189:
heroin. He was assisted by his brother Joseph, appropriately nicknamed, "Joey
Spanish". Yet there was too much bad blood between Spanish and the Dropper for either of them to relax. Spanish was shot and killed while entering a Manhattan restaurant at 19 Second Avenue by three unidentified men on July 29, 1919. Charges were brought against Kaplan, who had been identified at the scene, but were later dropped. Kaplan was later shot and killed in August 1923.
177:, who contemptuously dismissed the threats. However, during a particularly violent gunfight in one of his attempts to gain control over a particular gambling operation owned by Kid Jigger, an eight-year-old girl was killed. Forced to flee the city, he discovered, when he returned after several months, that his girlfriend had left him for Kaplan. Spanish abducted the woman, who was now pregnant, and drove to a marsh outside
188:
However
Spanish and Kaplan soon began fighting again as the gang split into two separate factions, as each attempted to gain dominance over the New York's "labor slugging" operations. Johnny Spanish during this period became one of the biggest drug dealers in Manhattan, selling both cocaine and
184:
Spanish was arrested and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 1911; coincidentally around the same time Kaplan was arrested for robbery. After being released from prison in 1917 Spanish rejoined Kaplan, as well as several other former Five Point Gang members, working as "labor sluggers".
141:. In reality, he was born to an Italian father and Spanish mother, anglicizing the name to John Mestrett. He became involved in labor racketeering and murder, allegedly involved in a killing at age seventeen, before organizing a crew of thugs allied with the
160:
in the street; They fell out because of a dispute over
Spanish's then girlfriend, engaging in a vicious street fight in which the Dropper nearly stabbed his rival to death. Once he recovered, Spanish began taking over control of the
149:. Spanish, who had earlier boasted that he would return and rob the saloon at a certain time, appeared at the scheduled time, shooting up the bar and assaulting several customers who resisted, before making his escape.
181:, where he tied her up against a tree and shot her in the abdomen several times. The woman was found alive several hours later, giving birth to her baby who had three fingers shot off.
362:
327:
322:
145:. Spanish soon became notorious for his daring holdups of saloons and other businesses, particularly in his robbery of a Norfolk Street saloon owned by
337:
342:
357:
125:
in 1919. He became involved in labor racketeering, holdups of saloons and other businesses, and murder before organizing his own gang.
332:
280:
352:
347:
227:"Arrest Gang Leader For Woman's Murder; 'Johnny Spanish,' Successor of 'Monk' Eastman, Is Caught after a Long Vigil"
292:
248:"'Johnny Spanish' Slain in East Side; Shot Down at the Entrance to a Restaurant Where He Was to Have Met His Wife"
297:
226:
247:
317:
312:
122:
276:
178:
174:
142:
134:
166:
117:(1889 – July 29, 1919) was an American gangster who was a rival of former partner
146:
133:
Born in 1889 as
Giovanni Mistretta on the Lower East Side, he claimed to be related to
306:
153:
118:
54:
35:
157:
162:
298:
New York gangster Johnny
Spanish: A Retrospective (2 of 2) by Daniel Waugh
293:
New York gangster Johnny
Spanish: A Retrospective (1 of 2) by Daniel Waugh
170:
121:
during a garment workers' strike which later become known as the
273:
Gangster City: The
History of the New York Underworld, 1900–1935
138:
152:
In 1909, Spanish started working together with "Kid
Dropper"
156:. The two soon had a falling out that culminated in a
100:
88:
80:
70:
62:
43:
28:
21:
275:. Fort Lee, New Jersey: Barricade Books, 2004.
8:
216:. 2nd ed. New York: Facts On File Inc, 2001.
84:Labor racketeer, armed robber, drug dealer
18:
208:
206:
204:
202:
198:
363:American gangsters of Italian descent
137:, the last governor of Spanish-ruled
7:
104:Seven years imprisonment, 1911–1917
328:Murdered Jewish American gangsters
14:
323:1919 murders in the United States
212:Sifakis, Carl. "Johnny Spanish".
338:People murdered in New York City
343:Deaths by firearm in Manhattan
214:Encyclopedia of American Crime
1:
236:. March 22, 1911. p. 3.
257:. July 30, 1919. p. 4.
119:"Kid Dropper" Nathan Kaplan
379:
358:20th-century American Jews
123:Second Labor Sluggers War
108:
96:
333:Criminals from Manhattan
147:Mersher the Strong Arm
353:1919 in New York City
348:1911 in New York City
173:games", a variant of
63:Cause of death
255:The New York Times
234:The New York Times
271:Downey, Patrick.
179:Maspeth, New York
112:
111:
370:
259:
258:
252:
244:
238:
237:
231:
223:
217:
210:
143:Five Points Gang
135:Valeriano Weyler
101:Criminal penalty
71:Other names
50:
19:
16:American mobster
378:
377:
373:
372:
371:
369:
368:
367:
303:
302:
289:
268:
266:Further reading
263:
262:
250:
246:
245:
241:
229:
225:
224:
220:
211:
200:
195:
167:Lower East Side
131:
89:Criminal status
75:
58:
52:
48:
39:
33:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
376:
374:
366:
365:
360:
355:
350:
345:
340:
335:
330:
325:
320:
315:
305:
304:
301:
300:
295:
288:
287:External links
285:
284:
283:
267:
264:
261:
260:
239:
218:
197:
196:
194:
191:
130:
127:
115:Johnny Spanish
110:
109:
106:
105:
102:
98:
97:
94:
93:
90:
86:
85:
82:
78:
77:
72:
68:
67:
64:
60:
59:
53:
51:(aged 30)
45:
41:
40:
34:
30:
26:
25:
23:Johnny Spanish
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
375:
364:
361:
359:
356:
354:
351:
349:
346:
344:
341:
339:
336:
334:
331:
329:
326:
324:
321:
319:
316:
314:
311:
310:
308:
299:
296:
294:
291:
290:
286:
282:
281:1-56980-267-X
278:
274:
270:
269:
265:
256:
249:
243:
240:
235:
228:
222:
219:
215:
209:
207:
205:
203:
199:
192:
190:
186:
182:
180:
176:
172:
168:
164:
159:
155:
154:Nathan Kaplan
150:
148:
144:
140:
136:
128:
126:
124:
120:
116:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
81:Occupation(s)
79:
73:
69:
65:
61:
56:
55:New York City
47:July 29, 1919
46:
42:
37:
36:New York City
31:
27:
20:
272:
254:
242:
233:
221:
213:
187:
183:
151:
132:
114:
113:
76:John Wheiler
49:(1919-07-29)
318:1919 deaths
313:1889 births
158:knife fight
74:John Weyler
307:Categories
193:References
163:Kid Jigger
129:Biography
92:Deceased
66:Murdered
279:
57:, U.S.
38:, U.S.
251:(PDF)
230:(PDF)
171:stuss
277:ISBN
175:faro
139:Cuba
44:Died
32:1889
29:Born
165:'s
309::
253:.
232:.
201:^
169:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.