Hey Batto, Batto, hey Batto, Batto; Swing!

On this date back in 1929 a group of kids were in the street playing baseball. They had a pretty clear field with the exception of green sedan that had been parked on the block all that day. Sure enough someone got a hit and the ball bounced into an open window of the car. One of the kids went to retrieve the ball, and climbing on the running board, he opened the door and found himself looking into the eyes of a dead man. The lad let out scream and ran into a nearby tenement for help. The deadman was James Batto who had a record dating back over thirty years. The full story on Batto can be found in Gangster City: History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935. Coming in paperback March of 2009.