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

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Joe Is Now The Boss

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 A Mafia war came to an abrupt end on this day back in 1922 when Joe "Soon to be the Boss" Masseria managed to put rival mob boss Umberto Valenti on the spot. Since the previous spring when Valenti and some gunmen bumped off Vincent Terranova, lower Manhattan was up for grabs. 

Three days previous, Valenti gunmen had managed to corner Masseria after the latter had exited his apartment. They fired at him numerous times but missed. It is believed that afterwards Masseria contacted Valenti and set up a peace conference. However, the meeting was a ruse to lure his enemy into the open. When Valenti showed up on at the designated meeting place a number of gunmen opened fire on him. Hit in the chest, he tried to return the fire but barely had the strength to make it to a taxi where he dropped dead on it's running board.

Umberto Valenti

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