The Mattano family originated in San Biagio Platani, Agrigento, Sicily, and had a strong connection to Tampa, Florida. Some remained there, though many moved to Milwaukee.
Uncle John Mattano was a barber prior to his death in 1938. Coincidence or inspiration? (Barber is a not uncommon job among Italian immigrants in the early 1900s.)
May 1945, Castenzio married Antoinette Fedele at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Madison. At the time, he was a seaman first class. Maid of honor was Josephine Mattano, a cousin of the groom. Another bridesmaid was the bride’s cousin, Florence Fedele. Leonard Mattano of Michigan, the groom’s brother, was best man. (There are multiple instances of Mattano family in Milwaukee marrying in Madison, for reasons I don’t know.)
July 1952, the Milwaukee Sentinel asked people their opinion on the upcoming election. Mattano said, “I feel that (Robert) Taft had a much better political background than General Eisenhower. My vote will be decided on what develops during the campaign.” (Taft lost to Eisenhower in the Republican primary – coincidentally, Taft died in 1953 at age 63, suggesting he would not have finished his term.)
October 1959, appears that Castenzio was elected a secretary of the Council of Catholic Men at St. Boniface Catholic Church. (Because of the multiple people with the same name, I am not 100%, but this seems to be the case.)
Castenzio John “Steve” Mattano, 65, was found lying on the floor of his Legion Barber Shop at 415 West Wells Street (inside the Belmont Hotel) on August 13, 1975. The time was around 4:30pm when his friend Charles K. Titus stopped in to say hello. Mary Lubin, who ran a loan shop next door, had seen him (alive) less than a half hour earlier. He was the victim of a robber who beat him about the head area, then shot him in the head with a .25 causing his death. He was lying face down on recently-swept hair. The killer then removed money from the victim’s pants pockets. Castenzio was a barber all of his life, and was at his Wells Street location for 10 years. The only evidence left behind were two spent shell casings on the floor.
Although robbery was the obvious motive, an anonymous police officer said the untouched cash register made robbery seem less likely. They were looking into a gambling connection or the idea that the murder was planned. Chief Harold Breier, when asked, said there was no gambling connection.
On August 22, 1975, an informant said in his opinion the death of Castenzio John Mattano was strictly robbery with no ulterior motives —Mattano was not known to be involved in any criminal activities, was well-respected and well-liked.
In October 1975, Chief Breier held a press conference to discuss the murder of August Maniaci, and Steve Mattano’s name came up. Breier again tried to stop rumors, saying, “There’s no evidence to indicate a gangland slaying.”
On July 9, 1981, the Milwaukee Journal ran an article saying, “Police speculated that the slaying… was a gang killing related to gambling activity.” The article went on to say the Belmont Hotel coffee shop was open 24 hours a day and was a hangout for gamblers (which is true). The article identified some customers as Sidney Brodson, Joe Krasno, Louis Simon and Nathan “Nukum” Katz. No sources were cited, and I have doubts of the accuracy. Yes, the Belmont was a gambling hangout, but the claim that the murder was a “gang” murder connected to gambling appears to contradict what was publicly known. (I would also argue that the peak gambling days at the Belmont were well before the 1970s – those named in the article were prominent in the 1940s and 50s, and were not associated with violence.)