William Jackson (gangster)
Encyclopedia
William Jackson a.k.a. "Action Jackson" (December 1, 1901 Chicago, Illinois – August 11, 1961 Streeterville
) was an enforcer and loan collector for the Chicago Outfit
. He was tortured to death by his fellow gangsters on suspicion he had become an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI).
. DeStefano and his crew took Jackson at gun point and led him to the plant. He was then hung on a meat hook, his kneecaps were smashed, and he was tortured with a cattle prod
in an attempt to force him to confess. Jackson died after three days in unconsciousness, from being shocked with a wet cattle prod. On August 11, 1961, his naked body was found stuffed in the trunk of his Cadillac
on lower Wacker Drive at Wells Street.
According to Gus Russo
, author of The Outfit, there were Mob insiders who believed Jackson was killed for raping an imprisoned Mob-connected burglar's wife. Russo also states that Mrs. Humphreys, wife of Outfit fixer Murray "The Camel" Humphreys
, asserted the conversation where the government learned about Jackson's fate was staged by mobsters who were aware the government had planted a microphone. These possibilities have not been verified.
, directed by John Mackenzie and starring Danny Aiello
as the title character of Lee Harvey Oswald
's assassin, Jack Ruby
.
Streeterville
Streeterville is a neighborhood in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, north of the Chicago River in Cook County...
) was an enforcer and loan collector for the Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
. He was tortured to death by his fellow gangsters on suspicion he had become an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI).
Death
William Jackson was a big man, weighing over 300 pounds (136.1 kg). In 1960, an FBI agent, Bill Roemer asked Jackson to become an informant for the FBI. He wanted to know everything that was going on with the Chicago Outfit. Being a loyal member to the Outfit, Jackson declined becoming an informant. In 1961, Jackson was accused of being an informant for the FBI. According to many sources he was kidnapped and taken to a meat-rendering plant on Chicago's south side, where he was tortured by gangster Sam DeStefanoSam DeStefano
Sam "Mad Sam" DeStefano was an Italian-American gangster who became one of the Chicago Outfit's most notorious loan sharks and sociopathic killers. Chicago-based Federal Bureau of Investigation agents such as William F. Roemer, Jr., considered DeStefano to be the worst torture-murderer in the...
. DeStefano and his crew took Jackson at gun point and led him to the plant. He was then hung on a meat hook, his kneecaps were smashed, and he was tortured with a cattle prod
Cattle prod
A cattle prod, also called a stock prod, is a handheld device commonly used to make cattle or other livestock move by striking or poking them, or in the case of a Hot-Shot-type prod, through a relatively high-voltage, low-current electric shock...
in an attempt to force him to confess. Jackson died after three days in unconsciousness, from being shocked with a wet cattle prod. On August 11, 1961, his naked body was found stuffed in the trunk of his Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
on lower Wacker Drive at Wells Street.
According to Gus Russo
Gus Russo
Gus G. Russo was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He is a Mafia and John F. Kennedy assassination researcher who was part of a team of researchers that worked on the 1993 Frontline Lee Harvey Oswald documentary, "Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?," for PBS...
, author of The Outfit, there were Mob insiders who believed Jackson was killed for raping an imprisoned Mob-connected burglar's wife. Russo also states that Mrs. Humphreys, wife of Outfit fixer Murray "The Camel" Humphreys
Murray Humphreys
Llewelyn Morris Humphreys , was a Chicago mobster of Welsh descent who was the chief political and labor racketeer in the Chicago Outfit during Prohibition...
, asserted the conversation where the government learned about Jackson's fate was staged by mobsters who were aware the government had planted a microphone. These possibilities have not been verified.
On film
Jackson's death is named and shown near the beginning of the semi-biographical movie RubyRuby (film)
Ruby is a feature film, released in the United States on March 27, 1992, about Jack Ruby, the Dallas, Texas nightclub owner who shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement garage of a Dallas city police station in 1963. The film was directed by John Mackenzie and stars Danny Aiello , Sherilyn...
, directed by John Mackenzie and starring Danny Aiello
Danny Aiello
Daniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush...
as the title character of Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
's assassin, Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby
Jacob Leon Rubenstein , who legally changed his name to Jack Leon Ruby in 1947, was convicted of the November 24, 1963 murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. Ruby, who was originally from Chicago, Illinois, was then a nightclub operator in Dallas, Texas...
.
External links
- The Rosemont Two Step by John William Tuohy at AmericanMafia.com