Casper Holstein

Casper Holstein

Casper Holstein (born December 7, 1876 in St. Croix , US Virgin Islands , † April 5, 1944 in New York , NY , USA ) was a well-known New York mobster who brought about the return of illegal gambling in Harlem . Holstein was also known under the name "Bolito King".

Early years

Casper Holstein was of African and Danish descent and immigrated to New York with his mother at the age of 18. During high school in Brooklyn , he signed up for service in the United States Navy , which he took up after graduation. During the First World War he was stationed in the US Virgin Islands near his birthplace.

Ascent

After the war he worked as a caretaker and doorman in Manhattan until he finally worked as a messenger for a stockbroker on New York's Wall Street . In this position he familiarized himself with the system of the stock market and developed a lottery system based on it, with which he reached a large number of players. This led Holstein to make an estimated two million dollars at the beginning of Prohibition and it earned him the nickname "Bolita King". There was a dispute between Holstein and his rival Stephanie St. Clair over who invented the number game . From 1932 onwards, Dutch Schultz and Dixie Davis tried to force Holstein and St. Clair out of the gambling business, which led to Holstein working with St. Clair at times. However, Holstein wanted to be more active in politics, but this was undermined by violence. Holstein now also had legal businesses like nightclubs and was making up to $ 12,000 a day at peak times. The New York Times called him "Harlem's favorite hero" for his generosity towards the Harlem people. He continued to run the gambling business until he was arrested in 1937.

Political intentions

Holstein financed a variety of projects that supported the black population. He was a major donor for a non-profit organization that z. B. tried to build dormitories for blacks, but also promoted artists and writers of African American descent. He also took on the mortgage on the New York Hall of the UNIA and set up a relief fund for hurricane victims in the Virgin Islands. He also promoted the establishment of a Baptist school in Liberia and he was a member of the civil rights organization NAACP .

kidnapping

In 1928, Holstein was kidnapped by five white men who tried to extort $ 50,000. He was released three days later. He insisted that ransom should never be paid. However, the exact circumstances were never clarified.

Adaptations

The character Valentin Narcisse from the Boardwalk Empire series , played by Jeffrey Wright , is based on Casper Holstein.

Web links

• Sara Smollett: Harlem's Virgin Islanders. Retrieved August 25, 2014 . 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Geneviève Fabre, Michel Feith: Temples for Tomorrow: Looking Back at the Harlem Renaissance . India University Press, Bloomington, India 2001, ISBN 0-253-21425-4 .
2. ↑ Black Gangs of Harlem: 1920-1939. ( Memento of the original from March 7, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in the Crime Library.  
3. ↑ ^{a b} Holstein Set Free By Abductors. In: The New York Times. September 24, 1928.
4. ↑ Alex Moaba: Boardwalk Empire: Jeffrey Wright On The Real-Life Racketeer Who Inspired His Season 4 Character (VIDEO). In: The Huffington Post . September 5, 2013, accessed August 25, 2014 .