It is, in addition, an ultra-successful criminal political
machine, which, under cover of a pseudoprinciple, deals in
petty crime, wholesale blackmail, political jobbery, and the
sale of elections, and may fairly be compared to the lowest
types of politico-criminal clubs or societies in New York
City. In Palmero it is made up of "gangs" of toughs and
criminals, not unlike the Camorrist gangs of Naples, but
without their organization, and is kept together by personal
allegiance to some leader. Such a leader is almost always
under the patronage of a "boss" in New York or a 'padrone' in
Italy, who uses his influence to protect the members of the
gang when in legal difficulties and find them jobs when out of
work and in need of funds. Thus the "boss" can rely on the
gang's assistance in elections in return for favors at other
times. Such gangs may act in harmony or be in open hostility
or conflict with one another, but all are united as against
the police, and exhibit much the same sort of "Omerta" in
Chatham Square as in Palermo.
Pages:
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350