Chick Tricker
Encyclopedia
Chick Tricker was an early New York gangster who, as a member of the Eastman Gang
, served as one of its last leaders alongside Jack Sirocco
. A longtime member of the Eastmans, Tricker had made a name for himself as a well known Bowery and Park Row saloonkeeper who first came to prominence in a brawl against "Eat 'Em Up" Jack McManus
, a former prizefighter and Bowery bouncer at McGurk's Suicide Hall. After insulting several dance hall girls as the Paul Kelly
's club New Brighton, McManaus confronted Tricker at Third Avenue and Jones Street and shot him in the leg. While recuperating in a local hospital, McManus was ambushed and knocked unconscious by Sardinia Frank only a day later.
Tricker eventually survived the gang wars of the last decade and had become a prominent member under Eastman leader "Big" Jack Zelig, who was awarded control of one of the three factions of the Eastman gang. By 1910, Tricker had headed his faction based from the old Stag Cafe on West Twenty-eighth Street near Broadway, renaming it the Maryland Cafe. The club had a long history of violence connected to it as, only the previous year, three men had been killed in a dispute over a woman.
During the so-called "Ida the Goose War", several members of his gang were killed in a confrontation with the Gopher Gang
when Ida the Goose was abducted (or ran off with) a member of Tricker's gang. Leaving the gangs to settle the matter themselves, the Gophers eventually took her back to Hell's Kitchen
after a brief gunfight in the Maryland Cafe leaving six members dead http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan_May_1-3-00.html.
Following a failed armed robbery in 1911, Tricker and Sirocco left behind Zelig who had been injured during the hold up and arrested. Instead of bailing him out however, the two decided to assume control of the Eastmans. Zelig was eventually released in part to his political connections in Tammany Hall
. A later attempt to murder Zelig failed when, after being informed by Ike the Plug, Zelig lured Eastman member and assassin Jules Morell into his club where was killed http://www.mobsters.8m.com/eastmans.htm.
In 1914, he was one of several gangsters arrested for the murder of gambler Herman "Beansie" Rosenthal.
Eastman Gang
The Eastman Gang was the last of New York's street gangs which dominated the city's underworld during the late 1890s until early 1910s. Along with the Five Points Gang under Paul Kelly, the Eastmans succeeded the long dominant Whyos as the first non-Irish street gang to gain prominence in the...
, served as one of its last leaders alongside Jack Sirocco
Jack Sirocco
Jack Sirocco was a New York gangster involved in labor racketeering and strikebreaking. Originally a lieutenant in Paul Kelly's Five Points Gang, where he was the immediate boss of Johnny Torrio , Sirocco defected to the rival Eastman Gang, which he led in its last days.-Biography:Sirocco, known...
. A longtime member of the Eastmans, Tricker had made a name for himself as a well known Bowery and Park Row saloonkeeper who first came to prominence in a brawl against "Eat 'Em Up" Jack McManus
Jack McManus
Jack McManus , also known as "Eat 'Em Up", was a noted New York City gangster around the turn of the 20th century.Noted as one of the premier boxers of the underworld, rivaled only by Monk Eastman, McManus started off as a prize fighter only to begin work in as a bouncer in the dives of lower...
, a former prizefighter and Bowery bouncer at McGurk's Suicide Hall. After insulting several dance hall girls as the Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (criminal)
Paul Kelly was an Italian immigrant who founded the Five Points Gang in New York City after starting some brothels with prize monies earned in boxing...
's club New Brighton, McManaus confronted Tricker at Third Avenue and Jones Street and shot him in the leg. While recuperating in a local hospital, McManus was ambushed and knocked unconscious by Sardinia Frank only a day later.
Tricker eventually survived the gang wars of the last decade and had become a prominent member under Eastman leader "Big" Jack Zelig, who was awarded control of one of the three factions of the Eastman gang. By 1910, Tricker had headed his faction based from the old Stag Cafe on West Twenty-eighth Street near Broadway, renaming it the Maryland Cafe. The club had a long history of violence connected to it as, only the previous year, three men had been killed in a dispute over a woman.
During the so-called "Ida the Goose War", several members of his gang were killed in a confrontation with the Gopher Gang
Gopher Gang
The Gopher Gang was an early 20th century New York street gang known for its members including Goo Goo Knox, James "Biff" Ellison, and Owney Madden...
when Ida the Goose was abducted (or ran off with) a member of Tricker's gang. Leaving the gangs to settle the matter themselves, the Gophers eventually took her back to Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
after a brief gunfight in the Maryland Cafe leaving six members dead http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan_May_1-3-00.html.
Following a failed armed robbery in 1911, Tricker and Sirocco left behind Zelig who had been injured during the hold up and arrested. Instead of bailing him out however, the two decided to assume control of the Eastmans. Zelig was eventually released in part to his political connections in Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
. A later attempt to murder Zelig failed when, after being informed by Ike the Plug, Zelig lured Eastman member and assassin Jules Morell into his club where was killed http://www.mobsters.8m.com/eastmans.htm.
In 1914, he was one of several gangsters arrested for the murder of gambler Herman "Beansie" Rosenthal.
Further reading
- Pietrusza, David. Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-7867-1250-3
- Downey, Patrick, "Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935" Barricade Books, 2004