Murders in Cleveland

Ninety-years ago there was tension in Cleveland, Ohio's underworld. Seven brothers by the the name of Porrello were the top purveyors of corn sugar in the region. A most needed ingredient in the manufacturing of alcohol. The Mayfield Road Mob, the top Mafia gang in the city, headed by Frank Milano, was attempting to seize control or, at the very least, shake down the Porrellos for protection money.

On July 5, 1930, Joe Porrello, head of family operations, and his lieutenant, Sam Tilocco, attended a meeting with Milano and a hand full of his gang at Milano's Venetian saloon. They played cards for a while and Milano laid it all out. He wanted a piece of the Porrello's corn sugar business. Porrello said no and, as he and Tilocco were getting up to leave, the guns came out.

Porrello never made it out of the saloon, with two bullets to the face, he fell to the floor. Tilocco, though wounded, was able to stagger outside before collapsing and having a another round of shots fired into him by Milano's retreating men.*

Joe Porrello

*For the full story on the Porrello clan and the Cleveland Mafia, check out Rick Porrello's book in the link. A great book.

Taps for Papp

On this date in 1933 Akron, Ohio lost its corn sugar king, Joseph Papp. Corn sugar was a main ingredient in manufacture of booze. So there was a needy market for the product. Unfortunately the customers and competition were gangsters who settled their differences with the gun.

The end came for Papp in the Bartges Street Pool Room, which was located next door to the grocery store that Papp owned. He was sitting on a stool when two men entered with guns drawn and hollered "Stick 'em up everybody!" Papp stood up and like the other patrons raised his hands. "Turn around Joe," one of the gunmen said. When Papp turned both men fired into the back of his head. Another round of shots were sent into his back and he dropped to the floor. Once prostrate, Papp's body was twitching, so one of the gunmen stood over him and fired into him again. Both killers then exited the pool room and jumped into a waiting car and were whisked away.

Papp's family noted that he seemed tense and worried in the days leading up to the murder but chalked it up to bad business due to the Depression. Local authorities felt that Papp was most likely bumped off by rival gangsters from Cleveland.

 Joe Papp

The spot

A 1932 Two-fer

On this date in 1932, Cleveland police approached a car assuming that the man slumped in the front seat was drunk. By 1932 they should have known better. The drunk turned out to be Frank Capillo who was an underworld power in the policy racket. Authorities also thought that he may have been involved in the corn sugar racket. According to his wife he left home the previous evening at 6.

Meanwhile, a little farther west in Chicago the body of Otto Fernick, Dutch Bill, to his cronies, was found in the back seat of a sedan with a number of bullets in his head.

Known as a conman, pickpocket who grew into a gangster, Dutch Bill previously chauffeured for Timothy Lynch, head of the Central Teamsters and Chauffeurs union, who was bumped off the previous spring. Police guessed that Fernick was bumped off for running beer through territory controlled by another gang while detectives felt that he got the works because of his association with the union.