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Fascinating Facts About the Birth of the Italian-American Mafia

Khalid Elhassan February 13, 2025 17 min

Mafia - Lucky Luciano, who midwifed the birth of the modern Italian-American Mafia — Lucky Luciano, who midwifed the birth of the modern Italian-American Mafia. The Mob Museum

17. When the Mob Murdered a Police Chief

The Hennessy assassination: (A), fence in front of his house; (B), where Hennessy was shot; (C), spot from which the shooters first opened fire. Mafia History

In the 1880s, the Matrangas warred with the Prozenzanos over control of the New Orleans waterfront, and each family brought in more and more Mafiosi from Italy. The violence spilled over, putting pressure on the authorities to act. New Orleans’ police chief launched an investigation into Mafiosi activities, only to be assassinated for his troubles in 1890. Unable to identify his killers, he stated “the Dagoes shot me“, before he breathed his last. The assassination created a backlash, and nineteen New Orleans Mafiosi were arrested and prosecuted. In a first trial of nine, the defendants successfully tampered with the jury. Despite ample evidence, six were acquitted, and three had hung juries. As seen below, the public reaction was drastic.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.