Go Fish

Chicago-

On this date in 1931, small time hoodlum Richard Fishman was gunned down in a gambling joint located in the rear room of a cigar store. The 24-year-old gunman was suspected in three murders, including that of another small timer named Herman Horwitz,

A week prior to the shooting Fishman had entered the gambling parlor and stated to all there, "From now on, I'm the boss around here." and to make his point, he pulled out a gun and fired three shots into the floor.

Fishman came back to the gambling room and was shooting dice with another guy when a "tall, heavy set man" entered and opened fire; killing Fishman instantly and wounding another gambler.

Richard Fishman

Detroit Vengeance

Sixty-year-old Joe Rivetts, owned a saloon in Wyandotte, Michigan. His town is in the region known as "Down River" because it is south of Detroit along the Detroit River. After years of running his business independently, in the summer of 1931 Detroit mobster Joe Evola came calling and demanded that Rivetts start taking his beer from him. Rivetts refused. Shortly thereafter, hoodlums came and wrecked the place. Rivetts fixed the joint up and reopened.

The reopening was followed with more demands and threats by Evola. Rivetts ignored them leading the Detroit mobster to pay another visit on October 15 with another man, while Rivetts was working behind the bar. Witnesses stated that Evola was cursing Rivetts and then jumped over the bar. As Evola was clamoring over the bar, Rivetts pulled out a pistol and shot him once in the chest, piercing a lung. the Detroit mobster was removed from the tavern and taken to the hospital where he expired a few days later.

Rivetts was arrested for the shooting but let go after it was determined that he acted in self defense. The case brought to much attention to Rivetts who closed his place.

On this evening back in 1931, Rivetts sat at the bar in another saloon reading the paper. Charles Tear, the owner of the place, was tending bar. Another bartender, John Pelletier was also sitting at the bar when at approximately 8:05 three men walked in. One pulled out a shotgun from under his coat and the other two pulled out pistols. Rivetts noticed them first and made a dash for the rear door. A blast from the shot gun took off half his face. He was down. Tear tried to make his way from behind the bar but another shotgun blast removed the top of his head. The guys with the pistols took care of Pelletier. For some reason, another bar tender who was in the room wasn't shot. After the three men were killed the gunmen shot up the bar some and then took off.

 Joe Rivetts                     Charles Tear

We're So Sorry, Uncle Eddie

Philadelphia gangster Handsome Eddie Rafferty pulled into his brother's gas station on this date back in 1928. His niece was on hand and jumped into the back seat. Uncle Eddie had brought some grapes for her and she sat in the rear snacking away.

As Rafferty sat behind the wheel speaking with his brother a car drove by and men with shotguns and pistols opened fire. Rafferty slouched over the steering wheel. A second car containing gunmen followed up and opened fire on the already perforated gangster. Eddie fell to the floor mortally wounded. A third car drove by and also sent a burst of gunfire but missed the gangster completely instead, peppering the walls of the filling station. The niece was unhurt.

It was said that Rafferty was associated with the Eddie Reagan gang whom were supposedly responsible for the murder of a gangster named Robert Haggerty and that the latter's friends killed Rafferty in retaliation. Another theory was that Rafferty had double crossed another bootlegger named William "Hop" Reilly. Reilly was picked up but denied there was any trouble between him and Rafferty.

Handsome Eddie Rafferty

Grape Ape

Newark, New Jersey -

On this date in 1930, Dominick "The Ape" Passelli, described as a ranking member of Newark mob boss Richard Boiardo's gang, walked into the Newark General Hospital with a slight scalp wound. He claimed he had had an accident but in reality his head had been creased by a bullet. He was on the spot.

The staff patched him up and told him he could go on his way. "No, if it's all right with you, I think I'll stay here a couple of days." He told them. He was given room 33 where he received a few visitors, two men, around three o'clock. They stayed a short time then left.

A few minutes after six two men entered the hospital and, according to different stories, it was the same two men from earlier or two new men who made there way upstairs and asked where they could find room no. 33.

Also depending on who wrote the story one man stood at the door while the other fired, or both fired. The end result was the same; The Ape caught two bullets in the head and was killed.

At the time of the murder long time Newark gangland adversaries Longy Zwillman and Richard Boiardo supposedly had a peace pact so police didn't feel that it was rival gangsters that killed him. Since some reports stated the Ape's killers were his visitors from earlier, it was suggested that he was done in by his own gang. There was also a theory that he was muscling in on the grape racket

Dominick "The Ape" Passelli

Homer goes Home

Horse Shoe Lake, Madison County, Illinois -

The skeletal remains of former Cuckoo gangster Homer DeHaven were found on this date in 1932. DeHaven had left the Cuckoos along with faction headed by Tommy Hayes. When Hayes and two confederates were murdered that spring DeHaven was brought in for questioning.

DeHaven was arrested for murder on June 14, but released three days later due to lack of evidence. A short time after being released he was at his girl friends place in East St. Louis when a call came. It was another girl who asked him to meet her at a drug store. He put on his hat an coat and told his girl that he would be back later. He was never seen again until somebody discovered what was left of him in the woods. There were three holes in his skull, assumed to be caused by .45 caliber bullets. He was identified by a signet ring and dental work.

Police theorized that DeHaven was bumped off by the same people who killed Hayes just in case DeHaven wanted to avenge the murders.

Homer DeHaven

Wild Bill is Tamed

Brooklyn, New York -

In the early hours of this day back in 1923, Brooklyn waterfront tough Wild Bill Lovett former leader of the White Hand gang, was murdered while sleeping off a drunk in a riverfront shanty. Having killed both Irish and Italian gangsters, there was no shortage of people who wanted him dead. For a time it looked as though Lovett may have dodged a gangland execution. That summer he had married Anna Lonergan, sister of his right hand man, Richard Pegleg Lonergan, and they moved from Brooklyn out to the New Jersey suburbs in an attempt to make a normal life for themselves. Lovett longed for the old ways however and returned to his old haunts and went on a bender. Word spread that the former gangster was back in the neighborhood and somebody(ies) with an ax to grind, trailed him to the stevedore shack he decided to spend the night in and after he had passed out they entered that shanty and bludgeoned and shot him to death. His killers were never found.

Wild Bill Lovett

Slot Machines Don't Pay Out

Newark, New Jersey - The evening of October 27, 1930 found Joseph Hamley, a slot machine racketeer in a nervous state. He had recently been expanding his slot machine business in Northern New Jersey. Supposedly he had the backing of New York City gangster Jack Legs Diamond.

Word on the street was that Hamley was a former slot machine repairman who talked himself into being Legs' New Jersey slot guy. Supposedly another Legs man, Abe Figura, was Legs' liaison with Hamley. Things were fine until the evening of October 11 when Figura was on his way to Jersey to meet with Hamley but wound up going for a ride; a one-way ride that is. His body was found the next day. The day Figura was found was the same day that Legs Diamond was shot down in his room at the Hotel Monticello. He lived.

Shortly after the two shootings Hamley received a note which read, "You are next on the spot Windy". Windy being his nickname. At around 8 pm on the 27th Hamley's brother visited him at his room at the Newark's Elk Club where the twenty-seven year old told him had a date that night. After visiting with his brother he went to his girl's house. He was nervous and told her that he expected to get bumped off. He left her place around 10 pm. Three hours later Hamley was found near Milburn, New Jersey with, depending which paper you read, either two or six bullets in him. All papers agreed on the fact that a number of them were through the head.

Body of Joseph Hamley