Kevin Horrigan, a cub reporter at the Star in 1973, remembers Maloney as an affable colleague but one who stood apart. Over the next two years, eight more mob-related murders would go down before the violence subsided. Brokered by Platinum Realty of Saint Louis LLC . Gruenders association with these gangsters continued long after his parole. Before his contract expired, the Star hired him as a full-time general-assignment reporter. You never know for sure what is going to happen from day to day in prison. When he visits the Big Apple this week, he will be discussing the assassination of another black leader, the Rev. . So hundreds of men carried a knife or had one they could get to one in an emergency. Maloneys good fortune was twofold: He had belatedly benefited from the prison-reform movement of the 1960s and also from the unique ownership structure of the Kansas City Star, then employee-owned. The last time John Larry Ray visited New York City was in 1965. At a tape-recorded meeting held in the Stars conference room, Fred Bonadonna refuted any possibility that Willie Cammisano had had anything to do with the death of his father. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). She also acted as Maloneys liaison with the outside world. For many of . The Star published a verbatim transcript of his claims in its next edition. It was uncanny.. By then, most of his running buddies from the joint were long dead, victims, for the most part, of their own malevolent ways. . In 1979, the St. Louis environmental activist had interviewed a terminally-ill truck driver who had delivered uranium ingots from Mallinckrodt Chemical in North St. Louis to the Dow plant in Madison. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The car, shot up on the inside, was found in the parking lot of the Bel Air bowling alley in Swansea. His replacement, Harold R. Swenson, imposed extreme restrictions on all communications with editors and publishers to stop a book from being published by another prisoner, a notorious escapee. If you will make these promises, I will ask the warden to take you out of solitary confinement.. Menn became his mentor, giving guidance and critiquing his poetry and prose. Sam Magin, former manager and bartender at Wortman's Paddock Lounge in East St. Louis, told investigators and reporters that he was in charge of the project and that it was being built for a boys' club. He had his demons, says Mike Fancher, an editor who worked closely with Maloney, but I know that for the time that he worked for the Star he did some absolutely amazing work that I dont think any other journalist could have possibly done.. Maloney, I realize you have a job to dobut do you have to be so intense?. and the proprietorship known as Paddock Liquor Company, and the names (or identifying descriptions) of the books and records in which the alleged conspiracy sought to cause . Entering the store, he pulled a hunting knife and demanded money from Joseph F. Thiemann, the 74-year-old store owner. A judge cited him for contempt of court. Jesse Stoneking, the unnamed informant cited by the FBI in the report, died of a gunshot wound to the head in Arizona in 2003. As a result, Maloneys letters to Menn started coming back undelivered. As a result, Maloneys letters to Menn started coming back undelivered. The two reporters began knocking on doors, talking to area business owners. Shopping, dining, and entertainment are all close by. They preferred a more cautious approach, advising that the coverage be focused more indirectly on corruption inside the citys liquor-control agency. That, of course, was back in the day, when a lifer could still aspire to being released on parole. 4.9. After going bankrupt in 2003, Spectrulites owners sold the company, but continue to hold a stake in the operation and the property itself. He wanted to meet me. The two arranged a rendezvous in West Memphis, Ark., on the evening of April 3, 1968, at what Ray calls a back-alley bar. For Sale on 1stDibs - "Paddock" Pars 1969, 20th Century oil on canvas by Spanish Artist E. Grau Sala, Canvas, Oil Paint by Emilio Grau Sala. While at the Register, he covered a series of murders attributed to the Freeway Killer, a name of his invention. Over the next year and a half, Maloney was put in solitary confinement dozens of times for attempting to escape, instigating a riot and other infractions. Oddly enough, Spectrulite remained an active corporation in Missouri with Petzalls name appearing in its annual reports long after the business had filed for bankruptcy in federal court in East St. Louis, Ill. I had another change of clothes, a pound of fudge, a loaf of bread, 14 silver dollars, and my old mans .38 was buried in the bottom of the sack. Despite his preparations, Maloney was quickly apprehended after stealing a car and spent the night in the Montgomery County Jail. In her first letter, Hinkley advised Maloney to seek divine guidance, but she also offered him a more down-to-earth deal. . People [were] shot and blown up.. In late 1967, the parole board indicated the possibility of Maloneys being released early the next year. Tucked in a peaceful neighborhood, Paddock Village Apartments offers a quaint residential setting, complete with lush green spaces. OBrien knew the owner of the Paddock Frank Buster Wortman the East Side mob boss. But Sonnenscheins trail extends further into the past. I remember telling him, Joe, lets just wait until they start killing each other, says Jones. Frank L. "Buster" Wortman (December 4, 1904 - August 3, 1968) was an American St. Louis-area bootlegger, gambler, criminal gang leader, and a former member of the Shelton Brothers Gang during Prohibition.Wortman would eventually succeed the Sheltons, and take over St. Louis's gambling operations in southwest Illinois until his death. I was glad to get out of there. Before they departed, Jones overheard the bodyguard to Carl Corky Civella threaten to rape Maloney. Or you may simply say the wrong thing to the wrong person. No charges were filed against Wortman. Three River Quay nightclubs were soon torched or bombed, and the list of gangland hits rapidly grew. Readmore storiesfrom Tim O'Neil's Look Back series. Buster Wortman kept a close eye on the project, but never said anything about it. Welcome to Ivy Ultra Lounge, the premier upscale night life attraction located in downtown East. The next day, he says, they met with Joe Burnett, another criminal, at a Manchester Avenue bar: The reason we went there was to try and put some money into James pocket. Burnett referred them to safecracker and burglar James Obie OBrien. The couple then took a cab to the Soulard neighborhood in South St. Louis. Less than two years later, on April 10, 1985, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported on the federal trial of Bartolotta in East St. Louis. He had publicly refuted the Stars story simply to keep from being killed. Stabbings and killings, robberies and rapes were common. But Maloney became more devoted to writing as he matured. He was one of those guys who was constantly fidgeting, or his knee was pounding up and down. Maloney worked on his writing for as much as six hours every evening. This time he made it as far as Hannibal before crashing a stolen car. The two returned to St. Louis early the next morning on a Greyhound bus. Wortman died in a St. Louis hospital Aug. 3, 1968, at age 63 after throat surgery. He called me one time, asking about a gun, John Larry Ray says. Thiemann then reached into his back pocket as if to get the money and came out with a revolver and fired one shot, which apparently went over his [Maloneys] head. Maloney reacted by stabbing the storeowner in the stomach. She seemed fragile and shy, yet she wasnt. The Post-Dispatch ran the photograph because Wortman had refused to tell a federal grand jury where he lived. When I went to the Missouri Penitentiary at Jefferson City, in February 1960, there were 2,500 men inside the walls, Maloney later told readers of the Kansas City Star. It was like he was from another planet. In 2000, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversaw a partial radioactive cleanup at the Spectrulite plant. He had publicly refuted the Stars story simply to keep from being killed. Sam Magin, former manager and bartender at Wortman's Paddock Lounge in East St. Louis, told investigators and reporters that he was in charge of the project and that it was being built for a boys' club. Red Apple BBQ & Lounge - 2112 St Clair Ave, East St Louis. That, of course, was back in the day, when a lifer could still aspire to being released on parole. Dowling got his start as a robber and bootlegger in St. Louis. We offer freshly baked cookies for dessert, and fries or chips for a quick snack option. We visited every institution of correction for adults and juveniles in both Missouri and Kansas, plus Leavenworth and Marion in Illinois, which at the time was the Alcatraz of the [federal] system, says Jones. We stayed all night at the Catmans in South St. Louis, says Ray, referring to Jack Catman Gawron, a criminal associate of the Ray brothers. On his death, in 1915, the founder of the paper, William Rockhill Nelson, had willed the Star to his employees. Yesterday (January 1, 2004), the St. Louis area massage parlor owner reported to federal prison to begin serving a one-year sentence for misprision of a felony, a charge similar to obstruction of justice. I asked him if hed read the story, and if it had helped him any. Maloney moved back to Kansas City, perhaps drawn by memories of his glory days. Talk about stares. I told him, if youre looking for guns, I can get any gun you want from Ft. Campbell, Ky. Joe, which is what his friends called him, and I shared a cell in C-Hall during 1965-66, recalls former inmate Frank Driscoll. James Earl Ray worried that Kings presence in the city might somehow block his getaway plans, his brother says, and he never provided any clues about what else was making him so uneasy. Emilio Grau Sala - "Paddock" Pars 1969, 20th Century oil on canvas by Spanish Artist E. Grau Sala For Sale at 1stDibs | paddock lounge east st louis He wrote to me as if I were just another person, another young writer.. His editors opposed the idea. A famous urban destination spot for the St. Louis metropolitan with gentlemen clubs and nightclubs, but the Ill Side, which represents St Louis' only section that is in the state of Illinois, is a community that has many misunderstandings, especially within the East St Louis ghetto. A subdivision now adjoins the lake, known today as Magin's Lake, named after Wortman's old bartender. Meanwhile, Menn had interested Random House in publishing a book of Maloneys poetry. He also worked diligently to establish a national writers association for prisoners. Exposure to art ignited Maloneys innate creative streak. David Moyer, who confessed to the slaying, first told authorities that the girl shot herself and he had fired a second shot to end her pain. Maloney then wrested the gun from his victim and fled. Back home, he muscled out the Shelton brothers and took over the East Side rackets. Stelzer, a St. Louis-based freelance writer, is working on a biography of the late J.J. Maloney. After he testified against Berne and other St. Louis area organized crime figures in federal court, the Chicago Mafia allegedly put out a $100,000 contract on his life. . Thus inspired, the IRS began digging harder into Wortman's unusual financial world. Paddock Village Apartments in St. Louis, MO offers two bedroom lofts, two bedroom apartments, and two and three bedroom townhomes. Maloney ended up moving to the West Coast. Take-Out/Delivery Options. Before his contract expired, the Star hired him as a full-time general-assignment reporter. If you will make these promises, I will ask the warden to take you out of solitary confinement.. Less than two months later, Maloney pleaded guilty to murder and armed robbery, and Circuit Judge James F. Nangle sentenced him to four concurrent life sentences. His editors opposed the idea. The reasons for murder and mayhem made little sense to anyone except the convicts. He called me one time, asking about a gun, John Larry Ray says. You never knew whom you might have trouble with. I did what all young poets do, I tried to write a nice little rhyming solution to all the problems of the universe, he later wrote. For those under 21 years of age, we offer sodas, teas, waters, Gatorades, Red Bull energy drinks, and Nescafe coffee. It was the beginning of a long-term relationship carried out by correspondence. The judge put him on probation. We just went in there one night to sit and watch. As a result, he was put in solitary four times and sentenced to the hole another 18 or 20 times. After the Star ran a story implicating Cammisanos brother William Willie the Rat Cammisano in the Bonadonna slaying, members of the two families demanded to rebut the allegation, which was based on an FBI affidavit. Offered by GALERIA LUIS CARVAJAL. Maloney sensed that the feud was about to erupt into open warfare. OBrien knew the owner of the Paddock Frank Buster Wortman the East Side mob boss. A sheriffs posse pursuing the fugitives heard the shots and found Moyer lying next to the body. We drove across the river to the Paddock Lounge in [East St. Louis] Illinois and I introduced him to Jimmie OBrien, Ray says. Eventually, the government charged him with income-tax evasion. He proved to be an invaluable ally. Wortman did not like having his picture taken, but couldn't avoid it during the seven-week trial. On the evening of Dec. 11, he picked up Rhodes in Columbia at an apartment she was sharing with another girl. East Side mob boss Frank "Buster" Wortman and sidekick Elmer "Dutch" Dowling awaited the verdict with stiff-jawed scowls, just as tough guys should. Driving the car, and trying to hide his face with a handkerchief, is Dutch Dowling. On his death, in 1915, the founder of the paper, William Rockhill Nelson, had willed the Star to his employees. O'Brien arranged for the Ray brothers to spend the night at a nearby apartment above an illegal gambling den . While absent without leave, Maloney worked briefly for a carnival in Florida before returning to Missouri. He was between jobs, collecting unemployment benefits. His stepfather, Julius Dutch Gruender, an ex-con, became Maloneys less-than-sterling guardian. (Post-Dispatch), Elmer "Dutch" Dowling arriving at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis in a light rain during the trial. During a short parole in 1957, Maloney was arrested in Kansas City on suspicion of burglary and carrying a concealed weapon. He would serve the next 13 years at the Missouri Penitentiary, in Jefferson Cityarguably the worst prison in the United States at the time. A year after his parents divorced, a hit-and-run driver killed his brother, Bobby. 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