William Colbeck
Encyclopedia
William "Dint" Colbeck (November 17, 1890 - February 17, 1943) was a St. Louis
politician and organized crime figure involved in bootlegging and illegal gambling. He succeeded William Egan
as head of the Egan's Rats
bootlegging gang in the early 1920s.
, Colbeck joined the U.S. Army in April 1918 and fought as an infantryman with the 89th Infantry Division in France
. Upon his return home in 1919, Colbeck became Willie Egan's right hand man in the gang.
During the first years of Prohibition, the Rats controlled most of the illegal bootlegging in and around St. Louis. They also began to supplement their bootlegging profits with armed robberies that victimized banks, armored cars, and messengers. It was estimated that Egan's Rats stole nearly $4,000,000 over a five-year period. Colbeck was ruthless with anyone who got in the gang's way, including its own members.
Dint Colbeck was the most powerful gangster in St. Louis during the early 1920's. He and his men were headquartered at the Maxwelton Club in North St. Louis County, and Colbeck often dispensed bribes, illegal booze, or other favors from his roost. Dint also served as the sergeant-at-arms of the St. Louis Democratic City Committee, giving him a political base inside the city government. While Colbeck was shot and wounded by the Hogan Gang during the gang war, he successfully led his crew against their rivals until a peace treaty was brokered in June 1922 by Monsignor Timothy Dempsey. While Dint didn't usually accompany his men on jobs, he had no qualms about getting his hands dirty. Having survived years on the streets and combat on the Western Front
, Colbeck was fearless under fire and an expert shot; his weapon of choice was the BAR.
The Egan-Hogan gang war re-ignited when Colbeck and five of his men assassinated Hogan Gang lawyer Jacob Mackler on February 21, 1923. Shootings again rocked the city of St. Louis. By Easter Sunday 1923, both Dint and Jelly Roll Hogan wrote letters to the citizens of St. Louis telling them that the war was finally finished once and for all; both notes were published in the St. Louis Star.
, Oliver Daugherty, and sharpshooter David "Chippy" Robinson. A handful of Rats either fled town or ran afoul of Dint Colbeck. In one instance of inter-gang turmoil, Dint and his four top men executed disgruntled Egan gang member Eddie Linehan at the Maxwelton Club on February 13, 1924.
By this time, the law was closing in as well. Colbeck and his top henchmen were on trial for two 1923 mail robberies, one of which netted the gang nearly $2.4 million US in cash and negotiable bonds. In order to pay his crew's mounting legal fees, Dint led some of the boys on the robbery of the Granite City National Bank on April 25, 1924, netting $63,000. Colbeck was also suspected of ordering an assassination attempt on his longtime benefactor and associate, Missouri State Senator Michael Kinney
, on June 3, 1924. Kinney survived his wounds and no one was charged in his shooting.
On the strength of the testimony of Egan gangster Ray Renard, Colbeck and eight of his men were convicted on November 15, 1924 and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. While in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, one of his cell mates was Chicago
gang boss Al Capone
, who assisted him in his work with the Catholic chaplain. Legend has it the two hit it off so much they planned to go into business together once they were both paroled. These plans were foiled by Capone's transfer to Alcatraz in 1934.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
politician and organized crime figure involved in bootlegging and illegal gambling. He succeeded William Egan
William Egan (gangster)
William Egan was a St. Louis politician and organized crime figure involved in bootlegging and illegal gambling. His brother was the namesake of the infamous Egan's Rats....
as head of the 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...
bootlegging gang in the early 1920s.
Early years
Born in North St. Louis, Colbeck joined Egan's Rats in his late teens. In between his gangster jobs, Colbeck trained to work as a plumber. His work in this field resulted in his nickname of "Dinty" or "Dint", as he was most usually called by associates. After the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Colbeck joined the U.S. Army in April 1918 and fought as an infantryman with the 89th Infantry Division in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Upon his return home in 1919, Colbeck became Willie Egan's right hand man in the gang.
Gang leader
On October 31, 1921, Willie Egan was shot dead in front of his Franklin Avenue saloon by gunmen in a passing automobile. Colbeck had been present at the time of the shooting and Egan reportedly whispered to him the names of the shooters before he died. Now the leader of the gang, Dint announced to his men that Egan's killers were Jimmy Hogan, John Doyle, and Luke Kennedy. These three belonged to the Rats' arch-rivals, the Hogan Gang, which was led by Edward "Jelly Roll" Hogan, the Missouri state beverage inspector. Colbeck and his men immediately retaliated and gang warfare engulfed St. Louis.During the first years of Prohibition, the Rats controlled most of the illegal bootlegging in and around St. Louis. They also began to supplement their bootlegging profits with armed robberies that victimized banks, armored cars, and messengers. It was estimated that Egan's Rats stole nearly $4,000,000 over a five-year period. Colbeck was ruthless with anyone who got in the gang's way, including its own members.
Dint Colbeck was the most powerful gangster in St. Louis during the early 1920's. He and his men were headquartered at the Maxwelton Club in North St. Louis County, and Colbeck often dispensed bribes, illegal booze, or other favors from his roost. Dint also served as the sergeant-at-arms of the St. Louis Democratic City Committee, giving him a political base inside the city government. While Colbeck was shot and wounded by the Hogan Gang during the gang war, he successfully led his crew against their rivals until a peace treaty was brokered in June 1922 by Monsignor Timothy Dempsey. While Dint didn't usually accompany his men on jobs, he had no qualms about getting his hands dirty. Having survived years on the streets and combat on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, Colbeck was fearless under fire and an expert shot; his weapon of choice was the BAR.
The Egan-Hogan gang war re-ignited when Colbeck and five of his men assassinated Hogan Gang lawyer Jacob Mackler on February 21, 1923. Shootings again rocked the city of St. Louis. By Easter Sunday 1923, both Dint and Jelly Roll Hogan wrote letters to the citizens of St. Louis telling them that the war was finally finished once and for all; both notes were published in the St. Louis Star.
Downfall
By 1924, Colbeck and the Rats were at the height of their power, but trouble was coming fast. Cliques had developed in the gang, and Colbeck surrounded himself by his four core gunmen; bodyguard Louis "Red" Smith, Steve RyanSteve Ryan
Steve Ryan was an American actor.He was best known for his recurring role on the Fox sitcom, Arrested Development, as J. Walter Weatherman. Some of his other roles included "Detective Nate Grossman" on the NBC Police series Crime Story and his role as "Bobick" on Daddio.Notable recurring roles...
, Oliver Daugherty, and sharpshooter David "Chippy" Robinson. A handful of Rats either fled town or ran afoul of Dint Colbeck. In one instance of inter-gang turmoil, Dint and his four top men executed disgruntled Egan gang member Eddie Linehan at the Maxwelton Club on February 13, 1924.
By this time, the law was closing in as well. Colbeck and his top henchmen were on trial for two 1923 mail robberies, one of which netted the gang nearly $2.4 million US in cash and negotiable bonds. In order to pay his crew's mounting legal fees, Dint led some of the boys on the robbery of the Granite City National Bank on April 25, 1924, netting $63,000. Colbeck was also suspected of ordering an assassination attempt on his longtime benefactor and associate, Missouri State Senator Michael Kinney
Michael Kinney
Michael Kinney is a Canadian actor, with a recurring minor role as Coach Armstrong on Degrassi: The Next Generation....
, on June 3, 1924. Kinney survived his wounds and no one was charged in his shooting.
On the strength of the testimony of Egan gangster Ray Renard, Colbeck and eight of his men were convicted on November 15, 1924 and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. While in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, one of his cell mates was 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...
gang boss 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...
, who assisted him in his work with the Catholic chaplain. Legend has it the two hit it off so much they planned to go into business together once they were both paroled. These plans were foiled by Capone's transfer to Alcatraz in 1934.
Unsuccessful comeback
Paroled in November 1940, Colbeck declared he was going to work as a master plumber and stay out of trouble. Nevertheless, Colbeck and his old pals were rumored to be trying to muscle their way back into the St. Louis underworld. On February 17, 1943, Dint Colbeck was found machine-gunned to death in his car at the corner of Ninth and Destrehan streets in St. Louis. The exact motive for his murder was unclear; he might have been killed by crime bosses wanting to eliminate a potential rival or by someone nursing a grudge from the old days. No one was ever charged in Colbeck's murder.Further reading
- Waugh, Daniel. Egan's Rats: The Untold Story of the Gang that ruled Prohibition-era St. Louis Nashville: Cumberland House, 2007.
External links
- The John Gotti of St. Louis: The Rise and Fall of "Dinty" Colbeck by Walter Fontane
- AmericanMafia.com - 26 Mafia Cities: St. Louis, Mo
- William "Dinty" Colbeck at Find-A-Grave