Tommaso "The Ox" Petto (' 1879–October 21, 1905) was a New York mobster and leading hitman in the
Morello crime family
The Morello crime family () was one of the earliest crime families to be established in the United States and New York City. The Morellos were based in Manhattan's Italian Harlem and eventually gained dominance in the Italian underworld by defea ...
during the early 1900s.
Early life
Born around 1879, Petto lived in the
Williamsburg section of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. His nickname "The
Ox" came from his massive head and frame. Petto's nominal profession was that of a suit presser, but his real job was working for the Morello family. The Morello family was a Sicilian clan in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
that became infamous for killing their rivals, stuffing them in barrels, and leaving them on street corners.
Life as a criminal and fugitive
On April 15, 1903, after a violent fight with
New York Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
(NYPD) detectives, Petto was arrested for the murder of Benedetto Madonia, one of the
Barrel Murders. The police found a
pawn ticket
A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as Collateral (finance), collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves c ...
belonging to Madonia in Petto's possession. Petto was arraigned and held at the New York City Central Jail, known as "
the Tombs
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
", pending an inquest. However, jail officials released Petto by mistake and he disappeared from New York. Petto eventually resurfaced in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, where he became involved in criminal activities with a
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 ...
gang in the
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...
area. In August 1904, a witness implicated Petto in the kidnapping of
Vito Laduca, a Morello gang member, but no charges were ever filed.
Death
On the evening of October 21, 1905, Tommaso Petto, living under the alias "Luciano Parrino," was on his way home from his butcher shop when he was shot to death in the village of
Browntown, near the cities of
Pittston
Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city gained prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an active anthracite coal ...
and
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in th ...
. The body was described as "fairly riddled with bullets." Within a day or so, police were able to determine that "Parrino" was none other than Tommaso Petto.
["The Pittston Murder," ''Wilkes-Barre Record'', October 25, 1905.] At the time, it was speculated that the murderer was
Giuseppe de Primo, Madonia's brother-in-law. De Primo was a New York grocer who had helped the Morello gang distribute
counterfeit
To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...
currency
A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins.
A more general def ...
. Serving a prison sentence when Madonia was murdered, De Primo was later released and allegedly tracked down Petto and killed him. However, no arrests were made and Petto's murderer was never found.
Further reading
*Carey, Arthur A. and McLellan, Howard. ''Memoirs of a Murder Man''. New York: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1930.
*Nelli, Humbert S. ''The Business of Crime: Italians and Syndicate Crime in the United States''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
See also
*
List of unsolved murders
These lists of unsolved murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.
* List of unsolved murders (before 1900)
* List of unsolved murders (1900–1979)
* List of unsolved murders (1980–1999)
* List of unsol ...
External links
GangRule.com - Tommaso PettoGangRule.com - Giuseppe De Primo*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petto, Tommaso
1870s births
1903 murders in the United States
1905 deaths
1905 murders in the United States
Bufalino crime family
Deaths by stabbing in Pennsylvania
Fugitives
Genovese crime family
Mafia hitmen
Male murder victims
Murdered American gangsters of Sicilian descent
People murdered in Pennsylvania
Unsolved murders in the United States