Benjamin Snyder
Encyclopedia
Benjamin "Benny" Snyder or Schneider (fl.
1900-1915) was an American criminal, union organizer and thug for hire during the turn of the century. A veteran gunman for New York labor racketeer Joseph "Joe the Greaser" Rosenzweig
, his murder of Rosenzweig's rival Philip "Pinchy" Paul
ended the first so-called "Labor Slugger War
" which would continue on and off for well over a decade.
Snyder's eventual arrest for Paul's murder would result in his turning state's evidence and revealing to police the existence of "labor sluggers" used by businesses and unions alike during the early 1900s. His testimony would lead not only to the conviction Rosenzweig but of virtually every major labor racketeer in Manhattan
's Lower East Side
and eliminated "labor slugging" in the city for over two years.
This was one of the first instances of a criminal figure providing information on organized crime during the early 20th century. Similar cases would include Abe "Kid Twist" Reles
, a former hitman for Murder Incorporated whose testimony resulted in the conviction (and later execution) of Louis Buchalter
in 1941, and Genovese crime family
mobster Joe Valachi
who appeared before the McClelland Committee
in 1963 to expose the modern-day Cosa Nostra.
who controlled what was then known as "labor slugging" with Benjamin "Dopey Benny" Fein prior to the Labor Slugger War
. Snyder recalled being recruited as a union organizer for the "Bakers' Union",
Snyder was hired out to various racketeers over the next decade. He later claimed that he received $10 for every man he hired to assault strikebreakers, paying each man $7.50 and pocketing the rest for himself. By early 1914, he had become Rosenzweig's main "starker" for the "Furriers' Union". He later committed a serious assault for Rosenzweig, knifing a man by the name of Jewbach at Rivington and Norfolk Street, slashing him twice before being arrested. According to one account, Rosenzweig and half a dozen henchmen found Jewbach before the trial and had his men hold him down while the gang leader cut out a large piece of his lower lip. When the victim failed to appear at the Essex Market Court, Snyder was acquitted.
. Paul had recently been opposing Rosenzweig and threatened to unite various independent sluggers in an effort to break the Rosenzweig-Fein monopoly. Snyder, who apparently blamed Paul for taking his job as a "starker" at the Bakers' Union, agreed to kill Paul for the sum of $5 and immediately carried out the order gunning down Paul on Norfolk Street. Committed in full view of half a dozen witnesses, Snyder was quickly arrested for the shooting. He pleaded guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He continued to be on Rosenzweig's payroll while a convict and, in a visit from Rosenzweig, he was paid the $5 dollars he was owed. Although authorities believed that he had been hired to kill Paul, Snyder maintained that he had acted alone. Held at The Tombs
for several months, Snyder eventually agreed to talk to the District Attorney's office.
At a meeting with Assistant District Attorney Royal H. Weller
, which was arranged by reform lawyer William Travers Jerome
, Snyder made a full and remarkably detailed confession of both his criminal career and outlined labor racketeering activities in a series of conferences taking place during late 1914. Snyder described these activities in a crude but straightforward manner of "beating up scabs" which included, but not limited to, knifing or "bumping him over the head with a pipe". He reportedly even handed the $5 bill he received from Rosenzweig as further proof of his claims.
Not long after, Rosenzweig was arrested with his lieutenants "Little Hymie" Bernstein and "Tough Jake" Heiseman for the murder of Philip Paul. Like Snyder, both Bernstein and Heaiseman agreed to testify against their former boss. As a result of his cooperation, Snyder's sentence was reduced to second degree manslaughter for which he would serve twenty years. District Attorney Charles A. Perkins
preferred this rather than putting Snyder on the stand as his only witness. Rosenzweig pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Rosenzweig's conviction would lead to a number of other labor racketeers being imprisoned, most notably Rosenzweig's partner and sometimes rival Benjamin Fein, and temporarily bringing the practice of "labor slugging" to halt.
while prison guards were serving breakfast. When the guards momentarily unlocked the cell in order to serve breakfast, the inmates in the adjoining cell entered Snyder's cell and attacked him using the heavy serving bowls. Snyder's attackers, according to prison guards, called him a "rat", "squealer" and "District Attorney's friend" during the assault. By the time the guards managed to stop the attack, Snyder was unconscious and had suffered serious injuries. The prison doctor later stated that had the guards arrived a minute later, Snyder may not have survived.
The three men, all of whom imprisoned on murder charges, were immediately tried and convicted of first degree assault. Frank Maestry had previously been found guilty of manslaughter
for the murder of his brother-in-law while the other two, Joseph Bianco and Frank Faroli, were awaiting trial for the murder of Luigi Cardenzo. An investigation held by Weller and Chief Clerk Lucian S. Breckinridge resulted in their clearing Rosenzweig, then a convict at Sing Sing
, of any involvement. Instead, they believed that an unknown individual suspected that Snyder was supplying Weller with information gathered from conversations with other convicts.
On the day of the assault, Snyder had been scheduled to appear before the Criminal Term of the Supreme Court for sentencing of the plea of manslaughter for the murder of Paul Philip. He remained in serious condition for several weeks before being transferred to the West 44th Street Prison.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1900-1915) was an American criminal, union organizer and thug for hire during the turn of the century. A veteran gunman for New York labor racketeer Joseph "Joe the Greaser" Rosenzweig
Joseph Rosenzweig
Joseph "Joe The Greaser" Rosenzweig was a Jewish American and New York labor racketeer in the early 1900s as an ally of "Dopey" Benny Fein during the labor slugger war from 1914-1917.-Biography:...
, his murder of Rosenzweig's rival Philip "Pinchy" Paul
Philip Paul
Philip "Pinchy" Paul was an early New York labor racketeer who led an alliance of independent labor sluggers in an attempt to break the monopoly long held by Joseph "Joe the Greaser" Rosenweig and Benjamin "Dopey Benny" Fein resulting the first labor sluggers war...
ended the first so-called "Labor Slugger War
Labor Slugger War
The Labor Sluggers War was a 15-year period of gang wars among New York labor sluggers for control of labor racketeering from 1911 to 1927. This began in 1911 with the first war between "Dopey" Benny Fein and Joe "The Greaser" Rosenzweig against a coalition of smaller gangs and continuing on and...
" which would continue on and off for well over a decade.
Snyder's eventual arrest for Paul's murder would result in his turning state's evidence and revealing to police the existence of "labor sluggers" used by businesses and unions alike during the early 1900s. His testimony would lead not only to the conviction Rosenzweig but of virtually every major labor racketeer in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
and eliminated "labor slugging" in the city for over two years.
This was one of the first instances of a criminal figure providing information on organized crime during the early 20th century. Similar cases would include Abe "Kid Twist" Reles
Abe Reles
Abe "Kid Twist" Reles was a New York mobster who was widely considered the most feared hit man for Murder, Inc., the enforcement contractor for the National Crime Syndicate. Reles later turned government witness and sent several members of Murder, Inc...
, a former hitman for Murder Incorporated whose testimony resulted in the conviction (and later execution) of Louis Buchalter
Louis Buchalter
Louis "Lepke" Buchalter was a Jewish American mobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc. during the 1930s. After Dutch Schultz' request of the Mafia Commission for permission to kill his enemy, U.S. Attorney Thomas Dewey, the Commission decided to kill Schultz in order to prevent the hit...
in 1941, and Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
mobster Joe Valachi
Joe Valachi
Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi , Italian American, also known as "Charles Chanbano" and "Anthony Sorge" was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra a household name.-Career:Joseph Valachi was born in East Harlem, New York...
who appeared before the McClelland Committee
McClellan Hearings
The Valachi Hearings, or also commonly known as the McClellan Hearings, investigated organized crime activities across America and investigated leading mafia figures of the era such as Sam Giancana of Chicago. The hearings were initiated by Arkansas Senator John L. McClellan in 1963...
in 1963 to expose the modern-day Cosa Nostra.
Early career
A well-known "starker" or strong arm man, Snyder was employed by labor racketeer Joseph "Joe the Greaser" RosenzweigJoseph Rosenzweig
Joseph "Joe The Greaser" Rosenzweig was a Jewish American and New York labor racketeer in the early 1900s as an ally of "Dopey" Benny Fein during the labor slugger war from 1914-1917.-Biography:...
who controlled what was then known as "labor slugging" with Benjamin "Dopey Benny" Fein prior to the Labor Slugger War
Labor Slugger War
The Labor Sluggers War was a 15-year period of gang wars among New York labor sluggers for control of labor racketeering from 1911 to 1927. This began in 1911 with the first war between "Dopey" Benny Fein and Joe "The Greaser" Rosenzweig against a coalition of smaller gangs and continuing on and...
. Snyder recalled being recruited as a union organizer for the "Bakers' Union",
Snyder was hired out to various racketeers over the next decade. He later claimed that he received $10 for every man he hired to assault strikebreakers, paying each man $7.50 and pocketing the rest for himself. By early 1914, he had become Rosenzweig's main "starker" for the "Furriers' Union". He later committed a serious assault for Rosenzweig, knifing a man by the name of Jewbach at Rivington and Norfolk Street, slashing him twice before being arrested. According to one account, Rosenzweig and half a dozen henchmen found Jewbach before the trial and had his men hold him down while the gang leader cut out a large piece of his lower lip. When the victim failed to appear at the Essex Market Court, Snyder was acquitted.
Murder of Pinchy Paul
In May 1914, he was called by Rosenzweig to kill a rival labor racketeer and one of his former associates Philip "Pinchy" PaulPhilip Paul
Philip "Pinchy" Paul was an early New York labor racketeer who led an alliance of independent labor sluggers in an attempt to break the monopoly long held by Joseph "Joe the Greaser" Rosenweig and Benjamin "Dopey Benny" Fein resulting the first labor sluggers war...
. Paul had recently been opposing Rosenzweig and threatened to unite various independent sluggers in an effort to break the Rosenzweig-Fein monopoly. Snyder, who apparently blamed Paul for taking his job as a "starker" at the Bakers' Union, agreed to kill Paul for the sum of $5 and immediately carried out the order gunning down Paul on Norfolk Street. Committed in full view of half a dozen witnesses, Snyder was quickly arrested for the shooting. He pleaded guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He continued to be on Rosenzweig's payroll while a convict and, in a visit from Rosenzweig, he was paid the $5 dollars he was owed. Although authorities believed that he had been hired to kill Paul, Snyder maintained that he had acted alone. Held at The Tombs
The Tombs
"The Tombs" is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex, a jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street, as well as the popular name of a series of preceding downtown jails, the first of which was built in 1838 in the Egyptian Revival style of architecture.The nickname has been used...
for several months, Snyder eventually agreed to talk to the District Attorney's office.
At a meeting with Assistant District Attorney Royal H. Weller
Royal H. Weller
Royal Hurlburt Weller was a United States Representative from New York.Weller was born in New York City on 2 July1881. He attended the public schools and the College of the City of New York and graduated from the New York Law School in 1901...
, which was arranged by reform lawyer William Travers Jerome
William Travers Jerome
William Travers Jerome was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Biography:He was the son of Lawrence Jerome and Kate Jerome. He attended Amherst College but left in 1881 without graduation...
, Snyder made a full and remarkably detailed confession of both his criminal career and outlined labor racketeering activities in a series of conferences taking place during late 1914. Snyder described these activities in a crude but straightforward manner of "beating up scabs" which included, but not limited to, knifing or "bumping him over the head with a pipe". He reportedly even handed the $5 bill he received from Rosenzweig as further proof of his claims.
Not long after, Rosenzweig was arrested with his lieutenants "Little Hymie" Bernstein and "Tough Jake" Heiseman for the murder of Philip Paul. Like Snyder, both Bernstein and Heaiseman agreed to testify against their former boss. As a result of his cooperation, Snyder's sentence was reduced to second degree manslaughter for which he would serve twenty years. District Attorney Charles A. Perkins
Charles A. Perkins
Charles Albert Perkins was an American lawyer and reformer who was New York County District Attorney in 1915. While with the District Attorney's office, Perkins prosecuted many of the city's gang leaders, labor racketeers and other underworld figures during the early 20th century...
preferred this rather than putting Snyder on the stand as his only witness. Rosenzweig pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Rosenzweig's conviction would lead to a number of other labor racketeers being imprisoned, most notably Rosenzweig's partner and sometimes rival Benjamin Fein, and temporarily bringing the practice of "labor slugging" to halt.
Prison assault
On the morning of June 24, 1915, Snyder was attacked by three convicts from Italian HarlemItalian Harlem
Italian Harlem was the name that was given to East Harlem in the New York City borough of Manhattan, when it was largely inhabited by an Italian American population....
while prison guards were serving breakfast. When the guards momentarily unlocked the cell in order to serve breakfast, the inmates in the adjoining cell entered Snyder's cell and attacked him using the heavy serving bowls. Snyder's attackers, according to prison guards, called him a "rat", "squealer" and "District Attorney's friend" during the assault. By the time the guards managed to stop the attack, Snyder was unconscious and had suffered serious injuries. The prison doctor later stated that had the guards arrived a minute later, Snyder may not have survived.
The three men, all of whom imprisoned on murder charges, were immediately tried and convicted of first degree assault. Frank Maestry had previously been found guilty of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
for the murder of his brother-in-law while the other two, Joseph Bianco and Frank Faroli, were awaiting trial for the murder of Luigi Cardenzo. An investigation held by Weller and Chief Clerk Lucian S. Breckinridge resulted in their clearing Rosenzweig, then a convict at Sing Sing
Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York...
, of any involvement. Instead, they believed that an unknown individual suspected that Snyder was supplying Weller with information gathered from conversations with other convicts.
On the day of the assault, Snyder had been scheduled to appear before the Criminal Term of the Supreme Court for sentencing of the plea of manslaughter for the murder of Paul Philip. He remained in serious condition for several weeks before being transferred to the West 44th Street Prison.