James Cosmano also known as "Sunny Jim" (born July 17, 1885 – May 2, 1963) was a leader of the

Black Hand Black Hand or The Black Hand may refer to: Extortionists and underground groups * Black Hand (anarchism) (''La Mano Negra''), a presumed secret, anarchist organization based in the Andalusian region of Spain during the early 1880s * Black Hand (e ...

street gang in pre-

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

Chicago who tried to extort money from the South Side gang.

Early years

Born ''Vincenzo Cosmano'' in Molochio,

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

, Italy, July 17, 1885. He arrived in the United States at Ellis Island on May 14, 1904 aboard the ''San Gottardo''. After a stay in Canada, he crossed over into the US at St. Albans, VT, on December 22, 1904. Cosmano joined the Black Hand as a young man. Cosmano and other Black Handers, including James "The Mad Bomber" Belcastro, preyed on the residents of Chicago's Little Italy and other city neighborhoods at the turn of the 20th century.

Extortion and Doublecross

In 1910, Cosmano tried to extort money out of James "Big Jim" Colosimo, a powerful

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

owner in

the Levee The Levee District was the red-light district of Chicago from the 1880s until 1912, when police raids shut it down. The district, like many frontier town red-light districts, got its name from its proximity to wharves in the city. The Levee dist ...

section of Chicago. Cosmano threatened to beat up Colosimo's prostitutes and their customers if he did not receive $50,000 a week. To protect himself, Colosimo brought in his nephew Johnny "The Fox" Torrio, a New York mobster from the

Five Points Gang The Five Points Gang was a criminal street gang of primarily Irish-American origins, based in the Five Points of Lower Manhattan, New York City, during the late 19th and early 20th century. Paul Kelly, born Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli, was an It ...

. After Torrio's arrival in Chicago, ten members of the Black Hand gang had been murdered. However, Cosmano continued to threaten Colosimo. In early 1912, Cosmano sent Colosimo a letter threatening to torch his cafe, the ''Colosimo'', unless Colosimo paid him $10,000. Colosimo reportedly asked Torrio to take care of the problem. On January 18, Cosmano was ambushed and severely wounded.

Survival

Cosmano survived the attack and was taken to the hospital. Later, several of his associates smuggled Cosmano out of the hospital to protect him. Cosmano then left Chicago to continue his activities elsewhere. An associate of labor racketeer Timothy "Big Tim" Murphy, Cosmano was tried with Murphy, Michael "Dago Mike" Carozzo and James Vinci, in the 1920 gangland slaying of Maurice "Mossy" Enright. However, Cosmano, Murphy, and Carozza were eventually released due to lack of evidence. Cosmano, Murphy, and others attempted to steal $380,000 in cash and bonds from the US Mail in 1921. One of the postal inspectors in on the plot confessed and part of the loot was found in Murphy's attic. Though defended by Clarence Darrow, both Murphy and Cosmano were convicted of conspiracy to rob the US Mail. Cosmano was sentenced on November 14, 1921, and was incarcerated in Leavenworth beginning in February, 1923. Upon release in 1926, and after failed attempts to fight deportation, he returned to Italy in 1927.Chicago Tribune, Jan 19, 1927

Early years

Extortion and Doublecross

Survival

Notes

Further reading