Mike Kurtz
Encyclopedia
Michael "Sheeny Mike" Kurtz (c. 1845 – November 24, 1904) was an American burglar and gang leader in New York City
during the mid-to late 19th century. He was one of the co-founders of the Dutch Mob
, along with Little Freddie and Johnny Irving, during the 1870s. Kurtz and the others controlled the area between Houston and Fifth Streets for several years until the gang was driven out by "strong-arm squads" under Captain Anthony J. Allaire in 1876. A year later he was arrested in Boston for robbing a silk house owned by Scott & Co. and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. It was while in prison that he discovered that eating common soap could produce the effect of ill health. His sudden and unexplainable weight loss and other symptoms baffled the prison doctors and he was able to fool officials that he was dying and received a pardon.
Kurtz was sentenced to 18 and a half years imprisonment in Clinton Prison on March 30, 1880, however he was later released on appeal. He would later go on to have a successful career as a bank robber and jewelry thief with his former partner Johnny Irving throughout the 1880s and early 90s. He was associated with many underworld figures in New York including Billy Porter
, Frank McCoy, "Banjo" Pete Emerson and criminal fence Marm Mandelbaum. He and Porter later traveled to Europe where they had considerable success as burglars before returning to the United States.
On April 2, 1894, he took part in the robbery of Albert J. Knoll's Jersey Street
saloon in Elizabethtown, New Jersey with "Dutch" Fred Ryder and ex-policeman Michael Malone. He and his accomplices were eventually arrested for this robbery and all agreed to turn state's evidence. Kurtz and the others later testified that they had been hired to rob the saloon by David McAdams, New Jersey sportsman and manager of the Red Jacket Hotel, in exchange for a percentage of the $800 in cash.
Spending at least 15 years of his life in jail, Kurtz was estimated to have taken part in at least 150 major robberies amounting to over $7 million. Kurtz spent much of his time hiding in the upstate area around Syracuse mostly in the quiet hamlet of Mattydale. At the time of his death however, his family had disowned him and he was penniless when he died of consumption
in Bellevue Hospital on November 24, 1904.
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...
during the mid-to late 19th century. He was one of the co-founders of the Dutch Mob
Dutch Mob
The Dutch Mob was a New York pickpocket gang during the late nineteenth century.Formed during the late 1860s by Little Freddie, "Sheeny" Mike Kurtz, and Johnny Irving, former members of the Italian Dave Gang, the Dutch Mob soon became one of the largest pickpocket gangs in the United States...
, along with Little Freddie and Johnny Irving, during the 1870s. Kurtz and the others controlled the area between Houston and Fifth Streets for several years until the gang was driven out by "strong-arm squads" under Captain Anthony J. Allaire in 1876. A year later he was arrested in Boston for robbing a silk house owned by Scott & Co. and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. It was while in prison that he discovered that eating common soap could produce the effect of ill health. His sudden and unexplainable weight loss and other symptoms baffled the prison doctors and he was able to fool officials that he was dying and received a pardon.
Kurtz was sentenced to 18 and a half years imprisonment in Clinton Prison on March 30, 1880, however he was later released on appeal. He would later go on to have a successful career as a bank robber and jewelry thief with his former partner Johnny Irving throughout the 1880s and early 90s. He was associated with many underworld figures in New York including Billy Porter
Billy Porter (criminal)
William O'Brien , better known as Billy Porter but also known by the alias William or Billy Morton, was an American burglar and underworld figure in New York City during the mid-to late 19th century. He and partner Johnny Irving were longtime members of the Dutch Mob along with Little Freddie and...
, Frank McCoy, "Banjo" Pete Emerson and criminal fence Marm Mandelbaum. He and Porter later traveled to Europe where they had considerable success as burglars before returning to the United States.
On April 2, 1894, he took part in the robbery of Albert J. Knoll's Jersey Street
Jersey Street
Jersey Street are a band from Manchester, England, which began releasing deep house in 1998, before broadening its output to include a wide range of styles including soul, jazz, afro-funk and Latin. Jersey Street’s first single, "Nobody But My Lord", was released on J.B.O. in 1998...
saloon in Elizabethtown, New Jersey with "Dutch" Fred Ryder and ex-policeman Michael Malone. He and his accomplices were eventually arrested for this robbery and all agreed to turn state's evidence. Kurtz and the others later testified that they had been hired to rob the saloon by David McAdams, New Jersey sportsman and manager of the Red Jacket Hotel, in exchange for a percentage of the $800 in cash.
Spending at least 15 years of his life in jail, Kurtz was estimated to have taken part in at least 150 major robberies amounting to over $7 million. Kurtz spent much of his time hiding in the upstate area around Syracuse mostly in the quiet hamlet of Mattydale. At the time of his death however, his family had disowned him and he was penniless when he died of consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in Bellevue Hospital on November 24, 1904.