New-York tribune., 1920-12-27

the intervening time. He was arrested
after one of the most spectacular gang
tights New York ever saw, when the
kellys and Eastmans battled in Riying.
ton Street under the elevated structure
at Allen Street.
In this clash more than fifty gunner
fought for almost an hour, and it was
not until the reserves from several po-
of battle cleared away When it was
ali over several persons were taken to
hospitals and much damage had been
done. Eastman, booked by the police
this time as Joseph Morris, was
charged with assault, but was not held.
A few days later, when arrested in
Freehold, N. j., on a charge of having
beaten up James Mcmahon, coachms n
for David Lamar, the Wall Street
broker, MONKS" political pull stood
him in good stead He was discharged
when it was made public, after threats
by Eastman and his gang, that Lamar
! had hired Eastman and another thug to
guard Lamar and his household against
the coachman. When arrested in Free
hold Eastman gave his own name.
Evidence Always Lacking
In December, 1908, after a gun fight
! in a Second Avenue saloon, in which
, Mike Donovan was killed, Eastman was
arrested again under the name Of De-
laney, and as usual was discharged.
During the same month he was arrested
twice as a suspicious person, but the
police did not have evidence sufficient
to hold him on either occasion.
In April the next year, however,
Monk" met his Waterloo. In attempt
ing to hold up young man who was
haip Me- bxyo inl ~ on
Eastman killed the detective and Re-
corder Golf sent the terror of the East
Side" to Sing Sing for ten years The
battle with the detective was staged
/ between Broadway and Sixth Avenue,
in Forty-second Street.
The gangster's luck or political in
| huence did not desert him entirely
even at this time, for during the pc
riod Of his imprisonment the rules gov
erning the operations Of the Board OF
Pardons were made less stringent and
after five years and few months East
man was paroled. He announced when
he left Sing Sing that he was going
West. but followers Of East Side poll
tics didn't believe that he would leave
| his hackers on the eve of an important
election.
Keeps Gunmen Organized
The police, therefore, were not sur
prised, few weeks later, to learn that
Eastman n was active again around
Chrystie Street and the Bowery. The
East Side gang had come upon evil
days There was no leader and no one
to look TO for election collections.
Paul Kelly had gone to Harlem and,
under the name of Paul Antonio Vacca-
lelii. was in the real estate business.
Now he is business agent Of long
yhoremen's union, "Humpty" Jackson
vas in jail. Jimmy" Kelly and
Whitley" also were serving time,
Red" Harrington, Eat 'em-U Up Jack"
McManus and kid" Twist had beer
killed in fights. Some iron hand was
needed to keep the gunmen organized
and Eastman was out and ready.
Paul Kelly, who stood second in i'm
rortance to Eastman, had ruled from
the Five Points eastward to q line
which Eastman contested at Mix,
Salter's hangout, the Pelham. Kelly
rad always insisted that the line ran
to the Bowery, and it was this conten~
ton that had caused the fights of ear
iier years.
When Monk" returned from Sing
Sing there was no Paul Kelly to Agh5
him and he found himself as welcome
in the Pelham and the Chatham Club
or in any of the other Kelly gathering
places as he was in the former East
man hangouts. There was no one to
contest his leadership in the entire
lower East Side. Monk" was a Napo-
. leon returned from his Elba.
Succumbs to Opium Habit
| But if the Kellys and the others had
, left him free to rule, his other enc
mics, drugs and drink. had not. They
were waiting for him, and it WAS not
long before monk" found he had a
aeal fight on his hands That he was
, oefeated is shown by the police records
of May, 1912, when he was arrested on
! charges of smoking and manufacturing
= opium in den he was conducting in
East Thirteenth Street. He was to.
.tupefIed from the drug when arraigneu
= TO answer questions and his hearin3
vas adjourned. When he was able to
be sentenced Judge Mayer sent him to
: Sing Sing for eight months.
The next time he got out of prison
ne said he was not going to return tc
> New York, but he could not keep his
word. The East Side was too much OF
magnet and in short time he wa:
back again. He kept out Of the clutche:
; OF the police during that visit to Man
haitian and did not get into trouble
a again until September, 1914. Then he
was picked up in Buffalo under the
name of John Marvin on burglary
charge, but was discharged.
ne was heard from next at New York
police headquarters, when telephone
, message came from the Albany chief
! Of police that Monk" and two Other
= men were In an automobile on .hei,
+, way to New York with suitcase OF
siiver stolen in the capital. AS d re,
= suit OF this message, Eastman was ar
rested in Riverdale by motor police
ana taken back to Albany, where he was
t sentenced TO two years and eleven
e months in Dannemora.
= Seeks Firing Line In paiamas
n Released in October, 1917. he enlisted
5 snort tune later and was trained
n ahd cent away with the 27th Division
z. nt Vierstraat Ridge he started out un,
- ueI "re 10 rescue wounded soldier
ana IN spite of bullets In the left hand
0 and lett leg, brought his eomradc back
mohk was sent to the hospital, but
was back at the front in three days
having fed the hospital in pajamas ia
: get to the firing line
NO sooner had he been given a rnn
! than ne started out alone after a Ger.
I man machine gun nest and after str,lr
s''hK through the mud on his stomach
gov the boche with IA bomh "Monk
was IN MS clement. Bullets didn',
pothor him. When his comrades asked
3 MIN wtat he TIA ught OF the war. ho
cufsd ms Up and said he had tough,
! the battle Of New York
In. lao "a.