In 1876 an English banker was kidnapped by some members of the Mafia and held for ransom. A demand was made for the payment of a sum of money for his return. The reaction for the ransom demand, from the banker's family in England, was to request for the British Government to send troops to Sicily. The reply from the kidnappers was a new demand for money and a threat to cut off the ear of the banker if the money was not paid. The family in England held fast to their position and no payment was made. The reply from the kidnappers was the sending of an ear to the wife of the banker. No payment was forthcoming and the second ear was sent to the wife. The English press was made aware of the situation and ran a series of articles relating all the gruesome details. The ransom payment still did not arrive and a slice of the banker's nose was sent to the wife with an additional warning that the banker's body would be mailed piece by piece if the payment was not forthcoming. The newspaper articles rallied public support and money was collected for the wife to pay the ransom. The money was sent and the banker returned home minus his ears and part of his nose. The Mafia band had defied both the British and Italian Governments and the response from England was a call for the Italians to capture the kidnappers or British Troops would be sent into Sicily to do the job. The pressure on the Italian Government forced them to send troops to round up any suspects. The suspects in most cases were shot to appease the British threat. For over a year what remained of this Mafia band eluded the troops until a bloody gunfight took place between the band and the troops. Only fourteen of the original band still remained alive and they were loaded into two vans to be transported to Rome. One van arrived but the other some how was lost along with the prisoners it contained. Those that had managed the escape were viewed as heroes due to their role in the gunfight and their second eluding of the police. The band continued its raids in the their section of Sicily, but after a period of time realized that escape from Sicily itself was the only way they would be able to survive. Arrangements were made for their escape and some of the men were bound for America with new identities. But word spread through the families in America that men who warranted real "respect" were on their way. Their exploits in Sicily were the actions from which legends arose and they were welcomed with open arms by their American counterparts. Giuseppe Esposito, was one of these men and he arrived in New York and began to survey the possibilities of continuing his chosen profession. His arrival would be the start of a chain of events that would bring about one of the largest bloodbaths for the Mafia to ever take place.
