Morris Rudensky
Encyclopedia
Morris "Red" Rudensky was an American
prohibition
-era gangster, prominent cat burglar and safe-cracker. Later in his life he became an author as well as a spokesman a security consultant for several companies.
's Lower East Side
Rudensky began his career by stealing bagels. At age 13 he was deemed incorrigible and sent to the Elmira State Reformatory. He escaped to make his way to Chicago
where he cracked safes for the best price. He worked with both Al Capone
's Chicago Outfit
and Bugs Moran's North Side Gang
but also traveled, cracking safes on consignment in Kansas City, St. Louis and Detroit.
He would later become known as an escape artist successfully escaping from the Pontiac State Reformatory, where he was serving ten-years-to-life for the robbery of the Argo State Bank. Still a teenager Rudensky organized the theft of $2.1 million in whiskey from a federal warehouse in Kansas City, Missouri
using over fifty men. Rudensky continued to operate a well-organized theft ring in the Midwest
robbing various payroll deliveries, distilleries, banks, and trains, and did freelance work for Egan's Rats
and Al Capone
.
At the age of twenty-one, Rudensky was again in prison, where he was known as "King of the Cons" for frequently getting into fights, and made several escape attempts successfully escaping briefly, after packing himself in a box being taken out of the prison print shop, but was soon caught. Around 1927, Rudensky was sent to Leavenworth
, a federal penitentiary in Kansas, where he escaped twice, once crawling into a body bag with a corpse.
He became friends with communist Earl Browder
, in prison, who taught him English and encouraged him to write.
advertising firm. After befriending Ward, Rudensky became convinced to stop criminal activities, and after being transferred to Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary Rudensky began to work on the prison newspaper, later becoming editor. In Atlanta he became the cellmate of Al Capone.
During WWII
, he wrote a popular article calling for the prisoners to support the United States and organized the prisoners to help in the war effort. He was later awarded a commendation by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
for his efforts.
In 1955, Rudensky was released from prison on parole working as a copy editor from Brown & Bigelow and later became chief consultant for the 3M Corporation Security Systems
. In 1970, Rudensky published his autobiography The Gonif and, during the 1970s and 80s, he lectured for a time visiting schools in the St. Paul and Minneapolis metro areas, including in the renowned Minnesota
educator Dr. Ida Kugler's fifth-grade class at Hancock-Hamline Magnet School, trying to detour students from the life of crime he had followed. In 1975, he made a public appearance as Paul Eakins toured the country with a V-16 Cadillac once owned by Al Capone. Red lived in semi-retirement in the Shalom Home, a nursing home in St. Paul Minnesota, until his death on April 21, 1988 (although other sources claim early-1986).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
-era gangster, prominent cat burglar and safe-cracker. Later in his life he became an author as well as a spokesman a security consultant for several companies.
Early life & career
Born to a Jewish family in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Lower East Side
Lower East Side, Manhattan
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
Rudensky began his career by stealing bagels. At age 13 he was deemed incorrigible and sent to the Elmira State Reformatory. He escaped to make his way to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where he cracked safes for the best price. He worked with both Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
's Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
and Bugs Moran's North Side Gang
North Side Gang
The North Side family Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was the dominant Irish-American criminal organization within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early to late 1920s and principal rival of the Johnny Torrio-Al Capone organization, later known as the Chicago Outfit.- Early...
but also traveled, cracking safes on consignment in Kansas City, St. Louis and Detroit.
He would later become known as an escape artist successfully escaping from the Pontiac State Reformatory, where he was serving ten-years-to-life for the robbery of the Argo State Bank. Still a teenager Rudensky organized the theft of $2.1 million in whiskey from a federal warehouse in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
using over fifty men. Rudensky continued to operate a well-organized theft ring in the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
robbing various payroll deliveries, distilleries, banks, and trains, and did freelance work for Egan's Rats
Egan's Rats
Egan's Rats was an American organized crime group that exercised considerable power in St. Louis, Missouri from 1890 to 1924. Its 35 years of criminal activity included bootlegging, labor slugging, voter intimidation, armed robbery, and murder...
and Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
.
At the age of twenty-one, Rudensky was again in prison, where he was known as "King of the Cons" for frequently getting into fights, and made several escape attempts successfully escaping briefly, after packing himself in a box being taken out of the prison print shop, but was soon caught. Around 1927, Rudensky was sent to Leavenworth
United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas...
, a federal penitentiary in Kansas, where he escaped twice, once crawling into a body bag with a corpse.
He became friends with communist Earl Browder
Earl Browder
Earl Russell Browder was an American communist and General Secretary of the Communist Party USA from 1934 to 1945. He was expelled from the party in 1946.- Early years :...
, in prison, who taught him English and encouraged him to write.
Reform
During a prison riot on August 1, 1929, Rudensky saved the life of inmate Charlie Ward, the future president of the Brown & BigelowBrown & Bigelow
Brown & Bigelow is a publishing company based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that produces advertising specialties, or promotional products, such as clocks, pens, cocktail spoons with corkscrew and cap-lifter, and advertising calendars...
advertising firm. After befriending Ward, Rudensky became convinced to stop criminal activities, and after being transferred to Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary Rudensky began to work on the prison newspaper, later becoming editor. In Atlanta he became the cellmate of Al Capone.
During WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he wrote a popular article calling for the prisoners to support the United States and organized the prisoners to help in the war effort. He was later awarded a commendation by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
for his efforts.
In 1955, Rudensky was released from prison on parole working as a copy editor from Brown & Bigelow and later became chief consultant for the 3M Corporation Security Systems
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
. In 1970, Rudensky published his autobiography The Gonif and, during the 1970s and 80s, he lectured for a time visiting schools in the St. Paul and Minneapolis metro areas, including in the renowned Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
educator Dr. Ida Kugler's fifth-grade class at Hancock-Hamline Magnet School, trying to detour students from the life of crime he had followed. In 1975, he made a public appearance as Paul Eakins toured the country with a V-16 Cadillac once owned by Al Capone. Red lived in semi-retirement in the Shalom Home, a nursing home in St. Paul Minnesota, until his death on April 21, 1988 (although other sources claim early-1986).
Further reading
- Kobler, John. Ardent Spirits PB: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. New York: Da Capo Press, 1993. ISBN 0-306-80512-X
- Johnson, Curt and R. Craig Sautter. The Wicked City: Chicago from Kenna to Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN 0-306-80821-8
- Kobler, John. Capone: The Life and Times of Al Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 2003. ISBN 0-306-81285-1