Mafia and fascism repressions

[Antiliar]

I'm not saying that Cascio Ferro didn't participate in some sense, just that at the time he denied doing so (what else was he going to do since admitting guilt would have meant the death penalty for him) and that nothing was ever proven against him. He was close to many politicians and this one could have lied or he may not have been present, after all, a boss doesn't need to be present for a killing. To me, however, it seems more logical to have a Palermitani leader be involved rather than a rural Mafia boss. I posted the name of the consigliere from Palermo Centro that Buscetta mentioned as Giuseppe Palmigiano.

[toto]

Buscetta said about Cascio Ferro:
- not even a man of honor
- he's a charlatan, a stupid and
- Cosa Nostra guys used to laugh at him because he did life sentence for Petrosino murder
- didn't have nothing to do with Petrosino murder
- old time guys Buscetta talked to said Cascio Ferro was a fake and he was boasting about murder he didn't do
- killer was Giuseppe Palmigiano soldier of Palermo centro and his brother Ernesto was consigliere of same family

It's possible Cascio Ferro didn't get an introduction to anybody in Palermo because he was from southern part of Palermo province next to Agrigento so that's why nobody in Palermo knew him as man of honor. I mention this because Cascio Ferro's grandsons were part of Maxi trial in 1980s. They were considered bosses of Bisacquino. I think they got found not guilty. One of them was engineer and other a medical assistant.

[Dwalin2014]

- Cosa Nostra guys used to laugh at him because he did life sentence for Petrosino murder

But he didn't. Hi did life for Lo Voi and Falconieri, he was never convicted for Petrosino.

Sounds Buscetta and his friends didn't respect him. Strange, in the books about mafia history I read Cascio Ferro was always indicated as quite a powerful boss, even though based in a small town. If Buscetta says he was just a boasting fraud, then I don't know anymore what to think.

But who was the real power in Sicily then? Antonio Ortoleva reunited the mafia of several provinces, but was seen more as a figurehead, Cascio Ferro (if Buscetta is right) didn't matter much either, Calogero Vizzini and Giuseppe Genco Russo were still relatively young (Vizzini made business stealing mules and selling them back, not really a "serious" racket).

[toto]

He mentioned Vizzini and Genco Russo and said they were respected bosses but they couldn't be commanders of Cosa Nostra in sicily because they were from Caltanissetta and Agrigento. So he mentioned them with good words and not like Cascio Ferro where he didn't mention even one good word.

What he mentioned about Cascio Ferro was things he was told by old timers. So it's a reflection of what Palermo mafia thought of Cascio Ferro.

Anyway, I don't think Cosa Nostra started to move as one single body until 1950s - even if they did make an overall boss before then it didn't matter much. This was the cause of first mafia war that some bosses didn't like to be ruled by commission. Like I mentioned some days back about the incident of Rosario Anselmo and Raffaele Spina's sister and the mafia commission allowed the transfer of Anselmo to Noce family so Cavataio, Matranga, Manno and other bosses used this to bring more guys behind them when they said commission is just to help few guys and destroy the families.

[scagghiuni]

Anyway, I don't think Cosa Nostra started to move as one single body until 1950s - even if they did make an overall boss before then it didn't matter much.

the mafia commission is much older, it was present at least at the end of 1800s or even before... buscetta talks about a new commission that was dismantled under fascist regime and started again after the II war but he knew nothing about what happened before

[toto]

Anyway, I don't think Cosa Nostra started to move as one single body until 1950s - even if they did make an overall boss before then it didn't matter much.

the mafia commission is much older, it was present at least at the end of 1800s or even before... buscetta talks about a new commission that was dismantled under fascist regime and started again after the II war but he knew nothing about what happened before

Sure we know there was commission in Palermo before then, but families were much more important.

It is only in 1950s when some bosses became puppets of others and some bosses became more important and they used the commission to control and move Cosa Nostra as one whole body. Its why Cavataio, Salvatore Manno, Antonino Matranga, Pietro Torretta and some other bosses didn't want such a strong commission because then a boss might not have full control of his family.

[toto]

I was thinking some more on this topic and even though Buscetta mentioned Mori didn't affect Cosa Nostra and sentences were low, there must have been some problems at least.

According to a few pentiti including Buscetta and I think Calderone knew something on this topic as well, 1930s is origin of France mafia family, Napoli mafia family and Tunis mafia family which was most important family of the ones outside Sicily until 1950s.