One way ride
Encyclopedia
A one way ride, also known by the phrase "take for a ride", is a slang term used by the underworld as an execution method. The usual plan is for the victim, who is lured or forced into a car, to be driven to a remote location where they are killed (either on route or after their arrival) where their bodies are dumped.
, the phrase was reportedly first used by Northside Gang member Hymie Weiss
who was last seen driving off with Steve Wisniewski, a local criminal who had recently hijacked a Northside beer shipment, in July 1921. After his return, Weiss explained Wisniewski's disappearance claiming he "..took Stevie for a one way ride."
This method would used in countless gangland executions throughout the period, particularly by the Northsiders and the Chicago Outfit as the bodies of mobsters and other underworld figures would be found in remote locations outside Chicago throughout the 1920s and 30s.
History
First coming into use during ProhibitionProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, the phrase was reportedly first used by Northside Gang member Hymie Weiss
Hymie Weiss
Hymie Weiss was a Polish-American mob boss who became a leader of the Prohibition-era North Side Gang and a bitter rival of Al Capone.-Early years:...
who was last seen driving off with Steve Wisniewski, a local criminal who had recently hijacked a Northside beer shipment, in July 1921. After his return, Weiss explained Wisniewski's disappearance claiming he "..took Stevie for a one way ride."
This method would used in countless gangland executions throughout the period, particularly by the Northsiders and the Chicago Outfit as the bodies of mobsters and other underworld figures would be found in remote locations outside Chicago throughout the 1920s and 30s.
In popular culture
- A one way ride has often been depicted in gangster movies such as The Godfather II (1974), Miller's CrossingMiller's CrossingMiller's Crossing is a 1990 American gangster film by the Coen brothers and starring Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito and John Turturro...
(1990) and even Bullets Over BroadwayBullets Over BroadwayBullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly....
(1994).