Calogero Finocchio (1879)

Born 2 Jan 1879 in Corleone, Palermo, Sicilia, Italia

Ancestors

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Biography

Calogero Finocchio is born 2 January 1879 in Corleone and baptized the next day. He is the son of Santo Finocchio and Maria Ducibella. His godfather is Vincenzo Bianchino, who is unmarried.^[1]

On the SS Calabria, sailing from Palermo to New York and arriving on 12 March 1909, are these passengers from Corleone:

338/29: Liborio Mannina, 18 (b. 1891), single, leaves his father Pietro in Corleone, meeting cousin Nicolo’ Di Miceli in Nesquehoning, PA (There is a Pietro Mannina in Louisiana, of unknown relation.)

339/30. Calogero Finocchio, 30 (b. 1879), single, leaves his father Santo in Corleone, meeting cousin Nicolo’ Dragna in Francklyn, LA. (They are second cousins, once removed.) He has a scar on his forehead.^[2]

Calogero's first cousin, Carmelo Ducibella, marries in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Carmelo's daughter marries in Chicago.

Calogero has at least two second cousins who were early migrants to the American South: Virginia Pomilla is in Houston, Texas, by 1896, married to a grocer from Corleone. Gaspare Finocchio is in Slidell, Louisiana, by 1903, when two of his relatives join him.

In 1914, Calogero Finocchio, a grocer, at 1230 Lemon St. in Los Angeles, is a registered Democrat in Los Angeles County.^[3] He appears in that year's city directory for San Pedro.^[4] He appears at the same address in the 1915 Los Angeles city directory's listing of grocers.^[5]

On 30 November 1915, Calogero is pursued by two police detectives working the "dynamite belt" at 9th and Mateo Streets in Los Angeles, following up on complaints from Italian merchants who had received Black Hand extortion letters.^[6][7] One of the detectives, J. E. Browning, exchanges fire with Finocchio, who is wounded.^[6]

Browning is mortally shot in front of the home of Mrs. Lola Quisada O’Donnell. The police say Finocchio was trying to find refuge with O’Donnell, whose home is suspected to be the headquarters of Black Hand activity. Bomb-making materials are found in her home.^[8]

Finocchio claims to be in fear of his life from either the Camorra or the ex-husband of a lover.^[7]

Finocchio was accused by 33-year old Antonio "Tony" Blandino, an Italian-born fruit merchant, of extortion. He called police to report an escalating series of Black Hand extortion letters, pointing to Finocchio as the likely culprit. Five months earlier, Blandino named Finocchio as a co-respondent in divorcing his new wife.^[9]

He and his young clerk tell the court that the police shot at him before he returned fire with a shotgun stored in his home. Finocchio says, through an interpreter, that the police never identified themselves to him as such.^[10] Detective Bowe, Browning's partner, testifies they stopped Finocchio in the street first, then he ran and they pursued him.^[11] After many hours of deliberation, a jury finds Finocchio guilty of murder in the first degree, and recommends life imprisonment.^[12][13]

Booking and inmate photos of Calogero Finocchio, convict number 10178, appear in the Tulare County sheriff's records.^[14]

Inmate 10178, Calogero Finocchio, at Folsom Prison, was sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder by Los Angeles County courts on 13 July 1916.^[15]

Calogero Finocchio, convict number 31408, is transferred from Folsom Prison to San Quentin 27 February 1918. He is serving a life sentence for first degree murder. He is 37 years old, a grocer, stands 5’1”, has a dark complexion, dark brown eyes, and black hair.^[16]

Calogero Finocchio registers for the draft for WWI on 12 September 1918 from San Quentin State Prison, Marin County, California. He is 39, born 2 January 1879. His nearest relative is Mrs. Mary Dolcibella at 41 Miano, Corleone, Italy. Calogero is a Floor man by profession. The registrar describes him as short and stout with brown eyes and dark brown hair.^[17]

Calogero is paroled from San Quentin on 21 October 1927.^[18]

In the 1930 federal census of El Cajon, San Diego, California, Calogero Finocchio lives alone at 289 County Road. He is 50 (b. 1880), single, born in Italy, immigrated in 1909, an alien resident, a laborer on a cactus fruit ranch.^[19]

Caligero Finocchio, a rancher, is listed without an address in the 1935 San Diego city directory.^[20]

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism of Calogerum Finocchio, 3 January 1879, "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LSS-J2G?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SPX%3A351041801%2C351041802%2C351275901 : 20 May 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1877-1879 > image 126 of 182; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo (Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo).
2. ↑ Year: 1909; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 1; Page Number: 64. Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
3. ↑ #331. Ancestry.com. California, Voter Registrations, 1900-1968 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2017.
4. ↑ San Pedro and Willmington, California, City Directory, 1914. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
5. ↑ Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1915. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Mystery Woman Held By Police In Probe Of Officer’s Death. (1915, November 30). Los Angeles Herald. Vol. XLII, No. 25. Retrieved 17 May 2020 from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19151130.2.5&srpos=2&e=-------en--20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-Calogero+Finocchio-------1
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Death Threats Are Phoned To Detective. (1915, December 1). Los Angeles Herald. Vol. XLII, No. 26. Retrieved 17 May 2020 from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19151201.2.148&srpos=4&e=-------en--20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-Calogero+Finocchio-------1
8. ↑ Finocchio Now Faces Charge Of Murder. (1915, December 2). Morning Press. Vol. 43, No. 293. Retrieved 17 May 2020 from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MP19151202.2.33&srpos=5&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-Calogero+Finocchio-------1
9. ↑ LAPD Street Signs. Cemetery Guide [Website]. Retrieved 29 May 2020 from http://www.cemeteryguide.com/LAPD-Browning.html
10. ↑ Finocchio Takes Stand In His Own Behalf. (1916, March 29). Los Angeles Herald. Vol. XLII, No. 128. Retrieved 17 May 2020 from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19160329.2.253&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
11. ↑ Slayer Of Sleuth Is Placed On Trial. (1916, March 20). Los Angeles Herald. Vol. XLII, No. 120. Retrieved 17 March 2020 from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19160320.2.657&srpos=4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-Detective+J.+E.+Browning+murder-------1
12. ↑ Finocchio Jury Split 3 Ways On Guilt. (1916, April 1). Los Angeles Herald. Vol. XLII, No. 131. Retrieved 17 May 2020 from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19160401.2.487&srpos=7&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-Calogero+Finocchio-------1
13. ↑ Come Si E’ Svolto Il Processo Finocchio A L. A. (1916, June 27). Italia. Vol. 30, No. 179. Retrieved 17 May 2020 from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=ITA19160627.2.45&srpos=10&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-Calogero+Finocchio-------1
14. ↑ Tulare County, California, Sheriff's Office and Jail Records, 1874-1963. Prisoners, California State Prison at Folsom, 1903-1917. Ancestry.com. Tulare County, California, Sheriff's Office and Jail Records, 1874-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
15. ↑ California, Prison and Correctional Records, 1851-1950. Inmate Photographs, 09725-10924. California State Archives; Sacramento, California; Department of Corrections Folsom Prison Inmate Photographs 9725-10924. Ancestry.com. California, Prison and Correctional Records, 1851-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
16. ↑ California, Prison and Correctional Records, 1851-1950. Prison Registers, 1910-1918. California State Archives; Sacramento, California; Secretary of State California State Archives San Quentin Prison Registers. Ancestry.com. California, Prison and Correctional Records, 1851-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
17. ↑ "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YT2-37K8?cc=1968530&wc=9F47-BZS%3A928312301%2C928311202 : 24 August 2019), California > Indians, Prisoners, Insane, In Hospitals, Late Registrants; A-Z > image 927 of 3803; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
18. ↑ California, Prison and Correctional Records, 1851-1950. Book 08, 28922-31537. California State Archives; Sacramento, California; San Quentin 8-28922 to 31537. Ancestry.com. California, Prison and Correctional Records, 1851-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
19. ↑ Year: 1930; Census Place: El Cajon, San Diego, California; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0003; FHL microfilm: 2339925. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
20. ↑ San Diego, California, City Directory, 1935. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.