John Volpe drove a 16 cyllinder Cadillac with bullet proof windows, the license plate of which read "J V8", eight for the eight brothers that formed the Volpe gang. He also wore a watch studded with 25 diamonds arranged to form his initials. Though not a big man — he stood 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 175 pounds — Volpe cut a striking figure. In this era of corruption and vice (1920s and 30s), the Volpe brothers came to power and prominence. They controlled, protected and dominated one small community — a clustering of Italian families living in the shadow of George Westinghouse's massive air brake factory in the small town of Wilmerding, 14 miles from Pittsburgh. The Volpes by turns were shrewd, generous and often ruthless in how they used that control, and were able to leverage their