Filumena Lassandro
Encyclopedia
Biography
Born in Southern Italy, Lassandro emigrated to Southern Alberta and married Charlie Lassandro in 1915. This allegedly poor marriage led Lassandro into the world of bootlegging, as ProhibitionProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
was not in effect in Alberta. She developed a professional and criminal relationship with Emil Picariello also known as “The Emperor Pic".
Picariello was an entrepreneur based in Blairmore, Alberta
Blairmore, Alberta
Blairmore is an urban community in the Rocky Mountains within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta, Canada. It was formerly incorporated as a town prior to 1979 when it amalgamated with four other municipalities to form Crowsnest Pass...
. He was engaged in legal businesses such as manufacturing ice cream and as an hotelier (the Alberta Hotel in Blairmore), however this was a front for rampant bootlegging activity.
Charlie Lassandro was one of Picariello’s employees and permitted Filumena to work with Picariello to smuggle alcohol from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to Alberta and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. It was alleged that Filumena was in love with Picariello’s son, Steve.
Steve became involved in a police chase in September 1921, during which he was shot by a Constable Lawson of the Alberta Provincial Police
Alberta Provincial Police
The Alberta Provincial Police was a police force active in Alberta, Canada between 1917 and 1932. In 1917, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police left Alberta due to a lack of sufficient resources in light of its increased responsibilities for national security during World War I...
. Steve escaped to Michel/Natal B.C.; the extent of his injuries was not clear. In Coleman, Emilio Picariello and Filumena met up with Constable Lawson, who was fatally wounded. Allegedly, he died in front of his family.
Both Emilio and Filumena were convicted for the Constable’s murder; however, the trial was a questionable affair (who fired the fatal shot was never confirmed). Both were sentenced to hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
; they unsuccessfully sought clemency from the courts, the Justice Minister, and the Prime Minister. Filumena was hanged on the gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
of Fort Saskatchewan penitentiary. http://www.albertascene.ca/en/filumena/who.asp
Life in Works
On February 1, 2003, Canadian composer John EstacioJohn Estacio
John Estacio is a contemporary Canadian composer.-Life and career:Estacio was born in Newmarket, Ontario. Raised in the farming community of the Holland Marsh, Ontario, Estacio took piano and accordion lessons, and played church organ every Sunday...
, and Canadian librettist John Murrell
John Murrell (playwright)
John Murrell, OC, AOE is an American-born Canadian playwright.Born in Lubbock, Texas, Murrel moved to Alberta after graduating from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas with a BFA in 1968. He moved to Canada to avoid the draft, studying at the University of Calgary...
, premiered, in Calgary, Alberta, an opera based on Ms. Lassandro's life and death. The opera was performed at the Banff Centre for the Arts in August 2003; was featured in Ottawa, Ontario in April 2005, during the Alberta Scene Festival, which celebrated Albertan culture during the centenary anniversary; and, in November 2005, was the opening work of the 2005/2006 season of the Edmonton Opera
Edmonton Opera
The Edmonton Opera is a Canadian professional opera company in Edmonton, Alberta, it performs in the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The opera was founded in 1963 as the Edmonton Professional Opera Association. The name was latter shortened to the current name in 1966. It was born out of its...
in Edmonton, Alberta. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
broadcast a performance of this opera on March 9, 2006.
This opera was a gift to the people of Alberta, as a story about Alberta and its tragic past.