Stories
Notorious
The death of Jack “Legs” Diamond
Jack Diamond on trial for kidnapping in Rensselaer County Courthouse, Troy, on Dec. 16, 1931. Jack walked across the street each morning to the courthouse from the office of his lawyer, Abbott Jones, and basked in the adulation of the people of Troy who shouted Jack's...
The very last picture of Legs Diamond
The very last picture taken of Jack “Legs” Diamond, just 9 hours before he was killed. Jack’s Attorney Daniel H. Prior, Alice Diamond and Jack shortly after he was acquitted. It is said that Jack went out celebrating his acquittal, followed by a visit to his mistress...
Paul Castellano & The Westies
On this day, 16th December, was one of the most famous Mob hits of all time, the death of Mafia boss Paul Castellano. It was a significant event in Mob history, the death of a boss and the rise of another boss, John Gotti. But it was another murder would bring Paul...
Thomas “Fatty” Walsh & Haunting the Biltmore Hotel
Thomas "Fatty" Walsh was a gambler, mobster and an associate of Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano. He now reportedly haunts the 13th floor of the Biltmore Hotel, Miami, Florida. "Fatty" Walsh was a former bodyguard of Arnold Rothstein, Rothstein or "The Brain" would...
Billy McGlory’s Armory Hall
Billy McGlory opened McGlory's Armory Hall at 158 Hester Street in the late 1870s. It very quickly became a popular underworld hangout, frequented by thieves, pickpockets, and procurers throughout the old Fourth and Sixth Wards for nearly two decades.It was described...
Ned Kelly – Bucket Head Ned – The Outback Outlaw
In a bit of a break we can have a look at Australia and one of the most famous gangsters / outlaw of them all Ned Kelly or Buckethead Ned. He was the son of Irish parents, his father Red Kelly had been a convict who had been sent to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in...
The Lufthansa Heist 1978
The Lufthansa Heist of December 1978 would be known to many mob enthusiasts for a few reasons, mainly because it was immortalized in Martin Scorsese's 1990 classic movie Goodfella's. The Lufthansa heist took place at JFK International Airport on December 11, 1978. An...
Monk Eastman From Public Enemy to National Hero
Edward "Monk" Eastman (1875 – 1920) was a New York gangster and founder of the Eastman Gang, which became one of the most powerful street gangs in New York City. Of course Monk Eastman wasn't Irish, he did live in a time when the Irish, Jews and Italians worked and...
The Happy Hooligan, Knock Out Drops & Shanghaing
During the 1800's and early 1900's there was a practice that was used among some bartenders and saloon keepers, who were criminals themselves would spike drinks with knock-out drops or powders for the purpose of robbing a victim. In Fort Wayne, Indiana was a bartender...