THE MORELLO GANG
The Birth of the American Mafia
Giuseppe Morello was born on May 2, 1867 in Corleone, Sicily. His father Calogero Morello died when he was just 5 years old. His mother Angelina would soon get married again, to a man named Bernardo Terranova. Angelina Piazza and Bernardo would have 5 more children who bore the Terranova last name while Giuseppe kept his father’s last name, Morello.
The entire family emigrated to the United States in 1892 and they all settled in New York after living in the south for a few years. Giuseppe was often referred to as “Joe” now that he was in America. He also had the nickname of “Clutch Hand” because he was born with a deformed right hand that only had a single finger on it. The curve of the hand made it look like a claw or a clutch.
Giuseppe was very close with his siblings, especially his half brothers Vincenzo, Ciro and Nick Terranova. The brothers had been mafia connected back in Sicily and quickly established themselves in New York. They became known as the 107th Street Mob, but would later be known permanently as the Morello Gang. Giuseppe was the undisputed leader of the gang, hence the name.
They were aligned with another Sicilian born gangster named Ignazio Lupo, who everyone referred to as Lupo the Wolf. Lupo was an expert in “Black Hand” extortion, which was a very up front style that relied on kidnapping and threats of physical harm. Lupo served as the main enforcer for the Morello Gang. Mafia historians say that he was a prime suspect in more than 50 murders.
The Morello/Terranova faction operated out of East Harlem and the Bronx. Lupo had his operations in Little Italy. This was the coming together of two powerful gangs for a greater good. They agreed to share business interests and watch each other’s backs. The bond was strengthened significantly when Lupo the Wolf married Morello’s half sister Salvatrice Terranova.
Barrel Murders and Counterfeiting
Simply put, it was much easier to get away with violent crimes including murders back in those days, around the turn of the 20th century. Crimes were harder to solve, especially without any witnesses. Instead of trying to hide their crimes, gangsters often would leave a public display of their crime.
The reason was that not only was there little chance of getting caught, it also sent a message to any potential enemies. What organized crime that existed in New York before the Morellos was not nearly as multidimensional. They owned the streets through fear, but they also diversified the types of criminal activity they could make money on.
The Morello Gang wanted to be the most powerful outfit in the country and they were well on their way. They knew that they needed the element of sophistication to get the edge on the powerful Jewish and Irish gangs of the day. Their biggest money maker was an international counterfeiting ring where they smuggled phony $5 bills into the U.S. from Sicily.
As a deterrent to anyone who might threaten them, they often stuffed their murder victims into barrels and left them on local street corners. These killings had the desired effects as nobody dared to speak to the cops about what they knew. They did not want to end up in a barrel. The barrel murder phenomenon started in Sicily and the Morello Gang was the first and pretty much only crime family to use it in America.
One barrel murder showed the influence and fear that the Morello Gang had on the people of their community. It was the killing of a man named Bennie Madonia. His crime was being the brother in law of a police informant who the gang couldn’t find. Madonia had been viciously tortured before his death. The message was that if you talk to the cops, you and your family are not safe.
Clutch Hand Morello, Lupo the Wolf and another hitman named Tomasso “The Ox” Petto were arrested for the killing after Petto was found with some of the victim’s belongings. The case appeared very strong at first, but after a short time all of the potential witnesses either changed their stories or outright disappeared. All of the charges were dropped and the fierce reputation of the Morello Gang grew exponentially.
A Change in Leadership
The Morello Gang was now fully established as America’s first mafia family. They were by far the most powerful criminal organization in New York and Giuseppe Clutch Hand Morello was recognized as the first boss of bosses. The Sicilian kid with the deformed hand had reached the top of New York’s underworld. He was now the most powerful man in the American mob.
Authorities and local police began referring to them as the “Morello Crime Family”. They referred to Clutch Hand as “The Godfather” and to Lupo as “The Underboss”. The gang spread out and expanded their power, buying up many legitimate businesses along the way. They also saw an influx of young talent join their ranks, men like Joe “The Boss” Masseria and Salvatore “Toto” D’Aquila.
The first significant trouble that the Morellos dealt with was when their counterfeiting operation got busted in November of 1909. Although the Morellos would remain the most powerful outfit in town, it was a significant blow to the gang. Clutch Hand Morello and Lupo the Wolf were both convicted, wiping out the original family hierarchy. Morello was sentenced to 30 years in prison and Lupo got 25 years.
Luckily for the Morellos, they had significant reserves in place for such a time. All three of Morello’s half brothers, the Terranovas, were experienced members of the gang and ready to step up when needed. When it was time to decide who would take over the gang during Morello’s absence, he chose his youngest half brother Nick Terranova who also went by the name Nick Morello.
Nick was something of a visionary. Long before Lucky Luciano created the Five Families and the Commission, Nick Terranova had visions of a mob ruling board all the way back in the 1910s. Nick saw the potential of much greater power for organized crime gangs if they would be willing to work together for a greater cause. The problem was that the mob was not ready to work together at this time.
The Winds of War
Although Nick Terranova made significant efforts to unify some of the different underworld factions, it was all in vain. War was on the horizon and no one could stop it, especially Nick. When Clutch Hand and Lupo went to prison, other gangs saw their opportunity to seize power. Many of them saw Nick Terranova as a weak leader which emboldened them.
A group of Neopolitan gangsters known as the Camorra quickly began expanding their power base in New York. They were much different than the Sicilians in that they didn’t really have a hierarchy structure like the mafia. They began knocking off Morello members and moving in on their territories. The Morello Gang for the first time was in danger of losing their position as the premier outfit in the New York underworld.
In 1916, Terranova was able to negotiate a peace meeting with representatives of the camorra. They had been shooting each other for a few years and both sides were losing members and hurting from the war. Terranova was eager to put an end to the war and it came off a bit desperate to his enemies. They saw a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the “gullible” Terranova.
When he showed up to the meeting at Vollero’s Cafe in Brooklyn, he and his driver were immediately ambushed by a team of hitmen. Unfortunately for the Camorra, two of their premier members Pellegrino Morano and Alessandro Vollero were soon convicted of the murders. After they went to prison, the Camorra became irrelevant and soon disintegrated to almost nothing.
After Nick’s murder, his brother Vincenzo was made the new boss of the family. There would be a few years of peace after the war ended which allowed the Morellos to replenish their ranks. Vincenzo’s brother Ciro was now the underboss, he had one of the most memorable nicknames in the mafia, “The Artichoke King”. Joe Masseria was a captain in the family but Toto D’Aquila had branched out on his own.
The Spawning of the Five Families
Some fierce gangsters got their start in the Morello Family. One of them was Guiseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria. Upon his release from prison in 1916, he was destined to shoot right to the top of the Morello Family. A feared gangster and a very solid earner, Masseria was highly ambitious and wanted to take over New York City asap.
In his way was Morello Family captain Salvatore “Toto” D’Aquila, who had a strong crew of enforcers. But his team wasn’t a match for the ruthlessness of Joe the Boss. After having some of his top guys killed, Toto stepped away from the Morello Family. Masseria would be named the boss of the Morello Family in 1920. He had the older Clutch Hand as his underboss.
Years would pass with the Morellos still on top of the New York underworld. But eventually, a challenger to Joe the Boss would emerge. A sicilian immigrant named Salvatore Maranzano quickly gained territory and power upon his arrival to New York. Masseria and Maranzano engaged in the infamous Castellammarese War in 1930.
The killings would go back and forth for more than a year. Then another young gangster who would become a legend entered the spotlight. Charles “Lucky” Luciano at the time was a soldier under Joe the Boss. Lucky grew wary of the constant violence dragging down all sides. He understood the need for violence, but felt it should be controlled and used only when needed.
Lucky switched sides and set Joe the Boss up for death. On April 15, 1931, Masseria was eating lunch with Lucky at a restaurant in Coney Island. Right after Lucky excused himself to go to the restroom, a team of shooters ran in and killed Masseria. Luciano agreed to work for Maranzano who now became the boss of bosses.
Maranzano’s time as boss of bosses was incredibly short. He was murdered in his office on September 10, 1931. Some say Maranzano had showed to be even more bloodthirsty and ambitious as Joe the Boss. Others theorized that Lucky had always intended to take out Maranzano.
Lucky had taken over the remains of the Morello Gang after Masseria’s death. After the Maranzano murder, he created the Five Families and the Commission. He realized that there were many prominent gangsters in New York and he decided to work with them through the commission. The Morello Family core would turn into the Luciano Family, and later the Genovese Family.
Former capo Toto D’Aquila was killed in 1928 but his crew was still strong. This was the crew originally headed up by Lupo the Wolf. That crew would eventually become the infamous Gambino Family. Maranzano’s crew was also added to the mix, now led by Joe Bonanno and known as the Bonanno Family.
Another crew that evolved from the Morellos was led by Tommy Reina until his murder in 1928 on orders of Joe the Boss. Reina’s crew would go on to be led by Tommy Lucchese and is still today known as the Lucchese Family. Another boss that survived the Castellammarese War and was given a spot was Joe Profaci, which is now the Colombo Family.