Pittsburgh LCN (Wheeling, WV Faction)

[Ivan]

Awesome stuff JCB, my friends and family are going to love it.

[JCB1977]

Awesome stuff JCB, my friends and family are going to love it.

Check your email

[Ivan]

Awesome stuff JCB, my friends and family are going to love it.

Check your email

Just now got it, thanks very much!

[Five Felonies]

Believe it or not, the largest emigration of Calabrese (Reggio Calabria) happened in ther Ohio River Valley due to the vast steel industry, coal mines and railroads. Calabrians were mostly laborers and between Pittsburgh, WV, Youngstown and Cleveland, most of the Italians were Calabrese.

yeah, i've seen this mentioned before and it seemed like the working class jobs like you mentioned were one of, it not the main reason why italian organized crime was able to take roots in these areas. it's no coincidence that the decline of organized crime and the labor workforce went hand in hand. it also explains perhaps why nothing existed in the southern west virginia/eastern kentucky area, scots irish/german ethnic backrounds are and were a majority there, as it was in most of the remote regions of appalachia.

[JCB1977]

Believe it or not, the largest emigration of Calabrese (Reggio Calabria) happened in ther Ohio River Valley due to the vast steel industry, coal mines and railroads. Calabrians were mostly laborers and between Pittsburgh, WV, Youngstown and Cleveland, most of the Italians were Calabrese.

yeah, i've seen this mentioned before and it seemed like the working class jobs like you mentioned were one of, it not the main reason why italian organized crime was able to take roots in these areas. it's no coincidence that the decline of organized crime and the labor workforce went hand in hand. it also explains perhaps why nothing existed in the southern west virginia/eastern kentucky area, scots irish/german ethnic backrounds are and were a majority there, as it was in most of the remote regions of appalachia.

You are 100% spot on about the correlation between the decline in manufacturing and organized crime. The Calabrians were no strangers to moving around and they went where the work was.

I will say that it is a fact through research I have done that when the Calabrians first came over and into the early 1900's, they had "Black Hand" offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, OH and into Kentucky (Covington) as well as up in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana etc. Indiana was a hotbed of organized crime in the early 1900's.

If you really want to read some amazing history, check out Hillsville, Pennsylvania. Hillsville is located over the Ohio State line from where I grew up. Some of the earliest Black Hand activity was centered in Hillsville. Rocco Racco was the most infamous Black Hand Boss there.

[JCB1977]

Check a few of these links out about Hillsville, PA. Hillsville was a big limestone, blacktop, and slag hauling area that bridged Western PA into Eastern OH.

http://www.lawrencechs.com/museum/colle ... lack-hand/

http://www.lawrencecountymemoirs.com/lc ... lsville-pa

http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/l ... 1ce38.html

https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/w/warren-game.html

[JCB1977]

Here is a great history lesson on Italians in West Virginia, mostly around Wheeling but Charleston had a big Italian population as well:

http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2013/05/3 ... mmunities/

***In 1910, Italians made up 30% of the West Virginia population.

[Five Felonies]

Here is a great history lesson on Italians in West Virginia, mostly around Wheeling but Charleston had a big Italian population as well:

http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2013/05/3 ... mmunities/

***In 1910, Italians made up 30% of the West Virginia population.

this was a really interesting read! seeing how, at least early there was a decent italian population is charleston, there very well may have been some shady stuff going on back then!

very cool to see the recipes as well!

[JCB1977]

This article is from 2007 on Chris Hankish, Paul's son:


http://triblive.com/mobile/1361733-81/r ... ng-kingpin

[JCB1977]

Paul Hankish connected to NFL legend Art Rooney?


http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990 ... -mr-rooney

[FriendofHenry]

Paul Hankish connected to NFL legend Art Rooney?


http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990 ... -mr-rooney

Reminds my of Mr. Rooney's "Little Boy", Ernie Holmes

[JCB1977]

Friend of the Family, do you recognize any of these names, read all 8 links.

[JCB1977]

Here is a great history lesson on Italians in West Virginia, mostly around Wheeling but Charleston had a big Italian population as well:

http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2013/05/3 ... mmunities/

***In 1910, Italians made up 30% of the West Virginia population.

this was a really interesting read! seeing how, at least early there was a decent italian population is charleston, there very well may have been some shady stuff going on back then!

very cool to see the recipes as well!

Hey FF,

After doing quite abit of research, the panhandle of West Virginia was one of the earliest areas of Black Hand activity that was dominating the Fairmont, WV area which is considered the Ohio River Valley which is located near the Pittsburgh border and Ohio Border. The Mafia, more commonly known as the Black Hand in West Virginia, reared its ugly head in Marion County in 1908. The members of the Black Hand, all natives of Italy, had banded together with Frank Pisconeri as their president. They carried out a campaign of extortion throughout the county with their victims either Italians or Italians by descent.
Letters, threatening and punishment to the prospective victims, were sent and signed with a crudely drawn picture of a hand that had been painted black. Prosecuting Attorney, Tusca Morris, successfully conducted a campaign against the old world crime syndicate.
The next appearance of the Mafia locally was in t921 when the law enforcement officers began to see evidence of organized crime whose headquarters appeared to be in the rear of Pete Fisher's barber shop on Water Street in East Fairmont. This organization was known as the Famalie Vagabonda. To become a member, the applicant must have committed a murder at the order of the organization. A murder committed for personal reasons did not count. Joe Urso, was the president, Rocco Fiorello was the secretary and Dick Ferry was the executioner. Ferry boasted of killing 23 persons when he was one of five people hung at the state prison in Moundsville. The group engaged in extortion, operated brothels and had extensive activity in narcotics.
A chosen victim, usually an Italian businessman, would receive a letter demanding a sum of money and state the time and place for delivery. If the victim refused, a second letter was sent with an increase in the sum of money. If this failed, the third letter would inform the victim he had been marked for death. Then dynamiting would follow. At least ten residents homes were dynamited and then the murder would be carried out. The president of the Clarksburg lodge was "Big Jim" Centeniene. He was assassinated one summer night which led a breech in the organization that sent five men to the gallows and fifteen to the state Penitentiary. Rocco Fiorello turned state's evidence. After the trials his body was found riddled with bullets.
One of the murder cases became nationally known. Belle Lemmon was living with Rosairo DeMarko in a Black Hand owned apartment on Water Street.. When he was assessed for his share of the lawyer fees, he could not pay the full amount. He was required to return Chicago. The Chicago Black Hand placed "Big Nose Phil" Cenendre was sent to the apartment. Belle hated him and began to drink to excess and became too talkative. The organization removed Cenendre with Tony Corbi in his place. Tony soon fell in love with Belle and she reciprocated the feeling. As she and Tony took a train bound for Baltimore, a young Irish girl, Carmella Malone was crying. When John McKinney, asked her was wrong, she replied she would never see Belle again. Belle's body was found stabbed 17 times, naked and violated. Tony's hat was found that was concealing the blackjack used to strike Belle by the police. The young Irish girl was taken to Baltimore to testify. She asked for police protection and was committed to a reformatory. When the detectives went to talk to her, it was discovered she had been taken against her will by a Baltimore attorney with a court order and bondsman She was never heard from again. Tony Corbi disappeared and the case never went to trial. The family of Bella Lemmon claimed the body and her father brought her back to Mannington for burial.
John C. McKinnney was a retired detective who worked in the Black Hand investigations. He later served as police Chief. The above information was take from his recollections in the Marion County Centennial Yearbook, 1963

[Dwalin2014]

JCB, thanks for the information, I once saw a newspaper article mentioning this Urso-Corbi organization and the trial after the murder gangsters who were killed allegedly for retaliation for the Centeniene (don't remember if it was spelled like that though) murder. Patsy Corbi was also mentioned in connection with some mafia activity in Baltimore I think. Unfortunately, I can't find this newspaper article anymore.

About the Frank Pisconeri group, even more interesting, I never heard about it before. Was he convicted at the end?

[Pogo The Clown]

The Corbi group in Baltimore was later absorbed as a crew in the Gambino family.


Pogo