"He must have done something. They don't kill you for nothing." - Chicago Gangster Ted Newberry. Rubbed out January 7, 1933

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

A Gopher Gets His

At approximately 5:00a.m. ninety years ago today Red Dan Houlihan, a Gopher*, was wrapping up an evening of whoknowswhat with three of his Gopher pals. The quartet decided it was time for breakfast but being Gophers thought that they shouldn't have to pay.

Walking past a grocery store they grabbed two loaves of bread and three cans of milk. A beat cop named Martling saw the theft and started to chase them. The Gophers hopped into a cab, most likely driven by another gang member, and started to speed away. Officer Martling fired off a few shots at the taxi and thought nothing more of it.

An hour later the cab was found abandoned at Sixth Avenue and Thirteenth street and there reposing in the back seat was Red Dan. Nineteen and dead for a dollars worth of groceries. One of Officer Martlings bullets did indeed find its target.

*This actually took place in Hudson Duster territory so Red and the boys could have been HDs mislabeled by the press.

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