Jacob Siegel (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1900-1910), also known as Kid Jigger or simply Jigger, was an American gunman-turned-gambler who operated one of the most successful stuss parlors in

Manhattan's East Side The East Side of Manhattan refers to the side of Manhattan which abuts the East River and faces Brooklyn and Queens. Fifth Avenue, Central Park from 59th to 110th Streets, and Broadway below 8th Street separate it from the West Side. The major ...

during the early 20th century. He was one of the few gamblers not under the control of the many street gangs active in the city, supposedly due to his reputation, and generally ran his operations free of interference from more powerful underworld figures.Lewis, Alfred Henry. ''The Apaches of New York''. New York: G.W. Dillingham Company, 1912. (pg. 35-39) Asbury, Herbert. ''The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 245) In May 1910, he was confronted by

Johnny Spanish Johnny Spanish (1889 – July 29, 1919) was an American gangster who was a rival of former partner "Kid Dropper" Nathan Kaplan during a garment workers' strike which later become known as the Second Labor Sluggers War in 1919. He became inv ...

who attempted to intimidate Siegel into making him a partner. When Siegel refused, Spanish said that he would return the following night to ''"bump youse off tomorrow night"''. Indeed the following night Spanish returned with his partner Hyman Benjamin and confronted Siegel as he was leaving his Forsyth Street headquarters, between

Hester Hester is both a female given name and a surname. As a given name Hester is a variant of Esther. As a surname it is of Germanic origin and uncertain meaning, possible roots being the Middle High German ''heister'' beech tree indicating residence ne ...

and Grand Street, and called on him to fight. Spanish then pulled out his revolver and shot at Siegel, who ran off retreating into his stuss house, which instead hit 8-year-old Rachel Rooten which was playing across the street. Siegel later served as the principal witness against Johnny Spanish and Hyman Benjamin, although Spanish later fled the city."Murder Witness Scared; Siegel Testifies He's Afraid for His Life in the Benjamin Case". ''New York Times''. 14 December 1910 Siegel appeared as a minor character in the 2003

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

''And All the Saints'' by Michael Walsh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegel, Jacob Year of birth missing Year of death missing American Jews Jewish American gangsters Criminals from New York City 20th-century American criminals