CHAPTER XVIII
PINCHING THE GREENHORN
"I had been at this place about a month and a half when, on the nightof January 4th, 1910, about eight o'clock, six men came into the houseand, motioning me not to move, declared that I and Caterina were underarrest.
"'But who are you?' I asked in Italian.
"'We are government officers,' one of them replied in Italian, and heshowed me his shield.
"'Well, the place is at your disposal,' I said, sitting down on achair and smoking my pipe, feeling quite sure of myself.
"When they had finished searching the rooms and us personally theybrought Caterina and I to the office of the Federal Secret Service(United States Secret Service) and we were taken to the head of theservice, a Mr. William J. Flynn. To him I had no courage to deny whatI had done and confessed all. I assumed all the responsibility forCaterina, and told everything without any thought of getting offwithout punishment. Following my arrest the Secret Service menarrested Cina, Giglio, Uncle Salvatore, Sylvester and Lupo. On January26th, 1910, Ignazio Lupo, Giuseppe Morello, Antonio Cecala, SalvatorePalermo, Giuseppe Calichio and Nick Sylvester appeared before theJudge of the United States Court to answer the indictment of makingand passing counterfeit money.
"I appeared before the jury in the Federal Court as a witness,repeating what I had confessed to the Secret Service men. I did notcontradict myself on cross-examination when the defense tried to showthat I was a Calabrian bandit and had come to America for the purposeof joking with the law and justice, and that I was telling these'stories' and thus having eight innocent and perfect gentlemencondemned.
"I was not disturbed at the assault made upon my character by theignorant Italian press, who through libels and threats of many kindstried to shake my determination. I only laughed when I read and heardof those things.
"The Black-Hand crowd should be destroyed. The one great blow thatstarted the downfall of this murderous band of outlaws has been dealtby William J. Flynn, when he sent to prison the arch-bandits Lupo andMorello, and the lesser evils, Cecala, Cina, Giglio, etc.
"My final word here is that my purpose in giving testimony before theSecret Service was not done to have eight fathers of familiescondemned, but for the purpose of removing from among us eightSicilian criminals who horrified and preyed upon honest men under theleadership of murderers of the worst type that are a menace tocivilization.
"(Signed) Antonio Viola Comito."
The Barrel Mystery Page 18
