Orgen Transplant

October 15, 1927 saw the demise of New York City gang leader Jacob Little Augie Orgen who, following the 1923 murder of his rival - Nathan Kid Dropper Kaplan, was the most powerful labor racketeer in the city. 

By 1927 Orgen was branching out into new fields. He had befriended Jack Legs Diamond who was one of Arnold Rothstein's top guys. Legs made a handful of trips to Europe as part of Rothstein's narcotic ring. Diamond was letting Orgen in on some drug deals and, in return, Little Augie was letting Diamond into the labor rackets. This didn't sit well with Orgen's chief lieutenants Lepke Buchalter and Gurrah Shapiro who were losing money on the jobs that went to Diamond.

Lepke and Shapiro decided that their boss had to go. Orgen had an appointment to meet Diamond on the lower eastside. Diamond showed up and met Orgen and the men began to walk. A sedan followed them. After a bit, a number of gunmen got out of the car and ran up behind the two gangsters. Orgen was shot in the head. Legs turned and was shot in the stomach. This was to neutralize him. They wanted him dead he would have been killed outright like Orgen.

The gunmen jumped back in the car and sped away. Diamond picked himself up off the sidewalk and staggered to a nearby hospital. 

Jacob "Little Augie" Orgen

The Dropper Gets Dropped

In what was an elaborate set-up, New York gangster and labor racketeer Nathan "Kid Dropper" Kaplan was shot down by a killer gunning for rival gangster Jacob "Little Augie" Orgen while leaving court on August 28, 1923. 

Earlier in the month a number of Orgen's men were wounded in a drive-by orchestrated by the Dropper. 

When questioned by the police, Orgen confederate Jacob Shapiro said that Kaplan was behind the shooting and so the gang leader was picked up. Knowing that Kaplan would have to face Shapiro in court they set it up so gang hanger on Louis Cohen would be waiting for the Dropper to exit the court house. 

The time came and Kaplan was ushered into the court to face Shapiro who recanted his testimony and refused to identify the gang leader. Kaplan was escorted out to a waiting taxi cab which was going to take him to another court to face a different charge. After the gang leader slid into the back seat of the taxi, Cohen slipped through the cordon of police. He ran up and, climbing on the rear bumper, shot through the back window mortally wounding the Dropper. 

Nathan "Kid Dropper" Kaplan