preview

Essay on The Business of Crime by Humbert S. Nelli

Better Essays

The Business of Crime by Humbert S. Nelli

The Business of Crime: Italians and Syndicate Crime in the United States, written by Humbert S. Nelli, contains the history of Italian criminal organizations in the New World, between 1880 and 1930. The book is divided into three main parts. The first chapter, From Italy's South to America's South, contains the political, social, economic, and cultural background of Italians before they entered in the New World. Also, it describes the beginning of criminal organizations, and the national wide impact created with the murder of Chief Hennesy (October 15, 1890). The second chapter, The Immigrant Era, describes the Italian involvement in syndicates activities, and discusses the widely publicized …show more content…

Moreover, he argues that "much of the confusion concerning the Italian experience in American crime is related to unclear and imprecise terminology used by writers" (Preface).
Part II
He puts forward several examples in which it is evident the inaccuracy of certain facts over many criminal cases which are reported as products of organized Italian mafias. For instance, he remarks in his book: "Gaster's report contained errors in almost every case outlined, and each error served to blacken the reputation of New Orleans Italians" (32). Gaster, the Superintendent of Police, believed he would be killed by the mafia in the same way the Chief Hennesy was killed. In fact, the author listes several reported cases in which the names and nationalities of criminals were changed as Italians. For example:
On January 18, 1887, Dominica Tribiga shot and killed Jean Tamora, according to Gaster's list; the impression given was that victim and killer were Italians. The coroner's report indicated that both Dominique Trebigue and Jean Marie Trebigue (the actual names) were natives of France (33).
According to the Gaster

Get Access