The Washington times., 1930-11-26
GANGSTER GIRL =
How a Red-Haired Beauty
Overturned a Great City

States.
John Hancock's home was at
No. S. Then, in later years,
when the wave of immigration
forced the aristocrats north
ward, their mansions were dis
placed by long rows of RAM
shackle tenement houses where
lived a vice-ridden and poverty
sodden polyglot horde.
Cherry Hill, the highest point
on the street, was the play
ground of some of New York's
toughest gangs. There were the
Daybreak Boys, the Buckoos,
Hookers, Swamp Angels. Slaugh-
ter Housers, Short Tails, Patsy
Conroys and the Border Gang.
Some of the deathleSs prize
fighters came from this district,
where life was one continuous
round of street brawls. gang
battles and all the ancient pro-
feSSions.
Today it is far more peaceful,
for the gangsters and the crooks
have moved uptown to the en-
vironS of Broadway. A section
of a score of blocks between
Broadway and Fifth Avenue and
Forty-sixth to Fifty-fifth Street
houses more speakeaSies, dope
dens, take joints, badger apart
mentS, "call' dives. than prob
ably any other equal acreage in
this country.
The only semblance of the
old-time lawlessness of the
Lower East Side was to be
found in the two rival gangs
the River Rats and the Bridge
Twisters. The two leaders.
Cyclone Tim McClosky and Biff
Glasson. had been enemies as
far back as they could remem.
ber, and even as youngsters
their two mobs had clashed at
every turn.
And now Biff Glasson gloried
in the revenge he would have
on Cyclone Tim and his gang.
He had already spotted the hi
jacked dope Across the street
he had planted two men in a
front room, and day after day
they had watched the changing
of the McClosky guardS-two
would come and two would go
and Biff Glasson knew that
somewhere in the dismal six.
story tenement building was
concealed the $1,000,000 worth
of heroin.
Gathers His Gang
So, at noon the next day
the day following his talk with
Silk Freeman-he gathered to-
gether his entire gang in his
speakeasy hangout on South
Street. They met in a back
room of the place-a tough
and murderous battalion.
II don't want no shootin'-
this time" Biff's voice was low
and cultural. de shootin1l
come soon enough-for we're
goin' to clean out dat whole
River Rat mob. But first we've
got to get dat dope. It's
someWheres in dat buildin' and
we only got few ginks to deal
wild"
He paused AMI looked around
into the grimy, leering faces.
"One ting more" he growled.
Il want McClosky fer me own
meat. Get me? I don want
nobody to croak dat hoodlum
but Biff Glasson. But on dis
foist Job, knives and black.
jacks. unless"
He never finished the sen.
tence, and the grunts about him
told him he did not need to.
The men filed out, their wea.
pons bulging beneath their dirty
clothes. A dozer of them piled
into a covered truck, The rest
got into six cars and the cara
van started toward Cherry st,
with Biff Glassor in the first
car.
He knew that the McClosky
guards were changed at noon
and it was now 1890 o'clock.
The six cars dre' up at either
end of the block-three on the
north end and three on the
south. The truck was driven
directly in front of the house.
At the corner one of Biff's look
outs was waiting for him.
de two guys went in, but de
udder two is still in dere," he
Informed the leader.
Oats fine!" exclaimed Biff.
We'll get four instead O. two"
Curt Orders
He gave d signal, and fol
lowed by a dozen of his mob
walked briskly down the street
to the tenement house. Those
Ill the truck jumped out and
3lff gave his instructions in
short. curt words.
six O. youse guys plant yer
selves on every floor SOS we
can find what flat dem bozos
come out Of. You. Hungry, take
the top floor. wild you. and you.
and you, and you, and you"
He put a finger On one after