As July comes to an end, we can put behind us a question that was posed earlier in the month regarding a dress factory that was once located on Front Street in Owego, N.Y.
Blair Kenny, author of Rochester Mob Wars, was in Owego last year for a book signing at Riverow Book Shop, as the history he revealed in his book relating to mob activity had connections to the Apalachin Summit.
Earlier in the month, Blair Kenny came across an article about a raid that happened in Owego, N.Y. and it sparked his interest.
In an email regarding the article, Kenny quoted it, writing, “State police and Owego police raided a manufacturing plant on Front Street in Owego, N.Y. on July 15, 1952. The plant was owned by Anthony (Gov) Guarnieri, who was a powerful lieutenant in Pennsylvania’s Bufalino crime family. He has been active in La Cosa Nostra for nearly 40 years.”
Following the initial email, research began to locate the site of the plant referenced in an archived article about the Owego raid. That is where Peter Gordon, Town Historian came in.
Having a background steeped in research and journalism, it was soon discovered that the location of the raid was 180 Front St., the location of where The Hand of Man and River Rose Café sits today.
Pat Hansen, owner of the building and business at 180 Front St., was surprised when she found out about the mob connections to a business that was once housed in her building.
“I knew nothing about it,” said Hansen.
Hansen purchased the building in the 1970s, did some renovations, and then opened as a co-op, selling fabric and Watkins Products.
It was reported by the Press and Sun Bulletin that the assets of the Owego Textile Co. were sold to Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kelly of Owego, and Louis Cordi of Endwell. Mrs. Kelly would be President, Cordi Vice President, and Mr. Kelly Secretary and Treasurer. The new firm was named the Mary Lou Dress Company after Mary Kelly and Louis Cordi.
As the co-op fizzled out, she let “The Spot”, a group affiliated with the Baptist Church in Owego, sell goods to raise money. Eventually, Hansen added, the second floor was opened up to artists, crafters, and for the sale of antiques.
By the 1980s, however, Hansen took over the entire shop and started a snack shop that served bagel sandwiches, etc. This small endeavor later blossomed into what is known today as River Rose Café, serving a full menu and bakery items.
“Alice Boland ran things for several years,” said Hansen of River Rose Café, adding, “and eventually Jackie took over.”
But little did Hansen know that a raid, with mob connections, took place in her building.
In the basement of the building, Hansen said she found some markings on the walls that appeared to be a pattern of some sort, but she had no idea what it was.
Gordon’s research revealed much of what we wanted to know about this “near infamous” raid on a business in the heart of the Historic District of downtown Owego – a business that rests on the Susquehanna River and by the Court Street Bridge.
Before the famous Apalachin Summit raid on Nov. 14, 1957, there were two raids on Front Street in Owego on the property of Anthony Guarnieri, who was closely associated with Summit host Joe Barbara.
This Associated Press report regarding the Apalachin Summit confirmed Blair Kenny’s initial email that tied Anthony (Gov) Guarnieri to Pennsylvania’s Bufalino crime family.
In a quick search it appears there were two “raids” at the Owego Textile Company (OTC), 180 Front St. where The Hand of Man is today. The Sayre Evening Times, now The Morning Times, had said that when the Owego Textile Co. opened at 180 Front St. in April of 1951, it would employ 55 women.
Anthony Guarnieri of Endwell was president of the OTC and Vice-President of the Tri-Cities Dress Company located on Conklin Avenue in Binghamton. Guarnieri kept an apartment at the 180 Front St. address.
The first raid, as reported in the Binghamton Press and Sun Bulletin on July 15, 1952, was a search by State Troopers and Owego Police of the Owego Textile Company, and Guarnieri’s apartment at 180 Front St. in Owego. They were searching for Charles “Charlie the Sheik” Fiannaca, a suspect in the shooting death, near the Town of Westover, of James “Flip” De Felippo, a small-time gambler.
In July of 1959, the Binghamton newspaper reported that De Felippo’s murder was one of five unsolved murders or disappearances of a similar nature, all perpetrated against victims who were reputed to have cooperated with police on occasions.
Charlie the Sheik Fiannaca, an enforcer and safecracker, had escaped from the Rochester State Hospital and was being sought on a felony warrant by the Erie County District Attorney. He was eventually arrested by the FBI in Peoria, Illinois, but never charged with the murder.
The Sayre Evening Times reports, on Sept. 21, 1956, on the second raid at 180 Front St. The IRS seized the assets of the Owego Textile Company and the Tri-Cities Dress Company (both headed by Anthony Guarnieri) for failure to pay withholding taxes. Both companies handled “stitching” of precut fabric for sports clothes, dresses and plastic raincoats.
Tri-Cities was re-opened shortly after the raid after paying the back taxes and fines. The Owego Textile Company also had a location on Odell Avenue in Endicott.
In November of 1956, it was reported by the Press and Sun Bulletin that the assets of the OTC were sold to Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kelly of Owego, and Louis Cordi of Endwell. Mrs. Kelly would be President, Cordi Vice President, and Mr. Kelly Secretary and Treasurer. The new firm was named the Mary Lou Dress Company after Mary Kelly and Louis Cordi.
Cordi was the owner of a pistol sought in connection with the De Felippo murder. That pistol would eventually be found in a ditch too corroded for forensic analysis to determine if it was the murder weapon.
Gil Reavill, author of Mafia Summit, says that “among other things,” (the Apalachin Summit was) “a conference of dressmakers” and lists six dressmakers including Guarnieri as Vice President of Tri-Cities Dress Co. (and Owego Textile).
Guarnieri was also charged in 1945 and 1948 for running an illegal lottery, also in 1948 for illegal possession of a firearm, and in 1952 for assault.
If we were to delve further into happenings around the area from the time frame that preceded and followed the historic date of the Mafia Summit, I’m sure that more connections would be discovered about the area’s rich history of organized crime.
But in the meantime, the owner of The Hand of Man found the history quite interesting.
“You just never know,” said Hansen of the discovery that the textile company was located in her own building. “I always just thought it was a hardware store,” added Hansen.
My mother work there when this happen.She she was sitting at her machine and man can up from the cellar carrying a trunk.Then it wasn’t long after that it was raided.She work for Marylue for a few years.