Chicago Outfit Induction Ceremony - Conclusion?!

[Villain]

I think that all the links now work properly. Thanks Confederate for the heads up

[Villain]

Nice job giving examples and breaking them down. The small variations between families and even within the same family always interest me.

The DeCavalcantes and Bonannos both abandoned the traditional ceremony, at least during certain periods, so the idea isn't too out there for Chicago who had an even more unique and autonomous organization.

Not sure I follow the part about the books being closed, though. You're saying Chicago may have inducted members when the books were closed, but did so without the traditional ceremony, then resumed with the ceremony after the books were re-opened nationally? Definitely possible but I'm out of my element commenting on Chicago. The books in Philly were supposed to be closed by the early 1960s and they were chastised for making some members but were forgiven because Bruno hadn't been boss when the books were ordered closed. The books seem to have been fully closed for the DeCavs 1957-1976 but they were basically a NY family. I believe Fratianno said that Cleveland hadn't made any new members for some long period of time which is why he had to help with their ceremony in the 1970s, and that situation showed that the ceremony was hardly that important to them.

Thanks B.

As Snakes already pointed out that they simplified their induction process when the books allegedly got closed. You have to understand that the Capone Mob took over the Sicilian Mafia and because of that they were obliged, obviously to an extent, to receive the Cosa Nostra traditions and hierarchy. The whole idea is that in 1957 the NY families generally stopped using the ceremony process for almost 20 years or in other words they took it to an extreme minimum, not because they nixed it but obviously because they generally closed the books out of various reasons, and government heat being one of them. And as a matter of fact, as I previously stated, the Outfit possibly did a similar thing one decade earlier, by simplifing the induction process for the first time because of the huge government heat which occurred during the 1940s. I say "the first time" because I believe that Capone and his ten members were probably made in the traditional way and this possibly lasted during the 1930s.

You see, since the days of Capone the Outfit was under extreme and constant government and media heat, with Nitto being the prime example. So in 1957 when Giancana became boss and the books closed at the same time, he obviously even further simplifed the induction ceremony by transforming it into tests or tasks, which became the main induction process for further membership. He obviously didnt want to expose himself and the rest of the organization while making huge induction gatherings. Thats why we have much less info regarding induction ceremonies from the 40s, 50s and 60s rather than the 80s when they brought back the tradition. And this also might explain Giancanas negative comments towards the whole traditional induction because he oppossed another Apalachin type of situation.

In plane words, while the books were closed, as I previously stated, the Chicago guys were bringing new members in their own type of induction style. When the books reopened, they brought back the whole traditional way out of various reasons. One being that other gangs appeared at the time so the government heat got divided and the second being that Chicago was still in connection with the five fams by still being considered as a part of Cosa Nostra and on top of that Accardo was still at the top at the time and he was from the old school (Capone era or late 20s and 30s when the traditional style was possibly still in effect) so i believe that he had no problems in bringing it back if the NY fams or the commission asked for it.

[B.]

According to this source the Buffalo family had also stopped doing the traditional ceremony by the late 1960s:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 1&tab=page

[Villain]

According to this source the Buffalo family had also stopped doing the traditional ceremony by the late 1960s:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 1&tab=page

Damn thanks B, i searched my ass off just to find another similar statement such as the Gallo/Diapoulas one regarding the east coast families and the whole tradition thing being old fashioned, and here it is. Thanks again.

I think that its safe to say that the whole media and government attention somehow forced some factions of U.S. Cosa Nostra to change their ways in inducting new members, before, during and after the closure of the membership books, and this possibly lasted until the books were reopened. I mean they were closed for almost two decades so after that it was probably important for them to bring back the old school so they can preserve the whole CN tradition since it almost faded away. Imagine if the old timers made new members in the simplified way, then the new members were going to make the next generation in even more simplified way and whole CN thing might've been lost in time, so they possibly stopped the whole process by again inducting them in the old way, again, so they can preserve the tradition.

Also I dont remember but wasnt there some tapped convo between two members (from NY i think) in which they said something regarding the tradition ritual and either the whole thing has a meaning or not?! Something like that....

[Villain]

In addition, the Outfit's story is quite simple and unique, instead of being portrayed like something very complicated. One always has to remember that the Outfit started as a non-Sicilian or "non-traditional" criminal organization which was accepted by the traditional faction or simply took it over. You see if we look at the Outfit's history, we'll see guys such as two ancient non-Sicilians such as Jim Colosimo and Joe Esposito, two quite colorful and gold/diamond-wearing individuals, one allegedly being made into the traditional faction and the other not, but either way even if the two of them were made guys, still I highly doubt that they really cared about the traditions since at the time them two were the biggest and quite protected Italian racketeers of the 1910's and 20's in the city of Chicago and God knows how many racketeers depended on them. Then we have Al Capone, another quite flashy guy who obviously cared only about power and money and no tradition, even though he was also possibly made in the old way and on top of that he even made few people in that same fashion, and in the end we have one "specific" individual such as Paul Ricca, whose family allegedly belonged to the Camorra back home in Italy. So I believe that Ricca was possibly the only top guy left on the streets with some sense of criminal tradition and continued to force the old CN tradition and hierarchy to some extent, like having different styles but not too far from the original picture.

[Ed]

Interesting thread. Good work Villain.

Here's a few more examples of LCN members (off the top of head) who claimed they were inducted without a burning holy card. I'm not sure how they impact your thesis.

Outfit member Louis Fratto told federal agents in 1967 that he was inducted without a formal initiation ceremony-no pricked finger or burning holy card.(He was a source in one of the documents you cited in your links) In the available FBI documents on MF, Fratto doesn't explicitly indicate the date of his induction but he does state (in 1967) that he had been a member of the Outfit for 40 years. If he means he was a fully inducted member and not just an associate for that length of time, that would put his induction date to sometime in the late 1930s.

Bonanno member Willie Dara told federal agents he was inducted in 1949 without a formal initiation ceremony-no pricked finger or burning holy card. He just had a big celebratory dinner where he was welcomed into the crime family.

Pittsburgh member Samuel Mannarino told federal agents that his finger was pricked in his induction ceremony but there was no burning holy card. He didn't indicate his precise induction date but he provides some clues that seem to put it sometime in the 1940s. Another Pittsburgh informant (I'll provide his name shortly) inducted much earlier says the family used the traditional ceremony with a pricked finger and burning holy card.

[Ed]

Re: Fratto

edit: s/d be "late 1920s" . Given his age that seems too early to be fully inducted. He probably means he began to be affiliated with the Outfit 40 years ago. You and others would probably know better.

(I can't figure out how to use the edit feature.)

[Frank]

Never knew that Louis Fratto was a CI.

[Villain]

Interesting thread. Good work Villain.

Here's a few more examples of LCN members (off the top of head) who claimed they were inducted without a burning holy card. I'm not sure how they impact your thesis.

Outfit member Louis Fratto told federal agents in 1967 that he was inducted without a formal initiation ceremony-no pricked finger or burning holy card.(He was a source in one of the documents you cited in your links) In the available FBI documents on MF, Fratto doesn't explicitly indicate the date of his induction but he does state (in 1967) that he had been a member of the Outfit for 40 years. If he means he was a fully inducted member and not just an associate for that length of time, that would put his induction date to sometime in the late 1930s.

Bonanno member Willie Dara told federal agents he was inducted in 1949 without a formal initiation ceremony-no pricked finger or burning holy card. He just had a big celebratory dinner where he was welcomed into the crime family.

Pittsburgh member Samuel Mannarino told federal agents that his finger was pricked in his induction ceremony but there was no burning holy card. He didn't indicate his precise induction date but he provides some clues that seem to put it sometime in the 1940s. Another Pittsburgh informant (I'll provide his name shortly) inducted much earlier says the family used the traditional ceremony with a pricked finger and burning holy card.

Good stuff Ed and thanks a lot, since this shakes a bit one my previous statements. I tried to find Fratto's statement regarding the oath thing but I only managed to find this https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 5&tab=page

So I'll continue to search for it but if you stumble upon it again, please send it to me so I can add it to my collection and probably change one of my statements in my original text.

You see, some sources say that Fratto was the guy who introduced Battaglia to the Capone mob since he was a real troublemaker, meaning Battaglia, and so my personal belief is that both Fratto and Battaglia were made during the mid 1930's or at least they were positively made before Giancana or before 1939. Battaglia's situation can possibly be proven with one conversation between him and Humphreys, and as for Fratto, well in 1939 he was already the Outfit's representative in Iowa, possibly under the jurisdiction of Charlie Gioe, which probably means that he was already a made guy.

Now if Fratto said something about a simplified oath, than this might change one of my previous statements and that is, the Outfit possibly simplified the induction even earlier, possibly during the early 30's or during its formation as a separate faction of US CN.

[Snakes]

Farrell claimed to have been made by Al Capone. He did not reveal any further details about the ceremony or any lack thereof.

[Villain]

Farrell claimed to have been made by Al Capone. He did not reveal any further details about the ceremony or any lack thereof.

Thats interesting. Heres one doc which states that LaPorte was also probably made by Capone himself

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... pone_porte

[Frank]

Farrell claimed to have been made by Al Capone. He did not reveal any further details about the ceremony or any lack thereof.

I guess that would make him one of the original ten?? Unless Capone made more guys before going to prison.

[Villain]

The original ten were during the period when Capone was made a captain, and later he possibly made other members during his rise which was obviously short-lived

[Frank]

Does anyone know when Accardo was made?? It would seem like it would have been before Battaglia, possibly by Capone.

[Confederate]

Farrell claimed to have been made by Al Capone. He did not reveal any further details about the ceremony or any lack thereof.

Thats interesting. Heres one doc which states that LaPorte was also probably made by Capone himself

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... pone_porte

LaPorte was probably equal to many other Mob Bosses of other Families around the Country (Outside of the New York 5) in my opinion. If his power base would have been on the west side of Chicago instead of the Far South, he would have been the top Boss of the Outfit at some point.