GANGSTER SHOT

Shannon News, 10 January 1928, Page 2

GANGSTER SHOT

CHICAGO STREET MELODRAMA. AMBUSH THAT PROVED FATAL. Little Augic, the notorious Chicago gangster, died as his henchman, Maxy Goldberg, and his arch-foe, Kid Dropper, died—with a bullet in the back of his head. Johnny Diamond whose brother Red is said to be a gangster, was talking with Little Augie at the time, and he was shot in the stomach, but still lives. It was about S o'clock that the pair fell j into the ambush, and. it was not until twenty minutes or so later that a. boy ran into a police station with the news. "They croaked Little Augie!" he gasped, big-eyed and pallid with the import of his tidings. "He's laying up there in Norfolk Street now!" The police found him there. In death as in life, the law-abiding East side gave Little'Augie and his ilk, as wide a berth as possible. He lay face down on the sidewalk, his arms spread out. and the teeming street, stepped around his body and went about its lawful affairs. Through the daze of melodrama which suddenly enveloped them, the witnesses caught a glimpse of three figures, or maybe four, scurrying w.th bent heads and arms held close to their sides toward a black touring car creeping up behind them beside the kerb. •

They sprang into the car, whose driver increased his speed with a roar of many cylinders and a sudden rearward blast of black smoke which obscured the license plate, if any had thought to look for it. The detectives think that few did. The sudden acceleration of speed in that thronged street brought momentary panic to all who were close to the motor car. It raced down to Dela ncey Street and swung east toward the Williamsburg Bridge with human waves parting before it. like the Red Sea before Moses. Two men had fallen at the shots; the whole block knew that. ■ But when the spectators turned from the speeding car only one body lay there. Some drew near to see if they knew the victim of the gunmen. Few men were better known in that district. About half an hour after the police began their inquiries they were informed that Johnny Diamond, himself a gangman and the brother of Red Diamond, still more widely known in gangdom, had staggered into a private hospital at 141 Broome Street, six blocks away, clutching with both hands at his abdomen, which had been drilled by a pistol bullet.

Little Augie's police record began in 1919 when he was arrested on a lobbery charge, which was dismissed. Thereafter the police picked him up every little while, the charges ranging from disorderly conduct to homicide but only twice did they make the charges stick. Ho got two years for felonious assault in 1919 and two years later was sent to the penitentiary for carrying a revolver.

Johnny Diamond was transferred from the private hospital to Bellevue, where he was put in the prison ward, a charge of homicide being entered against him, largely as a matter of form and from force of habit. The police believe that in reality he was acting as Little Angle's bodyguard.