Harry Horowitz
Encyclopedia
Harry Horowitz also known as Gyp the Blood, was a Jewish-American underworld figure and a leader of the Lenox Avenue Gang
in New York City
.
, who was enraged that Rosenthal was talking to anyone who would listen about Becker's ties to criminals and gambling houses. Becker was arrested soon after the Rosenthal killing. Two of the killers were arrested immediately after the killing, but Horowitz and 'Lefty' Louis Rosenberg were not. There was a massive hunt for the missing two, who were found and arrested on 14 September 1912 in an apartment in Glendale, Queens
, where they had been hiding for months.
Horowitz and his three accomplices, Rosenberg, Joseph Sidemschner (aka Whitey Lewis), and Francisco Carofico (aka Dago Frank) were convicted in November 1912. There were rumours that an attempt to rescue the criminals would be made during their transfer to Sing Sing Prison after the trial. Sheriff Julius Harburger
, responsible for transporting the prisoners, received a number of anonymous notes, among which was one that said:
Their case before the New York Court of Appeals
was denied in February 1914, although Becker was granted a new trial. They produced additional witnesses on 11 April, 1914, who swore to their innocence, but New York Supreme Court
Justice Goff did not find them credible. Horowitz gave a last statement to the press on 13 April, 1914, stating:
They were put to death in the electric chair
in Sing Sing on 13 April 1914. The next year, Becker also was executed for the crime.
states that on a small bet from one of his colleagues, Horowitz, only 5 foot, 4 and 3/4 inches and 140 pounds, would grab passers-by and break their backs over his knee.
Lenox Avenue Gang
The Lenox Avenue Gang was an early 20th century New York City street gang led by Harry Horowitz, and was one of the most violent gangs of the pre-Prohibition era.-History:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Biography
Harry Horowitz was born in 1889. He served prison terms for burglary and robbery. On 16 July 1912 he and three accomplices murdered gambler Herman Rosenthal outside the Metropole Hotel. The four shot Rosenthal to death, possibly on orders from Police Lieutenant Charles BeckerCharles Becker
Charles Becker was a New York City police officer in the 1890s-1910s and who was tried, convicted and executed for ordering the murder of a Manhattan gambler, Herman Rosenthal in the Becker-Rosenthal trial. Becker was the first American police officer to receive the death penalty for murder...
, who was enraged that Rosenthal was talking to anyone who would listen about Becker's ties to criminals and gambling houses. Becker was arrested soon after the Rosenthal killing. Two of the killers were arrested immediately after the killing, but Horowitz and 'Lefty' Louis Rosenberg were not. There was a massive hunt for the missing two, who were found and arrested on 14 September 1912 in an apartment in Glendale, Queens
Glendale, Queens
Glendale is a neighborhood in the west-central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded by Cooper Avenue to the north, Woodhaven Boulevard to the east, Myrtle Avenue to the south and Fresh Pond Road to the West...
, where they had been hiding for months.
Horowitz and his three accomplices, Rosenberg, Joseph Sidemschner (aka Whitey Lewis), and Francisco Carofico (aka Dago Frank) were convicted in November 1912. There were rumours that an attempt to rescue the criminals would be made during their transfer to Sing Sing Prison after the trial. Sheriff Julius Harburger
Julius Harburger
Julius Harburger was a New York City politician.-Biography:He was a New York City assemblyman . In 1913 he was the sheriff of New York County. He died in 1914.-References:...
, responsible for transporting the prisoners, received a number of anonymous notes, among which was one that said:
Sheriff Harburger—watch out when you take Gyp and his gang up the long steps at Ossining. Kitty the Second and his bunch will be there hiding in the rocks to shoot you up and rescue them. A WELL-WISHER.
Their case before the New York Court of Appeals
New York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...
was denied in February 1914, although Becker was granted a new trial. They produced additional witnesses on 11 April, 1914, who swore to their innocence, but New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
Justice Goff did not find them credible. Horowitz gave a last statement to the press on 13 April, 1914, stating:
We all knew that the result was decided against us just as soon as we heard Justice Goff was in the case. We had given up expecting mercy either from Justice Goff or District Attorney Whitman.
They were put to death in the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
in Sing Sing on 13 April 1914. The next year, Becker also was executed for the crime.
Anecdotes
A story quoted by Herbert AsburyHerbert Asbury
Herbert Asbury was an American journalist and writer who is best known for his true crime books detailing crime during the 19th and early 20th century such as Gem of the Prairie, Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld and The Gangs of New York...
states that on a small bet from one of his colleagues, Horowitz, only 5 foot, 4 and 3/4 inches and 140 pounds, would grab passers-by and break their backs over his knee.
Further reading
- Dash, Mike. Satan's Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption and New York's Trial of the Century, Crown, New York, 2006
- Gustavus, Myers. The History of Tammany Hall. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1917.
- Joselit, Jenna Weissman. Our Gang: Jewish Crime and the New York Jewish Community, 1900-1940. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1983. ISBN 0253158451
- Katcher, Leo. The Big Bankroll: The Life and Times of Arnold Rothstein. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994. ISBN 0-306-80565-0
- Kohn, George C. Dictionary of Culprits and Criminals. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1986.
- Lardner, James and Thomas Reppetto. NYPD: A City and Its Police. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2000. ISBN 978-0-8050-6737-8
- 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
- Reeve, Arthur Benjamin. The Golden Age of Crime. New York: Mohawk Press, 1937.
- Tosches, Nick. King of the Jews: The Greatest Mob Story Never Told. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006.