Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society: America's Original Gangsters and the U.S. Postal Detective Who Brought Them to Justice

Before the FBI became a national law enforcement agency, the post office inspector had the power to enforce federal laws. In 1899, Frank Oldfield became post office inspector. Coauthors Oldfield (Frank's great-grandson) and Bruce (No Apparent Danger) tell the story of Frank Oldfield's greatest accomplishment—taking down the Black Hand in 1909. The Society of the Banana (aka the Black Hand) operated by demanding money from Italian immigrants in exchange for protection. Those who didn't pay faced violent consequences. When John Amicon, a fruit company co-owner, received a letter from the Black Hand, he refused to be extorted and went to Oldfield, who assembled a small team to bring the Black Hand to justice. While the Black Hand was dismantled in the Midwest, it continued operating in other parts of the country. Using voluminous and detailed records kept by Oldfield, the authors show how U.S. attorney William Day received the glory for the conviction and Oldfield resigned and took a security job with a private family, succumbing to cancer in 1916 at age 49.