Rocco Rose is Typical White-Slaver
Chenango Telegraph, Norwich, NY, January 19, 1915
A white slave case under the Mann act, which will be of interest roughout the state has come to light in connection with the arson investigation being conducted by Detective Quinn of the Drummond agency and the local police authorities. Annie Millar of Buffalo is the victim in the case and Rocco Macearohni, alias Rose, alias Smith, alias Dephin is the man who is alleged to be guilty.
Rocco Rose, as he is known here, was arrested in Binghamton [Broome Co. NY], on the night of December 21, 1914, by Detectives Quinn and Scanlon while Annie Millar was arrested on Hawley Street in the same city by Jerome Lewis and Detective Quinn the same evening. Both are being held here as material witnesses in the arson cases pending against Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Rossie and Charles Griffin.
Case for Federal Court
On Saturday, the authorities became very sure that they had a white slave case triable in federal court and on Sunday afternoon when United States Commissioner James S. Flannagan of this city [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY], took the affidavit of Annie Millar, there was no longer any question about it.
Annie Millar is a little Polish girl, 16 years of age, whose ignorance was taken advantage of by Rocco to support him. Her affidavit said in substance that she became acquainted with Rocco about the middle of August 1911. On the evening of September 4 [1911], Rocco seemed enamored of the girl, took her to a fruit store at the corner of Washington and Ellicott Streets in buffalo, which was kept by an Italian whom she did not know. The couple went into a rear room and were served with ice cream and soda. Almost instantly Annie felt dizzy and soon lost consciousness.
Awoke in Rochester
When she awoke the next morning, she found herself in a strange room with a girl named Mary Davis, who told Annie that they were in Rochester and had come there during the night. Annie had no knowledge of leaving Buffalo and had no other clothing with her than that which she wore the evening previous.
Beaten and Assaulted
On the second day of their being in Rochester Rocco and Annie and Mary Davis and the man Gabriel Vasto, who had taken Mary away from her home, went to 110 North Frigid Street where they were registered as married people. Here Annie swears that she was assaulted by Rocco and beaten and choked until she was browbeaten into consenting to live a life of shame.
After about two weeks' time, the four people moved into a house at 352 Platt Street where they lived for another two weeks. Rocco secured secondhand furniture and the four people lived there two weeks. Annie was not allowed to leave the house, nor was she permitted to write to her anxious parents in Buffalo. During their stay in this house, Rocco received a letter from Genario Reparti, alias Farario, Rose, Rosa, Rossi and Viola, commonly known here as Jerry Rossi. The letter told Rocco to come to Binghamton where Jerry had a restaurant known as the Cottage Hotel.
Upon the receipt of this letter, the four people parted company. Mary Davis and Gabriel Vasto returned to Buffalo, where they were married. Mary was but 14 years of age and she died a short time thereafter, being dead in November when Detective Quinn was in that city looking up evidence.
Into Another State
One morning in late September previous to the Griffin fire, Rocco and his browbeaten girl started for Binghamton via the Central railroad. They first went to Elmira and then changed cars for the Lackawanna, which runs out of this state into Pennsylvania for several miles thus making the Mann act effective, in that he brought her into this state from another. They arrived in Binghamton in the early morning and stayed at a hotel near the station for the remainder of the night as Mr. and Mrs. Rocco Rose.
Lived Life of Shame
The next morning the Cottage hotel was sought out and they stayed until after the arson investigation was begun here and the news of it was published abroad. It was there that Jerry and Rocco prevailed upon Annie to live a life of shame, the proceeds of which were always given over to Rocco and beginning on October 23rd and continuing until the time of their arrest upon December 21, Annie Millar frequented two notorious Binghamton hotels, according to her own statements, and became one of the infamous women of that city. "I turned all the money I collected from men over to Rocco. The money I earned paid all our expenses and when we were arrested, Rocco had a $35 balance in the bank," Annie said in her affidavit. She said that she had no spending money. That her daily earnings were first given over to Josie, Jerry's common law wife, that their board was deducted and the balance given to Rocco at the end of each week. She was instructed not to take drinks from men but to accept packages of cigarettes which were given to Rocco, and he then sold them to some jobber. The day before she was arrested, she claimed to have received 54 packages of "coffin nails."
Shortly after Rocco Rose and Annie Millar arrived in Binghamton, as he had promised her, they secured a license to marry. He compelled her to give her age as 19 years and her name as Annie Rose. The couple were not married, however, and the license Rocco claims to have lost.
After suspicion fell upon the occupants of the Cottage hotel in the arson investigation, Annie and Rocco went to the home of Joe Pannuchi at 15 Hawley Street and lived there until the time of their arrests.
Rocco also made a statement before Mr. Flanagan Sunday afternoon which he refused to swear to, and which was thereupon taken in the presence of several witnesses. He acknowledged taking Annie from Buffalo to Rochester and then again from Rochester to Elmira, thence over the Lackawanna to Binghamton, where they registered as Mr. and Mrs. Rocco Rose and found Jerry the next day.
Will Finally Get Rocco
Rocco will be detained here as a material witness in the arson case until after the March term of court, unless some other developments occur which will alter affairs. Then when the arson case is disposed of, he will be arrested for violating the Mann act and held for the Federal grand jury. The case will be heard by Judge Ray, if there is an indictment found. Harry Dununcio of Binghamton who is here as a material witness in the arson case will also be held as a material witness in the white slave case.
The credit which is reflected upon the local officials and the detectives from the Drummond agency who have been working on the arson and now on this new phase of the investigation is considerable and the people of this city feel assured that the progress which is being made is satisfactory in every respect.
Digging up Further Evidence
Chenango Telegraph, Norwich, NY, January 22, 1915
Following up the sensational white slavery revelations made by Annie Millar on Sunday, Detective Quinn and Sheriff Holcomb have been digging up other evidence which will be used against Rocco Rose when he appears before the Federal grand jury. Jerry Rossi, Filomena Poletta and Harry Denuncio who are either material witnesses or charged with arson have corroborated parts of Annie's statements pertaining to her life in Binghamton.
Rocco Rose is but 22 years of age and though his reputation is not an unblemished one, he has been imprisoned only once before and that in Buffalo about two years ago when he did four months for slashing another Italian. Last summer he worked with Jerry Rossi in Waterbury, Conn., in a bakery. Tiring of work, they hoboed it into New York State and to Buffalo. Jerry later went to Binghamton while Rocco stayed in Buffalo, met Annie Millar, seemed infatuated with her, treated her to drugged soda water according to her statements and then carried through the various acts alleged against him in the white slavery charge.
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