Emilio Picariello
Encyclopedia
Emilio Picariello was an Italian-Canadian
bootlegger
and convicted murderer, who was hanged at Fort Saskatchewan in 1923 for killing an Alberta police constable the previous year.
and migrated to Canada in 1899. Settling in Toronto
, he worked as an electrician and labourer until he had earned enough money to buy an Italian grocery. In 1900 he married Maria Marucci, who he had met at a boarding house at which she worked as a housekeeper; the couple went on to have seven children, the eldest of whom was Stefano (Steve) Picariello. In 1911 he moved to Fernie, British Columbia
, where he worked in G. Maraniro's macaroni
factory. When Maraniro moved to Lethbridge
to open a factory there, Picariello rented the Fernie factory and hired women to roll cigar
s in it.
In 1916 he began to manufacture ice cream
at a rate of 400 gallons (1,818.4 l) per day. He sold this from a wagon during the summer of 1916 and shortly thereafter established ice cream parlours in Trail
and Blairmore
. He sometimes accepted payment in the form of bottles, which he then sold to bottlers; by 1916 he had achieved a local monopoly
. This gained him a reputation as the "Bottle King", which he embraced with newspaper ads reading "E. Picariello, the Bottle King, requests that all persons selling bottles hold them until they see E. Picariello, who pays top prices."
In 1914, he became the local representative for the Pillock Wine Company. Two years later, prohibition
was enacted in Alberta. It was initially still legal to import alcohol from outside of the province, and Picarellio profited by transporting alcohol through the Crowsnest Pass
.
In 1917, British Columbia also introduced prohibition, and Picariello decided to move to Alberta to be closer to Montana
, which allowed the sale of alcohol, while remaining close to the British Columbia distilleries from which he purchased. He bought Blairmore's Alberta Hotel as a base of operations. In 1918 Alberta outlawed the importation of alcohol and Picariello was forced to operate covertly. He excavated a room under the hotel and dug a tunnel from it out to the road, so that alcohol could be smuggled directly into this cellar. He had a player piano
in the hotel lounge, whose noise drowned out these activities.
The Alberta Provincial Police
(APP) set up checkpoints in the Crowsnest Pass, but Picariello adopted a number of tactics to foil them. Sometimes he would load his cars—Ford Model T
s, initially, replaced in 1918 by three McLaughlins
, a number which grew to six by 1922—with sacks of what appeared to be flour. The sacks on the outside of the car, most susceptible to being searched, actually contained flour, but buried beneath them would be sacks containing bottles of alcohol. Another tactic was to send two cars at once, the first empty and the second transporting alcohol; if a checkpoint stopped the first car, the second would quietly retreat.
Picarellio became a wealthy and respected citizen. He was elected alderman of Blairmore, and was praised for his philanthropy (among other things, the sacks of decoy flour were distributed to needy families). During World War I
, he bought $5,000 worth of victory bonds. While coal miners in the area were on strike in 1918, he contributed money to their families. This respect came even though it was widely known that he was a bootlegger: in 1921 he was fined $20 after the APP found four barrels of alcohol in his warehouse. In January 1922, the APP recovered 70 barrels of beer from a railway car with a bill of lading
in Picariello's name; his claim that the beer had been erroneously sent in response to his order for carbonated water did not convince the judge, who fined him $500.
, entering the United States illegally. When he decided to return to Canada in 1916, he adopted the name Charles Lassandro to cross the border more easily. Picariellio hired Charles as hotel manager and Florence as a waitress.
Florence also became involved in Picariello's bootlegging activities. Sometimes she would accompany Steve Picariello, driving the decoy car, and the two would pose as a young couple out for a picnic. Other times, she would drive, reaching speeds as high as 50 miles per hour (80.5 km/h). He and Florence eventually separated.
, radioed to Blairmore that Picariello was on his way. When the bootleggers arrived at the Alberta Hotel, two APP officers arrived and presented a search warrant
. Picariello leaned through the window of his vehicle and honked its horn to alert his son of danger. Stefano "Steve" Picariello immediately began to speed back to British Columbia. Emilio got back in his car and used it to block the road and prevent the police from giving chase to Steve. The APP contacted Steve Lawson in Coleman to alert him to Steve Picariello's impending arrival. When the younger Picariello arrived in Coleman, Lawson fired his gun, first in the air as a warning and then directly at Picariello's car when that warning went unheeded. A bullet hit Steve Picariello in the hand, but he escaped when the car that Lawson had commandeered got a flat tire.
Emilio Picariello was also heading for the Alberta-British Columbia border. In Coleman, he met Lawson, and the two had a tense conversation in which he warned Picariello that if he did not bring his son back from British Columbia, the APP would. Returning to Blairmore, he met APP sergeant James Scott, the head of the Blairmore detachment and one of the officers who had come to search the hotel. Picariello taunted him about not finding his shipment of alcohol, to which Scott replied that he would press charges against Emilio and Steve Picariello for their dangerous driving. Picariello responded that this did not bother him, as long as his load was safe. He added that Lawson was lucky that he had not shot Steve Picariello, because if he had Emilio would have killed him.
On his arrival in Blairmore, Picariello learned that his son had been shot, although he did not know his condition. Enraged, he vowed to go to Coleman to confront Lawson. Florence, on her own initiative. As they travelled to Coleman, Picariello removed two guns from his coat, giving one to Lassandro and keeping one for himself. When they reached the Coleman APP barracks, Lawson came out to meet them. While discussion was initially civil, it degenerated into a physical confrontation between Lawson and Picariello. One version of events holds that Picariello had come to Coleman to convince Lawson to help him find his son, and that Picariello drew his gun when Lawson refused. On seeing the gun, Lawson attacked Picariello, and Lassandro shot him as he had his hands around Picariello's neck. Another version holds that Picariello shot Lawson as he was fleeing the vehicle. Whatever the sequence of events, Lawson was fatally shot, and Picariello drove the vehicle quickly away.
in the Coleman opera house (selected because it was the only building in the town able to accommodate the 500 spectators), a joint trial was set for Macleod. The defense later requested a change of venue because of strong feelings in the Crowsnest area; the presiding judge granted a change to Calgary
. Provincial Attorney-General John Edward Brownlee
authorized a special sitting of the Supreme Court of Alberta to try the pair beginning November 27.
Brownlee himself attended the entire trial, but took no active part in it; the prosecution was headed by A. A. McGillivray
. J. McKinley Cameron was chief defense counsel.
Italian-Canadian
An Italian Canadian is a Canadian of Italian descent or heritage. According to the 2006 census of Canada, 1,445,335 Canadians consider themselves to be of Italian origin. The Italian-Canadian population climbed by more than 12% and half have combined Italian origins along with another ethnic...
bootlegger
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
and convicted murderer, who was hanged at Fort Saskatchewan in 1923 for killing an Alberta police constable the previous year.
Early life
Picariello was born in SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and migrated to Canada in 1899. Settling in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, he worked as an electrician and labourer until he had earned enough money to buy an Italian grocery. In 1900 he married Maria Marucci, who he had met at a boarding house at which she worked as a housekeeper; the couple went on to have seven children, the eldest of whom was Stefano (Steve) Picariello. In 1911 he moved to Fernie, British Columbia
Fernie, British Columbia
Fernie is a city in the Elk Valley area of the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on BC Highway 3 on the eastern approaches to the Crowsnest Pass through the Rocky Mountains...
, where he worked in G. Maraniro's macaroni
Macaroni
Macaroni is a variety of moderately extended, machine-made, dry pasta made with durum wheat. Macaroni noodles do not contain eggs, and are normally cut in short, hollow shapes; however, the term refers not to the shape of the pasta, but to the kind of dough from which the noodle is made...
factory. When Maraniro moved to Lethbridge
Lethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
to open a factory there, Picariello rented the Fernie factory and hired women to roll cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
s in it.
In 1916 he began to manufacture ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
at a rate of 400 gallons (1,818.4 l) per day. He sold this from a wagon during the summer of 1916 and shortly thereafter established ice cream parlours in Trail
Trail, British Columbia
Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
and Blairmore
Blairmore, Alberta
Blairmore is an urban community in the Rocky Mountains within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta, Canada. It was formerly incorporated as a town prior to 1979 when it amalgamated with four other municipalities to form Crowsnest Pass...
. He sometimes accepted payment in the form of bottles, which he then sold to bottlers; by 1916 he had achieved a local monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
. This gained him a reputation as the "Bottle King", which he embraced with newspaper ads reading "E. Picariello, the Bottle King, requests that all persons selling bottles hold them until they see E. Picariello, who pays top prices."
In 1914, he became the local representative for the Pillock Wine Company. Two years later, prohibition
Prohibition in Canada
The temperance movement reached its height in Canada in the 1920s, when outside imports were cut off by provincial referendums. As legislation prohibiting consumption of alcohol was repealed, it was typically replaced with regulation restricting the sale of alcohol to minors and imposing excise...
was enacted in Alberta. It was initially still legal to import alcohol from outside of the province, and Picarellio profited by transporting alcohol through the Crowsnest Pass
Crowsnest Pass
Crowsnest Pass is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border.-Geography:...
.
In 1917, British Columbia also introduced prohibition, and Picariello decided to move to Alberta to be closer to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, which allowed the sale of alcohol, while remaining close to the British Columbia distilleries from which he purchased. He bought Blairmore's Alberta Hotel as a base of operations. In 1918 Alberta outlawed the importation of alcohol and Picariello was forced to operate covertly. He excavated a room under the hotel and dug a tunnel from it out to the road, so that alcohol could be smuggled directly into this cellar. He had a player piano
Player piano
A player piano is a self-playing piano, containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism that operates the piano action via pre-programmed music perforated paper, or in rare instances, metallic rolls. The rise of the player piano grew with the rise of the mass-produced piano for the home in...
in the hotel lounge, whose noise drowned out these activities.
The Alberta Provincial Police
Alberta Provincial Police
The Alberta Provincial Police was a police force active in Alberta, Canada between 1917 and 1932. In 1917, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police left Alberta due to a lack of sufficient resources in light of its increased responsibilities for national security during World War I...
(APP) set up checkpoints in the Crowsnest Pass, but Picariello adopted a number of tactics to foil them. Sometimes he would load his cars—Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
s, initially, replaced in 1918 by three McLaughlins
McLaughlin automobile
The McLaughlin automobile company began life in 1876 as the McLaughlin Carriage Company, a blacksmith's shop in the village of Enniskillen, located north east of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The company began making horse-drawn carriages in the mid 19th Century, moving to Oshawa, Ontario in 1876...
, a number which grew to six by 1922—with sacks of what appeared to be flour. The sacks on the outside of the car, most susceptible to being searched, actually contained flour, but buried beneath them would be sacks containing bottles of alcohol. Another tactic was to send two cars at once, the first empty and the second transporting alcohol; if a checkpoint stopped the first car, the second would quietly retreat.
Picarellio became a wealthy and respected citizen. He was elected alderman of Blairmore, and was praised for his philanthropy (among other things, the sacks of decoy flour were distributed to needy families). During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he bought $5,000 worth of victory bonds. While coal miners in the area were on strike in 1918, he contributed money to their families. This respect came even though it was widely known that he was a bootlegger: in 1921 he was fined $20 after the APP found four barrels of alcohol in his warehouse. In January 1922, the APP recovered 70 barrels of beer from a railway car with a bill of lading
Bill of lading
A bill of lading is a document issued by a carrier to a shipper, acknowledging that specified goods have been received on board as cargo for conveyance to a named place for delivery to the consignee who is usually identified...
in Picariello's name; his claim that the beer had been erroneously sent in response to his order for carbonated water did not convince the judge, who fined him $500.
Relationship with Florence Lassandro
Carlo Sanfidele worked for Picariello, first as a legitimate travelling salesman dealing in cigars and ice cream, and later in less legal capacities. In October 1915, he married fourteen year old Philomena Costanzo, who had taken the name Florence since her arrival in Canada in 1909. Picariello supplied the venue for the wedding and acted as best man at it; according to salacious local gossip, this entitled him to have sex with Florence on her wedding night. Shortly after the wedding, Sanfidele and his bride moved to PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, entering the United States illegally. When he decided to return to Canada in 1916, he adopted the name Charles Lassandro to cross the border more easily. Picariellio hired Charles as hotel manager and Florence as a waitress.
Florence also became involved in Picariello's bootlegging activities. Sometimes she would accompany Steve Picariello, driving the decoy car, and the two would pose as a young couple out for a picnic. Other times, she would drive, reaching speeds as high as 50 miles per hour (80.5 km/h). He and Florence eventually separated.
Murder of Steve Lawson
On September 21, 1922, an informant alerted the Blairmore APP detachment that Picariello would be bringing a load of liquor from Fernie. As Picariello's three car convoy—the first driven by J. J. McAlpine, Picariello's mechanic, the second by Steve Picariello, and the third by Emilio Picariello—crossed the border, APP Constable Stephen Oldacres Lawson, stationed at the border town of ColemanColeman, Alberta
Coleman is an urban community in the Rocky Mountains within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta, Canada. It was formerly incorporated as a town prior to 1979 when it amalgamated with four other municipalities to form Crowsnest Pass....
, radioed to Blairmore that Picariello was on his way. When the bootleggers arrived at the Alberta Hotel, two APP officers arrived and presented a search warrant
Search warrant
A search warrant is a court order issued by a Magistrate, judge or Supreme Court Official that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a crime and to confiscate evidence if it is found....
. Picariello leaned through the window of his vehicle and honked its horn to alert his son of danger. Stefano "Steve" Picariello immediately began to speed back to British Columbia. Emilio got back in his car and used it to block the road and prevent the police from giving chase to Steve. The APP contacted Steve Lawson in Coleman to alert him to Steve Picariello's impending arrival. When the younger Picariello arrived in Coleman, Lawson fired his gun, first in the air as a warning and then directly at Picariello's car when that warning went unheeded. A bullet hit Steve Picariello in the hand, but he escaped when the car that Lawson had commandeered got a flat tire.
Emilio Picariello was also heading for the Alberta-British Columbia border. In Coleman, he met Lawson, and the two had a tense conversation in which he warned Picariello that if he did not bring his son back from British Columbia, the APP would. Returning to Blairmore, he met APP sergeant James Scott, the head of the Blairmore detachment and one of the officers who had come to search the hotel. Picariello taunted him about not finding his shipment of alcohol, to which Scott replied that he would press charges against Emilio and Steve Picariello for their dangerous driving. Picariello responded that this did not bother him, as long as his load was safe. He added that Lawson was lucky that he had not shot Steve Picariello, because if he had Emilio would have killed him.
On his arrival in Blairmore, Picariello learned that his son had been shot, although he did not know his condition. Enraged, he vowed to go to Coleman to confront Lawson. Florence, on her own initiative. As they travelled to Coleman, Picariello removed two guns from his coat, giving one to Lassandro and keeping one for himself. When they reached the Coleman APP barracks, Lawson came out to meet them. While discussion was initially civil, it degenerated into a physical confrontation between Lawson and Picariello. One version of events holds that Picariello had come to Coleman to convince Lawson to help him find his son, and that Picariello drew his gun when Lawson refused. On seeing the gun, Lawson attacked Picariello, and Lassandro shot him as he had his hands around Picariello's neck. Another version holds that Picariello shot Lawson as he was fleeing the vehicle. Whatever the sequence of events, Lawson was fatally shot, and Picariello drove the vehicle quickly away.
Arrest and trial
After leaving the scene of the crime, Picariello and Lassandro spent the night in an abandoned shack in Blairmore. The next day, Picariello fled on his own into the surrounding hills. The next day, he was arrested there by three APP officers, part of a manhunt involving officers from across central and southern Alberta. Picariello asked the arresting officers about the condition of his son and Lawson; told that his son was only slightly injured but that Lawson was dead, he said nothing. Lassandro was captured shortly after Picariello, and they were charged with murder. At their October 2 preliminary hearingPreliminary hearing
Within some criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether there is enough evidence to require a trial...
in the Coleman opera house (selected because it was the only building in the town able to accommodate the 500 spectators), a joint trial was set for Macleod. The defense later requested a change of venue because of strong feelings in the Crowsnest area; the presiding judge granted a change to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. Provincial Attorney-General John Edward Brownlee
John Edward Brownlee
John Edward Brownlee was the fifth Premier of Alberta, Canada, serving from 1925 until 1934. Born in Port Ryerse, Ontario, he studied history and political science at the University of Toronto's Victoria College before moving west to Calgary to become a lawyer...
authorized a special sitting of the Supreme Court of Alberta to try the pair beginning November 27.
Brownlee himself attended the entire trial, but took no active part in it; the prosecution was headed by A. A. McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray (Alberta politician)
Alexander Andrew McGillivray was a lawyer and provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary from 1926 to 1930...
. J. McKinley Cameron was chief defense counsel.