Black Hand Letters

Throughout multiple Pennsylvania churches, there is a spread of “Black Hand” letters that request money by threatening death.

Shenandoah, Pa., The town of Girardville is aroused by the receipt of Black Hand letters by the Rev. Martin Coleman of St. Joseph’s Irish Catholic church, the Rev. A.M. Mitukas of St. Vincent’s Lithuanian Church and Dr. M.J. Monaghan of that place. The priests are threatened with death unless they place a sum of money at a specified place within twenty-four hours, and Dr. Monaghan is warned that he must leave town within forty-eight hours. The recipients of the letters seem to be the least alarmed over the matter, though their homes are being guarded by the authorities.

“Black Hand Letters,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed January 20, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/533.