"BLACK HAND"

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11405, 5 January 1931, Page 7

"BLACK HAND"

SYDNEY REVELATIONS

AN ITALIAN DANGER,

SYDNEY, Dec. 24

Remarkable evidence of the existence In Sydney of a branch of the Camorra (“Black Hand”), the dreaded secret society of Italy, was given at .an inquest into the death of an Italian fisherman, Dominico Belle, whose sensational urder at Newtown’ eleven months ago in broad daylight has never been explained, writes the representative of “The Post.” Bello was fatally stabbed as he was descending the railway steps. An Italian whs seen nearby, hut a complete description of the murderer was never given. At the time the police suspected that a secret society was behind the crime, for Belle’s countrymen adopted a policy of complete sil enco and the police in their inquiries were seriously embarrassed Although it was fairly definitely established that Belle was the leader of some dread society, members of that society feigned complete ignorance of his identity. They had never heard of him. They had never seen him before.

Joseph Mammone, an Italian hairdresser, informed the Coroner that ho owed Belle some money, but he was always on good terms with him. To his knowledge Belle had not quarrelled with anyone. He had repaid the murdered man the money lie owed.

The police then produced several letters that were written by the dead man. One of these was addressed to Mammone, and concluded: “I greet you with a sting, and believe me, yours affectionately.” Other letters contained mysterious references to acts performed in Italy and for which payment had to be made. Mammone described all these letters as false. In a document described as “The Life Story of Joseph Mammone,” which, the police allege, was found in Mammone’s shop, it was stated that Mammone had been sentenced to death in America on a charge of murder, and that the .sentence had been commuted later to one of imprisonment for two years. Mammone. admitted having written ,the paper, but said that it was not- true. He admitted, however, that he had served aj sentence for manslaughter. He denied that he owed Belle £SO for having set alight to his shop. Later the polic-e informed the Coroner that they had evidence that Mammone and Bello were joint leaders of a secret society.

In returning a verdict of murder by some unknown person, the Coroner described Mammone as a criminal, and added that he was certain that if an Australian criminal were found in Italy, Mussolini would order his deportation to the land of his birth. He thought there should he some reciprocal action in the case before Kim. and he felt that if the Italian Consul-General knew the facts he would act. At the.conclusion of the inquest the Federal authorities said that an immediate inquiry would be made, especially into the manner in which Mammone, a foreigner with a criminal record, obtained admission into Australia. There will also he an inquiry into the operations of the society. for the police are convinced that in Sydney there is a nest of Camorrists—whether large or small has yet to he determined. The Chief of the Criminal Investigation Branch im Sydney (Superintendent Mackav) said that when the investigation into the Belle murder began the police did not expect it to develop in' the sensational way it did. The influence of the secret society obtruded' itself before the inquiries had progressed very far. Letters and documents that were seized contained references to crimes' committed in Italy. The difficulties of the detectives were enormous. There were no Australian convictions against the Italians that were involved in the correspondence. Until Italians who might be associated with the Camorra fell into police hands on charges in Australia it would not be possible, as the law stood, for the police to move for their deportation. Blackmail, robbery, smuggling, violent assault, murder, and the sharing of the proceeds of crime on a co-operative basis are the evils charged against the Neapolitan Camorra. Both the police and the Home and Territories Department are faced with the questions: Is any Italian who has direct or indirect dealings with such a secret society while he is in Australia to remain a citizen of the Commonwealth? An immigrant who is not a British subject may be deported if it can be proved that within five years before his arrival in Australia he has committed a crime punishable by imprisonment for twelve months or more. In such case he is deemed to ho a prohibited immigrant? If he should he convicted of a crime of violence in Australia ho automatically becomes a prohibited immigrant, but can he be dealt with if he is suspected of belonging to a society which might not stop at any crime ? So far the police have not unearthed any member of the Camorra against whom they have been able to bring any charge, but they are certain that Bello was stabbed to death by order of the society.