The Fat Lady Sings for the Fat Man

 

Thomas "Fatty" Walsh was a New York gangster who was in the upper echelon of drug czar and criminal king pin Arnold Rothstein. As such, he was a close associate of fellow Big Apple gangsters Jack "Legs" Diamond and Charles "Lucky" Luciano. 

Walsh was one of those who visited Rothstein in the hospital after the latter was shot. He was picked up and questioned after Rothstein died but was not considered a suspect. Afterwards, Walsh moved to Miami, Florida where he was part owner of a casino ran out of the Miami-Biltmore hotel. On the evening of March 6, 1929, while he was watching the evening's play, one of his partners, Eddie Wilson, approached him and shot him twice in the stomach then turned the gun on another partner, "Chick" Clark and managed to wound him. Walsh stood up and pitched forward dead. The reason for the shooting was that Walsh and Clark were trying to squeeze Wilson out of some his share. It didn't help that Walsh also made of Wilson's speech impediment earlier that evening.

Thomas Fatty Walsh

It's In The Bag

On October 21, 1932 one time Legs Diamond associate Dominick "Wicky" Bifano was found trussed up in a burlap sack in the back seat of a car. Prior to being bagged he was shot through the head. Bifano was with Legs' brother Eddie in Denver, Colorado back in 1928 when Dutch Schultz gunmen Joe Piteo and Gene Moran failed to bump off the younger Diamond brother. Both Eddie and Bifano barely escaped execution.

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

 

Dominick "Wicky" Bifano

Is it Better to Burn Out then Fade Away?

 Gene Moran was a Jack of all crimes. He took part in a high profile jewel heist in the early Twenties that sent him to the slammer. He worked for Arnold Rothstein and he was part of the hit team that failed to knock of Legs Diamond's brother Eddie in Colorado in November of 1928.

Early in the evening of August 9, 1929, a couple of sedans pulled up to Moran's New Jersey bungalow. His moll Anna, heard him tell the men that they need to hurry because they were already late for the job. He entered one of the sedans and the crew took off. 

A few hours later, the night watch man of a Newark dump saw two sedans pull in. Two men got out of a Packard and doused it with gasoline then put it to the match. They all left in the remaining car. A few hours later one of the men returned to Moran's bungalow and told his moll that Gene was dead and that she should beat it.

By the time the fire was doused, Moran, who had been shot to death, was burnt beyond recognition. It wouldn't be until early 1930 that he was identified through his dental work. Since he was one of those involved in the failed attempt on Eddie Diamond, Legs Diamond is credited with the murder. It's also possible that he was killed at he bequest of Dutch Schultz. The Bronx beer baron had paid for the assassination crew to travel to Colorado to kill Eddie. Moran and another Schultz man were captured and took a powder, leading Schultz to be out the thousands he spend for Moran's bail.

Eugene Moran