Near the Turn of the Twentieth Century, Pennsylvania's Northeastern Coal Fields Became Home to Numerous Immigrants from the Si
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4 INFORMER APRIL 2011 Near the turn of the Twentieth Century, Pennsylvania’s northeastern coal fields became home to numerous immigrants from the Sicilian sulfur mining regions. Their trip across the Atlantic resulted in modest lifestyle improvements, but the new Americans still were plagued by perilous working conditions, abusive management and a ruthless Mafia organization. By Thomas Hunt and Michael A. Tona About one hundred and thirty miles west anthracite in home heating were developed of New York City, an underworld organiza- in the early 19 th Century. tion took root in the early-1900s Italian coal- The geographically isolated Wyoming mining communities of northeastern Penn- Valley in northeastern Pennsylvania was sylvania. particularly rich in hard coal. However, the The shadowy organization known as “the expenses and dangers of transporting coal to Men of Montedoro” played an important role market over the thickly wooded Pocono in the development of the American Mafia, Mountains or via the treacherous Susque- serving as an adhesive force between the hanna River further frustrated mining ef- New York City and Buffalo Mafia clans, forts in the region. In the middle of the cen- leading organized crime into the lucrative tury, canals were constructed to resolve the field of labor racketeering and blurring the problems. The North Branch Canal allowed boundary between underworld rackets and transport of coal southward to Philadelphia legitimate enterprises. and Baltimore. Later, the North Branch Ex- tension provided access to markets in New Coal mining York and New England. In the 1860s, rail- Pennsylvanians became aware of large roads began serving the region. underground anthracite coal deposits in the As the anthracite mining industry began late 18 th Century. 1 The hard, lustrous coal to grow, it made use of expert immigrant initially was deemed a poor energy source, miners from Scotland and Wales. Those first as there were difficulties in keeping anthra- went to work in the Carbondale area and cite fires burning. So there was little rush to then gradually moved southwest down the mine the mineral. Effective means of using valley, toward Scranton, Pittston and Wilkes informer-journal.blogspot.com Near the turn of the Twentieth Century, a large number of Sicilian immigrants found work in the an- thracite coal mines of northeastern Pennsylvania. 6 INFORMER APRIL 2011 -Barre. 2 The Wyoming Valley became a pop- sulfur extraction was accomplished through ular destination for immigrants looking for deep mining operations, such as those used work. A variety of European settlers, includ- to collect anthracite coal from under the Wy- ing Germans, Poles, Italians and Sicilians oming Valley.4 followed the Scottish and Welsh into the Oddly, the emigration of families from budding communities of Pennsylvania’s Lu- the Montedoro region did not coincide with zerne County. An estimated one hundred the worst of the working conditions in the thousand immigrants settled in the region sulfur mines but with a government crack- between 1870 and 1915. Many lived in down on abusive companies. One historian “mining patch” villages, designed, built and noted, “It was only in the 1890s, through the controlled by the companies holding mining efforts of social activists such as Luigi Sturzo leases to the land. Patch residents were (a Catholic priest), that the issues of inhu- compelled to rent company-owned ram- mane working conditions and child exploita- shackle homes and to shop in company- tion were addressed.” 5 owned stores. 3 It isn’t known for certain whether the ef- Near the turn of the century, Luzerne forts to reform mine operations were at all County benefited from the expertise of im- related to the arrival of the Montedoresi in migrant sulfur miners from the interior of Pittston. It is worth noting that the new im- Sicily. Families from Montedoro and nearby migrants brought with them the abusive and Serradifalco moved into the region. They corrupting influence of their Old Country concentrated in the quickly growing City of Mafia. Pittston, along the Susquehanna River. Montedoro had long been a center of Montedoresi arrive mining activity in Sicily, and much of its Among the earlier arrivals from male population – including young boys – Montedoro was Salvatore Bufalino, who were employed in the mines. The municipal- crossed the Atlantic in late summer of 1901. 6 ity’s name, translated “mountain of gold,” is In April of 1902, he was joined by his cousin believed to refer to the precious sulfur in the Giuseppe LaTorre, who entered the United ground there. While some surface (strip) States through New York harbor aboard the mining was done in the area, most of the S.S. California and went to stay with the informer-journal.blogspot.com APRIL 2011 INFORMER 7 Bufalinos at 39 Main Street in Pittston. 7 Maria Marranca and their four remaining The Pittston area quickly became the children – Carmelo, Giovanna, Angela and adopted home of numerous Bufalinos, Sci- Salvatore (the couple would have another andras, Lucchinos and others from child, Calogero, while in Pittston) – crossed Montedoro. Many settled in a small mining- the Atlantic six months later. 9 company village called Brandy Patch in Two of Salvatore Bufalino’s second- southeastern Pittston. Others moved into cousins, Angelo and Calogero (Charles), company-owned homes nearby in Brown reached Pittston’s Brown Patch in 1903- Patch. 1904. 10 Law enforcement authorities later Giuseppe LaTorre’s oldest son arrived in concluded that Charles Bufalino, like Stefa- the United States in May of 1903. Born on no LaTorre, was a transplanted member of March 12, 1886, Stefano LaTorre was seven- the Montedoro Mafia. 11 teen years old and likely already a Mafioso In 1906, Stefano LaTorre paid for the when he reached New York aboard the S.S. transatlantic passage of his brother-in-law, Sicilian Prince. twenty-six-year-old Montedoro Mafia leader Stefano LaTorre made his transatlantic Santo Volpe. Volpe arrived in New York on journey in the company of fellow Montedoro June 30 and proceeded to Pittston. 12 For the native Onofrio Morreale. Morreale, too, was next seven decades, the “Men of Montedoro” headed to Pittston. 8 Giuseppe LaTorre’s wife from the LaTorre, Volpe, Bufalino and Sci- informer-journal.blogspot.com 8 INFORMER APRIL 2011 andra families commanded the local Mafia underworld and held great influence over the politics, labor and industry of the Wyo- ming Valley. 13 Links to Buffalo Some Montedoresi resisted the migratory pattern and settled in the busy western New York city of Buffalo. These included some relatives of those who populated Pittston. The Bufalino and Sciandra families had strong presences in Buffalo. After less than a year in Pittston, Angelo Bufalino sent for his wife Cristina Buccoleri Bufalino and their four children – Giuseppa, Within the American Mafia, Castellammaresi Calogero, Cristina and Rosario. A December like Stefano Magaddino (right) generally worked 1903 crossing was aborted due to illness. The closely with Montedoresi like John Montana (left). family finally reached the United States ear- ly in 1906, but young Cristina, possibly still ailing, remained behind in Italy. 14 falco arrived in 1903. 19 Licata traveled back Angelo Bufalino died in a mining acci- to Sicily in 1905 and returned early the next dent before his wife and children arrived in year with his wife and children. They stayed New York City. The new arrivals stayed for briefly with Licata’s brother Calogero in a time on Manhattan’s Elizabeth Street be- Pittston, 20 but by 1907, the Sciandra, Licata fore heading west to Buffalo. Calogero, and Alaimo families had relocated to Buffa- Americanizing his name to Charles, estab- lo. The Sciandras and Alaimos moved into lished himself as a theater musician. Rosario apartments over a saloon on Court Street. 21 and Giuseppa initially were less settled. Af- In the summer of 1907, Carmelo Sci- ter their mother’s 1910 death, they traveled andra’s brother Angelo crossed the Atlantic back to Italy for several years and returned and moved into the Court Street residence in to Buffalo in February of 1914. 15 Buffalo. 22 Angelo’s wife, Leonarda Laporta Just a few months after their return, Sciandra, and their three children – Andrea, Giuseppa Bufalino married Angelo Cordaro, Giovanni and Pasqualina – arrived the fol- a Buffalo barber who owned a two-family lowing spring. 23 home on Vermont Street. Giuseppa’s broth- In Buffalo’s Sicilian colony, these ers, Charles and Rosario, also moved into Montedoro families came under the influ- the Vermont Street residence. Rosario, ence of Mafiosi from Castellammare del adopting the name of Russell, attended Buf- Golfo and the Valledolmo-Vallelunga area. falo public schools and later became em- The saloon beneath the Sciandras’ and Alai- ployed as an automobile mechanic. 16 mos’ Court Street residence was operated by Carmelo Sciandra was the first member Castellammarese Mafioso Angelo “Buffalo of his family to reach the United States. He Bill” Palmeri. Buffalo Mafia boss Giuseppe arrived in New York City aboard the S.S. DiCarlo, a native of Vallelunga with family Victoria on August 11, 1897. He remained in roots in Valledolmo, owned an importing the city for a time, staying with his brother- company nearby. 24 Palmeri was a top lieu- in-law Salvatore Alaimo of Elizabeth tenant in the DiCarlo crime family. Street. 17 Sciandra’s wife and children made There were additional connections be- the crossing in 1900. 18 Another Sciandra tween the transplanted Castellammare and brother-in-law Giuseppe Licata of Serradi- Montedoro underworld figures in the U.S. informer-journal.blogspot.com APRIL 2011 INFORMER 9 John C. Montana, a Montedoro native who dale. Led by a local Catholic priest, Father arrived in Buffalo in 1905, 25 became a key Antonino Cerruti, the St.