Louis William "Bridgie" Webber (1877 – July 30, 1936) was an underworld figure in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and a former associate of gang leader

Monk Eastman Edward "Monk" Eastman (1875 – December 26, 1920) was a New York City gangster who founded and led the Eastman Gang in the late 19th and early 20th century; it became one of the most powerful street gangs in the city. His aliases included Jose ...

who later testified against police lieutenant Charles Becker during his murder trial in 1912.

Biography

He was born in 1877. Starting around 1900 he and

Harry Vallon Harry Vallon was a New York City gambler and mob informant. He turned state's evidence and testified against the gunman in the murder of Herman Rosenthal and against Charles Becker after a promise of immunity from the district attorney. He testif ...

operated various

stuss Stuss or Jewish Faro is a card game, a variant of faro. In this version (played in house games, back rooms, and saloons), the cards are dealt from the dealer's hand, not from a shoe. Also, the house wins all the money when drawing two equal cards, ...

games as well as an

opium den An opium den was an establishment in which opium was sold and smoked. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the 19th century, most notably China, Southeast Asia, North America, and France. Throughout the West, opium dens were fr ...

Pell Street Manhattan's Chinatown () is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, bordering the Lower East Side to its east, Little Italy to its north, Civic Center to its south, and Tribeca to its west. With an estimated population of 90,000 to 100, ...

and a popular poker room at the corner of 42nd Street and

Sixth Avenue Sixth Avenue – also known as Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers, p.24 – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown". It is commercial ...

which was often frequented by Becker and other police officials (and thus never subject to police raids). In 1911, two thugs were hired by gambler Herman Rosenthal to assault Webber, who left him severely beaten. When Rosenthal further attempted to lure customers away from Webber's ''Sans Souci Music Hall'', Webber used his political connections to have Rosenthal's ''Hesper Club'' raided by police, but other sources claim he had been hired by Rosenthal for protection from Charles Becker to whom Rosenthal had refused to pay off for running his gambling operations at the ''Hesper Club'' and that he was severely beaten by

Jack Zelig "Big" Jack Zelig (May 13, 1888 – October 5, 1912) was an American gangster and one of the last leaders of the Eastman Gang. Biography Born Selig Harry Lefkowitz in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, Zelig was a well ...

and members of the

Eastman Gang The Eastman Gang was the last of New York's street gangs which dominated the city's underworld during the late 1890s until the early 1910s. Along with the Five Points Gang under Italian-American Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli, best known as Paul Kell ...

, who destroyed his clubhouse as well. Brought into custody by a police detective two days following Rosenthal's murder, Webber claimed he had been at his clubhouse during the night. Although he was held in custody, his testimony against Becker and members of the

Lenox Avenue Gang The Lenox Avenue Gang was an early 20th-century New York City street gang led by Harry Horowitz; it was considered one of the most violent gangs of the pre-Prohibition era. It was based in Harlem in Upper Manhattan, New York City, New York aroun ...

helped convict the five men who were sentenced to death. Fearing reprisals from the city's underworld, he was under police guard after his testimony and traveled to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. Shortly after his return to the city, Webber was stabbed by an unidentified youth on July 14, 1913 and fled New York. He became a successful manufacturer in

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

for a number of years and later served as vice president and secretary of the Garfield Paper Box Company. He later died of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...

while he was undergoing surgery for

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

at St. Mary's Hospital or Passaic General Hospital on the night of July 30, 1936 on the 21st anniversary of Becker's execution. His funeral was attended by over 300 people, including Mayor Benjamin F. Turner.

References

External links

Antiques Digest - Lost Knowledge From The Past: The Cop and The Corpse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webber, William 1877 births 1936 deaths Criminals from New York City Deaths from peritonitis Rosenthal murder case

Biography

References

Further reading

External links