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Harry Horowitz ( – April 13, 1914), also known as "Gyp the Blood", was an American underworld figure and a leader of the Lenox Avenue Gang in New York City.


Early life and career

Harry Horowitz was born on the
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...
of Manhattan to Orthodox Jewish parents. He was a slight figure, standing just under and weighing . but extraordinarily strong. He bragged that to win a $2 bet, he had broken a man's back in three places. He served prison terms for burglary and robbery. New York City Judge Franklin C. Hoyt later recalled:


Rosenthal murder

On July 16, 1912, he and three accomplices murdered gambler
Herman Rosenthal Herman Rosenthal (October 6, 1843 – 1917) was an American author, editor, and librarian. Biography Rosenthal was born in Friedrichstadt (Jaunjelgava), Courland. He was educated at Bauske (Bauska) and Jakobstadt (Jēkabpils), graduating in 18 ...
outside the Hotel Metropole. The four shot Rosenthal to death. Two of the killers, Jacob Seidenshner (aka "Whitey Lewis"), and Francisco "Frank" Cirofici (aka "Dago Frank") were arrested immediately after the killing, along with
Charles Becker Charles Becker (July 26, 1870 – July 30, 1915) was a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department between the 1890s and the 1910s. He is known for the scandal of being tried, convicted, and executed for the first-degree murder of the Man ...
, a detective from the New York Police Department who was suspected of being a business partner of Rosenthal, but Horowitz and the fourth gunman, "Lefty" Louis Rosenberg, were not. There was a massive hunt for the missing two, who were found and arrested on September 14, 1912 in an apartment in Glendale, Queens, where they had been hiding for months. During the trial, the three defendants claimed Rosenthal was murdered by someone known only as Itsky. Defense attorney Charles G.F. Wahle said Horowitz was no saint but was not guilty, telling the jury: "He has never been known as Gyp the Blood, but only as Gyp. He is the victim of evil companions. He is a cheat and a sharper and has been convicted as such. It would be futile for us to deny this, but he is not a murderer." Horowitz, Rosenberg, Seidenshner and Cirofici were convicted in November 1912 and sentenced to death. There were rumors that an attempt to rescue the criminals would be made during their transfer to
Sing Sing Prison Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north o ...
after the trial. Sheriff
Julius Harburger Julius Harburger ( – November 9, 1914) was a New York City politician. He was elected as the Sheriff of New York County, New York, from 1911 to December 31, 1913. He also served as the Coroner of New York City, in 1907 serving as the president ...
, responsible for transporting the prisoners, received a number of anonymous notes, and one stated:
Sheriff Harburger—watch out when you take Gyp and his gang up the long steps at Ossining. Kitty the Second and his bunch will be there hiding in the rocks to shoot you up and rescue them. A WELL-WISHER.
Their case before the New York Court of Appeals was denied in February 1914, but Becker was granted a new trial. They produced additional witnesses on April 11, 1914, who swore to their innocence, but New York Supreme Court Justice Goff did not find them credible. Horowitz gave a last statement to the press on April 13, 1914, stating:
We all knew that the result was decided against us just as soon as we heard Justice Goff was in the case. We had given up expecting mercy either from Justice Goff or District Attorney Whitman.
Two hours before the execution, Cirofici gave a statement admitting he lied on the stand during the trial. Cirofici made the statement in the presence of the warden, the superintendent of the State Prison Department, and his mother and sister, regarding Rosenthal's murder. He stated that he was not present during the murder, but that it was committed by Rosenberg, Horowitz and informant Harry Vallon, who testified for the state during the trial. On April 13, 1914, Horowitz was put to death in the electric chair, along with Rosenberg, Seidenshner and Cirofici. The next year, Becker also was executed for his part in the murder.


In popular culture

Set No. 2 for chamber orchestra (K. 1C32, 1912) by American composer
Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed f ...
included a piece titled "'Gyp the Blood' or Hearst!? Which Is worst?!," inviting a comparison between the gangster and publishing magnate
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
. Blues singer
Richard "Rabbit" Brown Richard "Rabbit" Brown (c. 1880 – 1937) was an American blues guitarist and composer. His music has been characterized as a mixture of blues, pop songs, and original topical ballads. He recorded six sides for Victor Records on March 11, 1 ...
wrote a song called "Gyp The Blood", which appears to be based on him. A character nicknamed Gyp the Blood appears in a book by Kevin Baker, where a fictionalized version of events from Harry Horowitz's life play out. He was mentioned in a 1926
W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former hi ...
movie "It's the Old Army Game". In the same year, he appears in the preface of the novel ''
Psmith, Journalist ''Psmith, Journalist'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first released in the United Kingdom as a serial in ''The Captain'' magazine between October 1909 and February 1910, and published in book form in the UK on 29 September 1915, by Adam & Ch ...
'' by
P.G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jee ...
. He also is mentioned in the
Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
song "Down There by the Train"."


References


Further reading

*Dash, Mike. ''Satan's Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption and New York's Trial of the Century'', Crown, New York, 2006 *Gustavus, Myers. ''The History of Tammany Hall''. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1917. *Joselit, Jenna Weissman. ''Our Gang: Jewish Crime and the New York Jewish Community, 1900-1940''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1983. *Katcher, Leo. ''The Big Bankroll: The Life and Times of Arnold Rothstein''. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994. *Kohn, George C. ''Dictionary of Culprits and Criminals''. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1986. *Lardner, James and Thomas Reppetto. ''NYPD: A City and Its Police''. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2000. *Pietrusza, David. ''Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series''. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. *Reeve, Arthur Benjamin. ''The Golden Age of Crime''. New York: Mohawk Press, 1937. *Tosches, Nick. ''King of the Jews: The Greatest Mob Story Never Told''. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006.


External links

* *
The "Killer Cop" and the Tombs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horowitz, Harry 1880s births 1914 deaths Date of birth unknown Jewish American gangsters American people convicted of murder People executed for murder Executed gangsters 20th-century executions by New York (state) Gang members of New York City People executed by New York (state) by electric chair 20th-century executions of American people People convicted of murder by New York (state) Rosenthal murder case Lenox Avenue Gang Burials at Mount Zion Cemetery (New York City)