Charles Workman (Mafioso)
Charles "The Bug" Workman or "Handsome Charlie" (born October 4, 1908 Lower East Side , New York City , † January 1979 Queens , New York City) was an American mobster of the so-called Kosher Nostra , who because of the murder of the alcohol smuggler and gang leader Dutch Schultz became known.
Criminal career
Workman was born in 1908, the second child of seven on the Lower East Side . At the age of 17 he left school after 9th grade.
At the age of 18 he was arrested for theft ; again a year later for shooting a man with whom he had argued over $ 20. Workman was then admitted to a reformatory for seven months .
No sooner had he been released than he was admitted again because he couldn't find a job and was hanging around in bad company. In 1932 he was arrested for carrying a hidden weapon, and even beating an off-duty policeman had no consequences.
Later he was a member of the Bugs and Meyer Mob and, as a member of Murder, Inc., carried out orders from those behind them, including Albert Anastasia and Louis Buchalter . Among the crimes included extortions and Geldeintreiberei to murder. As a contract killer , Workman received a weekly gratuity of $ 125.
Murder of Dutch Schultz
In 1935 the National Crime Syndicate decided to kill alcohol smuggler and gang leader Dutch Schultz .
On October 23, 1935, Charles Workman, Emanuel Weiss and Seymour drove “Piggy” Schechter to the Palace Chophouse in Newark, New Jersey . Schechter, the getaway driver, was waiting in the vehicle. While Weiss secured the entrance area of the restaurant and asked the bartenders and waiters to lie on the floor, Workman entered the place and immediately opened fire on three men in the back of the Palace Chophouse . He inflicted serious gunshot wounds that none of the wounded should survive. Weiss supported the Workman, who was armed with two pistols, with a sawed-off shotgun and fired one more time at the men who had already been shot by Workman. When Workman and Weiss realized that Schultz was not among them, Workman searched the restrooms of the restaurant and met Dutch Schultz there. When confronted with Workman, Schultz was shot in the stomach and died in the hospital a day later. Instead of waiting for Workman, Weiss and Schechter left the scene of the crime out of fear of the arriving police and fled with the getaway car. The surprised Workman had to flee on foot and was accordingly annoyed at later meetings.
Weiss argued that Workman had started robbing the victims, but that this was not part of the actual murder assignment. Workman vehemently denied this, insisting that he was let down by his accomplices. Since the National Crime Syndicate did not tolerate such behavior, an example had to be set. Louis Buchalter, one of whose closest confidants was Weiss, was then able to convince the commission to spare Weiss, who had urged the escape driver Schechter to leave the crime scene. Instead, Schechter was murdered as a punishment, who had only obeyed the hectic and hasty instructions from Weiss. Workman was sent to Florida to be reassured.
Murder charges and convictions
When Abe Reles, a member of Murder, Inc., and soon after Albert Tannenbaum testified to the police, Workman was charged with the murder of Dutch Schultz. The trial began on June 2, 1941. After some confusion over a false alibi, Workman was convicted.
Workman had to serve his sentence in Trenton State Prison . In 1942 he attracted public attention because he wanted to volunteer for a suicide mission, but this was rejected. As a model inmate, Workman was transferred to Rahway State Prison Farm in 1952 .
In 1964, Workman was released after 23 years in prison.
In art
1960: He is portrayed by actor Warren Finnerty in the film Underworld .
1984: He is played by Mark Margolis in the film Cotton Club .
literature
- Cohen, Rich: Murder Inc .: Not exactly kosher stores in Brooklyn . Fischer Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-10-010215-0 .
- Burton B. Turkus and Sid Feder: Murder Inc. . Farrar Straus and Young, 1952, 1992, ISBN 978-0-306-80475-5 .
- Burton B. Turkus and Sid Feder: Murder Inc. . Da Capo Press, 2003, ISBN 0-306-81288-6 .
Web links
- Charles Workman "A Bugs Life" by Allen R. May 1999 ( English )
Individual evidence
- ↑ WORKMAN KILLER, WOMAN TESTIFIES; He Called at Her Apartment and Told How Schultz Met His Death, She Adds , The New York Times , June 8, 1941 p.45
- ↑ Ron Ross: Bummy Davis vs. Murder, Inc .: The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Mafia and an Ill-Fated Prizefighter , St. Martin's, New York 2003, pages 164-170.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Workman, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | The Bug (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American criminal |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th October 1908 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lower East Side , New York City , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 1979 |
| Place of death | Queens , New York City |