THE BLACK HAND FORUM

by **Angelo Santino** » Tue Apr 30, 2024 4:15 am

scagghiuni wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2024 1:17 pm
Angelo Santino wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 3:15 pm I would describe the 'ndrangheta as the evolved Camorra from whence it originated. Think about it like we do the Sicilian Mafia, in Favora in the 1870's it was called Fratellanza, in the 1980's it was called Cosa Nostra, same thing just evolved.
it would be interesting to know the name of the Sicilian mafia in 1800 but it probably didn't have a real name despite it already being a unitary and hierarchical organization

These are the earliest instances of mafia being identified with varying regional/area names:

In New York in the 1920's, Clemente (Corleonese) referred to the NY mafia as the Fratellanza which as we know was used in Agrigento.

(Worth noting that there were groups in the 1820's Sicily that are hard to confirm, law enforcement was calling them Carbonari. Maybe they were or maybe it was mafia and they didnt know what to call them. )

In a way, the US makeup was somewhat similar with Cosa Nostra used on the East Coast while Outfit, Organization etc was used in other cities. When Valachi stated Cosa Nostra as the formal name, members in the midwest had never heard that used and theorized that "Casa Nostra" (our house) would make more sense. We know there was a time when members would state their affiliation as being in the "House of (Boss' name)" which both members of Lupo's Family did as well as Maranzano himself when stating his position within the Bonannos.

The aspect of local regional names is also seen with what we call the 19th century Camorra, it was also called Mala Vita, Fibbia, Picciotteria, Familiglia Montelbano, etc. Behind these names, they all had the same structure with different variences. In Mafia the basic component is the Family headed by a Capo and Vice-Capo with a Consig, if large enough capidecina are a thing, no matter if the Family is in Palermo, NY, Philly or Chicago. With Camorra the basic component is the Society or 'ndrina headed by a Society Leader/Capintrito/Capobastone and a Contajuolo/Contabile followed by 3 degrees of membership- Cam, Pic and G.D.

Both groups, no matter what their localized names were, all seem to have used or considered themselves "the honored society."

by **scagghiuni** » Sun Apr 21, 2024 1:17 pm

Angelo Santino wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 3:15 pm I would describe the 'ndrangheta as the evolved Camorra from whence it originated. Think about it like we do the Sicilian Mafia, in Favora in the 1870's it was called Fratellanza, in the 1980's it was called Cosa Nostra, same thing just evolved.

it would be interesting to know the name of the Sicilian mafia in 1800 but it probably didn't have a real name despite it already being a unitary and hierarchical organization

by B. » Sun Apr 21, 2024 11:54 am

I think Dave mentions it in his book but interestingly both Volpe and Amato used a Queens address when they visited that I believe belonged to one of the other visitors.

by **Ukthesis23** » Sat Apr 20, 2024 6:18 pm

JoelTurner wrote:
> [quote=scagghiuni post_id=245593 time=1670494998 user_id=138]
> so Vito Genovese was a member of the camorra before?
> [/quote]
>
> I've seen him mentioned as a former Camorra member on other threads.
> There's also a story about how he visited a Camorra member who was
> imprisoned but I don't know the details on that.

That was in my book "The Origins of Organized Crime in America " When Paretti, one of the Neapolitan gang, was in the death house in 1927. His visitor list included Vito Genovese and volpe from Pittsburgh. Paretti was convicted in a gang fight involving the Sicilian faction. A theory is that they all united at that point. Joe Valachi was told about then that differences between the Sicilians and other Italians were gone.

by **OmarSantista** » Sat Apr 06, 2024 7:12 pm

Angelo Santino wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 3:15 pm
OmarSantista wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 10:50 am
Angelo Santino wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 4:37 pm bla bla bla

You quoted me but posted no response. Was that a mistake? If so I'd like to hear what you and everyone else says. Looking at my article 3 on the structure I feel it could be expanded upon in regards to the Org Vs Op argument because that's a Camorra factor too.

Edit:

This?
Since there is no longer a Camorra society, how would you describe them today, as the societies offshoot and organizationally? Do clans even meet with other clans if so, is it purely operational? If they met for organizational matters then would it be conceptually like the old society breaking through? or how do you see that. Do they still have rankings spawned from the early society besides the Contaiulo or the the Camorrista di Giornata (which I've recognized in pop culture today via movies and shows, the accountant and a guy that collects the local camorra) or newly created ranks or no ranks at all? I'm mostly asking about older clans, for I know a lot of the piranhas or baby bosses have taken out a lot of senior figures which can disrupt organizations. In fact, Is the younger generation more of what you were referring to Angelo when you said they still utilize accountants today? Side bar- You guys should get Roberto Saviano on the mob archs!! lol.
I would describe the 'ndrangheta as the evolved Camorra from whence it originated. Think about it like we do the Sicilian Mafia, in Favora in the 1870's it was called Fratellanza, in the 1980's it was called Cosa Nostra, same thing just evolved. From there, Cutolo started as an 'ndranghetisti before forming the NCO, he went into Puglia and tried to expand, the Pugliese went to the 'ndrangheta and saught permission to form the SCU. Basically the 'ndrangheta provided the lifeline for most of the "new" 20th century mafie in Italy. This 'ndrangheta, in it's younger years, was camorra. But it never had an official name, it just evolved and eventually other doti/grades were added above that of camorrista to which it made no sense to refer to The Society as Camorra since it stopped being the highest grade.

As for the "Neapolitan Camorra" today, it has no links to the 19th century honored society, no unified structure nor any recognized society among them. Campania OC is like cartels or highly organized US gangs, they each do their own thing but are aware of each other. The official version is that the Neapolitan Camorra was killed off in 1912 and disbanded in 1915 but, if if the Camorra of the city of Naples decided to disband they didn't speak for the Camorra beyond the city which, by the 20th century the cat was already out of the bag, it was in Campania, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily. In the 1920's, Mussolini went hard at the Camorra in Campania and seems to have effectively knocked it out. As for some of these Camorra groups today in the province and what, if any, connections (or continuation) they had with the old camorra in province-- we don't know. I'm not ruling out that some of these provincial camorra groups have continuity with the 19th century camorra only just I've seen no evidence for it.

My own 0.00 cents is that Campania outgrew the system of secret societies and instead embraced gangsterism. I'm not saying anything original, Saviano once said that the Camorra is more influenced by Pulp Fiction and Scarface more so than The Godfather or Goodfellas. It's disorganized organized crime but that doesn't make them any less effective. In fact, their "system" makes them more effective than the "organized societies" of Calabria and Sicily when it comes to certain aspects.

Saviano would charge us and we ain't paying him, lol.

Saviano is.. he's a good marketer. He's not the only reporter that has received death threats but he damned sure knew how to capitalize on it. Anyone who reads his famous book needs to ask themselves, what did he expose to warrant such a threat? My opinion is very little. I wont call him a fraud but I will say he has a vested interest in the narrative he's presented and he's built a brand around himself. Gomorra and ZeroZeroZero were some great series that he put his name on.

Hopefully Tony chimes in who may have his own separate take on all of this.

Yep that's it, my mistake. Everything you said makes sense thanks for the explanation. That's a key point about Cutolo. I didn't know Mussolini depleted them. It's interesting to wonder if some of those 19th century society practices are still in play in Campania. However, you're most likely right about them having grown out of it based on what they look like today. I'm curious about your statement along the lines of; their system being more effective now, in certain aspects than before. I assume it'll be in an upcoming article so I wont pry.

Lol at the Saviano joke, I haven't read the book but I take your word for it. I definitely get what you mean though I would say he somewhat inflated himself, respecfully. Like you said it's become a brand at this point. I've watched both of those shows about twice so I'm not complaining.

by **Angelo Santino** » Sat Apr 06, 2024 3:15 pm

OmarSantista wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 10:50 am
Angelo Santino wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 4:37 pm bla bla bla

You quoted me but posted no response. Was that a mistake? If so I'd like to hear what you and everyone else says. Looking at my article 3 on the structure I feel it could be expanded upon in regards to the Org Vs Op argument because that's a Camorra factor too.

Edit:

This?

Since there is no longer a Camorra society, how would you describe them today, as the societies offshoot and organizationally? Do clans even meet with other clans if so, is it purely operational? If they met for organizational matters then would it be conceptually like the old society breaking through? or how do you see that. Do they still have rankings spawned from the early society besides the Contaiulo or the the Camorrista di Giornata (which I've recognized in pop culture today via movies and shows, the accountant and a guy that collects the local camorra) or newly created ranks or no ranks at all? I'm mostly asking about older clans, for I know a lot of the piranhas or baby bosses have taken out a lot of senior figures which can disrupt organizations. In fact, Is the younger generation more of what you were referring to Angelo when you said they still utilize accountants today? Side bar- You guys should get Roberto Saviano on the mob archs!! lol.

I would describe the 'ndrangheta as the evolved Camorra from whence it originated. Think about it like we do the Sicilian Mafia, in Favora in the 1870's it was called Fratellanza, in the 1980's it was called Cosa Nostra, same thing just evolved. From there, Cutolo started as an 'ndranghetisti before forming the NCO, he went into Puglia and tried to expand, the Pugliese went to the 'ndrangheta and saught permission to form the SCU. Basically the 'ndrangheta provided the lifeline for most of the "new" 20th century mafie in Italy. This 'ndrangheta, in it's younger years, was camorra. But it never had an official name, it just evolved and eventually other doti/grades were added above that of camorrista to which it made no sense to refer to The Society as Camorra since it stopped being the highest grade.

As for the "Neapolitan Camorra" today, it has no links to the 19th century honored society, no unified structure nor any recognized society among them. Campania OC is like cartels or highly organized US gangs, they each do their own thing but are aware of each other. The official version is that the Neapolitan Camorra was killed off in 1912 and disbanded in 1915 but, if if the Camorra of the city of Naples decided to disband they didn't speak for the Camorra beyond the city which, by the 20th century the cat was already out of the bag, it was in Campania, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily. In the 1920's, Mussolini went hard at the Camorra in Campania and seems to have effectively knocked it out. As for some of these Camorra groups today in the province and what, if any, connections (or continuation) they had with the old camorra in province-- we don't know. I'm not ruling out that some of these provincial camorra groups have continuity with the 19th century camorra only just I've seen no evidence for it.

My own 0.00 cents is that Campania outgrew the system of secret societies and instead embraced gangsterism. I'm not saying anything original, Saviano once said that the Camorra is more influenced by Pulp Fiction and Scarface more so than The Godfather or Goodfellas. It's disorganized organized crime but that doesn't make them any less effective. In fact, their "system" makes them more effective than the "organized societies" of Calabria and Sicily when it comes to certain aspects.

Saviano would charge us and we ain't paying him, lol.

Saviano is.. he's a good marketer. He's not the only reporter that has received death threats but he damned sure knew how to capitalize on it. Anyone who reads his famous book needs to ask themselves, what did he expose to warrant such a threat? My opinion is very little. I wont call him a fraud but I will say he has a vested interest in the narrative he's presented and he's built a brand around himself. Gomorra and ZeroZeroZero were some great series that he put his name on.

Hopefully Tony chimes in who may have his own separate take on all of this.

by **OmarSantista** » Sat Apr 06, 2024 10:50 am

Angelo Santino wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 4:37 pm
Eline2015 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 6:03 am
Im try to made about ranks between societies
Good job. It's confusing stuff and some elements are left up to the interpreter.

It's hard to compare the 19th century camorra to the 20th century 'ndrangheta to the mafia which has remained the same. As I said, I'm no expert on the modern 'ndrangheta so it's hard for me to elaborate from any authoritative position. I can compare the mafia to camorra though:

1 Boss of bosses was supreme ruler over the entire Mafia (in Sicily or in America). Camorra never had a supreme ruler. Capintesta was voted by local capintriti/capisocieta. There was a capintesta for Naples, Salerno, Terra di Lavoro, etc.

2 Capintesta might be best compared to the Mafia's mandamento. He controls his own group but was voted to be a rep for his and other local groups.

3 Capintrito is the same as caposocieta. It's a society boss over a district or prison room. In Naples there were 12 capintriti. They are the early version of 'ndrini. Comparing them to rappresentanti depends on one's interpretation, technically they headed their own groups but weren't in charge over an entire city and had no captains.

4 Underboss/Contaluolo, both of these are the official number 2 positions within mafia and camorra but their functions are different. Traditionally the Under was an aide meant to serve as a VP selected by the boss. The contaluolo was a voted upon position (like that of consig) and handled the financial aspects of the org. Each capintrito had a contaluolo as did the picciotti in the minor society. If you look at the modern camorra today, they still utilize accountants even though there is no longer a camorra society.

Since there is no longer a Camorra society, how would you describe them today, as the societies offshoot and organizationally? Do clans even meet with other clans if so, is it purely operational? If they met for organizational matters then would it be conceptually like the old society breaking through? or how do you see that. Do they still have rankings spawned from the early society besides the Contaiulo or the the Camorrista di Giornata (which I've recognized in pop culture today via movies and shows, the accountant and a guy that collects the local camorra) or newly created ranks or no ranks at all? I'm mostly asking about older clans, for I know a lot of the piranhas or baby bosses have taken out a lot of senior figures which can disrupt organizations. In fact, Is the younger generation more of what you were referring to Angelo when you said they still utilize accountants today? Side bar- You guys should get Roberto Saviano on the mob archs!! lol.

5 Da Giornata is arguably closer to the role filled by Underboss but lacked the authority of one.

6 Paranza was what the major society called their annual meetings. Chiorma was what the minor society called their annual meetings.

7 Borgata vs Locale... I don't have the answer for that, they're both different. They are arranged in the same fashion but ndrina bosses aren't like captains to the Locale Boss who has his own group. It might be more accurate to compare ndrina bosses to borgata bosses, except 'ndrina bosses dont have captains.

8 The Camorra had a governing body identified in the 1890's called mamasantissima, it wasn't created in the 70's by the 'ndrangheta.

9 To bring the ndrangheta into this comparison is to change the game to 3d chess. It's an evolved version of the original society. Like comparing a small plant to a fully grown tree. Actually that makes sense, here's some code confiscated by the calabrian camorra in america in 1927 (which also mentions the 3 Spanish knights:

“From this day on, it will be baptized the Tree of Knowledge. Behold the stem which must represent the leader of the Honorable Society. Behold the branches that must represent the arm of the Society. Behold the smaller branches of this tree which represent the Picciotti di Sgarro. Behold the flowers which represent the Giovani d'Honore. And all those leaves that you see on the ground are leaves that, not having the strength to keep their place upon the plant, fell, and they represent our comrades who have fallen into disgrace. If this tree is uprooted by a storm or by the police, this tree will revive more strongly and vigorous than before.”

by **motorfab** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 5:04 am

Yes, father-in-law, sorry about that. Here is one of the few articles about Pinto to make up for my mistake ...

by **PolackTony** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 12:47 pm

Biagio Pinto was the father-in-law of Thomas Cennamo; Cennamo was married to daughter Angelina Pinto. Per his 1893 arrival in the US Biagio Pinto was indeed from Salerno, but the passenger manifest didn’t give origins more granular than the provincial level. His wife, Marion Morinello, seems to have been from Acquavella, in the Cilento area in the south of Salerno province. Based on the surname, Cennamo was evidently Campano as well, but Cennamo is found all over Campano, and not only in Salerno province. Having said that, it is found in the Cilento area, so that is the best guess for Cennamo’s origin, as I wasn’t able to find anything myself looking into him.

This could be significant, in that there seems to have been a network of Cilentani Camorristi operating in the Scranton and Pittsburgh areas in the 1900s-1920s. Would be interesting to see if/how the PA guys might connect to Buffalo.

by B. » Sat Mar 23, 2024 10:22 am

Excellent work, Fabien.

by **motorfab** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 10:16 am

I briefly return to Giuseppe Mammone and the attempted murder of Thomas Cennamo in Buffalo because I was rereading my notes recently.

So on October 29, 1917, Giuseppe Mammone and 4 other individuals (Tony & Domenico Tripi, Bruno Talbo & Anthony Masdea) attempted to murder Thomas Cennamo, a shoemaker, in Lackawanna. They fired at least 20 shots and Cennamo escaped but lost an eye. The defendants were then sentenced in 1918 to sentences of 2 to 5 years.

Upon his release from prison in 1926, Mammone went to Australia, where he killed Domenico Belle and the police found a Camorra initiation manuscript at his home (see page 9 of this thread).

But the police will also find letters written by Mammone where he describes his life in the USA. Problem with newspaper articles in Australia: many events are distorted (American newspapers are gospel in comparison).

He therefore explains that an individual named Antonio Belluomo would have shot him for a story of "business jealousies") and that he would have went to his house armed and that he would have shot him 12 times after having dinner. Belluomo would be the boss of the Camorra in Buffalo.

Problem, the dates given in the article are wrong (1919 instead of 1917), the name is probably wrong because the events described are those of the Cennamo affair (I searched, nothing on this Antonio Belluomo). If this is indeed Cennamo (and I'm pretty sure it is), the name of his wife and daughter are also wrong. Another point addressed in the article is the death sentence of Mammone, which is not mentioned anywhere in the articles published in the USA.

The fact remains that according to Mammone, Cennamo/Belluomo is the leader of the Camorra in Buffalo (for those who want to read the article published in Australia, here it is https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... 20belluomo)

I didn't find much in the way of articles concerning Cennamo, but his name came up in the local press in 1926. Along with his wife Angelina, they were at odds with his brother-in-law, Biagio Pinto. Cennamo & Pinto disagree over a $200 check. But Cennamo having been armed since the attempted murder in 1917, a judge was obliged to intervene so that things did not escalate.

According to one article, Pinto emigrated to the USA around 1894 and came from the province of Salerno, so I guess Cennamo was from there too.

Pinto died in 1948 and Cennamo in 1955.

Apart from Mammone's letters, there is nothing to indicate any other criminal activity for Cennamo, has anyone already tried to find out more?

(for those interested I can attach the articles I have on Cennamo/Pinto, I did not do it here so as not to clutter the page too much)

by **Angelo Santino** » Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:46 am

motorfab wrote: ↑Sat Mar 02, 2024 11:36 am I must find this book, thanks for the tip,I didn't know this one.

Later this week or the beginning of next I'll be releasing Article 4 with Tony as a co-author which deals with the camorra's own written documents. We explore them but will also include the original documents (and their translations.) The Olean "book" will also be made available in its entirety. The Mafia never wrote its history on paper, but the camorra/'ndrangheta, in fact, did, by way of these codici or codices. I will make some "modern" examples available but as stated, it's not my place to retell the history of Reggio, other authors have done that. A review of these documents from before and after the 70s deserves deeper inquiry because that is when the 'ndrangheta went through an evolution of sorts and their codices reflect that.

by **motorfab** » Sat Mar 02, 2024 11:36 am

I must find this book, thanks for the tip,I didn't know this one.

by **PolackTony** » Sat Mar 02, 2024 11:02 am

motorfab wrote: ↑Sat Mar 02, 2024 3:33 am I haven't had time to listen to your new podcast yet so I don't know if you'll address this point but in 1930, Neapolitan-born detective Alberto Verusio Ricci wrote an article in True Detective Mysteries magazine about his experiences with the "Black Hand" & the Camorra

Among other things, he found a manuscript of the rules of the Camorra belonging to John Rotundo a Calabrian Camorrist, wanted for a murder committed in Pennsylvania in 1927. The article contains images of the manuscript.

Some pages had been published in the press of the time but here they are very readable.

I guess some of you already know it but those interested here is the article, pages 28 to 33 & 87 to 91 https://archive.org/details/TrueDetecti ... 7/mode/1up

Over the decades, authorities in both Calabria and North America seized several of these books or “codexes”possessed by ‘Ndranghetisti, some handwritten and others printed. We’ve discussed the 1971 codex recovered from the Sidernese Francesco Caccamo outside of Toronto, which was of this type. The codexes contained variations on the same themes, including the mythologized “history” of the Camorra and its legendary founding by the “Three Spanish Knights” on Favignana; initiation rituals for the doti (giovane d'onore, picciotto, camorrista, camorrista di sgarro); rituals for the opening and closing of Society functions such as meetings and tribunals; the rules and laws of the Society; and punishments for transgressions. Much of this comes in the form of didactic exchanges between a senior member and one of lower grade, question and answer format, to exemplify the traditions and values (honor, humility, charity to fellow members, solidarity with fellow members, abhorrence of infamità) of the Honored Society.

An excellent overview of these codexes — if one can find a copy and read Italian — is found in Luigi Malafarina’s 1986 book “Il Codice della ‘Ndrangheta”. Malafarina doesn’t include the codex recovered by Ricci in Olean, NY, that you brought up here, but it is of the same theme and content as the others he does discuss, which were mostly recovered in the early 20th century in Calabria (he also touches on the 1971 Caccamo book from Canada).

by **Angelo Santino** » Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:19 am

Ive had them for awhile, including the 3rd article. I'll be delving into these docs and others in the upcoming article.

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