Some times of a morning

West Frankfort, Illinois, in Franklin County, is a mining town located on Route 37 about 75 miles southeast of St. Louis. Since Inter- state 57 was built, Route 37 isn’t traveled much anymore. [West Frankfort] had one main street, a few businesses, a bank, stores, restaurants, one movie house, and a dance hall. There was also a train station for the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (now the Illinois Central) that ran from Chicago to New Orleans. I used to take the train from Marion to West Frankfort for a dime.

A 50 cent phamplet published at the time says that Uncle Tony and his friend Amel Calcaterra were murdered by Settimi De Santis and Frank Bianco.

West Frankfort was made up of many different nationalities. Hungarians, Italians, French, and many more. The Chinese had a laundry in town, and lived behind or above it. There were no Black people in Franklin County. If one were to pass through, they were sure to be out of the county before dark. It is a shame that the people were called "Hunkeys", "Wops", "Chinks", and many other names. Our family didn’t use those names. To us, all people are equal. They had their own neighborhoods, usually at the outskirts of town.

One night when Mary was asleep, she heard a heavy tread upon the stairway. A man attired in a Devil’s costume came into her room carrying lighted red candles in each hand and heavy iron chains attached to his arms. The “Devil” struck Mary and pulled her hair, and in leaving scared Rosa as well. When he had left, Mary found a note on her bed written in red ink which was written in English, headed “Living in Hell”. This note said that Mary would be married to Frank Bianco and would be rich someday. The note was signed the “Chief Satan in Hell”.

A few moments later, Bianco returned home and Mary later recalled that the walk of the “Devil” was similar to that of Bianco. Frank Bianco then read this purported letter from the Chief Satan and kept it. He then told the family that he was a friend of the Devil, and that the Devil would not visit them any more if he sprinkled salt upon them, so they waited for him to come home each night, and he sprinkled salt around them as they went to bed.

This went on for some time with variations. One time Bianco rushed into the house and told them the Devil whipped him because of the salt sprinkling and they would have to sign a letter in their own blood. This letter was to say they would do everything Bianco told them to do. Then he cut his arm and the arm of each of them and forced them to sign their names in blood with the blunt end of a match. Bianco then took this letter to give to the “devil”. As Mary went to bed each night she would hear chains and cans rattle.

Then the “devil” told Bianco he should marry Rosa and take her little 4 year old boy and Mary was to marry Rosa’s husband.

Bianco said that the “devil” told him if anyone did go to West Frankfort, one of the family would be missing. Mary sent a telegram to her brother Lonnie Calca- terra for help. Before Lonnie arrived, Rosa and her baby boy were kidnaped by Bianco and taken to Wheeling, West Virginia after her trunks were shipped to New York.

On December 6, the trial of Bianco and De Santis opened. On December 10, Bianco hanged himself. The trial of De Santis was continued. The jury was not told of the suicide of Bianco. On December 12, 1920, the jury returned the verdict of death. On Friday February 11, 1921, Settimi De Santis was executed.