America 1881: Legend of the West

Chapter 523 Italians’ Talent for Public Speaking

New York City Hall is located in the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center District of Lower Manhattan.

Built between 1803 and 1812, it may be considered one of the oldest city halls in the United States.

Like other government buildings in the United States, the white European style and finely carved Roman columns on the exterior of this city hall are impressive.

Its French dome is so beautiful that it is easy for people to have the illusion of being in a Roman temple.

But Theodore Roosevelt was not in the mood to admire these fine works of American craftsmanship.

Wearing a gray and white uniform and a police hat, he walked into the mayor's office.

Mayor Murray was already waiting for him there.

"Oh, Sheriff Roosevelt, how are you doing lately?" Murray saw Roosevelt walking in and greeted him very warmly.

"Not very good." Roosevelt came to Murray's desk and stood there, "What do you want from me?"

He is less than forty years old and is now in his prime. He has a raised mustache, stands upright, and has bright eyes.

Mayor Murray dwarfed him in terms of aura.

"Uh, I mean, I want to hear your opinion on the recent warehouse explosion in Xiacheng District and the death of two police officers." He said inarticulately.

"Mr. Mayor, we have enough evidence to prove that all of this was done by an Italian gang called the Five Points Gang in downtown." Roosevelt said, "I have made preparations to destroy them. I hope The city government can provide support!”

To his surprise, the mayor stroked his palm:
"Mr. Roosevelt, I very much support your statement. It's time to teach these villains a lesson."

"Okay, I'll go back and make preparations." Roosevelt saluted the mayor and turned to leave.

"Uh, please, please wait a moment." Murray suddenly called Roosevelt from behind.

"Anything else?" Roosevelt turned around.

"I'm afraid you misunderstood me a little. I mean, I agree with taking action against those gangs, but I'm afraid the person who carries out this action is not you." The mayor picked up a piece of paper from his desk and handed it to Roosevelt.

Roosevelt took the paper.

It was a joint letter from citizens, mainly complaining about the police department's inaction in dealing with the increasingly bad security situation in New York.

The public security situation in New York has deteriorated over time, and the reasons are extremely complex.

These "citizens" didn't write letters sooner or later, insisting on venting their anger on Roosevelt who had just taken office at this juncture.

"Mr. Mayor, do you want me to resign?" Roosevelt raised his head and stared at Murray, "It was you who came to me in the first place."

Murray was stared at with a glare on his back.

"No, no, no, you misunderstood me. I appreciate your talent very much, but I just need you to be responsible for more important things, such as logistics." He said with twinkling eyes, "I will announce this at the city council later. information."

Roosevelt said nothing.

His cultivation allowed him to try his best to suppress his anger.

"Okay, Mr. Mayor, I accept your arrangement." Roosevelt ultimately did not vent his anger on the spot and turned around and walked out of the mayor's office.

When he walked out of the office, he happened to pass by Councilor Cartman who had just entered.

"Mr. Congressman, are we going too far?"

After Roosevelt left the office, Murray closed the door to his office and asked Cartman.

"Someone has to be responsible for the bombing and the death of the police officer." Cartman sat comfortably on the sofa in the office, while the mayor stood beside him with his hands hanging down.

"We hired a Republican to take the blame." Cartman said slowly, "The ones who really enjoy the reputation should be our own people."

He sat there as if he was the owner of this office.

"So, are we really going to attack the Italians from the Five Points Gang this time?" The mayor wondered what Cartman meant.

"Yes, the one named Torrio didn't follow the rules very well, violated the rules, and crossed the bottom line. It's time to change a group of people." Cartman said. "Let Bullock come on, I'm optimistic about him."

Bullock, as Cartman calls him, is a Democrat.

This man graduated from West Point Military Academy and was a retired soldier.

His advantage is that he is very obedient.

After all, soldiers have always had a duty to obey orders.

The disadvantage is that he is very obedient and has no experience in the police industry.

The mayor nodded and walked back to his desk to draft the letter of appointment.

Roosevelt walked out of City Hall without saying a word.

He mounted his horse and headed straight for No. 34 Bell Street.

Chen Jianqiu's office in New York is right here, upstairs at the Border Detective Agency.

"Snapped!"

Roosevelt's police hat was thrown on the table.

Its owner sat down on the chair in front of Chen Jianqiu's desk and unbuttoned the top button of his uniform.

The button made it hard for him to breathe.

"What's wrong?" Chen Jianqiu put down the report in his hand and looked at Roosevelt with a smile.

"I'm fired!" Roosevelt snorted and said angrily.

"Fired?" Chen Jianqiu frowned.

"That's not true. That bastard Murray asked me to take care of logistics!"

"These guys usually have some unclear relationship with the gangsters in the civilian areas. Now it's better to just get rid of me and let their own people pick the fruit."

Roosevelt became angrier and more agitated.

Chen Jianqiu stood up, took out a well-packaged box from the cabinet behind him, and handed it to Roosevelt.

Roosevelt opened it and found two walnuts, which had been plated and shiny, and the surface was still red.

"What is this?" He raised his head and looked at Chen Jianqiu.

"When you are angry, holding it in your hand and playing with it can help you think calmly." Chen Jianqiu took out the two walnuts and showed Roosevelt how to play with them. "This was given to me by a Chinese businessman in Hawaii. It has a history."

Roosevelt took the two walnuts from Chen Jianqiu's hand.

"Do I consider this a bribe?" Chen Jianqiu asked with a smile.

Roosevelt shook his head.

With the walnuts in his hands, he calmed down a lot.

"It just makes me panic when I think that I can't personally bring these bastards from downtown to the gallows," Roosevelt said.

"This matter is not that simple." Chen Jianqiu said to Roosevelt, "According to the information I have obtained, I am afraid that Cartman would never have imagined the purpose of the Italian named Torrio."

"Those policemen under your command can't handle him." The smile on Chen Jianqiu's face became more and more playful.

"Don't worry, let the bullets fly for a while."

Two days later, in the lower city, in the open space in the middle of the slums.

Torrio is holding another so-called meeting.

However, in view of the painful experience last time, Li Xiling and some gang leaders did not attend.

But they were afraid that the Italian Five Points Gang would attack them, so they sent a few unimportant people over.

Eastman did come, for he was now in "holy alliance" with Torrio.

They are called allies, but in reality they are just vassals of the Five Points Gang, no different from lackeys.

In addition to these gangsters, the majority of people who attended the meeting were poor people in the downtown area who were suffering from cold and hunger.

Some of them are unemployed workers, some are petty bourgeoisie who have lost their source of income due to the financial crisis, some are homeless people, and some are retired soldiers.

Torrio distributed whole-grain bread near the venue.

The amount of bread was very small, only enough to fill half of your stomach. In the cold winter, it was frozen hard and not easy to eat.

But it's free after all.

Many people came over and, while buying bread, heard the speech of the Italian man in the black coat.

"My friends! Is the bread in your hands hard to swallow? Are you shivering with cold in the thin clothes on you?" Torio stood on a box in the open space and waved his arms at the civilians holding bread.

"Do you know that a few streets away, those wealthy people in New York are drinking fine wine and eating exquisite food!"

“You know, in the theaters on Broadway, there are scenes of extravagant and decadent dramas, and the audiences laugh loudly, but they don’t know the suffering in another corner of this city!”

"Do you know that at the dock a few kilometers away, those merchants would rather pour the milk into the sea than share it with you?"

The soil of the Apennines has always been prone to producing orators.

From Cicero of ancient Rome to Mussolini of later generations, their eloquence was first-class.

Torrio clearly has this talent.

His tone was not particularly passionate, but it still attracted and incited the emotions of everyone present.

"You shouldn't just give in to reality like this!"

"America gave you the right to own guns! Thanks to those great men, everyone on this land has equal rights."

The Italian waved at the mole behind him.

Wooden boxes were carried out one by one.

Inside were guns.

Although there are many types and some are new and some are old, each one is genuine and there are many of them.

"I'll give you these guns. If you're willing, gather here at 3 pm! I'll take you to the bank to get back your wealth!" Torrio shouted to the people in the audience.

The emotions of the people in the audience were completely ignited.

They began to go to the Five O'Clock Gang to get guns.

Eastman, who was watching coldly from the side, pinched his nose.

He was extremely pessimistic about bank robbery.

How could you shout and publicize it like that? Are you afraid the police won’t know?
Wells Fargo Bank is located in a conspicuous location, so it has heavy security, and the vault is underground, so it is impossible to blow it open without explosives.

Besides, even if you really want to rob, you can just go right away after you are given guns. Why do you have to gather at 3 pm? It is not certain how many people will be able to come by then. Besides, doesn't this give the police a chance to gather?

Amateur! Totally amateur!
Still issuing guns?
It's not certain who these poor guys will rob after getting the guns.

The probability of robbing a poor person is much higher than robbing a bank.

But now that the Italian has said so, as his younger brother, it would be unreasonable for me not to go.

If it really doesn't work, just hang out at the back, wave flags, shout, and cheer.

When the timing is not right, just turn around and run.

But this is a good opportunity.

Wait for the police to catch this gang in one fell swoop, and then you can take the opportunity to seize their territory.

As an experienced bank robber, Eastman's thinking makes sense.

And the facts have proved that his idea is correct.

Just an hour after Torrio gave his speech and distributed the guns, the news reached the New York Police Department.

The newly appointed chief, Brock, is in the conference room formulating a plan to wipe out the downtown gangs.

His uniform actually didn't fit him well, and because the time was too tight, there was no way to have it custom-made, so they could only find a ready-made one for him.

On the wall hung a map of downtown New York City.

There are arrows with different colors marking the marching directions. If you don’t know, you would think there is a civil war taking place in New York.

"From here, here, and here, outflanking, do you understand?"

Brock gestured on the map.

The policemen below were completely confused.

These guys had basically not received any formal military training, so naturally they couldn't understand what the new and unfamiliar police chief was saying.

Looking at the confused looks on the faces of these policemen, Brock felt a little overwhelmed.

He was just about to lose his temper.

However, a police officer came in from the door and whispered something in Brock's ear.

As Brock listened, his eyes lit up.

"it is good!"

He slapped the wall, scaring several policemen in the front row so much that they jumped out of their wits.

"These bastards are so bold! I was just about to deal with them, but they actually dared to rob a bank!" Brock shouted excitedly.

The police officers below looked at each other in bewilderment.

Are those gangsters crazy? Do they dare to rob a bank?
But Brock doesn't care.

He paced back and forth excitedly, rubbing his hands.

"Should we talk to Deputy Chief Roosevelt? He knows more about the situation at the bank." asked a police officer who didn't look too smart.

Brock raised his head and glared at the blind policeman fiercely.

"No, I can handle it."

He walked to his office and called Senator Cartman.

When he appeared at the door of the conference room again, his mouth was almost grinning to the back of his head.

"Quick! Make a new plan. I'm going to catch these bastards in one fell swoop at Wells Fargo!"

However, Brock was too excited.

He didn't even realize that Roosevelt's office was right next door to his.

The door was ajar when he made the call, and his voice was really loud.

Roosevelt, who was reading a newspaper, had no choice but to know the news.

After thinking about it, he put down the newspaper, walked out of the police station, and rode to the Border Detective Agency.

After all, the two sides are not far apart.

In Chen Jianqiu's office, Roosevelt told him the news.

However, Chen Jianqiu sat in a chair, drinking tea and listening to him with a smile.

"Actually, I got this news a long time ago." Chen Jianqiu said after taking a sip of tea.

"Oh? When?" Roosevelt was a little surprised.

"The last gang meeting in the downtown area was the one that blew up the warehouse," Chen Jianqiu said with a smile, "Torio brought it up at that time."

"Don't underestimate the intelligence capabilities of the Border Detective Agency," he said. "We all know what they said at that meeting."

Only then did Roosevelt discover that there was a pile of reports on Chen Jianqiu's desk.

It seems that he was looking at these things before I came.

"What do you think?" Roosevelt put his hands on the back of the chair and asked Chen Jianqiu for his opinion.

"Take a look at this report first." Chen Jianqiu took out a stack of papers from the pile on the table and handed it to Roosevelt.

The more Roosevelt looked, the more serious his expression became:
"This Italian has some very complicated ideas."

"If my people hadn't found a suspicious person nearby, I would have had a hard time guessing who he was." Chen Jianqiu put down his teacup. "He is not only not a fool, but he is extremely cunning."

Meanwhile, in downtown, in the dark little house that Sheriff Walker last visited before his death.

The Italians were still gnawing on the beef ribs.

"Boss, everything is ready." The mole walked in and reported to his boss.

Torrio wiped his mouth with the tablecloth.

His signature nervous smile appeared on his face again.

Chen Jianqiu, take a good look, this is my way of paying tribute to you!
New York! Let's get crazy!
(End of this chapter)