The Mt. Carmel Item
August 6th, 1952
ATLAS, PA – A traveling salesman learned a hard lesson this past Sunday in Atlas, Pennsylvania. Jeb Jarvis, the Eastern PA sales representative from the appliance manufacturer Maytag, Inc. (of Newtown Iowa) outfitted the Costello family of Saylor Street in Atlas with a free washer-dryer machine set. Though it appears the gift may have been given under a bit of duress.
Over the past month Jarvis had been canvassing the small coal-patch towns in his territory including Mt. Carmel, Shamokin, Marion Heights, Kulpmont, and Atlas, formerly known as the “Exchange”. Early last week he knocked on the back door of the Costello house (the Costello’s front gate is always locked, and they only take visitors from the alley and driveway in the back.) The family’s matriarch, Lena Dallago, 65, lives there with her adult daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.
According to the Costello family, Mrs. Dallago, who moved to Atlas from Italy as a child and speaks broken English, answered the door. Salesman Jarvis evidently convinced Mrs. Dallago that she needed Maytag’s new premium washer-dryer set called “The General”, which sells for $200. She gave him $200 cash, which represented all the family’s savings. “I gaves him my money from here,” Mrs. Dallago said, as she pulled out a sock filled with cash from her brazier underneath her housecoat.
Mrs. Dallago’s daughter learned of the purchase a few days later when the Maytag units arrived, and the family became frantic at losing their savings. They called salesman Jarvis, who told them the machines had a strict “no return policy.” At this point, the Costello’s turned to a family friend, Felix Mangialetto.
F. Mangialetto, who is also known by locals as “Screendoorface”, owing to his visibly pockmarked cheeks, is employed by Pietro Rodeccio, head of a prominent Italian-American extended family known for their business in liquor and gaming across Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania. His family and associates are very popular in coal region towns as they act as a buffer between the working class Italian families of the coal region and government and outside business interests. Nearby Hazelton, PA has long been known as a satellite city for the New York Italian-American syndicate sometimes referred to as “La Cosa Nostra”, as well as a few derogatory names. According to Susquehanna University Professor Joseph Hopkins, an expert on the connection of immigration patterns to the Pennsylvania economy, the Rodeccio family employs a local representative or “family member” in each of the coal patch towns across the region, including Atlas.
Hopkins says “These local syndicate reps get embedded in a community, and sometimes even grew up in these towns. They develop quite close relationships with the Italian families there. They act as a kind of ‘protector’ in exchange for close relationships with locally owned businesses…especially bars, restaurants, and ethnic civic clubs and churches, all of which in turn buy the liquor, food, goods, and take advantage of gambling opportunities made available by the syndicate. It really is a pretty neat system,” said Hopkins.
Like a ton of bricks, the weight of this system came down on salesman Jarvis this past Sunday. Evidently Screendoorface Mangialetto advised the Costello family to invite salesman Jarvis and himself over to their house for dinner last Sunday afternoon.
“I make lasagna, meatballs, chicken cuttles (sic), and polenta with veal, and we eat.” reported Mrs. Dallago, who also mentioned that the polenta dish was served with the brown gravy, and not the red.
According to the family, after they served coffee and dessert, Screendoorface asked the family to clear the room so he could speak to the salesman alone. The family retired to the living room for less than ten minutes before they were summoned back by Screendoorface, who now sat by himself at the dinner table, with $200 cash in front of his plate.
He reportedly told the family that salesman Jarvis apologized for all the confusion, and had been unexpectedly called away to another appointment. Screendoorface added: “He wants to give you your money back. Here it is,” pointing to the $200 left on the dining room table. “And by the way, you can keep the Maytag too.”
It may never be known what Screendoorface Mangialetto said to salesman Jarvis during those ten minutes. However, according to the president of the local chapter of UNICO, the nation’s largest Italian-American service organization, a substantial contribution was made to their Pennsylvania chapter early this week by Maytag, Inc. Additionally, the local Knights of Columbus girls softball team will be outfitted with new uniforms this year, with Maytag, Inc. as the unnamed sponsor.
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(Below is an another article on Screendoorface from Mt. Carmel Item, April 8, 1929)
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