The snow fell gently on the ground of Philadelphia as the fire place filled the room of the small South Philly row home.  Salvatore was greeted by some friends of his that he knew well in Palermo before his arrival in the United States.  Before leaving Sicily, Salvatore was a small time grocer one of the many markets of the city.  A rival had a major disagreement with him, and threatened his family. 

Salvatore and the rival, a man by the name of Pino Fassini decided to meet one night to discuss their beef and sort it out.  However, on the way to the meeting, at a local cafe, Pino was shot in the back of the head as he walked down one of the many back streets.  The killer was in fact Salvatore, who immediately fled to the United States.

After living in the U.S. for only a few days, Salvatore knew he would have a prosperous life in the new world.  The three sicilians, Salvatore Falcone, Vittorio Oresti and Gennaro Mancini sat around the kitchen table playing cards and sipping on some whiskey.  The plan for the evening was to shake down a major grocer in Newark, New Jersey.  This was a bit of a hike, but Oresti and Manacini had ties to a few other paisani in the area that would aid them in the operation.  The plan was simple.  Scope out the business, identify who is who and then make the move.  Salvatore was known as a trigger man.

Henry's Fruit Stand was the premier distributor in Newark, NJ.  Salvatore felt it was here that he would be able to make a sizeable profit for his boss.  Fortunately, New Jersey had been relatively un touched by the major mafiosi inhabiting New York and Philadelphia.  The Garden State was prime for profiting.

So one night, after the men paid many visits tot he market, they were able to identify the owner, Henry Scalise.  Scalise was a shrewd business man who was constantly turning a profit.  One morning when he arrived at work, he found a letter slipped underneath the door at the market entrance.  It read....

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Hello Henry,

Thank you for providing us with many delicious produce.  We have frequented your store and are thankful for your establishment.  However, with the recent crime, we would hate to see such a wonderful place like yours become subject to damage.  Bring $3,000 to the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and 4th Street in four days.  This can be a simple arrangement, and we hope you pay.  If you failed to comply, you may find that your life long business could be no more....

Your Friends,

The Black Hand

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Henry failed to comply with these demands and two weeks after the due date, Henry's business was damaged from a fire...the police suspected it was an act of arson.  They were right....

One week later, Henry was found dead in a wooden barrell behind his burnt down business.  A small group of demolition workers that were hired to clean up the rubble from the blaze discovered his body.  However, Henry was involved in another Mafia gang nearby.  Word was spreading of a possible war...