THE BLACK HAND FORUM

cavita wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:07 pm

PolackTony wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:31 pm

cavita wrote: ↑Tue Oct 24, 2023 3:32 pm

cavita wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 9:39 am Another possible early member I was thing of was Peter Farace/Faraci (1899-1972) who used the alias Peter Maggio and Peter Mando. He was born in Alcamo, Sicily and was active in Springfield in the 1930s. I do know he was involved with some of the Rockford guys in a late 1930s bootlegging bust in LaSalle County which possibly spread to the western suburbs of Chicago. Farace may have also had a brother Antonio who was active in Springfield.

Also, I don't know if he's connected but there was a Faraci/Farace murdered in Rockford in 1920 that I'll have to research further.

There was a Frank Farace stabbed to death in July 1920 right on the IL/WI border; though technically the murder apparently occured in Beloit, it was investigated by both Beloit and South Beloit police with assistance from the CPD Black Hand Squad detective Julius Bernacchi, and tried in Winnebago County. LE charged Calogero Boscio as the stabber; he claimed during trial that Bernacchi and other detectives beat the confession out of him, but was convicted. Investigators claimed that Boscio was part of a “Black Hand gang” that had targeted Farace and had dispatched fellow “members” Frank Di Leonardo and Nunzio Di Giovanni in an attempt to silence Farace’s brother, stated to have been living in Detroit and in communication with Farace in Beloit.

I’m not sure where Frank Farace was from. The only record I could find for him was for his marriage to Rosa Mittelo [sic] in Beloit in 1919. FWIW, while not a systematic survey, all of the Faracis that I have seen in Detroit were from Àlcamo, so my *guess* is that Frank Farace was likely Alcamese.

Per his 1930 census while incarcerated at Joliet, Calogero Boscio was born in 1882. This matches a Calogero Bascio/Boscio, born in 1882 in Campobello di Mazzara who arrived in NOLA in 1906. He was naturalized in 1919 in Springfield where he was working as a coal miner, and after his realease from prison seems to have moved to KC in the 1940s. That Farace’s convicted killer was Trapanese would make sense if he was also Trapanese. Worth noting also that there was a Nunzio DiGiovanni from Àlcamo living in Detroit who may match the one that LE claimed was working with Bascio.

Yes, that's exactly it... the stabbing happened along the Turtle Creek and there was a lot of this incident reported in the newspapers at the time and I suspect that Frank Farace was related to Pete Farace from Springfield as Peter was from Alcamo and it would seem too coincidental. I also suspect that Frank's wife was Rose Militello which I believe her family was from Vicari, Sicily. That Beloit area seemed to be a landing place for people from the Marsala region which still rings true today. Thanks for filling in some of the blanks.

cavita wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:11 pm

JoelTurner wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 10:34 am

B. wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2023 9:16 pm Peter Simonetti was another early figure from SGJ with that crew and Riela was related to the Simonetti surname as well.

Peter Simonetti was born Nov 6 1908 in NY to Pietro Simonetti and Margarita Mirabella. His father, born Aug 20 1883 in San Giuseppe Jato, was the son of Pietro Simonetti and Maria Nuccio. His mother was Sebastiano Nuccio’s sister making him a first cousin of the Lucchese family’s Nuccio bros.

On Aug 18 1945, Peter Simonetti was shotgunned to death while sitting in a car with his first cousin-once-removed, John Nuccio.

————

Anthony Riela’s cousin Joseph Riela (Sep 14 1897 - SGJ) was married to Gertrude Lametta (May 30 1898 - SGJ). Their daughter Pauline (Apr 4 1920 - SGJ) married Joseph Simonetti in Brooklyn, NY in 1952.

Joseph Simonetti (Oct 28 1917 - Birmingham, AL) was the son of Domenico Simonetti (Feb 17 1888 - SGJ) and Concetta Anselmo (Feb 12 1892 - SGJ).

In 1959, Joseph Simonetti was arrested for acting as a middleman and transporting the infamous Krupp diamond which had been stolen a few weeks earlier. He had moved it from Las Vegas to Newark, NJ to fence it. He wasn’t convicted. Other than that incident, he didn’t seem to have any major legal issues.

———-

Domenico’s parents were Giuseppe Simonetti and Maria Trupia no so there was no relation to Pietro Simonetti at least in that generation.

Rockford consigliere Joe Zito had a sister Rosa (born 1881 SGJ) and she married a Giuseppe Simonetti around 1908 in SGJ and....Frank Longo, who was killed with Vincenzo Troia had a sister Flavia who married a Giuseppe Simonetti in SGJ in 1900.

JoelTurner wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 10:34 am

B. wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2023 9:16 pm Peter Simonetti was another early figure from SGJ with that crew and Riela was related to the Simonetti surname as well.

Peter Simonetti was born Nov 6 1908 in NY to Pietro Simonetti and Margarita Mirabella. His father, born Aug 20 1883 in San Giuseppe Jato, was the son of Pietro Simonetti and Maria Nuccio. His mother was Sebastiano Nuccio’s sister making him a first cousin of the Lucchese family’s Nuccio bros.

On Aug 18 1945, Peter Simonetti was shotgunned to death while sitting in a car with his first cousin-once-removed, John Nuccio.

————

Anthony Riela’s cousin Joseph Riela (Sep 14 1897 - SGJ) was married to Gertrude Lametta (May 30 1898 - SGJ). Their daughter Pauline (Apr 4 1920 - SGJ) married Joseph Simonetti in Brooklyn, NY in 1952.

Joseph Simonetti (Oct 28 1917 - Birmingham, AL) was the son of Domenico Simonetti (Feb 17 1888 - SGJ) and Concetta Anselmo (Feb 12 1892 - SGJ).

In 1959, Joseph Simonetti was arrested for acting as a middleman and transporting the infamous Krupp diamond which had been stolen a few weeks earlier. He had moved it from Las Vegas to Newark, NJ to fence it. He wasn’t convicted. Other than that incident, he didn’t seem to have any major legal issues.

———-

Domenico’s parents were Giuseppe Simonetti and Maria Trupia no so there was no relation to Pietro Simonetti at least in that generation.

PolackTony wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:31 pm

cavita wrote: ↑Tue Oct 24, 2023 3:32 pm

cavita wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 9:39 am Another possible early member I was thing of was Peter Farace/Faraci (1899-1972) who used the alias Peter Maggio and Peter Mando. He was born in Alcamo, Sicily and was active in Springfield in the 1930s. I do know he was involved with some of the Rockford guys in a late 1930s bootlegging bust in LaSalle County which possibly spread to the western suburbs of Chicago. Farace may have also had a brother Antonio who was active in Springfield.

Also, I don't know if he's connected but there was a Faraci/Farace murdered in Rockford in 1920 that I'll have to research further.

There was a Frank Farace stabbed to death in July 1920 right on the IL/WI border; though technically the murder apparently occured in Beloit, it was investigated by both Beloit and South Beloit police with assistance from the CPD Black Hand Squad detective Julius Bernacchi, and tried in Winnebago County. LE charged Calogero Boscio as the stabber; he claimed during trial that Bernacchi and other detectives beat the confession out of him, but was convicted. Investigators claimed that Boscio was part of a “Black Hand gang” that had targeted Farace and had dispatched fellow “members” Frank Di Leonardo and Nunzio Di Giovanni in an attempt to silence Farace’s brother, stated to have been living in Detroit and in communication with Farace in Beloit.

I’m not sure where Frank Farace was from. The only record I could find for him was for his marriage to Rosa Mittelo [sic] in Beloit in 1919. FWIW, while not a systematic survey, all of the Faracis that I have seen in Detroit were from Àlcamo, so my *guess* is that Frank Farace was likely Alcamese.

Per his 1930 census while incarcerated at Joliet, Calogero Boscio was born in 1882. This matches a Calogero Bascio/Boscio, born in 1882 in Campobello di Mazzara who arrived in NOLA in 1906. He was naturalized in 1919 in Springfield where he was working as a coal miner, and after his realease from prison seems to have moved to KC in the 1940s. That Farace’s convicted killer was Trapanese would make sense if he was also Trapanese. Worth noting also that there was a Nunzio DiGiovanni from Àlcamo living in Detroit who may match the one that LE claimed was working with Bascio.

cavita wrote: ↑Tue Oct 24, 2023 3:32 pm

cavita wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 9:39 am Another possible early member I was thing of was Peter Farace/Faraci (1899-1972) who used the alias Peter Maggio and Peter Mando. He was born in Alcamo, Sicily and was active in Springfield in the 1930s. I do know he was involved with some of the Rockford guys in a late 1930s bootlegging bust in LaSalle County which possibly spread to the western suburbs of Chicago. Farace may have also had a brother Antonio who was active in Springfield.

Also, I don't know if he's connected but there was a Faraci/Farace murdered in Rockford in 1920 that I'll have to research further.

B. wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2023 9:16 pm Peter Simonetti was another early figure from SGJ with that crew and Riela was related to the Simonetti surname as well.

cavita wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 9:39 am Another possible early member I was thing of was Peter Farace/Faraci (1899-1972) who used the alias Peter Maggio and Peter Mando. He was born in Alcamo, Sicily and was active in Springfield in the 1930s. I do know he was involved with some of the Rockford guys in a late 1930s bootlegging bust in LaSalle County which possibly spread to the western suburbs of Chicago. Farace may have also had a brother Antonio who was active in Springfield.

JoelTurner wrote: ↑Tue Oct 24, 2023 12:52 am

B. wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2023 9:16 pm Riela may have also been related to the Cangelosis. He was business partners with some of them who lived in Easton PA -- the Troias and Longo were also killed in Antonino Cangelosi's Newark store. Lucchese member John Nuccio married a Cangelosi from SGJ and the Nuccios were from either San Cipirello or SGJ, the Prince Street crew generally coming from comuni in that part of interior Palermo. Three Nuccio brothers were made and their father Sebastiano was clearly an early Lucchese member. Peter Simonetti was another early figure from SGJ with that crew and Riela was related to the Simonetti surname as well.

Riela’s business partners, Ignazio and Charles Cangelosi were born to Giuseppe Cangelosi (Sep 12 1873 - Bolognetta) and Carmela Fragale (Aug 12 1876 - Marineo)

The Troias and Frank Longo were killed in Anthony Sunseri’s store. He, along with Sam Monaco’s BIL Jerome Bevinetto, was shot but survived. Sunseri (Aug 8 1896 - San Giuseppe Jato) was married to Josephine Cangelosi and used the alias Anthony Cangelosi. I haven’t been able to find more on Josephine, she was born in NY in ~1903.

John Nuccio’s wife Celia Cangelosi was born to Giuseppe Cangelosi (Mar 1873 - Marineo) and Maria Francaviglia (Aug 14 1878 - Marineo)

PolackTony wrote: ↑Tue Oct 24, 2023 9:28 am The “S. Ganci” from the Club was Saverio “Sam” Ganci, a coal miner born in 1890 in Montevago (d. 1964 in Springfield). His mother was Maria Ciaccio, and thus he was presumably a relative of the Springfield Ciaccios.

B. wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2023 9:16 pm Riela may have also been related to the Cangelosis. He was business partners with some of them who lived in Easton PA -- the Troias and Longo were also killed in Antonino Cangelosi's Newark store. Lucchese member John Nuccio married a Cangelosi from SGJ and the Nuccios were from either San Cipirello or SGJ, the Prince Street crew generally coming from comuni in that part of interior Palermo. Three Nuccio brothers were made and their father Sebastiano was clearly an early Lucchese member. Peter Simonetti was another early figure from SGJ with that crew and Riela was related to the Simonetti surname as well.