The Bell Tolls No More

Four days after Meyer Shapiro was rubbed out. Another Brownsville gangster, Benjamin "the Bell" Meyerson was gunned down in Brooklyn. Though Meyerson was a known associate of the Shapiro brothers, most newspapers speculated that he was was probably killed by associates of a gambler named Max "Coco" Prince, who was shot the previous year. Meyerson was out on bail awaiting a hearing. The New York Daily News however, stated his murder was a result of those who bumped of Shapiro simply cleaning house.

Whatever the reason, Meyerson got his on September 21, 1931, when, after spending a portion of Yom Kippur praying in a synagogue, he agreed to meet a woman on a Brownsville street. As they walked a car pulled up and two men jumped out. Running up to the couple the opened fire and two bullets struck Meyerson in the head. Mortally wounded, the gangster staggered a few steps and collapsed. The woman he was walking with disappeared in the crowd as the gunmen escaped.

Benjamin the Bell Meyerson

Brothers Reunited

A couple months after knocking off his brother Irving in the family foyer, the Combination finally caught up with Meyer Shapiro. Following his brother's demise, Meyer moved into Manhattan for safety. He ventured back into Brooklyn to see a guy called Juey about some weapons. Unfortunately for Meyer, Juey  was loyal to Abe Reles and the Combination, who had informed him that if he saw came across Shapiro he was to shoot on sight.

In the early hours of September 17, 1931, Meyer and Juey were strolling along a Brooklyn street talking business when the latter nonchalantly fell a few steps behind. Producing a pistol, he fired shot into the back of Meyer's head. The job done, Juey  left and returned in truck. He loaded Meyer's body into it and transported it to lower Manhattan where he dumped it in a cellar. 

Meyer Shapiro

Pal Joey

 

Joseph Silverman was known around Brooklyn as Joey Silvers a boxer of some local renown. In addition to his involvement in the sweet science Silvers was also toting a gun for the Shapiro Brothers in during their reign as the slot machine kings of Brownsville. In the summer of 1930 the Shapiros were at war with the Abe Reles and his minions known as the Combination.

Silvers had made an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Ocean Hill gangster and recent Reles confederate Harry "Happy" Maione and on August 26, 1930 Maione struck back. Slightly before midnight, Silvers was driving along when a car containing four men crowded his car to a stop. Maione bound out of the car and jumped on the running board of Silvers' machine. Yelling something to the effect of, "You were gonna put me on the spot, now I'm going to give it to you," he fired a .45 slug into the boxer's chest. Maione leapt from the running board and back into the car that was driving alongside and was whisked away.

The wounded gangster was taken to the hospital where he told authorities that "A guy named Happy." shot him before expiring the following day. Nothing came of Silvers squealing.

 

Joey Silvers

House Call

As the Roaring Twenties came to a close, brothers Meyer and Irving Shapiro were the top underworld dogs in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. Together they controlled the slot machines and other nefarious activities in their bailiwick. Irving's main concern was floating crap games. One of their goons was a young thug named Abe Reles, who decided that since he was taking all the chances that could find him in jail or the cemetery he was entitled to a bigger slice of the pie. The Shapiros saw it differently and war broke out out.

Reles and his band shot it out with the Shapiro gang for about year, each side losing members, Finally on July 11, 1931, Reles though that he had both Shapiros in his sites. He knew that they  were both at the Democratic Social club and so he, Happy Maione, Dasher Abbandando and Vito Gurino waited outside in order to gun them down. 

As the Shapiros exited, another group of men followed them out so Reles called off the assassination. Assuming that they were going to head to the family home, Reles and company drove there and beat them home. The reason being was that Meyer wanted to go to the turkish baths so was dropped off. Irving was going to join him but had their driver, Smokey Epstein, take him home first for a change of clothes.

While this was taking place Reles and his confederates entered the foyer of the Shapiro house and removed the light bulb and waited. They heard the car pull and idle as Irving jumped out and ran up to the house. Entering the dark foyer he could nothing. His enemies pulled their triggers and two bullets ripped into Irving's face, spinning him around, the gunmen stayed long enough to empty their guns in the prostrate hoodlum's back. It was one Shapiro down, one to go.

Irving Shapiro