The sun., 1919-07-30
JOHNNY SPANISH is
SLAIN BY ASSASSIN
Reformed Gangster Shot in
Back Before Second Ave-
nue. Movie House.
TWO MEN GUARD SLAYER
Strangers Walk Calmly Away
and Escape-Crime Ends
i, Co1orful Career.

Johnny Spanish was bad man IN
the days ten or twelve years ago when
the gangsters ruled the East Side.
Spanish was killer. He carried two
guns. and although at that time he was
4 kid OF II or IS, slight and undersized
and puny, he was a dangerous man,
always ready to shoot--and when he
shot he usually killed. But two Central
Once detectives finally got him, and he
was sent to Sing Sing with record OF
many arrests and gang nights behind
him Not many years ago he came back
TO New York, and since then he has been
living straight" In 81 Lexington avenue
Maspeth, Queens. under his real name Of
John WHEELER and working as shirt
waist operator. He had become a union
delegate.
But the memory of the ganssters is
Tong, and Spanish had made many en-
enies among them. SO yesterday after
noon about 4 80 o'clock the time and
circumstances being propitious Johnny
Spanish was killed as he stood In front
Of a motion picture theatre In II Sec
ond avenue. near First street. IL was
q typical gang murder-Spanish was shot
In the back and nobody can be found
who recognized the men who committed
the crime. Spanish had come to the dis
trict with his wife In a taxicab. and
while his wife got out, and went Into
Levit's restaurant in 10 Second avenue.
Spanish remained behind to pay for the
ride and tell the chauffeur to walt AS
ne stood there a man named Rheingold,
q probation officer for the Jewish Pro-
tective Association. came along and
Spanish began talking TO him. A rev
minutes later there came Nathan Kap-
Ian, who in the old days was known as
kid Dropper." and he, too. began talk
ing to Spanish.
Three Strangers Came Up.
They had talked for only a few min
utes when three men came UP. The
man in the centre drew a revolver and
fred two shots at Spanish. The first
bullet struck him In the back of the
head, and as he stumbled the second
shot hit him In the chest. He fell to
the sidewalk then. and as ne lay there
the killer fired again and missed. Then.
Ranked by companions, the murderer
walked calmly to First avenue and
around the corner into Houston street.
and no one tried to stop him. Spanishs
wife rushed from the restaurant
when she heard the shots. and with
Kid Dropper and Rheingold put Spanish
into a taxicab and started away with
him.
But Patrolman Sheehy made the
chauffeur drive to the East Fifth street
station, and from there Spanish was
taken to Bellevue Hospital. where he died
q few minutes after being placed on the
operating table.
Two men were locked up at Police
Headquarters early this morning in con-
nection with the murder OF Wheeler. De-
tectives Smyth and Mckee. who booked
them, charged that they had acted in
concert In connection with the shooting
and murder of John WHEELER" They de-
scribed themselves as Herman Kelman,
%. Of pa East Eighty-second street. a
foreman. and William Lustig. %, a
clerk. of 206 East Eighteenth street
Kelman is known under the nickname of
"Hymie" Lustig is alleged to have ad-
mltted to Assistant District Attorney
Joyce that he was near the scene OF the
shooting when 1t occurred.
Spanish was OF Jewish and Spanish
birth. which accounts for his name. He
came to New York when he was about
II years old, and his daring and willing
ness to do anything In the world made
him a person of prominence in gangland
almost at once in spite OF his youth.
Downfall Due to Woman.
Like many OF the gangsters. Johnny
Spanish's downfall was due to a woman.
He fell in love with Williamsburg
girl named Beatrice Kostand. but who
was generally known as Alma. And In
order to get money to spend on the girl
Spanish went into the stuss robblng
game. which was SO popular among the
gangsters of the East Side.
AT that time a gangster called "Jigger"
had one of the best stuss games In the
East Side, on Forsyth street. near Hes
ter Jigger was exceedingly prosperous
and Spanish became envious OF his
wealth. He decided to become a partner
IN the graft, depending upon his reputa-
ton and his prowess with a gun to over
come any objection that Jigger might
have.
But Jigger was singularly obtuse and
unfavorable to argument He not only
refused to agree to Spanish's plan. but
he told the gangster he would have
none OF him and was not afraid OF him.
Spanish threatened to kill him and jig
ger invited him to go ahead. Two or
three nights later, on May 80. 1910,
Spanish and a few OF his friends came
upon Jigger and some Of his boon COM
panions at the corner of Forsyth ana
Grand streets. Everybody began shoot
ing, and while none OF the ganRsters
was injured. a bullet struck a little girl,
Rachel Rothen of 81 Forsyth street. and
killed her. The police thought II was
Spanish who fired the shot, and Span
ish had to leave town to avoid unpleas-
ant Consequences
with Spanish gone his girl took up
with Kid Dropper. Dropper was a huge
and powerful man in those days. weigh
ing more than 1875 pounds. and he earned
his nickname through the fact that when
he hit anybody with blackjack he
dropped them. Dropper rushed" the girl
for many weeks. and finally one night in
September, 1910. he took her 70 Monte
verde's Park in Maspeth. where some
gang or other was giving a racket.
Nothing had been heard OF Spanish
for a long time, but at the racket a
girl went to Alma and told her that
Spanish was under a tree near by and