Organized Crime has played a major role in some of the investigative and forensic techniques
used in law enforcement today, resulting in some very scary people who were on the loose
finally being caught. But these gangs have had a profound effect on their communities
and many organized crime families still do today.
5. The St. Paul Incident
Roger Touhy (tewy) was one of five brothers that were involved in organized crime.
James Touhy Jr, John Touhy, Joe Touhy and Tommy Touhy all lived a life of crime,
but by far the most notorious and well-known of the family is Roger, who, together with Matt Kolb,
owned 10 illegal beer and liquor breweries near Chicago during the prohibition era.
Touhy stayed out of prison by bribing judges, police and prosecutors, often adding some of his
bootlegged alcohol to the payments. He was also well-known in his community for donating beer
to fundraising events and for buying ice cream for hundreds of children every Sunday.
But in the early 1930s, kidnapping had become
a lucrative part of organized crime as it was considered safer than bank robbery.
In June of 1933, Jack Peifer, a gangster and casino owner from Minnesota,
persuaded the Barker-Karpis gang to kidnap William Hamm Jr, the president of Hamm’s Brewing Company.
They were told that he would be ransomed for $100,000, but in truth,
Peifer aimed to pin the crime on Touhy in order to eliminate him. On the 15th of June,
1933, they executed their plan and Hamm was kidnapped as he walked home from the brewery.
The Hamm family paid the $100,000 ransom and he was released on the 19th of June,
but investigators were certain that Touhy’s gang was responsible
and falsely claimed that he had kidnapped people in Kansas City, Denver, St Paul
and Minneapolis and that he was part of a kidnapping ring that operated throughout
the Midwest and on the 12th of August, Touhy and his four fellow gangsters were
charged with kidnapping, among other crimes and eventually sentenced to 199 years in prison.
In October 1942, Touhy escaped from Stateville Penitentiary
near Joliet, Illinois but was caught again 12 weeks later. In 1959, however, federal courts
found that the kidnapping was a hoax and he was released after spending 25 years in jail.
4. The Brady Gang
Al Brady began his life of organized crime in partnership with Clarence Lee Shaffer Jr,
James Dalhover and Charles Geisking. Together, the gang committed robberies
and stole vehicles across Indiana, focusing mostly on department stores.
During one of the robberies, they ended the life of a 23-year-old store clerk
and on another occasion, killed Richard Rivers, an Indianapolis police officer.
In 1936, all four men were captured but Brady, Shafer and Dalhover managed to escape.
The following year, they decided to move their operations to Baltimore,
then to Connecticut and eventually Bangor in Maine.
Using the $5,000 they accumulated from their robberies, they believed they would be able to
purchase large quantities of firearms and they approached Dakin’s Sporting Goods Store on the
21st of September. While Brady was purchasing rounds for his weapon, the owner of the store
noticed that one of the men was carrying a large roll of bills and he became suspicious.
After taking their order for the weapons they were looking to buy,
he told them to wait a few weeks, as it would take time for him to acquire them.
After the three men left, he contacted the police who decided to lay in wait. 15 FBI agents and 15
Indiana State Troopers positioned themselves on rooftops and in windows at Market Square
and FBI agent Walter Walsh posed as a clerk at the sporting goods store.
On the 12th of October, 1937, the gang returned to the store after first driving past
twice to make sure that it was safe. They parked their black Buick a few doors away
from the store and Shafer, along with Dalhover got out, leaving Brady in the vehicle.
Shafer acted as a guard at the store’s entrance
while Dalhover entered alone and he was arrested after a brief struggle.
Shafer saw what was happening and drew his weapon, firing into the store.
Agents inside the store returned fire and Shafer r an out into the street where he lost his life.
Agents then approached the car from where Brady was watching and he was ordered to
step out with his hands up. He told them not to shoot and that he would cooperate, but as soon
as he reached the door, he lunged out with his weapon drawn and started firing wildly at agents.
They returned fire and Brady was gunned down instantly. One agent later noted that he
had bullet holes through his clothing and his holster, narrowly avoiding being hit by Brady.
Dalhover was taken back to Indiana and convicted of the crimes that he had been a part of. He
received the death penalty and despite an appeal, was executed on the 18th of November, 1938.
3. The Dixie Mafia
The Dixie Mafia was also known as “The Cornbread Cosa Nostra” since they emerged in the 1960s from
the American South. The group had no official hierarchy, employed scary people from all ethnic
groups and were willing to participate in any illegal activity that they considered profitable.
Starting out in Biloxi, Mississippi, their operations soon branched out as far as Atlanta,
Georgia and Tulsa, Oklahoma. At first, they focused on crimes such as Burglary, robbery
and theft, but before long, they were involved in professional hits, often against former members.
On the 18th of February, 1969, at least 5 members of the gang travelled to the Skeebow Trailer Court
where a group of travelling carnival employees were staying after setting up their camp.
Most of the carnival workers were at Mardi Gras in the French Quarter of New Orleans at the time,
where they were working at concession stands.
But 24 others had stayed behind at the camp and The Dixie Mafia, donning masks and firearms,
ambushed the site. They used chains and padlocks to restrain their victims while they ransacked the
10 trailers belonging to the carnival, searching for money, jewelry and anything of value.
By the time they were done, they had collected about $12,000,
though it is speculated that it may have been more, as the carnival workers possibly
underreported the theft to avoid getting into trouble for tax evasion. Margie George,
a fortune teller, was accosted in her trailer and asked to reveal the location of the group’s safe.
When she refused, they decided to end her life and a known associate of the gang named Gary Elbert
McDaniel would be found deceased a month later. Police suspected that the gang had ended his life,
but it was also speculated that he may have been killed by McNairy County Sheriff
Buford Pusser who is rumored to have been responsible for the mysterious deaths
of three Dixie Mafia members in retaliation for his wife’s murder.
One of the gang’s thieves, Bobby Gwenn, was arrested shortly after the incident
and he quickly implicated the Dixie Mafia kingpin, Kirksey Nix Jr, Bill Club and three other members.
When Clubb was arrested just 2 days later, police found $9,000 in his possession.
Police then raided his house and they found an array of burglary tools
as well as an assortment of weapons, some of which were traced back to a robbery that took
place at a house in Ormond Beach in Florida. He was ordered to be extradited back to Louisiana,
and shortly before his scheduled transfer, Gwenn was found deceased by the side of a road.
This caused the case against Clubb to fall apart
and he continued to his training as a pilot to run illegal substances throughout the southern states.
On the 5th of June, 1982, however, his Piper Cherokee plane experienced difficulties
and crashed just outside of Houston, ending his life at 55 years old.
2.
Pretty Boy Floyd
Gangster, Charles Arthur Floyd, also known as “Pretty Boy” Floyd, was seen as somewhat
of a Robin Hood by the public, as he supposedly regularly destroyed mortgage papers while carrying
out bank robberies. He was also known to share the money from his crimes with those around him.
On the morning of the 17th of June, Frank Nash, a friend of Floyd’s, was scheduled for transport to
a prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. Floyd, along with Vernon Miller and Adam Richetti devised a plan
to free their friend and as he was brought out, opened fire on officials who were guarding him.
The resulting battle caused Nash to be caught in the crossfire and he lost his life. Two officers,
an FBI agent and a police chief also succumbed in the firefight. Floyd, however, managed to
escape and after the infamous John Dillinger was caught and killed, he became “Public Enemy No. 1”.
A $23,000 bounty was offered for his capture,
dead or alive and for the next year, he remained on the loose, going into hiding with
Richetti and two women named Rose and Beulah Baird while using the alias, George Sanders.
Police received a tip-off of their whereabouts and Richetti was captured,
but Floyd managed to escape. He was later tracked to a cornfield in East Liverpool where he decided
to fire at officers, who returned fire and brought him down. His last words were: "I'm done for;
you've hit me twice." An ambulance was called, but he passed away 15 minutes later.
1. Legs Diamond
Legs Diamond was not well regarded by his fellow gangsters, as he was known to never have made a
friend that he didn’t double-cross. He began his own bootlegging operation by hijacking
trucks that were transporting alcohol in order to stock his own speakeasies.
After spending time in prison for desertion during World War I,
he started working for gangster, Arnold Rothstein who is known for fixing the 1919 World Series.
He also did freelance work as a hitman and bodyguard for Jacob Orgen and when
Orgen was eventually gunned down on October 16, 1927, Diamond was wounded.
He then started his own operation and quickly became the target of fellow gangsters
who attempted to take his life and wounding him twice more.
But they quickly found out that Diamond was not an easy target. Rival gangster, Dutch Schulz was once
heard asking his own henchmen: “Ain’t there nobody who can shoot this guy so he doesn’t bounce back?”
On the 12th of October, 1930, Diamond was staying at the Hotel Monticello in Manhattan
when two men forced their way into his room and fired at him,
hitting him 5 times. He then drank 2 shots of whisky before making his way out of the room
and collapsing in the hallway. He was taken to the Polyclinic Hospital where he recovered.
On the 27th of April, 1931, he was having a meal at the Aratoga Inn, a roadhouse near Cairo in New
York. After finishing his meal, he walked outside where he was fired upon again and hit three times.
A local resident drove him to a hospital in Albany where he once again made a full recovery.
Then, on the 18th of December, 1931, he was staying at a rooming house in Albany while on
trial in Troy, New York for kidnapping. He had been acquitted earlier that day
and after celebrating at a restaurant, he returned to his room at around 4:30 am.
An hour later, as he lay on his bed, two men entered his room and fired at him,
hitting him twice and at last, his life was ended. His funeral was attended by around 200 people,
but, not surprisingly, not a single member of any criminal operation was in attendance.