Arquimedes "Archie" Cesar Ortiz (died 1931) was the Cuban bodyguard of Enoch Thompson throughout 1931. Ortiz did not speak English well, but he saved Thompson's life several times.
Biography[]
Arquimedes Cesar Ortiz was born in Havana, Cuba to a family of African descent. Ortiz was hired as a bodyguard by American bootlegger Enoch Thompson in 1931, and Ortiz thwarted an assassination attempt on Thompson by one of Meyer Lansky's assassins as he hacked at Thompson with a machete. Ortiz hit the assassin in the head with his own machete and cut off his ear as a trophy.
Right-hand man[]
Arquimedes in 1931
Ortiz would follow Thompson back to the United States and murder Tonino Sandrelli for him as well, throwing his body on the steps of Lansky and Lucky Luciano's residence after stabbing him in the back and cutting his ear off. Ortiz befriended Thompson's estranged wife Margarent Rohan when she visited his hotel in Atlantic City to enlist his aid in fighting off a lawsuit by Arnold Rothstein's widow (caused by hy workplace's theft of Rothstein's money for use in stock investments), and she helped him in learning some English. Just a few days later, Ortiz saved Thompson from a drive-by shooting assassination attempt at a meeting with Salvatore Maranzano, helping him in taking cover behind the bar of the restaurant as the gunmen sprayed the restaurant with Thompson submachine gun fire.
Death[]
Ortiz's bravery would ultimately lead to his death at a meeting between Lucky Luciano and Enoch Thompson. Ortiz reached for his gun after Luciano shot Thompson's associate Mickey Doyle in the throat, as Ortiz detected danger. However, Luciano's associate Pinky Rabinowitz shot Ortiz dead, preventing Ortiz from killing Luciano or any of his associates.