D3wayne

#OnThisDay in history, Owen Vincent “Owney” Madden died of natural causes, a rare ending for a notoriously violent figure in organized crime. Born in England in 1891 to Irish immigrant parents, Madden moved to New York City as a child with his widowed mother and sister. He came of age on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, learning to wield blackjacks, brass knuckles, bats, pipes, and knives before joining the notorious Gopher Gang. After serving time from 1915 to 1923 for the murder of Hudson Dusters leader William “Little Patsy Doyle” Moore, Madden emerged from prison poised to capitalize on Prohibition. That same year, he took over the Club Deluxe, later renamed the Cotton Club, and built a bootlegging empire. He eventually owned or co-owned more than 20 clubs, all serving his signature beer, “Madden’s No. 1.” In 1932, Madden was linked to the killing of Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll, another Irish mob hitman. That same year, a parole violation and mounting pressure from law enforcement, along with rising competition from Italian-American Mob families, forced him out of New York. Following the end of Prohibition, Madden relocated to Hot Springs, Arkansas, a Mob-friendly resort town where he became involved in the local underworld and politics. He spent the rest of his life there, reportedly finding relief for his old bullet wounds in the city’s thermal baths, until his death from lung disease at age 73.