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Vol. 2, No. 1: January 2009

Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents

A 1909 secret mission for the New York Police Department sent Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino, leader of the Italian Squad and nemesis of the Sicilian-Italian underworld, into a lion's den. Unknown assassins took his life in Palermo, the Mafia's legendary birthplace. Petrosino is remembered for his toughness, his bulldog tenacity and his selfless devotion to duty. This issue of Informer is dedicated to Petrosino's memory and the sterling example he has provided to generations of Italian-Americans.

We are delighted to call our readers' attention to a new Informer feature - crime family membership charts. This issue holds a detailed chart of the early Kansas City crime family, 1910s-1940s, compiled by researcher Bill Feather. We hope to bring you a new membership chart each quarter.

In this issue we conclude our two-part series, The Mob's Worst Year: 1957. Part 2 includes a discussion of Albert Anastasia's murder, the Apalachin underworld convention and the sudden awakening of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI to the existence of the Mafia.

Books coverage in this issue includes an interview with Scott Deitche, author of The Silent Don and Cigar City Mafia; David Critchley's review of Open City: True Story of the KC Crime Family 1900-1950 by William Ouseley; a review of The Last Undercover by Bob Hamer; and additional news.

Martyr: Joseph Petrosino. A century ago, Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino of the New York Police Department was shot to death while on assignment in a foreign land. Eighteen pages including sidebar and endnotes. (Preview)

The Mob's Worst Year: 1957, Part 2 of 2. Fifty years ago, lawmakers, enforcement officials and the American public finally became aware of the depth and breadth of the Mafia underworld. Nine and a half pages including endnotes. (Preview)

Kansas City Mafia Membership Chart, 1910s-1940s, by Bill Feather. Three and a half pages including notes. (Preview)

Interview with Scott Deitche, author of The Silent Don and Cigar City Mafia. Two and a half pages.

Book review by David Critchley of William Ouseley's Open City: True Story of the KC Crime Family 1900-1950. Two pages.

Book review of The Last Undercover: The True Story of an FBI Agent's Dance with Evil by Bob Hamer. One page.

Cumberland House True Crime Titles Search for Homes. One and a half pages.

Books: New Releases. Half page.

Ask the Informer: Sam Pollaccia / The Society of the Banana. One page. (Preview)

Current Events: Top 10 U.S. Mob News Stories of 2008. Two and a half pages.

Deaths: Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, Salvatore Scala, Frank J. Valenti, Anthony Spero. Two pages.

A Look Back: 1 year ago; 25 years ago; 50 years ago; 100 years ago. One page. (Preview)

Bulletins: Gangster History Convention, On the Spot Journal, Mob Tours, National Museum of Crime and Punishment. Half page.

Letters. Half page.

56 pages including cover and advertisements.
Published Jan. 26, 2009.

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Martyr: Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino

Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents
Feature Article

A century ago, Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino of the

New York Police Department was shot to death

while on assignment in a foreign land.

Martyr

by Thomas Hunt

First paragraph:
"'Petrosino was a great man, a good man,' former President Theodore Roosevelt told the press. 'I knew him for years, and he did not know the name of fear. He was a man worth while. I regret most sincerely the death of such a man as Joe Petrosino.'"

Sixteen pages article body
including sidebar story
Two pages of endnotes
Eleven images.

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Kansas City Mafia Members, 1910s-1940s

Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents
Membership Chart

Researcher Bill Feather provides a chart of early Kansas City Mafia membership.

Names, aliases, birth-death-immigration data, birthplaces and ranks for dozens of members and suspected members of the KC Outfit.

Three pages.

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The Mob's Worst Year: 1957 - Part Two

Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents
Feature Article
Part 2 of 2

Fifty years ago, lawmakers, enforcement officials

and the American public finally became aware

of the depth and breadth of the Mafia underworld.

The Mob's Worst Year

by Thomas Hunt

First paragraph:
"Albert Anastasia’s death in 'the chair' might have been preordained. The legendary Mafia boss and accomplished murderer managed to escape death in Sing Sing Prison’s electric chair in 1921, only to meet his end in a barber chair 35 years later."


Seven and a half pages article body
Two pages of endnotes
Seven images.

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Book news and reviews

Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents
Book news and reviews

Open City: True Story of the KC Crime Family
by William Ouseley
Reviewed by David Critchley.

The Last Undercover: The True Story of an FBI Agent's Dance with Evil
by Bob Hamer

Cumberland House true crime titles search for homes

An interview with Scott Deitche

New releases: The Origin of Organized Crime in America by David Critchley; Mob Boss by Mike Hudson; Gomorrah (paperback reprint) by Roberto Saviano and Virginia Jewiss.

On the way: Mafia Son by Sandra Harmon; The First Family by Mike Dash.

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In the News

Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents

In the News:

• Informer's list of the top 10 mob news stories of 2008

Deaths:

• Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal
• Salvatore "Fat Sal" Scala
• Frank J. Valenti
• Anthony Spero

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A Look Back

Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents
A Look Back

100 years ago:
NYPD Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino assassinated in Sicily.

50 years ago:
Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista forced into exile.

25 years ago:
Pizza Connection broken up.

1 year ago:
Salvatore Bonanno died after heart attack.

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Ask the Informer: Pollaccia; Society of Banana

Vol. 2, Issue 1, Jan. 2009 Contents
Ask the Informer


Question:
Was Sam Pollaccia really a key figure in the early New York Mafia?


Question:
What was the Society of the Banana?


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