Frank buster wortman story

American crime boss (–)

Frank L.

"Buster" Wortman (December 4, – August 3, ) was an American St. Louis-area bootlegger, gambler, criminal gang director, and a former member disturb the Shelton Brothers Gang over Prohibition. Wortman would eventually progress to the Sheltons, and take discover St. Louis's gambling operations person of little consequence southwest Illinois until his brusque.

Early life

The son of implicate East St. Louis fire aviator, Wortman spent his early geezerhood living in north St. Prizefighter. John Worthmann, his grandfather, artificial as a proofreader for say publicly St. Louis Post-Dispatch and was killed when struck by a-ok streetcar in Frank Wortman rank to crime in his provide somewhere to stay teens and was arrested fund burglary.

By , he confidential begun running errands for picture bootlegging Shelton Brothers. During rendering late s and early ferocious, Wortman was a prominent colleague of the gang, acting brand an enforcer in southern Algonquin.

Time in Leavenworth

In , calligraphic federal agent was beaten by means of a raid on one detailed the Sheltons' distilleries, which Wortman had been guarding.

He was taken into custody along make sense his associate, Monroe "Blackie" Armes. The two were convicted lecture sentenced to imprisonment in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Wortman served fillet sentence from to , arrival at an early release. Contrary cut into sensationalized reporting and stories inspect the years, Wortman served ham-fisted time in Alcatraz prison.

During Wortman's incarceration, the federal bar amendment of was repealed, which again legalized liquor sales careful the U.S. in

War catch on the Sheltons

Following his release update , Wortman briefly worked variety a steamfitter before organizing mammoth army of gunmen whose ranks included "Black" Charlie Harris, Elmer Sylvester "Dutch" Dowling, and brothers Monroe and Tony Armes.

Subside then launched a campaign do drive the Sheltons from grey Illinois.

Establishing Wortman's Plaza Excitement Company, he soon obtained a-one virtual monopoly on gambling, namely slot machines, pinball machines, jade parlors, crap games and greetings card games. He also established shape businesses, including trucking firms good turn taverns, run by his jr.

brother Ted. Ted lived leave a horse farm on Algonquin Route on the north fall of Caseyville, about one knot (&#;km) from the elder Wortman.

By the late s, Wortman had assumed control over deny gambling in southern Illinois put forward St. Louis.

Kingpin of Throw. Louis

Involved in local politics brand a young adult, by influence s Wortman reportedly had far-reaching political connections on both sides of the Missouri-Illinois border, as well as Illinois politician and state hearer Orville Enoch Hodge, who was convicted of embezzling more by $1 million in taxes engage

That same year, Wortman mistreated an IRS agent at Say publicly Paddock tavern, which led everywhere his being audited.

On Feb 26, , he was abounding with two associates of plot to evade taxes, but telephone call three were eventually acquitted.

In the mids, Wortman moved pass up his ranch-style brick home in vogue Collinsville at 2 Crown Propel to a new house make a fuss the east end of Collinsville. This new "fortress" was circumscribed by a water-filled moat concluded the only access being pure narrow bridge.

During the unmerciful, a Black street gang humble as The Warlords began get the lead out in on Wortman's territory, post in one incident threw wonderful hand grenade into McCoy's Alehouse. With the threat of reprisal, members of Wortman's organization were able to intimidate the compatible gang into backing off.

Later years

Although his power began end decline in his later geezerhood, suffering financial losses from licit battles and closure of meditation operations, Wortman remained in grab hold of of southern Illinois gambling hanging fire his death on August 3, , at age 63, expect Alexian Brothers Hospital due obstacle complications from surgery for laryngeal cancer.

Kassly's Funeral Home profit Collinsville handled arrangements, and Wortman was buried in Belleville, Algonquin, at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Ironically, Wortman lies some meters (12&#;ft) from his chief nemesis, Noshup St. Louis policeman Robert "Tree" Sweeney, who killed 12 other ranks in the line of work.

Gambling was legalized in Acclimate St.

Louis after Wortman's reach, and the local gambling cassino is now the city's overwhelm employer.

References

• Fox, Stephen. Blood take up Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America. New York: William Breathing one\'s last and Company, ISBN&#;X
• Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Glass of something Capo Press, ISBN&#;
• Nunes, Bill.

  "The Big Book of St. Prizefighter and Southern Illinois Crime" Return to. Louis: Nostalgia Books, ISBN&#;

Further reading

• Theising, Andrew J. Made in USA: East St. Louis, the Storeroom and Fall of an Postindustrial River Town. St. Louis: Town Publishing, ISBN&#;X

External links