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Title
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Missouri: Murder on Truman Road
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Description
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Photos and biographical article about Charles Binaggio, Jackson County political boss, killed in his "First District Democratic Club on Truman Road in Kansas City" in 1950 along with Charles Gargotta, "a gunman who was his chief 'enforcer.'" Description of Binaggio's career and rise to power after coming to Kansas City from Chicago, being tutored by Tom Pendergast in the 1930s before succeeding him over Tom's nephew, James Pendergast.
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Date
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1950-04-17
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Object Type
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Magazine Article
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Title
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Another Shocker for Kansas City
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Description
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Many photos of court appearances and buildings of organized crime members involved with the murdered men, Binaggio and Gargotta.
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Date
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1950-05-15
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Object Type
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Magazine Article
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Title
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He Beats the Rap but You Take It
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Description
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Photo and article about the murder trail of Charles Gargotta, "rat-faced Pendergast political lieutenant and gangster" reportedly interrupted by Sheriff Thomas Bash in "a killing party on Armour boulevard and Forest avenue" on August 12, 1933. Details about the case and information about other Kansas Citians involved, including the following: "Ferris Anthon, a rival Fifteenth street bootlegger" allegedly killed in the shooting by Gargotta; Sammy Scola and Gus Fasone, "friends of Gargotta and fellow workers in the North Side Democratic club" killed by Bash; John Lazia, "North Side gangster king" and owner of the Gargotta Buick; and presiding judge Merrill Ots, et al.
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Date
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1935-05-17
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Object Type
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Magazine Article
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Title
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Charles Gargotta Being Escorted by Officers
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Description
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Mobster Charles Gargotta (center) being escorted to his arraignment to face charges of murdering bootlegger Ferris Anthon and the attempted murder of Sheriff Thomas Bash on August 12, 1933. He is being escorted by Chief Deputy William Schickhardt (left) and Deputy Al Finkelstine.
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Date
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1933-08-16
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Object Type
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Negative
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Title
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3203-3211 Southwest Boulevard - Last Chance Tavern (Saloon)
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Description
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View looking east of the buildings that once stood at 3203-3211 Southwest Boulevard. The Last Chance Tavern (or Saloon) at 3205 Southwest Boulevard, Goulding's, and the Last Chance Cafe are in view. Cars parked on the street can be seen.
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Date
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1950-04
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Object Type
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Photograph
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Title
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SC205 Organized Crime Files Finding Aid
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Description
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This collection contains files relating to organized crime in Kansas City from the 1930s to the 1970s. Contents include records from the Kansas City Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, reporter’s notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs of local mafia members.
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Date
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1934~/1972~
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Object Type
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Finding Aid
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Title
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Charles Gargotta
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Description
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Newspaper clippings from the Kansas City Star and Times on Charles Gargotta, the organized crime leader in Kansas City shot to death in 1950, with photos.
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Object Type
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Archival Material
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Title
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SC205 Organized Crime Files - Series 3: Hoods Who Spotlight on Organized Crime in the Kansas City Area
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Description
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Booklet intended to inform the public of the dangers of organized crime in Kansas City. The book contains: a summary of successful prosecution of syndicate members or associates from January 1, 1961 to present (April 1970); the Kefauver Senate Committee underworld charts for Kansas City organized crime activities, Exhibits 1 and 1A; a list of members and associates of the syndicate; the danger signs for the community; and a list of syndicate business connections.
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Date
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1970-04
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Object Type
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Archival Material
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Title
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SC205 Organized Crime Files - Series 1: Mugshots
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Description
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This series contains miscellaneous Kansas City Police Department mug shots from various dates showing individuals suspected of having ties to organized crime, mafia, and mob activity in Kansas City. Some include a physical description and record of previous arrests on the back side of the photograph. Please note that the individuals in these mug shots do not have a corresponding police file in this collection. Mug shots of those listed in Series 2 and 3 were kept with their corresponding file. This series is arranged alphabetically by surname.
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Date
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1934~/1972~
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Object Type
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Archival Material
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Title
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SC205 Organized Crime Files - Series 4: Unione Sicilione
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Description
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This series contains photographs, miscellaneous documents,and newspaper clippings pertaining to the Sicilian-American criminal brotherhood known as the Unione Sicilione, or Unione Siciliana, and individuals suspected of having ties to organized crime, mafia, and mob activity in Kansas City.
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Date
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1950/1961
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Object Type
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Archival Material
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Title
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SC205 Organized Crime Files - Series 5: Records and General Data
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Description
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This series contains miscellaneous police records, newspaper clippings, Kansas City Star staff correspondence, and information on various mafia members, including Charles Gargotta and several others listed in Series 2, all suspected of having ties to organized crime, mafia, and mob activity in Kansas City. Loose mug shots were removed and interfiled with Series1-3.
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Date
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1947/1959
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Object Type
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Archival Material
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Title
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The Binaggio and Gargotta Murders
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Description
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A collection of 111 pages of photocopied newspaper articles from the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times detailing the murders of Charles Binaggio and Charles Gargotta and the subsequent investigation of those killings. The victims were associated with the First District Democratic Club, located on Kansas City's north side, and both had ties to organized crime. The clippings cover a four-month period in 1950, from April until August. Each article is annotated with its source and date of publication. Charles Binaggio was a Democratic faction leader and Charles Gargotta was a north side underworld character. Both were shot on April 6, 1950, in the club rooms of the First District Democratic Club at 716-718 Truman Road. According to the newspaper clipping on page 37 of the compilation, both Binaggio and Gargotta are buried in Mount St. Mary's Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Date
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1950-04-06/1950-08-06
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Object Type
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Newspaper Article
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Title
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Crime's Grip on Politics: Reported from Kansas City
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Description
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Crime and gambling--and their ties with politics in President Truman's home county--are starting to come into the open. [G]ambling a 34.5-million-dollar deal in Kansas City.
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Date
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1950-05-12
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Object Type
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Magazine Article
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Title
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Open City: True Story of the KC Crime Family 1900-1950
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Description
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Open City is an historical work detailing and analyzing the birth and growth of an organized crime family in Kansas City during the first 50 yars of the 20th Century. It includes names as Charles Binaggio, Nick Civella, Joe DiGiovanni, Charles Gargotta, John Lazia, and Tom Pendergast. Covers topics like prohibition, gambling, political machines, labor rackets, etc. The author was supervisor of the Organized Crime Squad, Kansas City Field Division after a long career with the FBI when he retired.
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Date
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2008
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Object Type
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Book
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Title
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The Crime-Ridden Summer of 1933
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Description
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Article reviews the events of the 1933 summer when Mary McElroy was kidnapped, eleven prisoners escaped from the Kansas penitentiary in Lansing, The Union Station Massacre took place, Bonnie and Clyde engaged in a shoot out with officers in Platte County, and Jackson County sheriff Thomas B. Bash interrupted a shooting and ended up killing two mafia figures.
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Date
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1963-09-08
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Object Type
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Newspaper Article