Lenox Avenue Gang
Encyclopedia
The Lenox Avenue Gang was an early 20th century New York City
street gang led by Harry Horowitz
, and was one of the most violent gangs of the pre-Prohibition
era.
's Eastman Gang
. Mainly operating around 125th Street
, the gang generally committed mugging
s and robberies
although they were occasionally hired out for murder
by Zelig. Under Horowitz's leadership the gang produced many of the top criminals of the early century, including Jacob Seidenschner, Louis Rosenberg, and Francesco Cirofisi. Prominent New York police detective Val O'Farrell called Cirofisi "one of the toughest men in the world", and police suspected Cirofisi of at least six homicide
s. However, they were unable to charge him due to lack of evidence. An associate of the gang, Cirofisi's girlfriend Dutch Sadie was known to carry a butcher knife
in her clothing, and she assisted Cirofisi in several muggings.
While successful in its early years, the gangs downfall began when they were hired to murder gambler Herman Rosenthal, a suspected police informant. Horowitz, Seidenshner, Rosenberg, and Cirofisi drove to the Metropole Hotel on July 16, 1912 and, calling out to Rosenthal, shot him several times as he appeared on the street before fleeing the scene. The gangsters were seen by dozens of witnesses and quickly arrested. When questioned, they told police that they were hired by NYPD Lieutenant Charles Becker
, who had ordered Rosenthal's death after he had informed on Becker.
Gyp the Blood, Jacob Seidenschner, Lefty Louis Rosenberg, and Francesco Cirofisi were charged with the murder of Rosenthal, sentenced to the electric chair
, and executed on April 13, 1914. With the loss of their leaders, the Lenox Avenue Gang disbanded entirely within several months.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
street gang led by Harry Horowitz
Harry Horowitz
Harry Horowitz , also known as Gyp the Blood, was a Jewish-American underworld figure and a leader of the Lenox Avenue Gang in New York City.-Biography:...
, and was one of the most violent gangs of the pre-Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
era.
History
The Lenox Avenue Gang was started in the early 1900s by Horowitz as an independent group of around twenty members. It consisted mostly of pickpockets and burglars, under Jack ZeligJack Zelig
"Big" Jack Zelig was a Jewish American New York City gangster and one of the last leaders of the Monk Eastman Gang.-Early years & the Eastmans:...
's Eastman Gang
Eastman Gang
The Eastman Gang was the last of New York's street gangs which dominated the city's underworld during the late 1890s until early 1910s. Along with the Five Points Gang under Paul Kelly, the Eastmans succeeded the long dominant Whyos as the first non-Irish street gang to gain prominence in the...
. Mainly operating around 125th Street
125th Street (Manhattan)
125th Street is a two-way street that runs east-west in the New York City borough of Manhattan, considered the "Main Street" of Harlem; It is also called Martin Luther King, Jr...
, the gang generally committed mugging
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
s and robberies
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
although they were occasionally hired out for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
by Zelig. Under Horowitz's leadership the gang produced many of the top criminals of the early century, including Jacob Seidenschner, Louis Rosenberg, and Francesco Cirofisi. Prominent New York police detective Val O'Farrell called Cirofisi "one of the toughest men in the world", and police suspected Cirofisi of at least six homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
s. However, they were unable to charge him due to lack of evidence. An associate of the gang, Cirofisi's girlfriend Dutch Sadie was known to carry a butcher knife
Butcher knife
A butcher knife is a knife designed and used primarily for the butchering and/or dressing of animals.During the late 18th century to mid 1840s, the butcher knife was a key tool for mountain men. Simple, useful and cheap to produce, they were used for everything from skinning beaver, cutting food,...
in her clothing, and she assisted Cirofisi in several muggings.
While successful in its early years, the gangs downfall began when they were hired to murder gambler Herman Rosenthal, a suspected police informant. Horowitz, Seidenshner, Rosenberg, and Cirofisi drove to the Metropole Hotel on July 16, 1912 and, calling out to Rosenthal, shot him several times as he appeared on the street before fleeing the scene. The gangsters were seen by dozens of witnesses and quickly arrested. When questioned, they told police that they were hired by NYPD Lieutenant Charles Becker
Charles Becker
Charles Becker was a New York City police officer in the 1890s-1910s and who was tried, convicted and executed for ordering the murder of a Manhattan gambler, Herman Rosenthal in the Becker-Rosenthal trial. Becker was the first American police officer to receive the death penalty for murder...
, who had ordered Rosenthal's death after he had informed on Becker.
Gyp the Blood, Jacob Seidenschner, Lefty Louis Rosenberg, and Francesco Cirofisi were charged with the murder of Rosenthal, sentenced to the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
, and executed on April 13, 1914. With the loss of their leaders, the Lenox Avenue Gang disbanded entirely within several months.
Further reading
- Herbert AsburyHerbert AsburyHerbert Asbury was an American journalist and writer who is best known for his true crime books detailing crime during the 19th and early 20th century such as Gem of the Prairie, Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld and The Gangs of New York...
, The Gangs of New York (New York: Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
, 1927) ISBN 1-56025-275-8 - Carl Sifakis, The Encyclopedia of American Crime: Second Edition Vol. II (K-Z) (New York: Facts on File, 2001)