Giuseppe Esposito and the Hennessey Assasination

[willychichi]

I have been poking around public records and articles on the LCN in Louisiana and New Orleans and was hoping to get some feedback from you guys on Giuseppe Esposito on his activities in 1881-82 before his deportation and also any info on the David Hennessey assassination you guys may have? Why did Esposito aka "Vincenzo Randazzo" come to New Orleans why not New York or Newark? Who ordered the hit on Hennessey and who carried it out?

[willychichi]

Any of you early researchers have any info on this? It just seems odd that he went to New Orleans? Thanks!

[Pogo The Clown]

People trying to sound like they know, but they don't really know shit! Same as always. One guy said it's escaped prisoners on the loose from up in Hennessey. Another guy said it's some kind of chemical that makes everybody go crazy. They don't know shit.


Pogo

[Antiliar]

People trying to sound like they know, but they don't really know shit! Same as always. One guy said it's escaped prisoners on the loose from up in Hennessey. Another guy said it's some kind of chemical that makes everybody go crazy. They don't know shit.


Pogo

Is this one of your obscure movie references? LOL

I have been poking around public records and articles on the LCN in Louisiana and New Orleans and was hoping to get some feedback from you guys on Giuseppe Esposito on his activities in 1881-82 before his deportation and also any info on the David Hennessey assassination you guys may have? Why did Esposito aka "Vincenzo Randazzo" come to New Orleans why not New York or Newark? Who ordered the hit on Hennessey and who carried it out?

I'm working on something so I'm not going to give away details, but there are plenty of books on this. Esposito DID go to New York before he went to New Orleans. One reason to go to New Orleans is because there was an active Mafia Family there, and we don't know if other Mafia Families existed yet. There may have been one in New York City, but that's speculation. We do know for certain there was one in New Orleans. Why would he go to Newark?

As for who ordered the hit on Hennessy, there was a trial about that in 1891, and the jury couldn't conclude who did it to their satisfaction. Your asking for details that don't exist. There's no wiretap from 1891 and the one informant was found to be mentally unbalanced. My guess is that the Matrangas ordered the hit, but have no idea at this time who carried it out.

[willychichi]

People trying to sound like they know, but they don't really know shit! Same as always. One guy said it's escaped prisoners on the loose from up in Hennessey. Another guy said it's some kind of chemical that makes everybody go crazy. They don't know shit.


Pogo

Is this one of your obscure movie references? LOL

I have been poking around public records and articles on the LCN in Louisiana and New Orleans and was hoping to get some feedback from you guys on Giuseppe Esposito on his activities in 1881-82 before his deportation and also any info on the David Hennessey assassination you guys may have? Why did Esposito aka "Vincenzo Randazzo" come to New Orleans why not New York or Newark? Who ordered the hit on Hennessey and who carried it out?

I'm working on something so I'm not going to give away details, but there are plenty of books on this. Esposito DID go to New York before he went to New Orleans. One reason to go to New Orleans is because there was an active Mafia Family there, and we don't know if other Mafia Families existed yet. There may have been one in New York City, but that's speculation. We do know for certain there was one in New Orleans. Why would he go to Newark?

As for who ordered the hit on Hennessy, there was a trial about that in 1891, and the jury couldn't conclude who did it to their satisfaction. Your asking for details that don't exist. There's no wiretap from 1891 and the one informant was found to be mentally unbalanced. My guess is that the Matrangas ordered the hit, but have no idea at this time who carried it out.

I think Pogo is talking about the hennessey whisky people drink.

Thanks Antiliar I didn't know that Esposito had been to NY prior to going to New Orleans.Thanks for your take on the Hennessey hit as well. I threw in Newark because I was under the assumption that there was mafia operating there around the same time, please correct me if that is inaccurate. I realize there are no wiretaps just wanted to get your take and hopefully some others take on it based on the information available. Certainly Esposito had reason to want Hennessey dead.

[Antiliar]

Aha. Since I'm not a whiskey drinker I was unaware of the reference, so thanks for enlightening me.

A couple Mafiosi, like Alphonse D'Arco of the Lucchese Family claimed that Newark was the original Mafia Family in the USA, but there's absolutely zero evidence for it. There's no evidence that the Newark Family existed before the 1920s, and the Elizabeth Family may have existed back in the 1910s. Neither one was ancestral to any other Family.

Esposito was deported in 1881 and had nothing to do with the Hennessy killing.

[Pogo The Clown]

Actually it was a line from Night of the Living Dead 1990.


Pogo

[willychichi]

Aha. Since I'm not a whiskey drinker I was unaware of the reference, so thanks for enlightening me.

A couple Mafiosi, like Alphonse D'Arco of the Lucchese Family claimed that Newark was the original Mafia Family in the USA, but there's absolutely zero evidence for it. There's no evidence that the Newark Family existed before the 1920s, and the Elizabeth Family may have existed back in the 1910s. Neither one was ancestral to any other Family.

Esposito was deported in 1881 and had nothing to do with the Hennessy killing.

Thanks Antiliar for the clarification on Newark. I knew Esposito had been deported, from what I have read so far Hennessey was behind the deportation or is that incorrect as well? Hopefully you will share what you are working on at some point with us. Thanks for your insights.

[Antiliar]

I wouldn't say that Hennessy was behind the deportation. The deportation order was a federal matter and had to be tried in court. Hennessy arrested Esposito because he was wanted and acted as a U.S. marshal to transport him to New York for trial.

This article from Harper's Weekly from 1891 covers the Hennessy assassination and the mass lynching. It has a mistake or two, but gets the gist of the story correct: https://books.google.com/books?id=9kJaA ... 81&f=false

[ledblimp]

New Orleans was a destination for Italians, mainly Sicilians, long before any other port in the country. The beginnings of Mafia activity in NOLA date back to just after the Civil War with the Agnello brothers. Esposito had been busted by Carabinieri in Sicily while he was a top man for a leader of Sicilian bandits called Monteleone. He managed to escape while being transferred to a prison in Palermo. He did go to NY prior to New Orleans. He was only here for a short time, roughly 1878/79 until captured by the Hennessey cousins in July 1881. A couple of weeks later a man named Antonio Labousse (sometimes seen as Labruzzo) was shot down at the corner of Exchange Alley and Bienville St. He had been accused of tipping off authorities to Esposito's presence in NOLA. Hennessey placed Esposito on a steamer bound for NY with detectives (one a Pinkerton I think) and after a deportation trial he was deported to Sicily on Sept. 21. Reportedly he died there in prison years later.

One of the theories behind Hennessey's assassination in 1890 was that it was long awaited revenge for Esposito by Mafia elements. Another theory was that it was by friends of Thomas Devereaux. The Hennessey boys, Michael and David, were involved in a shootout with him in October of 1881. The dispute stemmed from the capture of Esposito. Devereaux was the supervisor of the Hennessey's and they were ordered to leave off any pursuit of Esposito. The Hennessey's ignored him which infuriated Devereaux. There had already been bad blood between them from years prior due to the fact that he had arrested Michael Hennessey years before for theft but he was acquitted. Devereaux brought them up on charges and they went before a police board. Initially things didn't look good for Devereaux's side. He didn't have many friends with the Police Commission, but the Hennessey's did, especially after the Esposito capture. One day while inside a business Devereaux spots Michael walking by. Accounts vary on what happened and who fired first but Michael is badly wounded. As Devereaux starts to aim for a killing shot David Hennessey manages to come in behind him from the side and shoot Devereaux in the head. He dies before an ambulance can get to him. Michael recovers and the Hennessey boys are put on trial for murder but are acquitted due to the known threats Devereaux had publicly made against them. Devereaux's friends are not happy. One of those being Domonick O'Malley who would play a role as an investigator for the defense of the Italians accused of David Hennessey's murder in 1890. Michael Hennessey would be assassinated in Houston in September of 1886. Though there was a suspect that was put on trial the charges would be dismissed for lack of evidence. His death was officially unsolved.

[ledblimp]

There were actually quite a few mobsters that spent time for one reason or another in New Orleans.
Meyer Lansky
Frank Costello
Phil Kastel
Frank Carbo
Golfbag Hunt
Vito Cascio Ferro
Giuseppe Morello
Vito di Giorgio
Ralph Capone
Sal Vitale
Constantino Masotto
Lucky
Santo Trafficante
Nicola Gentile
Francesco Coppola
Jack Ruby
Nicolo Impostato
Domonick Alongi grew up in NOLA and was cousin to Frank Gagliano
Whitey Bulger hid out in Grande Isle when he first went on the run.
Many of the early Texas and California guys were from NOLA or Louisiana.