The Barrel MysteryFlynn, William J. (William James)
General
The Barrel Mystery
Flynn, William J. (William James)
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
The initials on the signature of the letter, I guessed were those of
Pietro Inzarillo. This man conducted a little Italian café at No. 226
Elizabeth Street, in the same block where Acritelli's bank was, and
also in the same block where the sub post office station was located
where the letter had been registered. Also, I knew that this Inzarillo
was just around the corner from the grocery store of Lupo, at No. 8
Prince Street; and in the back of Lupo's café, Morello conducted his
Italian restaurant.
I examined the five-dollar counterfeit bill and saw that it was the
work of the Lupo-Morello gang.
Then, too, the return address, No. 8 Prince Street, was where Morello
and Lupo were doing business. The problem was how to connect these two
fellows with the writing of the letter. It had been rejected when
brought back there by the letter carrier.
I hit upon the plan of finding out whether the handwriting was that of
Lupo, which I had reason to believe it was. I remembered that several
of the Lupo-Morello gang were in the Tombs awaiting trial for
counterfeiting. I knew that many of their friends applied to United
States Marshal Henkel for passes to visit the members of the gang
locked up. Two of these were Isadore Crocervera and Giuseppe DePriema.
The latter, by the way, was the brother-in-law of the man found
murdered in the barrel.
I went to Marshal Henkel and told him what I was after, and made
arrangements with him to get the handwriting of all those who called
and asked for passes to see the two Morello-Lupo counterfeiters. So
whenever the visiting members called at the marshal's office and asked
for passes the marshal pretended that he did not understand and had
the visitors write out what they wished and required them to sign the
request for passes. In this way I obtained the signature and
handwriting of a number of the gang, but failed in the main purpose,
namely, that of obtaining a sample of Lupo's handwriting or his
signature.
Despite the fact that I was satisfied that the workmanship of the bill
was that of the Lupo-Morello crowd, and though I was confident that
Lupo wrote the letter, yet when the letter was returned to No. 8
Prince Street nobody there would accept it for Giuseppe Conti, the
information to the letter carrier being that no such person lived
there or was known there. When you know the ways of the Sicilian
criminal this occurrence alone is good grounds for believing that a
great deal more was known about Giuseppe Conti at the Prince Street
address than was given to the letter carrier.
I hit upon another plan. I knew that Lupo was importing into this
country a large quantity of olive oil, which had to pass the
government officials. Accordingly, I went to see John Hughes, brother
of former Inspector of Police Edward Hughes, who was at one time in
charge of the Detective Bureau at Police Headquarters. I told Hughes
what I wanted. He was in the Custom's service.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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