Its in the Bag

One time Legs Diamond associate Dominick "Wicky" Bifano was found trussed up in a burlap sack in the back seat of a car on this date back in 1932. Prior to his bagging he was shot through the head. Bifano was with Eddie Diamond in Denver back in 1928 when gunmen Joe Piteo and Gene Moran were sent by Dutch Schultz to kill Eddie. Both men nearly escaped being machine gunned.

What Bifano was up to following the death of both Diamonds is unknown but he was well dressed and the recent recipient of a manicure. It was assumed that the foes of Diamond finally caught up with him.

Little Augie out

The body of Denver gangster Little Augie Marino was found five and a half miles out of town on this date back in 1933. The twenty-three year old gunman was last seen about week earlier when he left his home. His mother stated however that he frequently left home for days at a time so she wasn't concerned that he hadn't been back.

Marino, said to have been involved, at different times with both the Roma gang and the Smaldone gang, had been on the spot for a while. It was reported that, at the time of his death, he was still on crutches from wounds he received in a gunfight the previous December. Another attempt at his life was made earlier to that. Police guessed that the murder may have been in retaliation for the February killing of Joseph Roma.

Marino had been shot twice in the head and then, after his body had been pulled from the car, another shot was pumped into his chest.

Rocky Mountain Die (Colorado)

On this St. Patrick's Day back in 1932, four of Denver, Colorado's providers of intoxicating spirits were driving about town. At the wheel was Vincent Mortellaro, unknown to police, but assumed to be a bootlegger. In the back were Joe Barry and Roxy Stone, both known gangsters. Riding shotgun was Mortellaro's brother in-law, Frank Mortelli. Speaking of shotguns, as the quartet motored along, a black sedan pulled up along side them and a shotgun barked. The blast instantly killed Mortellaro and, as his car careened into the curb, the black auto pulled up along side and opened fire again. Barry and Stone were slightly wounded as they jumped out and ran. Mortelli was injured by the volley that killed his brother in-law, but not seriously.

Stone was still recovering from a wound he received a week previous and Barry lost two other associates, Sam and Pete Carlino, to gangster bullets a year or so earlier.