Calogero “Charles” Morello was born in Corleone in November 1892. The son of Giuseppe Morello and his first wife, Maria Rosa Marsalisi.1
On April 17, 1912, witnesses described a heated discussion between Calogero Morello, Joe Polizzo and Charles “Baker” Cangro, in a saloon at 3rd Avenue and East 114th Street. The group spilled into the street and several shots were fired. Calogero ran towards East 114th Street and Lexington. The police found him collapsed on a stoop and took him back to the scene of the fight. All three men were taken to Harlem Hospital. Calogero soon passed away, with Polizzo and Cangro described as being “in a grave condition.” 2

The papers claimed the fight was between the “Joe Baker” and “Morello” gangs, due to the Morellos robbing Joe Baker’s brother. Other papers stated the two gangs were at odds over the division of loot and for giving the police information that had led to Polizzo’s arrest.3 (Polizzo had recently been released on $2,000 bail for burglary.4)
The Baker gang was named after Joe Baker, whose real name was Joseph Cangro, a relation of Charles.5 He started out as a boxer in Harlem. His followers, then known as “The Joe Baker Association”, had a clubhouse at 422 East 108th and hosted illegal boxing matches that were sometimes refereed by gangster Paul Kelly.6 The group were allies of the powerful Harlem leader Giosue Gallucci.7 In 1908, the police arrested a Joe Baker who lived at 322 East 109th, one door down from Gallucci’s home.8
Baker was described as “the most dangerous gun man in Harlem” and an associate of Harry “Gyp the Blood” Horowitz. His followers, who were based around East 114th and Lexington Avenue, made most of their money from prostitution. Many of his group were wealthy enough to own cars, which the papers described as a “fleet of murder cars” that gave the gang an advantage when fleeing their crimes.9
Some papers described the Bakers as allies of the Morello’s, while others said they were sworn enemies.
Deadliest rivals of the Joe Bakers are the men who follow “Joe” Morello. His region is the heart of what the police call the crime belt and extends from East 110th to 115th street along Second avenue. Some of the territory overlaps with that of the “Joe” Bakers and the one result, murder, frequently happens. Life is a small thing there.10
Colagero’s uncle, Nick Terranova, met with his brothers Vincent and Ciro and said he knew who was responsible and “would butcher every one of them.”11 His first revenge killing was not picked up by the press. Terranova was seen in a Harlem saloon sending out for papers to see if the murder had been reported. He remarked that “last night he killed the first one and will kill the rest.”12
The Terranova’s learnt that one of those involved in Colagero’s murder was a nephew of Benedetto Madonia who had been killed in 1903. They rented a room opposite the nephew’s home with the hope of ambushing him, but he’d already left to visit an aunt with the hope she could broker a peace deal. The Terranova’s presumed he had fled to Italy, so they planned to send a “commission” to deal with him.13

On the June 4th, Nick Terranova killed another of the Baker gang. He drove to the Bronx with Tom Lomonte and two others. The group exited the car on 150th Street near Morris Avenue, where a local detective recognized them as members of the “Lupo-Morello gang” and quickly phoned for backup. Moments later, four shots were fired at Rocco Cusano and the Terranova group escaped in their waiting car.14 When Nick Terranova arrived back in East 106th Street he called on friends to arrange his alibi as he was expecting to be arrested for the murder.15
Born in the commune of Benevento, Campagnia in 1891,16 Cusano was a prize-winning dancer, known as the “Beau Brummell of the Bronx”.17 He had been involved with previous disagreements with the Morellos. They had threatened him at a dancehall on more than one occasion, leading to him being slashed across the face.18
A Secret Service informant explained Nick Terranova’s reasons for killing Cusano. He claimed that on the night of Colagero’s murder, Cusano had spotted Colagero walking up Third Avenue and ran ahead to warn the Baker gang, who then set up an ambush in the street. However, eyewitness reports suggest that Colagero was not ambushed and had been seen talking to the Baker gang in a saloon before he was killed.19
The last known attack by the Morellos was in November. They had been lying in wait to shoot Charles Cangro on West 137th Street, but they mistakenly shot the wrong man. Charles may have been staying with his relative Joe “Baker” Cangro who lived on the adjacent block.20
Both Joe and Charles Cangro survived until at least the mid-twenties.21

Footnotes
⇡1 | https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Morello-41 (Managed by Justin Cascio) Accessed 08 – 07-22 |
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⇡2 | New York Herald. Apr 17, 1912. p.11 New York Herald. July 21, 1912. p.4 New York Evening Call. Apr 18, 1912. p.4 Barles vs. Baker name: The Evening World. Nov 1, 1912 |
⇡3 | New York Times. Apr 17, 1912. p.24 |
⇡4 | New York Herald. July 21, 1912. p.4 New York Times. Apr 17, 1912. p.24 |
⇡5 | The Evening Post. New York. Jul 26, 1904. p.3 US Population census. 1920. New York City. ED: 964. (205 West 133rd St) |
⇡6 | The Evening World. Dec 1, 1904. p.15 The Daily Standard Union. Jul 26, 1904. p.8 The Police Gazette. New York City. Jul, 104. p.15 |
⇡7 | The Sunday Star. Washington. Oct 12, 1930 |
⇡8 | The Sun. New York. Feb 14, 1908. “A John Doe Bribery Case” |
⇡9 | New York Herald. Jul 21, 1912. p.4 New York Herald. Aug 7, 1912. p.5 |
⇡10 | New York Herald. Aug 7, 1912. p.5 |
⇡11 | U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (hereafter referred to as NARA), RG 87, Daily Reports of Agents, (hereafter referred to as DRA). William Flynn. Vol. 35. Page# 206 |
⇡12 | NARA. DRA. William Flynn. Vol. 35. Page# 258 – 259 |
⇡13 | NARA. DRA. William Flynn. Vol. 35. May 22, 1912 |
⇡14 | Middlebury Register (Vermont) Jun 14, 1912. p.4 The Sun. New York. Jun 5, 1912. p.2 |
⇡15 | NARA. DRA. William Flynn. Vol. 35. Jun 17, 1912 |
⇡16 | Information posted by Cusanos to Ancestry.com in 2002. Accessed in 2022 |
⇡17 | The Sun. New York. Jun 5, 1912. p.2 |
⇡18 | The Evening World. Jun 5, 1912. “A Woman’s Smiles Lure Harlem Gangster to Death by Bullets” |
⇡19 | NARA. DRA. William Flynn. Vol. 35. Jun 6, 1912. New York Times. Apr 17, 1912. p.24 |
⇡20 | US census. 1915. New York City. AD: 23. (189 West 136th St) |
⇡21 | US Population census. 1920. New York City. ED: 964. (205 West 133rd St) Marriage Certificate #33204 (Manhattan) Charles Cangro – Sep 19, 1923 US census. 1925. New York City. ED:28. AD: 13. p.22. Joseph Cangro (2429 8th Avenue) |