the Colombo Family as much as I would have liked but it was already over 2.5 hours so ah well.

As the write-up on the page and the episode notes it draws heavily from Rick, Angelo, and Lennert's discoveries published in 2014 with some additional details and analysis.

“Not everyone in America was part of their subculture and mafia membership became equated with organized street crime rather than self-government.” I just had to post this great quote by Eric as a definition of the difference between Sicilian and American cosa nostra due to the fact that they had and I quote “insular communities and didn’t have an entire island of paesani at their disposal.“

I just felt this should be highlighted

Damn B. Subscribed. You’re a great writer. I can’t wait to listen to the podcasts.

[quote=B. post_id=246100 time=1671144311 user_id=127]
Haha, I appreciate the idea but I don't think I'd have anything to offer the DeMeo story. It'd just be 100000000000 words about that time Gaggi erroneously told DeMeo that only Sicilians can be captains.
[/quote]

"I'm happy with what I got." - Roy DeMeo

Haha, I appreciate the idea but I don't think I'd have anything to offer the DeMeo story. It'd just be 100000000000 words about that time Gaggi erroneously told DeMeo that only Sicilians can be captains.

B. if Ivan and one "Nasabeak" agree on something then it might as well be a papal bull. Get to work on that DeMeo piece, stat!

[quote=Ivan post_id=245809 time=1670837545 user_id=64]
Might I suggest that you write a definitive article on Roy DeMeo that gives the story straight and avoids the sensationalism of Murder Machine? That would rule.
[/quote]

This

Might I suggest that you write a definitive article on Roy DeMeo that gives the story straight and avoids the sensationalism of Murder Machine? That would rule.

A few small additions to the article on Freddy Felice and the Trenton decina.

https://mafia.substack.com/p/philadelphias-own-florida-man

Interestingly found out Dean Martin claimed he first met Felice during a concert in Detroit during the 1940s. Felice was close to Miami-based Detroit guys like the King brothers but never lived in Detroit.