Birns was convicted of car theft in 1925, for which he served 18 months in the Mansfield Reformatory. [page needed] Birns would later divorce his first wife, Jane, and marry Leonards a year later. This greatly offended Birns. Birns was arrested and brought to the booking window at Central Station. From there, the family moved to Cleveland and settled in the lower Woodland Avenue district. Seriously, no one, save for official records used the name Alex when referring to Shonder Birns. Police and bomb squad members worked an entire day examining the bombing scene. Diamond was an associate of Teamster leader William Presser and was once referred to by the local newspapers as "Cleveland's Number One Racketeer". He denied ownership of the gun and would not reveal who shot him. He soon developed a knack for beating legal charges. Danny Greene and Shondor Birns agreed to go into business together — but their alliance degenerated into a deadly feud. He was released. No one was arrested for his murder. He had been beaten, strangled with a clothesline and shot in the chest. Somebody also tipped off the press. The shooting was deemed a justifiable homicide. [2], While serving his sentence at the Warrensville Workhouse after being convicted for the bribery charges, Birns granted his first newspaper interview. He was born Szandor (Hungarian for Alexander) Birnstein in either 1905 or 1907 in what is now the Slo-vak Republic town of Lemesany, which was then part of the Austro-HungarianEmpire. Four days later, Birns, along with co-defendant Yale Cohen and attorney Max Lesnick, were convicted of bribing a witness. Birns pressed Greene but Greene flatly refused to return the money; instead asserting that it wasn't his fault that it got lost. Birns' nose was broken when his body landed on the street after being blown out the top of his car. [4], During the 1940s, Birns made a longstanding alliance and had become closely involved with the local Cleveland family mobsters such as Angelo Lonardo. They divorced in 1964 and Birns then married Allene Leonards. Alex Birns (February 21, 1907 – March 20, 1975), also known as "Shondor", was a notorious Jewish-American mobster and racketeer from Cleveland, Ohio who was once labeled as the city's Public Enemy No. [1][page needed], In 1933, shortly after he hooked up with the Maxie Diamond gang, Diamond narrowly escaped death from gunfire by rival gangsters in what was called by the police, "a continuation of the city's dry cleaning racket war". It was a great little hustle, and the police weren’t the least bit interested in what we were doing, meaning there was no payoff, we got to keep all of the loot. [1][page needed], Though Birns's Lincoln[9] was demolished and smoking heavily, his state-of-the-art burglar system survived. At one point, he was simply its "public relations director". Birns was sitting at Keystone with two of his fellow gang members when he rose to retrieve some cigars from his overcoat which he had checked in the coat room. Suspecting that Birns was behind it, Greene decided to retaliate. The police drove him to the hospital. Police called it "continuation of guerrilla warfare among policy game racketeers. It would take a couple of years of paperwork to catch up. Legal businesses who wished to be allowed to operate undisturbed had to pay him as a labor consultant. Part of the estate was reputedly used as a firing range by members of the Flying Dragons, honing their accuracy with machine guns. Cleveland, A chain link fence between Christy's and St. Malachi Church caught many of the smaller fragments of flesh and bone. By this time, he was planning to retire and live out his twilight years in Florida. After six appearances in court, a prosecutor remarked, "It is time the court put away this man whose reputation is one of rampant criminality." [1][page needed], In 1959, Birns physically assaulted a police officer. [1][page needed], In spite of being diligently pursued by law enforcement for most of his life, Birns eventually came to respect and admire the city's police officers. He was actively involved in a wide variety of racketeering and other organized crime related activities such as prostitution, theft, numbers, … He happened to notice the two detectives assigned to follow him and flagged them over. Youngest of three children, he was brought to New York at the age of one month. [2], Later in the year, Birns was once again arrested by the police. With the backing of the Cleveland crime family, Birns operated freely and was well liked by all the prostitutes of his whore houses. On July 8, 1963, he was found murdered and stuck in the trunk of his car. Supposedly Danny borrowed $80,000 or $75,000 from Shondor Birns to open a cheat spot, an after-hours drinking establishment. Birns became a ranking member of Diamond's gang during the battles for control of the city's dry cleaners and launderers. Over her objections, Birns entered the coatroom, shoving her aside in the process, and retrieved some cigars from his coat. [1][page needed], During this period, he was successfully prosecuted only twice. The coatroom girl subsequently refused to give Birns access to his coat. Shondor got part of the money from New York mobsters. [1][page needed], On Wednesday morning, Birns called John Kocevar, chief deputy Cuyahoga County sheriff. The judge sentenced them to 60 days in the Warrensville Workhouse. He also laid off or distributed big bets to other cities like Pittsburgh, so no single operator lost too much if a number came up. The publicity that Birns had enjoyed over the years brought no wry smiles to many in law … [1][page needed]. I'll tell you why. Horribly burned over 75 percent of her body, she died the next morning. Birns told the reporter that he was serving his time happily and enjoying the hard work. Nardi gets him work as an enforcer for Hungarian Jewish loan shark Shondor Birns, and later helps pitch a deal to Mafia Capo Jack Licavoli: Greene will force the city's garbage haulers to join the union Licavoli controls. While my guy was always super cool, Birns was a completely different kind of dude. Gary Birns est sur Facebook. The motel owner said he had checked in Saturday and sought treatment for an injured right hand. The coroner, Samuel Gerber, estimated his time of death as shortly before midnight Friday. He was shot three more times in the skull. [8], In the 1960s, Birns was having trouble with some black numbers operators. [1][page needed], Two months later, Rudy Duncan took his 11-year-old foster son, Stanley to a movie show at the Uptown theater outside E. 105th Street and Saint Clair Avenue. Virgil Ogletree: Bombing suspect, and the reason for the police's search of Mapp's house. A Hungarian émigré, Birns involved himself in rackets, prostitution, theft, assault, and murder from the days of Prohibition until his death. [1][page needed], Upon his release in 1944, Birns returned to Cleveland and was well known by the police, judges and the public. At the trial, a neighbor backed Birns's alibi. 1 by the local newspapers. Police said the blast was among the most powerful they had ever investigated. [4], The relentless prosecutors, however, didn't give up and accused Birns of trying to contact a juror in the second case. 1" by the local newspapers. The police raided his house, arrested him, seized the narcotics and what was left of the $75,000. Many arrests, few jailings In 1938, Birns visited Canada for a vacation. His wife told police that Gold was on his way to meet with Birns the night he was murdered. Greene in October 1977. [10] Crnic was later killed while attempting to attach a car bomb to a vehicle belonging to mafia associate John "Johnny Del" Delzoppo on April 5, 1977. Birns married twice. Largely on King's testimony, Birns and the others were indicted. [1][page needed], Greene had requested from Birns a loan of $75,000. Her clothing caught fire and was engulfed in flames. Birns arranged a $70,000 loan from the Gambino crime family, but Birns' courier bought cocaine with the money and got arrested. Likewise, Duncan's recollection of the incident was so vague that he wasn't even called to testify as a witness. [1][page needed], Several months later, Birns walked into an east side bar in response to a meeting requested by several black numbers racketeers. [1][page needed], Duncan came up behind him and in a menacing manner, demanded an explanation as to Birns's presence in the Club. I'll tell you why. Kovacic offered him police protection, but he refused. On the stand, the Press reported, "she burst into tears again and again and refused to answer questions as Birns and the other defendants glared at her. Birns was determined to firmly keep this traditionally black racket under his control. The gunman missed, whereupon Birns cruised the neighborhood on the lookout for him. I'll tell you why. During the trial, Birns testified that he did not see his assailant and that whoever came up behind him in the cloakroom had the gun. During the early morning hours, Birns would often send food over to the nearby Fifth District police station for the police officers working the late shift. A pickup order was sent out for Birns. In the 1960s, Gold was being investigated for using stolen Canadian bonds for using a bank loan. Alex Birns (February 21, 1907 – March 29, 1975), best known as Shondor Birns was a notorious Jewish-American mobster and racketeer from Cleveland, Ohio who was once labeled as the city's "Public enemy No. His first wife, Jane, divorced him in 1964. He said he had merely asked an Alhambra waitress to see if the juror would be fair to him. His severed legs landed fifty feet away and other smaller parts of him were scattered all over the place. Birns was killed in March 1975. [1][page needed], The relationship between Danny Greene and Alex Birns also began to sour. [1][page needed], One of Birns's most serious arrests was for the 1934 murder of Rudy Duncan, a 36-year-old night club bouncer at Euclid Avenue's Keystone Club. 1" by the local newspapers. He had been shot, strangled, and wrapped in a blanket. Birns told them, "Thanks for coming, fellows. Her attorney told the judge she was told that she and her 12-year-old daughter would be killed if she testified." [4], While in prison, Alex Birns was accused of masterminding the car bombing of numbers operator, Joe Allen, in an attempt to shake him down for 25 percent of his operation. King was ambushed outside his house. [1][page needed], Anticipating an untimely demise, Gold left behind an affidavit claiming that Birns had given him the bonds. [1][page needed] Birns would later divorce his first wife, Jane, and marry Leonards a year later. Therefore, Birns had arranged a loan for Greene through the Gambino family. His first marriage was in 1952. Shondor Birns. Duncan's murder went officially unsolved. [1][page needed] "It's dumb to talk about blacks doing Shondor. Although he had never applied for American citizenship, Birns always considered himself a patriotic American. Doberman Pinscher to protect his home. He was first arrested, for car theft, in 1925, serving about a year in Mansfield Reformatory. One hit Birns in the shoulder and the other hit one of Birns's friends in the leg. Beloved wife of the late Joseph Marg, devoted mother of a son and daughter and their spouses, and cherished grandmother of Michael, Karlin and Cliff, passed away on … Inscrivez-vous sur Facebook pour communiquer avec Gary Birns et d’autres personnes que vous pouvez connaître. 1" by the local newspapers. She ran outside screaming, where a passing motorist helped extinguish the flames and drove her to the hospital. Birns was only in his twenties. [1][page needed], During this time, Birns was building a profitable legitimate business as a restaurateur. It was a decision which Birns would eventually regret. A man who walked Birns to his car braved flames and smoke and located him near the car. [1][page needed], Then, the Plain Dealer reported, "Birns cocked his summer straw hat, waved goodbye to reporters, walked out of the building and down the front steps to where his attorney, James R. Willis, was waiting. Police also found a tape made by Gold of a phone call between himself and Birns. A workhouse guard admitted to having acted as a go-between in trying to arrange a deal with Allen. Shondor Birns, Cleveland, OH. Two years later, his attorney was successful in getting him released on bond. When the officers were reprimanded by a superior, Birns intervened on their behalf. 44106, 10900 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, [6], A month later, Coleman changed his mind and told police that he had only speculated that it was Birns in the car. In 1968, after a massive investigation into his assets by the Internal Revenue Service, Birns was convicted and sent to federal prison for lying about his assets. Shondor and Danny • Birns hired Greene to be an enforcer for his various numbers operators. Nardi in May 1977. In the mid-1960s, King and his partner, a Cleveland prize-fighter named Victor Ogletree were reportedly grossing $15,000 a day on policy. The state tried Birns twice for the crime. When they got into their car back in the theater parking lot, two men wearing white cotton gloves walked up alongside, one on each side. He promised his parole officer, "Kid, I don't break any provisions of parole. [1][page needed], When the police arrived, they found Birns in his car ready to pull away, while holding a bloody handkerchief to his shoulder. Birns once told a reporter, "If I'm the city's biggest crook, why do they all want to be my friend? BIRNS, ALEX "SHONDOR" (21 Feb. 1905-29 Mar. Birns operated the Ten-Eleven Club and the Alhambra restaurant, often treating off-duty policemen, lawyers, and journalists. A short time afterward, Coleman was shot on a neighborhood street shortly after midnight. He was actively involved in a wide variety of racketeering and other organized crime related activities such as prostitution, theft, In the hospital, he told police the shooter was a man in the back seat of a car driven by Shondor Birns. He also refused to hand over the bomb, telling him, "I'm going to send this back to the old bastard that sent it to me." The property was initially owned by Oscar and Helen Cisar, who in turn deeded it to the Plata family. He said he saw Birns arrive home at 12:07 a.m., about the time of the shooting several miles away. Some customers scurried towards the exits. [1][page needed], Like many immigrant families, the Birnsteins Americanized their surname, in their case to Birns. Two shots were fired, but neither Birns nor his girlfriend were hit. Police and newspaper reporters ate and drank on the house. Greene also sought to open his own restaurant, and asked Shondor Birns to help him. The movie also misspells the name of a nearby parish known as 'St. The group continued shouting at Birns as he and his bodyguard cautiously backed out of the bar and left. 349 likes. Most of them are worse than I I'm a Cleveland native, and was living in Cleveland during the 1960s and 1970s, yet I never remember anyone, especially my father who was a criminal defence attorney, calling Shondor Birns "Alex". • The papers called him Alex “Shon-dor”Birns,butthatwasbackwards. Inscrivez-vous sur Facebook pour communiquer avec Gary Birns et d’autres personnes que vous pouvez connaître. Malichy's'. He refused to identify Duncan as the man who shot him. He soon acquired an assault conviction in which Birns broke the jaw of a motorist who had taken too long to make his turn in front of Birns. Once, when he was under a 24-hour surveillance, Birns was leaving a Cleveland Indians baseball game. 13-year-old Birns was sheltered for a time in the old Jewish orphanage. "[7] All concerned was shocked when two days later, Birns produced Allene Leonards, a shy, 24-year-old teacher in the Garfield Heights school system who confirmed his alibi claiming that she had been with Birns the whole night. – Cut of their profits, $1,000 weekly, – Peacemaker and mediator of disputes among the blacks. Alexander Shondor Birns 1907 – 1975 ... memorial page for Allene G Leonard Birns (1939–1996), Find a Grave Memorial no. Our ever-striving region actually topped the nation in something in 1976, though it was a dubious distinction: No. "[1][page needed], More often, Birns chose to lunch at the Theatrical on the Short Vincent, where he always sat at the end of the bar. In any event, those who initially refused would soon pay up. Lonardo had already taken over the black lottery and numbers operations. King eventually began holding out on the protection money being paid on a regular basis to Birns, Lonardo and their associates. There ain't gonna be no more Shondors...."[1][page needed] Kevin McTaggert, a henchman for Danny Greene, later told the FBI that Greene had contracted Hells Angels member Enis "Eagle" Crnic to kill Birns for a fee of $7,500. He dropped out of school after 10th grade in 1922 and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1923, but was discharged six months later because he was underage. They picked up Birns for interrogation along with five of his fellow henchmen." The man only managed to drag away Birns's upper torso. His hair was scorched off from the heat of the blast. He was released, but only after paying $2 for two overdue traffic tickets. In a Page One editorial, a newspaper thundered, "Who runs this town — Birns or the Law?". Birns had been the king of organized crime in Cleveland, Ohio for the past two decades and specialized in illegal gambling. Shon had a black soul. [1][page needed], In 1942, at the height of World War II, Birns was arrested on a deportation warrant based on the auto theft and bribery convictions. He had married Jane in 1952, and had one son, Michael (died 1978), with her. His parents were Herman and Illon Birnstein. They found him, but they couldn't find evidence to tie him to the murder. He began selling bootleg whiskey. He practically ran the place. With 18 arrests in a 12-year period, Birns was on his way to notoriety in northeast Ohio. Towards his death, the upper part of his body was convulsing violently. Shondor Birns, Christopher Walken, Ray Stevenson, Kustomrama, Larry David, RX Pool Parties, Cavalcade of Cars Indoor show Series, MSN, Autism Speaks, Sam Schoenberg, Cleveland Jewish News, Austin Speed Shop, Kustoms BY Spence, Dogpatch Customs, Autism Spectrum Quarterly Magazine, Working For The Greater Good Of All by Ken Lanci, WORLD OF … After watching Kill the Irishman, I was flipping through the bonus features on the DVD and was shocked to discover the person who wrote the book is Rick Porrello and he lives in the next town over from mine.If you read my blog you know how much I love that movie as I wrote about it for a St. Patrick’s Day post. He told the doctor a firecracker caused the injury. Aware that Greene was also a pet lover, she gave his Doberman Pinscher to him. They initially agreed but by December deemed the price too high. Police predicted what the press called "a fresh outbreak of shootings and violence in Cleveland's multi-million-dollar numbers racket". At the time of Daniel's conception they were both twenty-year olds. The year is 1957 and 34-year-old Dolly Mapp finds herself intertwined with a mob boss named Shondor Birns. [9] 1 Charlie Wall The bodyguard reacted quickly, leveling a small sub-machine gun from under his overcoat. Malachi's'; in the movie it is spelled 'St. He was a feared man, but a genial and generous man, holding court almost daily at the Theatrical Lounge where he lunched."[12]. During this period, he gloried in his fame and enjoyed the attention which he received from local law enforcement as well as fellow gangsters. I know more about them than just about anybody who isn’t affiliated with them. Impressed with his fearless attitude and abilities, Birns hired Greene to be an enforcer for his various numbers operators. The Internal Revenue Service promptly claimed the money to be put toward back taxes that Birns owed. "Shondor the Bull" is called the toughest Jew to have ever lived.
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