Ralph Wagner described a moment that stayed with him for decades, recalling a conversation with Vito Genovese that ended with a kiss and a warning. Wagner said Genovese compared a situation to buying a barrel of apples, noting that one touched apple must be removed before it spoils the rest. After making that point, Genovese reportedly took Wagner’s hand, kissed it, and said they should go to sleep. Wagner said he returned a kiss on the other side, unsure of what the gesture truly meant at the time.
He later realized the comment and the kiss were tied to something more serious, though he said he did not yet understand Genovese’s intentions that night. Wagner admitted he lay awake trying to make sense of it, even noticing Genovese checking whether he was still awake. According to Wagner, Ralph mumbled the phrase “the kiss of death” under his breath, but Wagner said he ignored it in the moment. He acknowledged being upset by the exchange, but clarified that he knew what the words meant without yet knowing why they were said.
Wagner then noted that an outsider had “got wise,” and when asked if he meant someone like Ralph, he agreed, repeating that the man “was wise. ” The account ends with a fragment in which Wagner appears to ask what he and another person were supposed to do, but the thought is not completed in the source material.