14. After landing at Ellis Island in New York, nine-year-old Salvatore "Sal" Lucania was diagnosed with which ailment?
From Quiz Mastermind of the Mob: Lucky Luciano
Answer:
smallpox
Salvatore Lucania was born November 24, 1897, in Palermo, Italy to Antonio and Rosalia. His father's primary source of income for the six-member family was a low-paying job working in the sulfur pit mines.
In 1906, the Lucania's sailed to America and settled in an American-Jewish location in New York City's Lower East Side, known today as, Manhattan's East Village. The affliction of smallpox marked his face with an acne-scarred facial feature. After medical treatment, he returned to normal health, although the scars were distinct for life.
In 1929, his Sicilian face was further disfigured after he endured a vicious and brutal attack. Historical reports indicate that Lucania was standing on Sixth Avenue when a limousine drove up and three men forced him in at gunpoint. They severely beat him, stabbed him repeatedly with an ice pick and knife, slashing his face, and then dumped him on a Staten Island beach to die. Lucky lay on the ground unconscious, and woke up nearly an hour later. He struggled to walk for over a mile before he made it to the Tottenville Police Precinct. An officer immediately took him to a nearby hospital, although, all he wanted was for someone to call him a taxi.
After he survived the remarkable near-death ordeal, he earned the nickname, "Lucky" Luciano. The cruel attack left him with his renowned droopy right eye. Lucky never provided any names of his attackers, instead, had his own investigation done by Meyer Lansky. Lansky found out that Masseria, also known as, "Joe the Boss", was the one who had ordered the hit on Luciano.