St. Louis connections
Moderator: Capos
St. Louis connections
This is my first post, and it's a bit off the beaten path. I know St. Louis was an early destination for many mafiosi, and that some who started there went on to be big players in Detroit and Cleveland (Licavolis, Bommaritos, etc.) but did anyone in that time period move to New York or Philadelphia?
Re: St. Louis connections
Good question
Re: St. Louis connections
I'm not aware of any.
Re: St. Louis connections
Anthony Casella live here before moving to philly
-
DPG
- Sergeant Of Arms
- Posts: 803
- Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2016 11:04 am
- Location: You can find me in Saint Louie
Re: St. Louis connections
Ive read Gangs of St Louis atleast 4 times and I still dont understand the early years of the St Louis "mafia". Calling it the "mafia", in the way we all look at the term in the present day atleast, is a stretch imo.
I get it....first rule of fight club.
-
Dwalin2014
- Sergeant Of Arms
- Posts: 614
- Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:08 am
Re: St. Louis connections
The Giannola group even got their ass kicked by a disorganized group like the Cuckoo gang, not really an accomplishment worthy of a "true mafia"....
Re: St. Louis connections
Yeah, it seems like the most talented guys all moved away early.
Re: St. Louis connections
Much of the foundation of St. Louis was the Terrasini / Partinico / Cinisi portal that connected them to Detroit and that network, which despite some strong personal ties to Joe Profaci, John Misuraca, and select NYC members, didn't really create much of a road between St. Louis and the east coast that I know of. Like other midwest/western families, whatever NYC and east coast ties there were had to have been earlier on if they existed at all, when the paesani networks were more active and members traveled/moved more frequently.
According to informants, the family was first under the influence of Chicago and later transitioned to more Detroit influence, with overwhelming ties between the St. Louis and Detroit membership. Kansas City was also influential over St. Louis according to most sources, though reports vary on the degree of formal influence Kansas City had. There is no question Chicago and Detroit dominated St. Louis politically.
However... outside of the Terrasini/etc. group, there was also a powerful group in St. Louis from Agrigento that may have produced more than one early St. Louis boss. The early Chicago connection is interesting in this context, as early St. Louis boss Miceli lived in Chicago prior to St. Louis and in the 1920s Chicago had two bosses from Agrigento (Merlo, Lolordo). The national Agrigento network was extremely tightknit and there was extensive contact/travel between members, so along with Chicago being the obvious local midwest power, this Agrigento connection can't be completely ignored when considering Chicago and St. Louis' close relationship earlier on. Detroit shifted to dominating St. Louis interestingly when the Terrasini/Partinico/Cinisi figures became bosses of St. Louis, which speaks for itself.
--
Nick Gentile's brother Vincenzo, who was at least associated with the mafia, lived in St. Louis for a time in the early 1900s and ended up settling in NYC later, but whether he was a made member of either group is pure speculation. It should be noted that he used the same mafia-dominated Agrigentesi network as his brother Nick prior to Nick's own travels in America, so it is likely that Vincenzo Gentile's residence in St. Louis is not a coincidence given the early presence of powerful mafia members from Agrigento in St. Louis, including early figures from Siculiana where the Gentiles were from, as well as other nearby towns. Nick Gentile was made in Philadelphia (where there was an early mafia element from Agrigento in Norristown), so given that this was the same network, it shows that the network in St. Louis may have connected to Philadelphia and of course NYC, where the Gentiles ended up and where there was a strong element from Agrigento in the Gambino family.
So there was definitely a pathway for someone in St. Louis to connect with Philly/Norristown or NYC because the network extended to these places, but aside from Vincenzo Gentile as a very big "maybe", there are no other candidates I'm aware of. That said, these relationships would have been most relevant in the early 1900s and most of the early members of St. Louis are an absolute mystery so we have no clue if these places had members in common back then or other connections.
--
An interesting St. Louis member was Giovanni Mirabella, who attended the 1928 Cleveland mafia meeting as well as a ~1931 Chicago peace meeting with Al Capone and Los Angeles leaders. In 1928 he would have rubbed shoulders with Profaci, Traina, and some other prominent NYC / NJ figures in Cleveland but there is no indication of an ongoing relationship. Though he was young, his presence at important national meetings in both 1928 and 1931 seemingly as a representative of St. Louis suggests he was a figure of some importance but he is not known to have ever held a high rank. CI Frank Bompensiero met him first at the ~1931 Chicago meeting and later in the 1960s during a social visit to St. Louis.
Calogero SanFilippo was an early St. Louis member who attended the 1928 meeting with Mirabella and he came from Agrigento. The meeting was also attended by Pasquale Lolordo, Chicago leader from Agrigento, so there is a potential connection along the lines of what I suggested above.
--
Here is a long thread about St. Louis which covers some of the above and a lot more:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4109
According to informants, the family was first under the influence of Chicago and later transitioned to more Detroit influence, with overwhelming ties between the St. Louis and Detroit membership. Kansas City was also influential over St. Louis according to most sources, though reports vary on the degree of formal influence Kansas City had. There is no question Chicago and Detroit dominated St. Louis politically.
However... outside of the Terrasini/etc. group, there was also a powerful group in St. Louis from Agrigento that may have produced more than one early St. Louis boss. The early Chicago connection is interesting in this context, as early St. Louis boss Miceli lived in Chicago prior to St. Louis and in the 1920s Chicago had two bosses from Agrigento (Merlo, Lolordo). The national Agrigento network was extremely tightknit and there was extensive contact/travel between members, so along with Chicago being the obvious local midwest power, this Agrigento connection can't be completely ignored when considering Chicago and St. Louis' close relationship earlier on. Detroit shifted to dominating St. Louis interestingly when the Terrasini/Partinico/Cinisi figures became bosses of St. Louis, which speaks for itself.
--
Nick Gentile's brother Vincenzo, who was at least associated with the mafia, lived in St. Louis for a time in the early 1900s and ended up settling in NYC later, but whether he was a made member of either group is pure speculation. It should be noted that he used the same mafia-dominated Agrigentesi network as his brother Nick prior to Nick's own travels in America, so it is likely that Vincenzo Gentile's residence in St. Louis is not a coincidence given the early presence of powerful mafia members from Agrigento in St. Louis, including early figures from Siculiana where the Gentiles were from, as well as other nearby towns. Nick Gentile was made in Philadelphia (where there was an early mafia element from Agrigento in Norristown), so given that this was the same network, it shows that the network in St. Louis may have connected to Philadelphia and of course NYC, where the Gentiles ended up and where there was a strong element from Agrigento in the Gambino family.
So there was definitely a pathway for someone in St. Louis to connect with Philly/Norristown or NYC because the network extended to these places, but aside from Vincenzo Gentile as a very big "maybe", there are no other candidates I'm aware of. That said, these relationships would have been most relevant in the early 1900s and most of the early members of St. Louis are an absolute mystery so we have no clue if these places had members in common back then or other connections.
--
An interesting St. Louis member was Giovanni Mirabella, who attended the 1928 Cleveland mafia meeting as well as a ~1931 Chicago peace meeting with Al Capone and Los Angeles leaders. In 1928 he would have rubbed shoulders with Profaci, Traina, and some other prominent NYC / NJ figures in Cleveland but there is no indication of an ongoing relationship. Though he was young, his presence at important national meetings in both 1928 and 1931 seemingly as a representative of St. Louis suggests he was a figure of some importance but he is not known to have ever held a high rank. CI Frank Bompensiero met him first at the ~1931 Chicago meeting and later in the 1960s during a social visit to St. Louis.
Calogero SanFilippo was an early St. Louis member who attended the 1928 meeting with Mirabella and he came from Agrigento. The meeting was also attended by Pasquale Lolordo, Chicago leader from Agrigento, so there is a potential connection along the lines of what I suggested above.
--
Here is a long thread about St. Louis which covers some of the above and a lot more:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4109
Re: St. Louis connections
Thanks B. Exactly what I was looking for.
Re: St. Louis connections
Something too, mentioned in the older thread I linked, is that an informant claimed that the St. Louis family once had to ask permission from both Chicago and NYC when they wanted to tax local bookmakers. We can assume this was a reference to the Commission, which was in its heyday during the period the informant referred to, so it may not have been an indication of New York influence/connection but more just general Commission authority over small US families.
Re: St. Louis connections
In 1875 there a murder of a Francesco Palermo in St. Louis. Among those arrested were Angelo Russo and Antonio Catalano. Could have been an early Mafia murder, but at that time no one heard of the Mafia existing in America.
One possible early leader was Antonino Triolo. He was part of a small contingent that traveled from Sicily to America with Toto D'Aquila and Giuseppe Traina in 1910. Triolo was 50 and from Borgetto.
In 1916 when New Orleans (later Los Angeles) Mafioso Vito Di Giorgio was shot in a saloon, police found a letter on him from Frank Sicola of St. Louis. Sicola was a known Black Hander.
There are many other examples that suggest that St. Louis had a Mafia Family. I think it was a weak Family that split into factions, what newspapers called "gangs."
One possible early leader was Antonino Triolo. He was part of a small contingent that traveled from Sicily to America with Toto D'Aquila and Giuseppe Traina in 1910. Triolo was 50 and from Borgetto.
In 1916 when New Orleans (later Los Angeles) Mafioso Vito Di Giorgio was shot in a saloon, police found a letter on him from Frank Sicola of St. Louis. Sicola was a known Black Hander.
There are many other examples that suggest that St. Louis had a Mafia Family. I think it was a weak Family that split into factions, what newspapers called "gangs."