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Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Uncle Fred and the Bootlegger 1932



What did bootlegger Al Lillien’s executioner reportedly leave next to the body at his Atlantic Highlands home? (1)



a. A bottle of champagne and a glass.
b. A bouquet of flowers and a condolence note.
c. A white glove and a king of spades.




In the days of Prohibition (1920-1933) Al Lillien was a famous bootlegger and gangster. He ran his operation from a mansion on the Jersey Shore which had previously belonged to Oscar Hammerstein. He was in partnership with "Boston Charlie" - Charles Solomon of Boston, who ran a rum-running fleet and had a number of night clubs in Coconut Grove, Florida. 



In "Prohibition on the North Jersey Shore- Gangsters on Vacation" by Mathew Linderoth there is a story of one of his arrests after a gang in Atlantic City, which includes a description of his armored car.
 

"A state trooper arrested Alexander Lillien  along with his driver, Harry Silver, while he was driving home from the Atlantic City conference in his twelve-ton armored car for carrying a .38 caliber pistol ….”

An armored car of the gangster era

 On July 22, 1932, while Lillien was driving eastward toward his hideout in New Jersey, his armored car ran into a car carrying two young men from New York.
24 year old Frederick Hainfeld  was one of those men. Both men were injured;  Fred quite seriously. However, he got the gangster back ....
but not before someone else did.


 






According to an article in the Asbury Park Press (March 24 1933) 

"A pair of Pall bearers' gloves and an upturned ace of spades, found on the buffet in the dining room of the palatial home overlooking Sandy Hook and the harbor, was accepted by police as evidence that Lillien had been "put on the spot." Al Lillien was alone when his murderers made their attack, and there was no evidence that he made any attempt to resist them, altho police described him as a man "who would shoot it out with the best of them"
According to the press article, there were several theories on the murder. Two months before, his partner in crime, "Boston Charlie" Solomon, had been shot down in his Boston night club - the day before he was to appear before the grand jury to testify about a New York Mob and rum running. Al had already testified in the case- so perhaps he was executed for revealing "too much" in his testimony.

The article then states another theory- "Solomon allegedly was implicated in the kidnapping of Lillien last summer, a fact which up to now was generally unknown. Lillien paid $35,000 for his release, and the Press informant said that Soloman might have been "rubbed out" for his part in the kidnapping" and Lillian killed for his part in Solomon's murder.


I would imagine that it's a good thing that Uncle Fred did not sue Al Lillien while Lillien was still alive!



Something quite ominous which I noticed while reading these articles was that Hitler was rising to power at this time...
but of course no one foresaw what was to follow.






Very Frightening.



A couple of good articles on Solomon's murder can be found here 
(just click on the links)

 King Charles Solomon's Boston Murder

Drinking Boston- mentions Lillien 

* The book "Prohibition on the North Jersey Shore- Gangsters on Vacation" by Mathew Linderoth is a good read and can be found on Amazon- available on Kindle as well.

 1-
https://co.monmouth.nj.us/page.aspx?ID=4255

2- information from newspapers and articles available from Newspapers.com - part of Ancestry.com