In this sixth installment of Tales from the Archives, we uncover three unforgettable — and unsettling — stories pulled straight from old newspapers that reveal the complex, often dark realities of Italian American history.

We begin with Rosa DeCicco, an Italian immigrant whose obsession with reclaiming her children led to repeated arrests, courtroom drama, and violent confrontations that shocked early-1900s Portland. Her story raises difficult questions about motherhood, custody, and mental health at a time when women had few protections.

Next, we travel to Castle Garden in 1878, where immigration officials uncovered a disturbing case involving a young Italian girl allegedly sold by her own father and brought to America under suspicious circumstances — a chilling glimpse into the exploitation and trafficking that haunted many immigrant families.

We close with the remarkable life of Michael Bochino, a deeply devout Italian immigrant in Baltimore whose backyard shrine to the Virgin Mary became a place of pilgrimage for decades. Revered by many yet plagued by personal controversy, Bino’s life reveals the complicated intersection of faith, temper, devotion, and legacy.

These stories remind us that Italian American history is not just one of triumph — but also of struggle, sacrifice, and survival.

In this episode of Tales from the Archives, we uncover three haunting, unfinished stories pulled from early 20th-century newspapers—stories where Italian immigrants made headlines, only to be forgotten by history.

We begin in 1911 Southern Colorado, where a young Italian rancher is found murdered on a lonely road near Aguilar. A former business partner is arrested, witnesses come forward, and a search posse forms—but the case quietly fades from the press, leaving unanswered questions behind.

Next, we examine a shocking automobile accident involving the son of William Howard Taft. After an Italian laborer is struck and left with a fractured skull, newspaper coverage centers almost entirely on the president’s distress and his son’s remorse—while the injured immigrant’s identity is misspelled, obscured, and ultimately lost.

Finally, we travel to Pueblo’s Italian community in 1925, where a groom disappears just days before his long-awaited church wedding. Headlines scream kidnapping, jealousy, and scandal, but conflicting reports and misspelled names make it impossible to determine what really happened—or where the groom went.

These stories explore not only crime and mystery, but who history chooses to remember—and who it leaves behind.

If you enjoy historical true crime, forgotten headlines, Italian American history, and archival mysteries, this episode is for you.

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📜 Italian American Stories Podcast