Between the Covers

Unbound. A small archive of items relating to mobster Eddie Egan from the early-1920s collected by his wife, Ethel, before and after his death in 1926. Egan worked for the mob in the 1920s and was primarily based in Chicago, but also worked in New York and Los Angeles. He was a noted gambler and died prematurely in 1926 in a shooting, presumably at the hands of a rival gangster. The archive includes eight letters, some business cards, newspaper clippings, and telegrams related to Egan’s career in organized crime. Egan had ties with kingpin, Arnold Rothstein, a boss he worked for out of New York, who makes appearances in the archive as “Rothstein” and “Mr. R.” A letter to Eddie dated 1922 reads, “tell Mr. R that I think I can get things in shape to 'grab' it if he likes, but I don’t want him to talk to anybody about it, because there are other people well acquainted with the race horse game, and then I couldn’t get it.” The letter also says, “tell Rothstein I can’t do anything because I don’t know what to do, but am willing to help anyway I can.” The same correspondence requests the address for Abe Attell, the boxer and mob associate known to have helped “fix” the 1919 White Sox World Series. Other known mobsters include William R. Johnson, aka “Big Bill Johnson” the reputed overlord of Chicago gambling. A letter from Johnson dated 1925 discusses a trial and leaving the country to avoid prosecution. The letter is understandably vague, as one might expect: “well pal about that other stuff we where [sic] talking about that transfer has not come up as yet but it is expected in the next week or ten days so I don’t want you to think that I forgot my promise.”

Following Egan’s death Johnson sent Egan' s widow Ethel $500 by telegram with a note that read, “my heartfelt sympathy.” Another letter written to Ethel from a gangster, Bernie Chapman, discusses the trial of her husband’s killers: “They had the trial today and they both pleaded guilty. The one that did the shooting got life and the other one from 5 years to life. There was very little to it. It certainly was a terrible blow to us all when it happened especially yourself – but time heals all wounds and we just have to make the best of it.” Another note written to Ethel from a mob associate asks her for money owed to him by Eddie and a missing ring. Other items include business cards from various steak houses in Chicago, race forms, a membership card for Los Angeles' Jonathan Club, and newspaper clippings, including one of Josephine Baker which shows instructions for the “Conga.” All items are very good or better with some age toning and tears.

An interesting collection of organized crime related material from the 1920s.

Item #417847