On the premises were the clubs part owners Jack Legs Diamond and a confederate of his, Charles Entratta. At some point in the wee hours West Side bootlegger William "Red" Cassidy, who owned his own club and was part owner of a brewery with Owney Madden, stopped in with his brother Peter and a Sing Sing alumnus who went by Simon Walker.
To make a long blog entry short, after awhile and argument broke out. The words flew followed by bullets. In a matter of seconds Red Cassidy and Simon Walker were dead on the floor. Peter was wounded and Diamond and Entratta disappeared for months.
Though Cassidy and Walker were the only victims that night, a number of employees who witnessed the murders were also dispatched. Two Hotsy-Totsy employees, the entertainment manager Hymie Cohen and laborer Tommy Ribler simply disappeared. A few days later the perforated body of waiter/bartender William Wolgast popped up in Jersey, forever silenced.
Detectives caught up with Entratta first in Chicago. He was brought back to New York City for trial and beat the rap. After that Diamond surrendered and the charges against him were dropped.
Simon Walker
To learn more about the Legs Diamond and the Hotsy-Totsy club check out Legs Diamond: Gangster.
10 comments:
the best blogger I have ever seen, continues to share more gangster of the 20s
Thank you Sir! I appreciate the compliment.
Peter Cassidy was my grandfather. Red Cassidy was really Peter's nephew, not his brother. Red's mother was murdered, so he was raised by Peter's parents (my great grandparents), as though he was Peter's brother. I found all this out through Ancestry!
Hi Colleen,
That's very interesting! Thank you for posting. Did the family ever discuss the Hotsy-Totsy murder? Would be interested in hearing the inside story.
Thanks again for the taking the time to post!
There is much tragedy that I uncovered researching my family tree, but I never heard anyone discussing this in my family. I don’t think Peter ever told his children. When I told my aunt about it, she was shocked. But she did tell me Peter had two round scars on his neck. She remembered asking him what they were when she was a child, and he told her he was born with them.
Red was a year old when his father, Patrick Conklin, murdered his mother Mary (Mamie) Cassidy who was Peter's sister. Patrick went to the electric chair in Sing Sing for it. According to the 1905 NY census Red (William Conklin) was living with his grandparents, the Cassidy’s, and listed as their grandson. Peter is listed as their son. They were 10 years apart. In the 1915 NY census William was still listed as the Cassidy’s grandson, but his last name was changed to Cassidy.
The NY Times reported on July 17, 1929 that Red was a recently prosperous speakeasy proprietor who was buried in a $5,000 solid bronze coffin. It said the funeral procession consisted of 11 cars of flowers and more than 50 cars of mourners, with 20 police officers assigned to keep the crowd in order. I have a newspaper clipping with a photo of the funeral. According to the NY Times, Peter was being detained by police and so was unable to attend Red’s funeral. He was released the next day on $10,000 bond.
Red’s death certificate indicates his grandparent’s names as his parents, and his occupation as Real Estate. Cause of death is indicated as “bullet wounds of left back, right lung, liver, small & large intestines, vena azygos, and major vein.”
Red and his wife, Anna, had a daughter Claire. After Red’s death, Anna married a widower who had a son named Burton. Anna and her new husband had a daughter named Nancy. In 1944 Anna, Claire, Nancy, and Burton’s wife Elizabeth were all killed in the Ringling Brothers Circus fire in Connecticut while Burton was stationed in France. A month later Burton was killed in France in the line of duty.
I did not know any of this until I spent hours and hours and hours researching. The more I found out, the more I wanted to know. Unfortunately, I never got to meet my grandfather Peter. He died in 1953 before I was born. My father was a Peter and so is my brother.
My gosh, that is tragic. Thank you for telling your story. My contact info is on the main page. If you want to send me a contact email, I'll keep it and if I ever come across anything I think you may find interesting I'll reach out to you.
Best,
Pat
I would like to send you my email, but I'm not finding your contact info on the blog.
Hi Colleen,
It's dgis1931@yahoo.com
My grandmother, Tess Cassidy, was a sister of William “Red” Cassidy. My Mom was Tessies daughter. We heard this story from our Mom while growing up.
Greg, According to Ancestry, it appears we are first cousins once removed!
Post a Comment