Arthur Simon Flegenheimer (6 August 1902-24 October 1935), better known as Dutch Schultz, was a Jewish-American gangster and bootlegger during Prohibition. In 1935, he was murdered by Murder, Inc. for attempting to assassinate prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey without the permission of the Commission, being shot in the bathroom of a Newark, New Jersey restaurant.
Biography[]
Arthur Simon Flegenheimer was born in New York City, New York on 6 August 1902 to a family of German Jews, and the divorce of his parents led to Schultz becoming a burglar to support his mother. Flegenheimer decided to work for Schultz Trucking after being released from prison, and he used the pseudonym "Dutch Schultz" while working there. In 1928, Schultz became a speakeasy bouncer, and he became a Prohibition-era bootlegger. Schultz fought against rival bootlegger Legs Diamond, and Diamond was shot five times in an October 1929 assassination attempt, although he would survive. Schultz was forced to kill his own associate Mad Dog Coll when he formed his own crew and attempted to kill Schultz; Schultz and Owney Madden teamed up to kill him in 1932. The murder forced Madden to flee the city, while Schultz was indicted for tax evasion and other crimes by the prosecutor and future US Republican Party presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey. Schultz decided to ask The Commission for permission to kill Dewey, and they refused him permission, as it would lead to a crackdown on organized crime. Schultz angrily left the meeting, saying that he would kill Dewey either way. The Commission decided to kill him before he could do so, and Louis Buchalter and Murder, Inc. were contacted by the Commission. On 6 August 1902, Schultz was shot twice in the restroom of the Palace Chophouse in Newark, New Jersey as he urinated, and his bodyguards were also shot.