Dinny Meehan
Encyclopedia
Dennis L. Meehan was the leader of the White Hand Gang
in the 1910s. Dinny Meehan was described by the police as "the most desperate gang leader in Brooklyn
."
Born in Brooklyn, Meehan apparently joined the White Hand Gang in his late teens. In 1912, he was arrested for shooting and killing Chris Maroney, who led a faction of White Handers from the Navy Yard section of Brooklyn. After a sensational trial, Meehan was acquitted, adding to his criminal reputation. Over the years he had served time in the Elmira Reformatory
, Blackwell's Island, and the City Workhouse. Dinny often boasted that he would never see the inside of a state penitentiary.
Unlike some crime bosses, Dinny Meehan often joined his men on criminal jobs. By 1920, there were a total of three cases pending against him; he was out of jail on a $5,000 bond for robbing a man on Fifth Avenue, leading his men in the hijacking
of a truckload of shoes worth $10,000, and overseeing the theft of $10,000 worth of silk from a Red Hook
warehouse.
On the afternoon of March 31, 1920, Dinny Meehan and his wife Sadie were asleep in bed at their apartment at 452 Warren Street in Red Hook. Their four-year old son played in the living room while Sadie's mother, Rose Leighton, dozed in a recliner. Neither of them knew that five strange men were in the apartment until the last second. As the men made for the bedroom, the young boy admonished them not to wake his parents. The leader of the group playfully patted the youngster's head and said they just wanted to look in. A total of five shots were fired; one passed through Dinny Meehan's head and then lodged in the shoulder of his wife, who later recovered from her wounds. The gunmen dashed from the building and made their escape in an automobile truck.
Meehan's murder has been traditionally thought to have been arranged by Brooklyn Black Hand boss Frankie Yale
and carried out by Yale's Underboss, Augie Pisano, and two hitmen from Cleveland, Ralph DeSarno and Giovanni Sciacca. At the time of the killing, however, police believed that a possible motive was the gang leader's role in supplying strikebreaker
s to take the places of employees of the United Fruit Company
on piers along the Hudson
and East River
s. These employees had recently walked out when their demands for higher wages were turned down. It was also rumored that there was internal strife in the White Hand Gang. Just before his murder, Meehan was acquitted in a robbery case while one of his henchman, Edward Gilchrist, was convicted. Dinny was said to have "double-crossed" Gilchrist, causing resentment within his gang. Sadie Meehan told police in November 1923 that her husband's killer was, in fact, Wild Bill Lovett
, head of the arch-rival Jay Street Gang. Meehan's murder has remained officially unsolved.
White Hand Gang
The White Hand Gang was a collection of various Irish American gangs on the New York, Brooklyn, and Red Hook waterfronts from the early 1900s to 1925 who organized against the growing influence of Italian gangsters...
in the 1910s. Dinny Meehan was described by the police as "the most desperate gang leader in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
."
Born in Brooklyn, Meehan apparently joined the White Hand Gang in his late teens. In 1912, he was arrested for shooting and killing Chris Maroney, who led a faction of White Handers from the Navy Yard section of Brooklyn. After a sensational trial, Meehan was acquitted, adding to his criminal reputation. Over the years he had served time in the Elmira Reformatory
Elmira Correctional Facility
Elmira Correctional Facility, known otherwise as "the Hill", is a maximum security prison located in New York in the USA. The prison is located in Chemung County, New York in the City of Elmira...
, Blackwell's Island, and the City Workhouse. Dinny often boasted that he would never see the inside of a state penitentiary.
Unlike some crime bosses, Dinny Meehan often joined his men on criminal jobs. By 1920, there were a total of three cases pending against him; he was out of jail on a $5,000 bond for robbing a man on Fifth Avenue, leading his men in the hijacking
Truck hijacking
Truck hijacking is the taking of a truck: normally for the consignment being carried, by force, or the threat of force to the driver....
of a truckload of shoes worth $10,000, and overseeing the theft of $10,000 worth of silk from a Red Hook
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
warehouse.
On the afternoon of March 31, 1920, Dinny Meehan and his wife Sadie were asleep in bed at their apartment at 452 Warren Street in Red Hook. Their four-year old son played in the living room while Sadie's mother, Rose Leighton, dozed in a recliner. Neither of them knew that five strange men were in the apartment until the last second. As the men made for the bedroom, the young boy admonished them not to wake his parents. The leader of the group playfully patted the youngster's head and said they just wanted to look in. A total of five shots were fired; one passed through Dinny Meehan's head and then lodged in the shoulder of his wife, who later recovered from her wounds. The gunmen dashed from the building and made their escape in an automobile truck.
Meehan's murder has been traditionally thought to have been arranged by Brooklyn Black Hand boss Frankie Yale
Frankie Yale
Francesco Ioele , better known as Frankie Uale or Frankie Yale, was a Brooklyn gangster and original employer of Al Capone before the latter moved to Chicago...
and carried out by Yale's Underboss, Augie Pisano, and two hitmen from Cleveland, Ralph DeSarno and Giovanni Sciacca. At the time of the killing, however, police believed that a possible motive was the gang leader's role in supplying strikebreaker
Strikebreaker
A strikebreaker is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who are not employed by the company prior to the trade union dispute, but rather hired prior to or during the strike to keep the organisation running...
s to take the places of employees of the United Fruit Company
United Fruit Company
It had a deep and long-lasting impact on the economic and political development of several Latin American countries. Critics often accused it of exploitative neocolonialism and described it as the archetypal example of the influence of a multinational corporation on the internal politics of the...
on piers along the Hudson
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
s. These employees had recently walked out when their demands for higher wages were turned down. It was also rumored that there was internal strife in the White Hand Gang. Just before his murder, Meehan was acquitted in a robbery case while one of his henchman, Edward Gilchrist, was convicted. Dinny was said to have "double-crossed" Gilchrist, causing resentment within his gang. Sadie Meehan told police in November 1923 that her husband's killer was, in fact, Wild Bill Lovett
Bill Lovett
William "Wild Bill" Lovett was an Irish-American gangster in early 20th century New York.-Beginnings:Born in New York City, Lovett first fell in with the local Irish gangs around the Brooklyn waterfront as a teenager. The day after America's entry into World War I, Lovett enlisted in the U.S. Army...
, head of the arch-rival Jay Street Gang. Meehan's murder has remained officially unsolved.