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

by William Oldfield, Victoria Bruce

The “fascinating…great-grandson’s account” (The Wall Street Journal) of the US postal inspector who brought to justice the deadly Black Hand is “unputdownable” (Library Journal, starred review).Before the emergence of prohibition-era gangsters like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, there was the Black an early twentieth-century Sicilian-American crime ring that preyed on immigrants from the old country. In those days, the FBI was in its infancy, and local law enforcement were clueless against the dangers. Terrorized victims rarely spoke out, and the criminals ruled with terror—until Inspector Frank Oldfield came along. In 1899, Oldfield became America’s 156th Post Office Inspector—joining the ranks of the most powerful federal law enforcement agents in the country. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the unconventional Oldfield brilliantly took down train robbers, murderers, and embezzlers from Ohio to New York to Maryland. Oldfield was finally able to penetrate the dreaded Black Hand when a tip-off put him onto the most epic investigation of his career, culminating in the 1909 capture of sixteen mafiosos in a case that spanned four states, two continents—and ended in the first international organized crime conviction in the country. Hidden away by the Oldfield family for one hundred years and covered-up by rival factions in the early 20th century Post Office Department, this incredible true story out of America’s turn-of-the-century heartland will captivate all lovers of history and true crime. “I tip my hat to Inspector Oldfield. He was way ahead of his time and his efforts are magnificently relived in this book” (Daniel L. Mihalko, former Postal Inspector in Charge, Congressional & Public Affairs).

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Biography, American History, Crime, Mystery

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2018

About the author

William H. “Hammy” Oldfield is a historian, author, management consultant, and speaker/lecturer. His latest book with co-author Victoria Bruce, "Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society” (Simon & Schuster/Touchstone/Atria), became an Amazon best seller.

He is the great grandson of infamous US Postal Inspector John Frank Oldfield, who was credited with taking down the first international organized crime syndicate in US history, the Society of the Banana. This ground breaking criminal case culminated in the 1910 “Trial-of-the-Century”, with the federal conviction of 11 senior bosses and captains of the early Sicilian mafia.

William’s interesting family legacy, along with his father’s exciting lessons about history and philosophy to better understand the present, fostered within him a love of all things history. He enthusiastically promotes this love of history and continues to build an extensive collection of artifacts related to early organized crime.

William has been recognized as a Mafia Expert for the History Channel's "United Stuff of America", and regularly consults on Organized Crime topics for academic and entertainment researchers, family descendants of crime figures, and Criminology students in both the USA and Europe. He has lectured at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, the Mob Museum, Historical Societies, and for fans of True Crime. He prides himself in his discretion, accuracy, and fairness when investigating and discerning truth from rumor when consulting or lecturing on sensitive organized crime topics.

He has received nationwide coverage for his family story and his organized crime knowledge through the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Politico, Vice, Washington Times, appeared on C-SPAN, and is a regular contributor for numerous podcasts and more.

William is currently working to create an early law enforcement exhibit at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas and to develop a True-Crime television or streaming series based on the criminal case files from the career of Inspector Oldfield. His extensive archival collection is available for collaborative research and viewing by appointment. William grew up in Akron, Ohio, and currently lives in Annapolis, Maryland. He can be contacted at: williamoldfield@gmail.com, on LinkedIn at William H “Hammy” Oldfield, and on Instagram at william.ham.oldfield.

Reviews

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society: America's Original Gangsters and the U.S. Postal Detective who Brought Them to Justice was a remarkable tribute to author William Oldfield's great-grandfather as well as a fascinating look at the history of organized crime in the United States and the role that the U.S. Post Office played in the ultimate conviction of many key members of the Black Hand Society at the turn of the twentieth century. Largely because of fear of retaliation from the Black Hand Society, documents in the Oldfield family pertaining to Postal Inspector Frank Oldfield's investigation leading to the prosecution of Sam and Salvatore Lima were kept secret and locked away for generations until William Oldfield went through a surviving trunk of documents and photographs which are shared throughout this book. This was an exciting, well-written and meticulously researched book; a fine tribute to the author's great-grandfather.

"We have silently removed emperors, kings and princes and have been as fearless of apprehension as if we were the wind sighing in the trees at night. We revel in bloodshed, we smile at tears and pleadings and our field of operation is bounded only by the universe. We scoff at the police. We push them aside as we would a child." -- Sam Lima, Black Hand Society

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good true crime book set in the early 20th century dealing with a group of Sicilians who sent out letters to other Italians threatening them with harm if they didn’t pay protection money. The letters were called Black Hand letters and if ignored for very long, usually led to the death of the recipient or their family members. This eventually led to an investigation by a postal inspector, since the crime involved the US mail. Luckily, it drew the attention of Inspector Oldfield who happened to be a very good and creative detective, and he stuck with the case until managed to make headway, where others had failed for years. My thanks for the advance electronic copy provided by Netgalley, authors William Oldfield & Victoria Bruce, and the publisher for my fair review.

Touchstone
Pub: Aug 21st, 2018

My Bookzone blog: https://bookblog200.wordpress.com/201...

[Eli - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about something I never even heard of.

[Kelsey (Kelseylovesbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical non-fiction is a genre I greatly enjoy. I tend towards the civil war era when picking historical non-fiction, but I really enjoyed this caper set in the early 1900s. I had no idea how much investigative power the Post Office Inspector has. Oldfield is quite the character and I found myself really rooting for him to bring the Black Hand Society to justice.

Something I liked about this book is that it’s set in a time just long enough ago to feel like some aspects of life were different, but still recent enough that it was only a few generations ago. The mafia storyline is also fascinating and kept me on my toes. Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society comes out August 21! I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew the history of the USPS could be so interesting? While I've come across some historical nonfiction that gets bogged down with extraneous detail, this book had just enough historical backstory to set the story in perspective.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at one forgotten man and the forgotten fact that the post office played an important role in criminal justice in the early years.

[Kyle Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fascinating story of Frank Oldfield, a postal inspector who was all but forgotten until his family uncovered the archives that remained from Frank’s illustrious career. The book starts off with a detailed history of the birth of the United States Postal Service in July 1775 and, in turn, the creation of the Post Office Inspection Services, which would soon become the most robust law enforcement service of the United States government.

When Frank Oldfield was 21 years old, his father was appointed as the local postmaster. This paved the way for Frank to land a good job in the post office. From there he went on to dabble in politics, and at age 29 he was appointed county sheriff.

In 1899, at the age of 32, Frank Oldfield became a U.S. Post Office Inspector. He was known as one of the most aggressive and successful Post Office Inspectors in the service. In 1908 Oldfield was hunting members of the Black Hand Society. He believed that they were responsible for an international organized crime ring spanning across America and all the way to Palermo, Sicily. The Black Hand carried out acts of extortion and coercion through the postal service, often ending in bloodshed. The members were cunning and the operation was quite simple yet sophisticated. Using the power and authority of his badge to exhaust all resources, Frank would lead the investigation that ultimately brought the Black Hands to justice.

One thing I learned from this book was just how powerful and revered Postal Inspectors we’re back in this time. U.S. Post Office Inspectors were the country’s most powerful federal law enforcers at the turn of the century. Long before the FBI came into being, U.S. Post Office Inspectors had jurisdiction of the world. The FBI wouldn’t be founded until July 1908. The presidentially appointed position gave a Post Office Inspector authority to take over an investigation from any law enforcement agency in the country if the United States mails were used in any fashion.

I would recommend this book to fans of true crime, history, and anyone with an interest in the United States Postal Service. I received this as a free ARC from Touchstone on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of an unsung hero, who in the early years of the 20th Century was one of the most powerful men in American Law enforcement. It tells the story of Frank Oldfield, the United States’ 156th Postal Inspector and his work at bringing down a The first wave of what we know as the Mafia.

Alathough the book at times reads like a documentRy and relies on facts gleamed from news accounts and the personal effects of Oldfield’s family, it is an interesting read. The author, who is the great grandson of Frank Oldfield takes an unobjective look at the case and the fallout from it. The conclusion seemed kind of abrupt, but the story has been told. This story could easily be made into a movie or short run television series.

The location of the story, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, and the subject involving produce dealers in the area drew me in from a personal standpoint, it kept me reading because of the storytelling.

[Donna Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a review copy free and early, thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster/Touchtone. This book is for sale now.

Who knew that the U.S. Postmaster has the authority to commandeer an entire ship, train, or airplane in pursuit of justice? Needless to say, it doesn’t happen often; think of the press if that were to happen today! But Inspector Frank Oldfield was a man on a mission.

Once the introduction is over, I find an uneven quality to the narrative. The aspect that describes the gangsters and the formation of the Black Hand is fascinating; after the buildup, however, I find the inspector himself less riveting and the writing not as tight as I’d prefer. The research is a little spotty and the sources are not well integrated.

However, if true crime is your wheelhouse, you may want to get a copy of this one-of-a-kind biography.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The incredible true story of the U.S. Post Office Inspector who took down the deadly Black Hand, a turn-of-the-century Italian-American secret society that preyed on immigrants across America's industrial heartland."

I happened upon this book at the library. It looked like an interesting read and boy was I right. I had no idea that US postal inspectors in the early 1900s were the most powerful federal law enforcers in the country. Frank Oldfield was one of these inspectors and he got entangled in trying to solve who was behind The Black Hand Society threats. It really was a fascinating read and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about that time period.

[Mike Keil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real crime-drama based on the life of U.S. Postal Inspector Frank Oldfield and his role in taking down America's first organized crime syndicate.

[David Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society, by William Oldfield and Victoria Bruce. This book I received and read for the July book club.
I found it to be a very interesting book. The book is about a forgotten man who played a very important role in our Post Office history, and the police detectives that worked for the Postal Service. Before reading this book, I had know idea that the Postal Service had it's own law enforcement service.
This is a story about a unsung hero, before the beginning of prohibition, early 20th century, was one of the most powerful men in America.
This is a true story about a U.S. Post Office Inspector who took down the deadly Black Hand Society, a Italian - American Secret Society that prayed on immigrants all across America.
I will not get into the details of this book. If you like reading true stories about the past. This book is for you.

[LAURA WILLIAMS · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great Story! The characters were real to me as they were described by the authors complete with flaws. The persistence of Inspector Oldfield in tracking these guys was exhausting and kept me rooting for him to bring the culprits to justice. The cruelty of the Black Hand Society to abuse their fellow immigrants with threats and murder is a scary story of how people can let their greed overcome their humanity. The authors did a good job of sifting through the extensive family letters and news articles and writing a good story.

[Heather Truckenmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

After hearing stories of his grandfather for years, when his mother was near death, William Oldfield questioned her about the contents his grandfathers locked trunk. With her admonition to tell the story accurately, he meticulously examined the records in the trunk, and then researched his grandfathers accomplishments, and presented them in this book. It's a fantastic history lesson, well told, in the style of a great lecturer. The book does read a bit more like a history lecture than a standard historical novel, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

[Bill Tress · Rating 3 out of 5]

The genre is mystery, detective story and biography, all rolled into one story. An added feature is that one of the authors is related to the hero of our story.
While the reader will not recognize the standard attributes of a detective mystery, the good guys versus the bad guys are easily distinguishable. The topic authors present is not fictional because at the turn of the 19th century, Italian immigrants were terrorized by Black Hand gangs.
The description of the US Postal Inspector is interesting because the authors state that this branch of the Postal service had very broad powers, enabling them to assert jurisdiction over most other law enforcement agencies and to investigate with no boundaries. These broad powers don’t seem present currently, so one wonders if they did exist as stated by the authors.
Frank Oldfield, the postal inspector recognized as the primary person to bring the Black Hand to justice seems not to be recognized by the US Postal Inspection Service. The author’s attempt a justification by attributing this disfavor to his rough style of investigation, his failure to properly report to superiors and his propensity to spend agency funds exorbitantly. This explanation seems inadequate because a postal inspector is not an independent agent, they work in a bureaucracy subject to multi layers of supervision and sever budgetary restraints. So why didn’t the Postal Inspection Service recognize Oldfield as a hero?
While performing their research the authors got little to no help from the Postal Inspection Service. The author’s state, “…there was no detailed history of Frank Oldfield in the U.S. Post Office archives.” “Purposely or not, the U.S. Post Office Department took a giant eraser to Fran Oldfield’s life and his merits.” The why is never adequately explained in this narrative. The authors acknowledge that they relied on family folklore and the contents of Frank Oldfield’s trunks, that survived decades of storage to document their story.
The case for our hero and the story of the capture and indictment of the bad guy’s is well done by the authors; the narrative moves swiftly and is entertaining. Yet, as stated above, some things don’t seem to be historical fact, and possibly, the authors have had to revert into the realm of fiction in order to paint their picture, in any case, the story provided a pleasurable experience.

[Florence Buchholz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once upon a time in the late nineteenth century postal inspectors were the most powerful arm of the law. Frank Oldfield, when appointed to that position, used his power courageously, treading where American law enforcement had not gone before. He discovered that a group of Sicilian immigrants had banded together under the unlikely moniker, Society of the Banana. They were actually the Black Hand Society, formed to extract money from other Italian immigrants under penalty of death. They were bloodsuckers. Vile. People who had come to this country to escape a corrupt society and had done well financially were being bled dry. Frank Oldfield never got much credit for organizing a network of inspectors with a long reach to expose these varmints. It is a story that needed to be told, and his great-grandson proudly relates the details.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to Simon and Schuster for this free eBook.

This is a true crime story and biography of a postal inspector, Frank Oldfield, who brought down the Black Hand society (a mafia forerunner). It was co-written by one of Inspector Oldfield's great-grandchildren from artifacts and documents within the family.

This certainly was an interesting read, and historically it was fascinating to see the evolution of the postal service and investigation branch. However, I found the writing to be a bit uneven and I wasn't initially sure what the beginning of the book had to do with the Inspector and the investigation into the extortion and murder that the Black Hand society was perpetrating. It became clear eventually.

Despite the uneven writing style, it was an interesting book and a look back at the history of both postal inspections and early organized crime.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at a unknown chapter of U.S. Postal service history. I had no idea that the Postal Service had the power to investigate and prosecute individuals because they used the U.S. Mail to conduct criminal activities.

Interested me even further that Inspector Oldfield's Great-Great Grandson is the author of the tale. How satsifying to have your family history published so that the whole world can learn about your family history! Really enjoyed this book.

[Jennifer Lagrotteria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book by authors extraordinaire: Vicky Bruce and William Oldfield. Such a great book...enlightening in so many ways. It's nonfiction but reads like a thriller. Dig in and learn about the beginnings of the Post Office, the Newspaper, and the first organized crime (read: Mafia) in the US. Get to meet the 'gangsters' and the victims while on the journey with Inspector Oldfield.

[Davina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating chapter in the history of the mafia in the US and very engagingly told.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read about a little known aspect of American history. Inspector Oldfields' early years took place near where I live, and the local history was very interesting indeed. Who knew that postal detectives wielded so much authority at the end of the 19th century, before the establishment of the FBI. Oldfield was quite a character and obsessed with ferreting out and bringing to justice an Italian cabal that shook down and extorted its selected victims. You probably would not have liked Inspector Oldfield, but reading about him and his era was a lot of fun.

[K.B. Pellegrino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinated with the whole concept of the postal department and its development in its work into a criminal justice investigation operation. The author has incredible history told as a story and it works

[Shawn Jaquiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much!

[Katie Doughty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story and great writing. Filled with historical detail and visual references to accompany. Would recommend to anyone.

[Mariko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting and an interesting view of early fight against organized crime.

[Leah K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This true crime book follows the life of Inspector Frank Oldfield, a post office inspector, and his pursuit of of a dangerous mafia ring in the early 1900s. He may not be well-known but the story is a fascinating one. While a well researched nonfiction book, this one often reads like a novel. I was continuously curious what would happen next.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read about a postal inspector who took down a criminal organization that was a prelude to the mafia. Before the FBI, the Postal Inspectors handled investigations. This is a part of America's history that I knew nothing about prior to reading this book. The author did a great job researching his ancestor and this time period.

[Sandra Berryman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a true crime book in ages but the synopsis of this book just piqued my curiosity. First of all, my grandfather and his twin came to Ellis Island at the age of 14 from Sicily in 1901. Second, my father was a postal worker in Cleveland, Ohio, and third, The Godfather is my all-time favorite movie. With all that, I eagerly dug into this book. This is a font of information here and is one of the most informative books I have read. Meticulously researched about a period of history that I had no clue about, I heartily recommend this book (no my father wasn't a Post Office Inspector or in the mafia). If you love history, true crime and/or mafia stories, please pick up this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing true crime story that, perhaps, lets itself get bogged down in details and narrative threads. These are fascinating and probably worthy of several different books, so I can understand the author's reluctance to leave anything out, but it doesn't make for the swiftest of reads. A recommend for fans of the genre but possibly not for the newbie.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mac Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Piece of Almost Forgotten History

Before the Godfather there was Sam Lima and The Black Hand Society, a group of Italian thugs who specialized in terror and extortion in the early 1900s. Since they sent their threatening letters through the post, the postal service was able to investigate and prosecute. Led by postal inspector Frank Oldfield, and at great risk, they were able to bring down one of the most powerful syndicates of the early twentieth century.