Jack Zelig
Jack Zelig | |
---|---|
Born | Zelig Harry Lefkowitz May 13, 1888 New York City, U.S. |
Died | October 5, 1912 New York City, U.S. | (aged 24)
Cause of death | Gunshot |
Resting place | Washington Cemetery |
Other names | Big Jack |
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
Spouse | Henrietta Lefkowitz |
"Big" Jack Zelig (May 13, 1888 – October 5, 1912) was an American gangster and one of the last leaders of the Eastman Gang.
Biography
Born Selig Harry Lefkowitz in the
Rising up the ranks, Zelig sought control over the fragmented Eastman Gang in 1908, after "Kid Twist" (Max Zwerbach) was murdered by a rival. Zelig's crew had more than 75 members, including satellite gangs such as the Lenox Avenue Gang in Harlem, led by "Gyp the Blood" (aka Harry Horowitz). During this period, when ethnic Jewish gangsters became predominant in the gang, Zelig was also known as "The Big Yid".[1][page needed]
Feud with Sirocco and Tricker
After Zelig was arrested in 1911 for robbing a brothel, Jack Sirocco and "Chick" Tricker attempted to gain leadership of the gang by refusing to bail out their boss. Zelig was later released due to his political connections. One of his men told him that Sirocco and Tricker were planning on murdering him. The assassin, a gunman named Julie Morrell, was lured by Zelig to The Stuyvesant Casino where he was killed by the gang leader on December 2, 1911. (That building at 140 Second Avenue is now used as the Ukrainian National Home.)
The next year, the longstanding Eastman/Five Points feud flared anew. As Zelig left the Criminal Courts building on June 3, 1912, he was shot through the neck by Five Points gunman Charley Torti.[2] He was a known associate of Louis Pioggi, aka Louie the Lump, who had murdered Zelig's mentor, Kid Twist Zwerbach, four years earlier. Zelig had been released on $1000 bail after his arrest for "shooting up the saloon" of Pioggi's brother Jake.[2] Zelig recovered from his wound in time to be dragged into the Becker/Rosenthal case.
Final years
Becker told Jack Zelig and members of the Lenox Avenue Gang, specifically,
The fall-out from the Rosenthal murder was huge, making national headlines. All of Big Jack's henchmen were rounded up and charged with murder. It was widely whispered that their boss would testify against them in exchange for leniency.
Death
The day before he could do so, on October 5, 1912, Zelig was shot behind the ear and killed by "Boston Red"
Davidson claimed he had shot Zelig over a $400 grudge, but it was popularly believed he had been killed to keep him from testifying against Charles Becker in the Rosenthal murder case involving the Lenox Avenue Gang.[4][5]
Legacy
Shortly after Zelig's death New York detective Abe Shoenfeld wrote "Jack Zelig is as dead as a door nail. Men before him – like Kid Twist, Monk Eastman, and others – were as pygmies to a giant. With the passing of Zelig, one of the most 'nerviest', strongest, and best men of his kind left us."
References
- ISBN 978-0-375-70547-2. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
- ^ a b "Gang Leader Shot as he Leaves Court" (PDF). The New York Times. June 4, 1912. p. 3.
- ^ Ferrara, Eric (2008), Gangsters, Murderers & Weirdos of the Lower East Side - a self-guided walking tour
- ^ "Zelig's Murder Wasn't Inspired, Police Decide" (PDF). The New York Times. October 7, 1912. p. 1.
- ^ "Becker Trial To-day Despite New Murder. Whitman Confident That He Can Convict Lieutenant Without Zelig's Evidence" (PDF). The New York Times. October 7, 1912. p. 3. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
The murder on Saturday night of 'Big Jack' Zelig will not delay the trial of Lieut. ... Zelig was one of the State's chief witnesses against Becker, ...
Further reading
- Keefe, Rose. The Starker: Big Jack Zelig, the Becker-Rosenthal Case, and the Advent of the Jewish Gangster, Cumberland House Publishing, 2008
- Fried, Albert. The Rise and fall of the Jewish Gangster in America, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1980
- Rockaway, Robert A. (2000). But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters. Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 965-229-249-4
- Downey, Patrick. Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900–1935. Barricade Books, 2004. ISBN 1-56980-267-X
- ISBN 3-901398-33-3