Joseph Petrosino versus the Black Hand.
Vložit
- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- In turn of the century New York City, criminals calling themselves "the Black Hand" preyed upon Italian immigrants who were afraid to report the crimes. One determined police officer took on what has been called the precursor to the mafia. The History Guy remembers Joe Petrosino.
The episode is intended for educational purposes. All events are portrayed in historical context. No graphic images of violence are depicted.
The History Guy uses media that are in the public domain. As photographs of actual events are sometimes not available, photographs of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
Facebook: / thehistoryguyyt
Patreon: / thehistoryguy
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.
Subscribe for more forgotten history: / @thehistoryguychannel .
Awesome The History Guy merchandise is available at:
teespring.com/stores/the-hist...
Script by HCW
#petrosino #thehistoryguy #ushistory
I am a retired investigator for the US Army who was stationed at Camp Darby, Italy. In the 1970s my partner was Michael Petrosino, a Carabinieri, who told me about his Great Grandfather who was killed by the Mafia. He showed me newspaper articles about the murder and funeral. The last contact I had with Michael was approximately 20 years ago when he lived in Lucca IT and was still with the Carabinieri. He was also a tenacious investigator and would have made his grandfather proud. I still have some photographs of Michael and me together.
Thank you for your service and your story!
What a brave and honest man. If only there were more like him in this world.
As the granddaughter of Sicilian immigrants, I salute you Ofc. Petrosino. My grandfather loathed Mafiaosos. He said they made his people look bad, to the entire world. He too, was a good man.
Amerigo Bonasera?
Jeanette Nizza your grandfather sounds like a good man !! A gang is still a gang !!
My husband’s family also faced prejudice and dislike due to their Sicilian heritage. It was even better to pass yourself off as Italian than admit to being Sicilian.
God bless him.
He was a good man and unfortunately he paid with his life for doing what he believed was right.
I'm a retired NYPD Detective and Petrosino is widely known by members of the dept. and I thought I knew a lot about him, but your video revealed how much I didn't know. Thanks for doing this and informing people what a great hero he was to the city of NY.
Must be nice To have a pension what is Your pension 70000 a year was be nice
@@jamessveinsson6006 what's that got to do with this subject!
Read the first family good book with lots about Joe petrosino and his fight with Mafioso.
@@harryhouck haha i was asking the same question in my head
Another example of how the loud mouthed, idiotic media is willing to put someone's life in danger to sell a damn newspaper.
“And for my little girl, who has spent many months away from her Daddy”
As a father who misses his little girl very much, it brought me to tears.
I teared up a bit as well....
Still crying.
Mr. Roscoe, my "little girl" is now away at college and I still tear up when I clean her bedroom.
I feel ya
@@barnabyaprobert5159 dont look behind the dresser thats where all the used condoms are hidden. Just kidding, congrats on having kid who went to college
I am Italian/American and my Grandfather was Military Police in the Army during WW2. He was a very tough but honorable man. I truly miss him...
Joseph Petrosino is a relative of mine. I’m super proud a member of my family did such amazing things. I’ve heard some of these stories, but not all, my whole life. Thanks you for sharing some new stories. I enjoyed listening to this.
riflemanusa both lol
He is a relative of mine as well. How are you related?
I really appreciated this video! My family’s oral history about the Black Hand is right in line with a lot of the narrative here. My great-grandmother, Antoinette, came to the US in 1916, settling in Brooklyn with an aunt and several nieces and nephews. A local mafiosi took a shine to her and pursued her relentlessly. At some point, the family introduced her to my great-grandfather, Pasquale, who was a family friend. The two hit it off and wanted to marry, which prompted the bad guy to turn up the heat. One day, she came home and the family was in an uproar-the uncle had been given a piece of paper with a black hand on it, demanding she marry the mafiosi. I’m fuzzy on the details but I think the family wanted her to submit. Instead, the couple eloped and ended up in Worcester, MA., letting everyone think Antoinette was simply dead; I imagine this was to protect them and the family from being subjected to more terroristic threats by the bad guys. Some years later, Antoinette visited the old neighborhood, shocking everyone who recognized her-some believed she must be a ghost since everyone knew she was long dead!
Great story!
The cemetery is name Calvary in Woodside Queens
Mrs .Petrosino died in 1957 and her daughter Mrs Petrosino-Burke passed away August 2004.
Anthony Cavaliere Thank you for that. Did the daughter have any kids?
@@bentnickel7487 a daughter Susan Ann
There is a saying, "Who is remembered, lives."
Grazie.
@@bentnickel7487 prego
He always had a job that involved cleaning things up.
Shiny boys?
There is a wall at Police HQ upon which the names of the fallen police officers are written. I believe his name is the first.
There is a small square in Soho on Lafayette Street honoring Lt. Petrosino.
@@G-Money124 I used to work nearby and would sit and drink my morning coffee in Petrosino Square (which, ironically is a triangular shaped park) every morning if the weather was nice enough to do so before going into work.
A true American.
ya not too many of those around these days.
God bless America and all good people that are here and come here to make our Democracy.
Nowadays wouldn't be allowed to emigrate
@@mariocassina90 Sadly true. The government needs more Somalis.
@@Mujangga .. LOL.. Uncontrolled immigration is what created the mafia problem in USA. Any low life that wanted to come to USA to kidnap, stort, or steal was not stopped at the border. Italians used to sneak in from Mexico or Canada easily. My Italian grandfather used to tell me about kids been kidnap often. It was "normal" to live in fear of the gangs.
That kid was right. He would definitely be somebody. What a good man.
THE REAL BATMAN!
@Snaggle Toothed martel as in charles yes.
Great story, Michael Fiaschetti was with the Italian squad, Known as the man they couldn’t escape.He went to Italy to catch the Camorra killers, but barely escape with his own life.He was a great friend to Mr. Petrosino
Thank you for the piece on Giuseppi Petrosino. I first read about him in 1975 and sadly have seen nothing since. He was truely an honorable man and hero for all! He makes me proud to be a second generation American of Italian descent!
What a true public servant and hero.
Thank you for telling this story. Petrosino was a true hero and deserves, indeed, to be remembered.
Wonderful story. Your tastes in history range farther than mine. I am richer for what you share.
You make amazing videos - smart and engaging without trying to be edgy or smarmy. I wish there were more channels like yours!
kfreckman, why more channels? We only need this one.
kfreckman I agree..so enjoyable..I’m a very proud Italian American
I'm actually related to Joseph, he's actually one of my cousins on my Great grandmother's side of the family... ❤❤❤❤
Well tell us a story!
AnneMarie Gentile I’m descended from one of his younger brothers!
This is incredible. His nephew is my Grandpa
The original Serpico...Thanks!
Was thinking the same
This is my favorite CZcams channel, you need a whole documentary series!!
Fargo Holmes it is a whole documentary series
I know what Fargo meant, but I know what you mean too. One could just make a playlist and that would be as good, I mean better than watching the History channel. I just hope The History Guy doesn't go off the rails and talk Ancient Aliens. "Today is a day which deserves to be remembered, the day that the aliens uplifted apes to help mine water."
Bruce Baxter I agree that his channel is a series, but I meant he should be allow to have money allocated to him for more production value, like having re-enactments of his daily snippet of history, or even travel to some of the locations and show us what marks history has left upon us. Either way I just want more of him and his voice
DJRonnieG ...there are no ancient aliens, or aliens of any kind...except for tiny things, one celled amoebas, plankton and possibly bacterium sort of ...things. I agree, and am quite sure HG would also subscribe to this opinion. Truly.
If entertainment marketing executives were wise, they would buy up some rights and elevate the History Guy to a position of higher visibility. People are hungry for this stuff.
Amazing story, I loved it, and such a pity he's forgotten about today. Great man RIP
Petrosino's postcard home is heartbreaking and you gave it to us like the master storyteller you are. Wonderful video as always.
What an amazing person. It is sad that we only have comic superheroes today. This sort of courage and justice is so rare.
Thank you for another excellent history lesson. I had a history teacher in junior high school that presented his lessons much like yours.
Martin Scorsese needs to make a movie on the life of Joseph Petrosino.
Joe Petrosino was my great great great uncle. Its so cool to see all these videos and books and even a movie on a semi famous relative. Im very proud of my Italian heritage because of men like Joe.
What a fascinating story about an amazing brave man. Rest in peace no. 285
What an awesome story. Thanks for sharing it with us.
did anybody else think this might be about the Serbian Black Hand that assassinated Duke Ferdinand?
Doubt it - there were at least half a dozen groups that used the name. See Wikipedia.
Very Cool.
huh, okay didn't know that.
1960HikerDude The Mexican Mafia
Intensely admirable and heroic American.
I'm an NYC Tour Guide, doing research for a tour of Little Italy .. I had never heard of Officer Petrosino until yesterday, even though I've walked by the park named after him 100s of times. Tomorrow when I do this tour, i will end by telling the story of this brave an important man in NYC's history! thank you for this!
I love your site. I just recently found it. Just one thing about this story about the Black Hand and Officer Petrosino I feel you should have also shown how the Black Hand was really active down in New Orleans starting in the late 1800's. Keep up the great work and since I love History as much as I do I guess you site has me HOOKED! Great Job.
I don't understand the thumbs down. Very interesting slice of American history... Thanks.
Especially loved the authentic photos and film in this one. Keep up the good - heck, AMAZING - work!
How about 5.05 when the two wanted mobsters are shown, Vito Sorisi has an alias of ‘Vito Colorino’. Interesting.
Wow. You got me with this one. Tears for his daughter .
Truly a man of integrity. May every generation find men and women worthy to walk in his footsteps. Well done!
What a great story. Growing up my best friend's father, of Italian heritage, was a NYC policeman. When my friend's younger brother grew up, he too joined the NYPD and he was given his father's badge. That happens a lot.
A truly brave man. Thanks for sharing this story. He needs to be remembered.
Excellent episode a story of a brave man with integrity. He paid the price for relentlessly doing the right thing.
Wow. Great! As a 42-year newspaper journalist, I must commend your storytelling and factual precision.
Petrocino was a Bad Ass
This guy was better than Serpico and all the rest.
He was a pioneer and trend setting leader in Law Enforcement.
When I worked in Brooklyn Supreme Court, One of the supervising DA's was named Joe Petrosino. He's a descendant of this man.
Only few always manage to make many look bad. Great story and may God bless officer Petrosino wherever he is!!... Thank you!!...
Another brilliant episode HG. I was thinking - yesterday that the Princess Anne story was probably my favourite or maybe the PanAM clipper or maybe ... then you come up with this. Petrosino what a guy. I've seen people through life who would "rock the boat" a bit, but once they'd made a bit of a name settle down to middle echelon secure gravy traindom - not Petrosino. Surprised it hasn't been a movie.
Buona Fortuna its been at least three movies, with another in production.
Buona Fortuna, “middle echelon secure gravy traindom” what a fabulous turn of phrase. Thanks; might use it myself.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel what's the name of the movies about him...?
Thanks HG, just looked them up. Well due for a remake though I wish they hadn't picked Di Caprio for the titular role - can't have everything I spose.
julemanden uden gaver The Adventures of Lieutenant Petrosino (1912); Pay or Die (1960); The Black Hand (1973)
Wow thank you Sir, for bringing Joseph Petrosino to our attention. A hero. Did he not receive any medals or honours? Seems he’s over due.
Thank you for sharing this with us. What a hero. Certainly this is "History that deserves to be remembered. We need a great movie about Joseph Petrosino.
See "Pay Or Die" from the late 50's--starring Ernest Borgnine.
I'll have to ask my neighbors about Joe Petrosino. Both moved here from New York, both are the descendants of Italian and Sicilian immigrants, and he served a long career with the NYPD. They're the best neighbors I've ever had.
As I always say; This is the most valuable channel on CZcams. Thank you for all you do History Guy!
This is a great story my grandfather and his three brothers who came from Sicilyowned a wholesale produce business Belvedere produce it's still on the Bronx market today they used to fight with the black hand all the time. One of my great uncle's was a very big man and he used to beat the living hell out of those guys most of them didn't carry guns back then throw them in the dumpsters. My father although he's misplaced them has somewhere a couple Letters From the Black Hand threatening letters that they had sent them and they would stamp them with a little black hand write on the letter very cool. They never pay them a dime.
wow, actual ancient nyc black hand letters. that's an amazing thing to have. what decades do you think the letters span?
Very cool! Thank you for sharing! Agreed, if Americans bend over for extortion they'll bend over for massive Constitutional violations as well.
Awesome story. Thanks for sharing.
A largely untold story wonderfully recounted.
A truly great American. I'd never heard his story before. Thank you for making this video.
Great man and a great story. Thank you History Guy.
Petrosino is a true American hero.
One of your best stories Dash 250,000 people in New York City appreciated that Joseph Petrosino and those people like him are the reason that America is that Beacon upon a hill.
America is not about how you got here today, it's about what we build together tomorrow.
I'm proud of my italian/american immigrant heritige.
This one of your greatest yet. Thanx Dude. 🇩🇰🇺🇸✨
Great episode ... thanks HG!!
You are everything The History Channel isn't. Thank you for a superior episode time after time.
Years ago I read an account of Petrosino and his work, but you bring much more to the story, making it more about a man's life than his profession.
Another great history lesson from the History Guy!
Concise, and entertaining!
Amazing as always Sir. Thank you for your passion for history. We all benefit.
What a legend!
A true American hero a man who cares for all no matter where they were from, if only he had never gone on that mission or turned around much crime could have been prevented.
They made a movie about this guy. It's called "pay or die!" With Ernest Borgnine.
Ernest was a very underrated actor.
I saw that picture many years ago. And yes, Ernest was underrated. Fatso Judson in "From Here to Eternity" and who better to play Vince Lombardi?
Didn't see you post before I made mine...Ernie Borgnine was Joe Petrosino in the movie - and I was wrong about the year - it was 1960 - I was ten years old...
www.imdb.com/title/tt0054164/?ref_=nv_sr_1
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_or_Die
I remember watching it on WOR-TV (Ch 9) out of NYC as a kid..
I am an nyc tour guide regularly working on walking tours in little italy. i usually dont have much time to pay petrosino due respect in such amazing detail as you have, as my tours are all encompassing and limited in time and distance. but here now I wish i could dedicate an entire tour to him. serpico aint got nothing on petrosino. would you ever consider doing a video on the POW ships anchored in wallabout bay during the american revolution? this has always been a subject of great fascination for me, one which is given scarce attention or respect
Wow! Talk about making history personal. I cried with joy at what a great American this man became, and 15 minutes ago I had never heard of him. Outstanding job, sir!
If I may semi plagiarize a well know phrase......"The History Guy deserves to be recommended"! Always such fascinating subject matter, and always so professionally & entertainingly presented.
Amazing story about an amazing man
Thank you for bringing it to light
Really enjoy your presentations
Keep up the great work!!!
I love good fiction, but pumping out remakes and 20 super hero movies a years seems kind of ridiculous when most people haven't heard amazing true stories like this.
This guy definitely deserves his own movie.
There is a movie being made as we speak. Leonardo DiCaprio is going to portray him. It should come out at the end of this year or next year
@@jimmypics1570 unfortunately bro we don't know if it is being made or not as of now
You have done an outstanding job telling a compelling and important story! Keep up the good work. 12:30
Wow. Great piece of history. Thank you for keeping it alive
Joseph Petrosino; Immigrant. Thank God for our immigrant society... Not perfect, just striving to become a "more perfect union".
Immigration brings gold, and also brings garage... USA should have been more careful back in the day, but cheap labor is hard to turn away from. Italians, even Sicilians, were eventually considered White Americans.. Most had respect for American ways, and wanted to be American, working hard toward assimilation.
Others abused the criminal justice system, their fellow immigrants, and eventually developed into a complicated Organized Crime syndicate.
Let's learn form our mistakes and show diligence in the face of successive waves of immigrants. If the waves are large, and National Pride is weak American Culture will be lost.
The undertow could undermine the pillars of the Republic.
No Thanks, to that.
Such an honorable man.
Thank you - This is a hero if ever there were one. I was very moved by this. More than anything in the world i hate bullies. Thank God for the people who stand up to them. i almost started to cry when you read his postcard.
The First *Untouchable* ! Awesome story and Excellent Narration. I really appreciate how you elevate these relatively obscure stories that would otherwise be buried in time. Thank You!
God I love the history guy I've learned so much by watching these clips thank you
It's surprising how crime, evil, and wickedness flourishes simply because most people do not have basic courage.
To your point, A very wise man once said something like: "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing".
Well he did and paid the price.
It is given man once to die and after this the judgment.. no one gets away with anything in the end.
@@paolomartini150 And we, as a society, are lucky to have had such a man.
This is quite probably one of the best, if not the best, episodes you have produced. Thank you, this fine man certainly deserves to be remembered...
Appears I viewed this before since the 👍 was blued already. This time, saved to "Favorites."
Have been down this rabbit hole of following Mob life for nearly two years. Been keeping up with the videos of Michael Franzese and Sammy Gravano. No doubt, this video was included in queue awhile back.
Saw a comment on a video on Glenn Curtiss about the "stones" our predecessors had. Petrosino fits the mold. Didn't have much formal education but was obviously gifted for work in law enforcement and a man of integrity.
Thanks for bringing these stories to us. Even when someone else covers the same topic, your presentation is worth the time invested to get a fuller picture.
Can you do a story on the USS Bulmer? My Grandfather was the Torpedo Man (?).
They were somehow involved in MacArthur's rescue from the Philippines and the thing he was most proud of was destroying some docks in Italy. They got an award of some kind because they not only hit their targets but also made an extra run at them in what was seen as a suicidal act at the time.
He saw action in the Pacific and Atlantic all in a WWI relic of a "destroyer".
That I know of, no one has done anything on the Bulmer or any of that class of ship.
My Grandfather was also very instrumental (I think) in development of the "new" torpedoes.
He started out on the BASS, a submarine, but got himself "disqualified" from sub service.
He was in the Navy and I believe on the water from before the war started till after it was over.
His last job was pushing brand new Jeep's and .45 caliber side arms over the side in the Atlantic.
He had to staple one piece of a triplicate form on the outside of every crate he said so the fish would know what was in them...
He was a real character but he rarely spoke about the war what little I know I found out from people who knew him back then.
I'd like to know more and I think he probably did a lot in the war I know that the Bulmer was deployed all over. Not a lot of action but the stuff it was involved in was pretty significant.
I found it interesting that he had been strafed by three of the major axis powers.
Japanese Germans and Italians.
He did talk about trading sharks to the Aborigines in Australia after escorting MacArthur from the Philippines.
Although he never told me what they traded for...
But they did get in trouble for stealing a roast from the galley to use as bait on the anchor chain.
I am a retired LEO and had never heard this story even though I have worked with former NYPD officers. This is an outstanding tale for Law Enforcement and like Sir Robert Peel's Principles, it should be taught to all police cadets.Thank you so much for this enlightenment on a true Law Enforcement Hero of our country.
Marvelous as usual. You have an historical gift.
What a man. Inspirational and sad at the exact same time. Have a great day night ladies and gentlemen. ✌❤🙋
So i've paused the video at 7:59 and I'm reading that typed letter.....that's REALLY how the Italians spoke English back then?!
I've always heard people joking around and saying stuff like...
"You putta ya hands uppa! Youse unda arresta!"
And it looks like, according to how that letter was typed, that odd pronounciation/dialect was based on fact!
That's pretty nuts...
i was thinking the same thing. there must be some grammatical or linguistic structure to italian reflected in that, i don't speak italian well enough to say. but pretty cartoonish seeming, yes
Holy moly! Listening to it I had always thought it was a result of their thick accent.
LOL! I know if I received that letter today I'd think it was a joke. But, well, I guess the next time I get a letter that goes, "...if you no puta da money ona da side a da saloon then you noa live no more..." I'm going to have to take it a bit more seriously.
That still won't make me stop chuckling at it though.
That’s how NY got its accent.
I think it's because Italian (being descended from Latin) is a very regular language. Words almost always end in a vowel, for instance. This becomes an ingrained habit, thus "putta uppa your hands." It's similar, though not as extensive, in Mexican-American speech. I live in Texas. In Tex-Mex, the word for car is "caro," and truck is "trucha." There are many words like this where people just latinify the simpler English word by adding a vowel ending. In the latter case, though, it's not done at all when speaking English, as with the old Italian example. Tex-Mex is more of a patoi or creole within Spanish.
James Woodard a family friend is Italian. More specifically he’s Sicilian and he speaks English as you describe.
Another great video, thanks History Guy...Frank
Thank you for keeping history and those who made it alive.
Another great History description and story History Man, you surely have what it takes. Much appreciated .
That part about the shoe shine box reminds me of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas.
HELP ME REMEMBER HISTORY GUY!
ok, don't forget History Guy.
This is not a movie, and as such there is not always a happy ending. Except for the lack of that happy ending, this man's story would have made an incredible movie. Much better than anything Hollywood can ever dream up. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention.
Outstanding! I so look forward to your stories. Some of the best the internet has to offer.
There is an English proverb 'Opportunity makes the man.' Well it did make the man and he took the opportunity to make his mark.
Thank you so much for this counter to the "godfather" movies!
Gratitude & Respect Professor!!
Thanks for bringing your stories to the light of day.
Great video , How about a video on the Serbian Black Hand ? .
A hell of a man.
Truly, a story that needs to be remembered. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this, people like that need to be remembered.