"He must have done something. They don't kill you for nothing." - Chicago Gangster Ted Newberry. Rubbed out January 7, 1933

Thursday, September 30, 2010

What is the Law? No spill blood. (not without syndicate approval anyways.)

Joey Amberg, a semi-big racketeering feller in Brooklyn decided that a hoodlum named Hy Kasner had to be killed, so together with two henchmen named Jack Elliot and Frankie Teitlebaum they set out to get Kasner. The latter was snatched, killed, stuffed in a sack and dropped into a sewer. Business as usual for Brownsviller back in the 1930's.

Amberg was hoping that the sack would be washed out to sea and Hy's disappearance would be but a mystery, but unfortunately for Amberg it popped up near shore and what was left of Hy was fished out. Soon the names of Kasner’s killers traveled the underworld grapevine. Problematic for Amberg was that Kasner was an associate of both Albert Anastasia and Louis Capone the director and assistant director of Murder Inc and, to paraphrase Bumpy Johnson from the film Cotton Club, "If you have Murder Inc. on your ass, you truly have somebody on your ass."*

A Syndicate hearing was called. Anastasia and Capone argued that Amberg and his murdering cohorts should themselves be put on the spot for taking syndicate law into their own hands by killing Kasner without mob approval while Joe Adonis and Bugsy Siegel argued for Amberg’s clemency.

Adonis and Siegel were overruled and a contract was put out on Joey A. Chosen for the job was “Happy” Maione, Phil Mangano,(brother of Vincent Mangano the patriarch of the Mangano crime family) and another man known as “Red” Pulvino. The location chosen for the hit was the Brownsville garage, which was partially owned by “Pittsburgh Phil” Strauss, where Joey Amberg parked his car.

On this day in 1935 Amberg’s sedan, chauffeured by Manny Kessler, pulled into the garage and as the men were stepping out, the killers, two dressed in khaki overalls and the third dressed in blue overalls, ran up with guns drawn and forced them to line up against the wall. As Amberg turned to face the wall he saw Maione’s face and began to say, “It’s - -” but before he could get anything else out he and Kessler were cut down by a blast from a shotgun. Once Amberg and Kessler were on the ground one of the killers ran up and shot each man in the head with a pistol. Justice, Murder Inc. style, had been served

*Johnson was actually referring to Owney Madden in the film. But you already knew that.

13 comments:

Alana said...

of course we did! One pet peeve of that film besides the mostly bad dialogue was my bio subject being portrayed as an idiot with a bad temper.

Patrick Downey said...

Hollywood wouldn't lie. Maybe your research is wrong.

Alana said...

Haha, then he must have had a twin brother running around at the same time. :)

Alana said...

an official (cough) in Newark actually suggested I use films as "reference" material as he was "pretty sure movies were made about him." Go figure..

Unknown said...

PAT DOWNEY I HAVE JUST READ YOUR BOOK HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK UNDERWORLD. THE BOOK IS FANTASTIC. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY THE BOOTLEGGERS AND PROHIBITION. YOUR BOOK IS VERY INTERESTING.

Unknown said...

manny kessler was arrested in 1929. he was part of the biggest rum running syndicate,ever to be smashed. the operation was being run out of a mansion at atlantic highlands, previously owned by oscar hammerstein. the leader of the bootlegging operation was alexander lillien. he was found shot dead there in 1933.

Patrick Downey said...

Hi Lee,
Thank you for your post and for the kind words about my book. I'm glad you enjoyed Gangster City. The Manny Kessler you speak of was not the same as the guy that got bumped off in the post above however.

Unknown said...

hi pat, i have been reading your book again. i always wanted to know if little augie orgen had a boy or girl, and he had a daughter called zelda. you book is full of amazing facts, very informative.

Unknown said...

hi pat, so the manny kessler is not the same one that got whacked. thanks for letting me know.

Unknown said...

hi pat, i cant wait for your next book on legs diamond. i have got all the previous books on him. gary levine, anatomy of a gangster is not that good. the photographs in the book are good, but thats all.

Patrick Downey said...

Thanks Lee, I'm excited about it myself.

bklynguy said...

Jack.elliot real name jack israel lived with my grandparents and dad He died on guadalcanal ww2 on a ship that sank.

Patrick Downey said...

Hi bklynguy, thanks for that tidbit. Very interesting.