Sorry Ma'am your husband's dead. Oh and he was cheating on you.

Steve Spano was thirty-one years old, lived with his wife, three kids and his mother and was known as a leader of Italian voters. While walking down the street on this date in 1921 Spano was cut down by a blast from a sawed off double barrel shotgun. Two men ran from the building where the shots came from and there police found the weapon.
While searching Spano's affects the police came across a picture of a woman in his pocket watch but it was not Mrs. Spano. When confronted with the photo Mrs. Spano, who said she was unaware that her husband carried around another woman's picture, said, "There was no other woman. No, no. Steve was a good man. We were married fifteen years. We were happy oh, so happy."

Mandonia! Mandonia! What make your big head so hard?

On this day in 1922 forty-four year old Salvatore Maida was standing outside his café talking with his younger brother and two other men when Rosido Mandonia came up and shot him at point blank range in the chest. Mandonia tried to run away but he ran right into two police officers who brought him back to the scene and despite his pleads of innocence witnesses shouted, "He is the fellow who did it."

White, as a ghost

John White was the proprietor of a midtown speakeasy and a victim of his own door policy. When Harold Fullam, an elevator operator from a nearby hotel, tried to gain entrance into White's club on this date back in 1928 the proprietor stopped him at the door and refused him entry. According to the bartender, Fullam came back later and asked White to step outside for a few words. After White went outside the bartender heard a shot. An ambulance was called and White ended up dying on the operating table.

For two important Mafia murders for this date Gangster City book owners can check out pages 37 & 140

Orlandoh!

Police had been searching for twenty-one year old Orlando Minichelli for over two months for his possible participation in a murder but either friends of the victim, or perhaps his own confederates who felt things would be safer if he was out of the way, caught up with him first. As the young hoodlum was walking in Harlem on May 7, 1935 he passed a store where a man stepped out and fired six bullets into him at point blank range. As Minichelli fell dead, the gunman tossed his .38, into a doorway and ran away

Killo de Mayo

On May 3, 1903 strife hit the Cherry Hill section of Manhattan when William McMahon, known in gang circles as "Billy Argument" and other members of the Cherry Hill mob beat up a rival member of Monk Eastman's gang named Patrick "Paddy the snake" Shea.
The beating Shea received was bad enough to send him to the hospital where he was questioned by police about who did it. A consummate gangster, "Paddy the snake" told the police, "I ain't no squealer, not me. When I get out of the hospital I will attend to this matter myself and maybe I won't do a little six shooting."
Two days later Shea was out of the hospital and staking out McMahon's apartment and when the latter emerged "Paddy the snake" came up behind him and "blew the top of his head off."
After his round of "six shooting" Shea fled to Philadelphia where he was captured in late July and extradited back for trial. While on the stand Shea admitted to the murder but said it was self-defense claiming that if he didn't get "Billy Argument" first, Billy would have gotten him.

Bad luck, Chuck

Charles Rosenhaus was 35 years old and had three arrests under his belt. He was currently a proprietor of a number of Bowery newsstands and part owner, with Albert Meyer, of a cabaret known as Green's Restaurant. Early in the morning on this day back in 1925, while his partner Meyer was across the street, Rosenhaus was approaching the cabaret when a man walked up to him and fired three shots into his chest. Charles dropped to the ground as his assailant got away. The police said that Rosenhaus knew his life was in danger and pointed out that he was wearing a holster equipped with a fully loaded revolver.

Knock your Block off

Harry Block was an associate of Owney Madden's who owned a piece of both the Cotton Club and the Silver Slipper nightclubs. In addition to these activities Block was also a bootlegger and police felt that this may have been the reason he was put on the spot. Judging by his movements Block didn't know he was a marked man. Seventy-eight years ago tonight he picked his wife up at 7th Ave and 47th Street and they had dinner in the restaurant at the Paramount hotel, which was followed by the late show at the Capitol Theater. After the show they went to Dave's Blue Room for more food and finally caught a taxi for the ride home to the Sherman Square Apartments at 173 West 73rd Street. It was 3:00am when the Blocks arrived at the apartment and the doorman unlocked the front door and escorted them onto the elevator. Mrs. Block stepped in and to the side behind the doorman who was by the controls. Mr. Block stepped in and turned around to face the door. Just as the doors were shutting two men appeared out of nowhere each brandishing two pistols. One of the gunmen yelled an insult at Block who, seeing the pistols, let out a scream and instinctively threw up his arm to protect his face. The gunmen let loose with a barrage of twenty three shots, some of which hit the gangster in the neck and forearm. The hitmen then ran out and escaped in a tan sedan that was waiting for them. The doorman wanted to call an ambulance but Mrs. Block said no since it would attract the police so instead Harry was loaded into a cab and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.