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Bugsy Siegel — Part 23
Page 35
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CRIME
Murder in Beverly Hills .
Benjamin (“Bugsy”) Siegel was a hood
with class. His home outside Beverly Hilis
was a tourist showpiece. He dined wit
Barbara Hutton, went yachting wit
J£ountess Dorothy di Frasso.
“Bugsy was born 42 years ago in New
York's dingy Lower East Side, He got his
Start as night watchman for a gang of
beer runners, Petulant as a small boy he
went “bughouse” when crossed, but he
was cunning, and he earned the Tespect
of New York City’s top crooks. When
he hooked up witbMeyer Lansky, New
™ York ranked him as one of the "Big" ix.”
He beat raps for Tape, carrying concealed
Weapons, possessing narcotics, and mur-
der. In 1933, Murder, Inc, was branching
out, Bugsy, a member, set up western
headquarters in Hollywood,
Businessman, Bugsy went right to work,
He moved in on the gambling at Redondo
Beach, took a cut of the Profits at the
Agua Caliente race track, muscled in on
the numbers racket, cut’ himself a slice
of the offshore gambling fleet and the
Culver City dog track,
In 1939, Big Greeny Greenberg [a for-
mer associate of Bugsy] was found dead.
Police arrested Bugsy, In jail, Bugsy lived
fine, arranged for meals of steak and
Pheasant, and had liquor served in his cell
to entertain his women visitors. And things
took care of themselves. Two State’s
Witnesses suddenly died: the case against
Bugsy died with them,
The war years were good to him. He
cornered the $500,000-a-day California
bookie business, set up a “milk run”
smuggling Mexican heroin into California.
# In 1946 he opened the swanky $6,000,000
, Flamingo Club in Las Vegas. He made
the acquaintance of sultry, dark-haired
Virginia Hill, 30, who was famed for
Parties that dazzled even Hollywood. The
story was that thrice-married Virginia
had, a Brooklyn Patron, a gang overlord
Vincinia’s House, “Bucsy” Srecet
Through a trellis of roses.
who paid ber handsomely to Stay out of *
New Vork. Bugsy moved his shoes and
suits over to Virginia’s house.
But lately things had begun to go sour.
The Flamingo lost money. From New
York headquarters, the boys arrived to
talk to Bugsy, A couple of hoods were
cut down im the old ’20s gangland style. 4
Competition was increasing. The under-
world was migrating eagerly into Southern
California,
One day last week Bugsy returned to
Beverly Hills from Las Vegas. He went
to Vii ia’s house with his side-kick, Al
Smiley. Virginia wasn’t there; she had
gone to Paris. Bugsy settled onto the sofa
and glanced at the next morning’s papers.
Outside, someone Pushed a .30 caliber
carbine through a rose trellis, drew a care-
ful bead, put two shots into Bugsy’s
head, two into his body. A shot that went
wild lodged in an oil painting of a nude
woman, holding a wine glass. :
aes
CLASSIFIED
£5 Bi Sf- Lowe,
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