by reprinting a mislabeled portrait
A 1931 photograph said by Italian periodical Piccola to be a likeness of New York-based Mafia leader Salvatore Maranzano has turned out to be an image of a German mass murderer.
It was hoped that the discovery represented a victory in the eighty-eight-year quest for a photo of the living Maranzano. (There are a couple of crime scene photos taken following Maranzano's September 10, 1931, murder.) But, like another photo long believed to be the Mafia boss (but a decade ago proven in Informer to be a mug shot of an English vice criminal), it turned out to be someone else.
Due to the efforts of a keen-eyed European crime historian, the recently discovered photo was traced to portraits made of convicted multiple murderer Peter Kurten. Some known photos of Kurten - often referred to as "The Monster of Dusseldorf" or "The Dusseldorf Vampire" - match the supposed Maranzano photo published in the November 10, 1931, issue of Italy's Piccola. The photos match in facial details, hat and clothing. One also shows identical facial positioning and seems to be the original full-length image from which the Piccola portrait was cropped.
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| Image above from Criminal Encyclopedia |
We apologize to our readers for inadvertently contributing to the generations-old "Maranzano muddle."
Image at left from Murderpedia
3 comments:
I remember as a child, reading about this monster. Almost certain, cannibalism was also involved. Toto's image remains as elusive as ever.
Probably the only way to find Maranzano's photo is to contact his descendants who still lives in the New York area.
Credo che tra breve il volto e la storia di Salvatore Maranzano saranno rivelate una volta per tutte. Sto scrivendo la vera storia di Maranzano e della sua famiglia e il libro sarà corredato delle foto di Maranzano sia da giovane a Castellammare che in America,foto con la famiglia, con la Roll Rois, ecc..... La bellezza e la profondità del volto di Maranzano sarà una grande sorpresa per tutti. Il libro avrà come titolo "IO SALVATORE MARANZANO vera storia-vero volto", sarà editato in italiano ed in inglese e venduto tramite Amazon.
Un piccolo accenno su Maranzano (poche pagine)l'ho già inserito nel mio ultimo lavoro di gennaio 2021 "DA CASTELLAMMARE DEL GOLFO A VILLALBA DI GUIDONIA" si trova su Amazon e racconta la storia di Angela, Sorella di Salatore Maranzano e moglie di Pietro Galante. In queste pagine ho già dchiarato che le foto su internet attribuite a Salvatore non sono vere, ovvero non è lui. Io conosco bene il volto di Salvatore e tutta la sua storia. Debbo ancora concludere le ricerche di alcuni anni della sua vita e il libro sarà completo. Grazie a tutti. Mario Pieracci Galante
I believe that Salvatore Maranzano's face and story will soon be revealed once and for all. I am writing the true story of Maranzano and his family and the book will be accompanied by photos of Maranzano both as a young man in Castellammare and in America, photos with his family, with the Roll Rois, etc ..... The beauty and depth of the face of Maranzano will be a great surprise for everyone. The book will be entitled "IO SALVATORE MARANZANO true story-true face", will be published in Italian and English and sold through Amazon.
A small mention of Maranzano (a few pages) I have already included in my last work of January 2021 "FROM CASTELLAMMARE DEL GOLFO TO VILLALBA DI GUIDONIA" is on Amazon and tells the story of Angela, Sister of Salatore Maranzano and wife of Pietro Gallant. In these pages I have already clarified that the photos on the internet attributed to Salvatore are not true, that is, it is not him. I know Salvatore's face and all his history well. I still have to finish the research of a few years of his life and the book will be complete. Thank you all. Mario Pieracci Galante
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