Harlem, New York. In what police officials are calling the most brazen declaration of criminal warfare in New York City history, Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson, the notorious 27‑year‑old gangster who controls much of Harlem’s lucrative policy gambling operations, has declared open war against Arthur “Dutch Schultz” Flegenheimer and his criminal organization. The conflict has already claimed six lives in the first 24 hours and threatens to transform Harlem’s streets into a battlefield where innocent citizens may be caught in crossfire between rival gangs. At stake is control of illegal gambling operations worth an estimated $20 million annually.

The shocking declaration of war came at approximately 2:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, Thursday, September 15th, when Bumpy Johnson, flanked by over two dozen armed associates, walked into the Renaissance Ballroom on West 138th Street. Dutch Schultz was holding a meeting there with his top lieutenants. In front of nearly 100 witnesses, including several off‑duty police officers present in the establishment, Johnson approached Schultz’s table and delivered what witnesses describe as an ultimatum that left no room for misunderstanding.

“You’ve got 48 hours to get every one of your people out of Harlem,” Johnson reportedly said. “Take your trucks, take your collectors, take your enforcers, and get out. This is the only warning you’re going to get. After 48 hours, any white man we find running policy in Harlem is a dead man. I don’t care if you’re Dutch Schultz or if you’re the President of the United States—Harlem belongs to Harlem, and we’re taking it back.”

According to multiple witnesses interviewed by this newspaper, Dutch Schultz, a 30‑year‑old bootlegger and racketeer who has been muscling into Harlem’s policy operations for the past 18 months, initially laughed at Johnson’s declaration. He apparently believed it was an empty threat from a gangster whose organization Schultz had been systematically destroying through violence and intimidation.

But Johnson’s response to Schultz’s laughter demonstrated that this was no idle threat. Johnson pulled a .45‑caliber pistol from his jacket, placed it on the table directly in front of Schultz, and uttered words that have been repeated throughout Harlem’s streets in the hours since. “You think this is funny? You think Bumpy Johnson is some nobody you can push around? Laugh now, Dutch, because in 48 hours I’m going to make you cry.”

Johnson then turned and walked out of the Renaissance Ballroom with his associates, leaving Dutch Schultz visibly shaken and leaving witnesses stunned by what they had observed. It was a direct confrontation between two of New York’s most dangerous criminals, a public challenge that could only be answered with violence, a declaration of war that would begin within hours.

The violence began almost immediately after Johnson’s ultimatum, demonstrating that his threat was not mere bravado but was backed by a coordinated, military‑style operation clearly planned well in advance of the public declaration.

**3:45 p.m., Thursday, September 15th.**
Leo “the Lip” Linderman, a 34‑year‑old enforcer for Dutch Schultz who had been responsible for intimidating Harlem policy operators into selling their businesses to Schultz’s organization, was shot and killed outside a speakeasy on Lenox Avenue. Witnesses report that three colored men approached Linderman as he was entering his automobile, that one of the men called Linderman’s name, and that when Linderman turned around, he was shot multiple times at close range with what appeared to be Thompson submachine guns.

The attackers fled in a black Packard automobile that was later found abandoned in the Bronx, burned beyond recognition to destroy evidence.

**5:20 p.m., Thursday.**
Vincent “Clutch” Mellon and James “Red” Sullivan, both collectors for Schultz’s policy operation who had been responsible for picking up betting slips and money from Harlem numbers runners, were ambushed on West 145th Street. According to police reports, the two men were sitting in their vehicle counting the day’s collections when a truck pulled alongside them and at least four gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons, killing both men instantly and destroying the vehicle.

Police estimate that over 100 rounds were fired in the attack, which occurred in broad daylight on a street where dozens of civilians were present. Miraculously, no bystanders were injured.

**8:30 p.m., Thursday.**
Michael “Mickey” Russo, 28, who operated one of Schultz’s policy banks where bets were recorded and payouts calculated, was killed when a bomb exploded at his apartment in the Bronx. Police investigators believe the bomb was placed under Russo’s automobile and detonated by remote control as Russo approached his vehicle.

The explosion was so powerful that it shattered windows in buildings across the street and created a crater in the pavement where Russo’s car had been parked.

**11:45 p.m., Thursday.**
Anthony “Little Tony” Benedetto and Joseph “Joey Numbers” Catalano, both mid‑level managers in Schultz’s Harlem operation, were killed when gunmen burst into a restaurant in East Harlem where the two men were having a late dinner. Witnesses report that five colored men entered the restaurant, walked directly to Benedetto and Catalano’s table, and opened fire without warning, killing both men and wounding a waiter who attempted to intervene.

**2:15 a.m., Friday, September 16th.**
Harold “Bunny” Weinstein, one of Schultz’s top lieutenants who had been coordinating the overall operation in Harlem, was killed when his fortified apartment on the Upper West Side was attacked by what police describe as a small army of approximately 15 to 20 men. The attackers used explosives to breach the apartment door and then killed Weinstein and two bodyguards who were present.

By sunrise on Friday morning, less than 12 hours after Bumpy Johnson’s public ultimatum, six of Dutch Schultz’s men were dead, his Harlem operation was in chaos, and the New York Police Department was mobilizing emergency resources to prevent further violence. Police Commissioner Edward P. Mulrooney called it “the most dangerous gang war in the city’s history.”

To understand the current crisis, one must understand the man who has declared war on Dutch Schultz.

Ellsworth Raymond Johnson, known universally as “Bumpy” due to a large bump on the back of his head from a childhood injury, has been rising through Harlem’s criminal underworld for the past seven years. He has transformed from a small‑time numbers runner into what many are now calling the “Godfather of Harlem.”

**Background.**
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1905, Johnson moved to Harlem with his family in 1919 at age 14, seeking opportunities unavailable to colored families in the segregated South. Rather than pursuing legitimate employment, young Johnson was drawn to the street life, working initially as a runner for Stephanie St. Clair, the legendary “Madame Queen” who built Harlem’s policy gambling industry into a multi‑million‑dollar enterprise.

Johnson proved himself intelligent, ruthless, and ambitious. Where other numbers runners simply collected bets and delivered them to policy banks, Johnson studied the business, understood the mathematics of the numbers game, recognized the enormous profits possible, and quietly planned his rise to power.

**1925–1928.**
Johnson worked directly for Madame St. Clair, becoming her most trusted enforcer and protector. During this period, he gained a reputation for violence. Johnson was suspected of killing at least a dozen men who had tried to rob policy operations or who had threatened Madame St. Clair, though no charges were ever filed due to lack of witnesses willing to testify against him.

**1928–1930.**
In what remains one of the more mysterious periods of Johnson’s life, he disappeared from Harlem for nearly two years. Some reports suggest he had been in Chicago, though the purpose of this extended stay remains unclear. When Johnson returned to Harlem in 1930, he had money, connections, and organizational knowledge he had not possessed before leaving.

**1930–1932.**
Johnson expanded his operations beyond simple enforcement, taking over several policy banks, consolidating smaller operations, and building what observers estimate is a $5 million‑per‑year gambling empire. Perhaps more significantly, Johnson built loyalty among Harlem’s colored criminals and among the community generally.

He became known for protecting policy operators from white gangsters who tried to muscle in, for employing hundreds of Harlem residents in his operations, and for contributing to colored churches and charities in ways that made him popular despite his criminal activities.

Johnson’s rise to power brought him into direct conflict with Dutch Schultz, who had been systematically taking over Harlem’s policy operations through violence and intimidation. For the past 18 months, Schultz’s men had been forcing colored policy operators to sell their businesses at prices far below actual value, had been killing operators who refused to sell, and had been extracting enormous profits from Harlem while employing mostly white collectors and enforcers rather than hiring from the local community.

By September 1932, Schultz controlled an estimated 40% of Harlem’s policy business, had driven Madame St. Clair into semi‑retirement, and appeared to be on the verge of complete domination of Harlem’s most profitable criminal enterprise.

But Schultz had underestimated Bumpy Johnson. He had viewed him as just another colored gangster who could be intimidated or killed, had failed to recognize that Johnson had been planning his counterattack for months, and had failed to understand that Johnson had support that went beyond simple criminal organization.

Arthur Flegenheimer, who adopted the name Dutch Schultz to disguise his Jewish heritage and to sound more intimidating, is one of New York’s most feared gangsters. A 30‑year‑old bootlegger and racketeer, his organization is believed to control illegal alcohol, gambling, and labor‑racketeering operations worth over $50 million annually.

**Schultz’s background.**
Born in the Bronx in 1902 to German‑Jewish immigrant parents, Flegenheimer turned to crime in his teens after his father abandoned the family and his mother could not provide adequate support. He acquired the name “Dutch Schultz” from a notorious Bronx street gang, believing the Germanic nickname would be more intimidating than his Jewish surname in the predominantly Irish and Italian criminal underworld.

**Criminal empire.**
Schultz built his fortune during Prohibition, controlling beer distribution across the Bronx and Northern Manhattan, bribing police and politicians on a scale that impressed even other gangsters. By 1930, Schultz was one of the wealthiest criminals in America, living openly in expensive apartments, dining at the finest restaurants, and operating with near‑complete immunity from prosecution due to his extensive corruption of law enforcement.

**The Harlem expansion.**
But bootlegging’s profitability was threatened by growing calls for Prohibition’s repeal, and Schultz recognized that he needed to diversify into rackets that would remain illegal after Prohibition ended. Policy gambling—particularly Harlem’s sophisticated numbers operations—represented the perfect opportunity.

Starting in early 1931, Schultz began systematically taking over Harlem’s policy banks through methods that combined business savvy with brutal violence. His enforcers would approach colored policy operators and offer to buy their operations at prices typically 10–20% of actual value. Operators who refused would be beaten, would have their policy banks firebombed, would see family members threatened or murdered.

Operators who continued resisting after initial intimidation were killed—shot on the street, bombed in their homes, assassinated in public as warnings to others. Police estimate Schultz’s organization killed at least 30 colored policy operators during the 18‑month campaign to take over Harlem.

Schultz’s vast resources also allowed him to wage economic warfare. He could undercut competitors’ odds, pay larger winnings to attract customers, and operate at a temporary loss in order to destroy rivals who couldn’t afford to match his payouts. By September 1932, Schultz had achieved substantial success, controlled an estimated 40% of Harlem’s policy business, and appeared to be unstoppable.

But he had made a critical error. He had underestimated Bumpy Johnson and failed to recognize that there were limits to how much violence Harlem’s colored community would tolerate from white gangsters.

As this newspaper goes to press on Friday evening, September 16th, approximately 27 hours remain before the 48‑hour deadline that Bumpy Johnson imposed on Dutch Schultz expires. The tension in Harlem is palpable. Residents are staying indoors, businesses are closing early, and police presence has been increased to levels not seen since the race riots of 1919.

**Police response.**
New York Police Commissioner Edward P. Mulrooney held an emergency press conference this morning at police headquarters, where he announced extraordinary measures to prevent further violence.

“The New York Police Department will not tolerate gang warfare in any neighborhood under any circumstances. We have deployed over 500 additional officers to Harlem. We have established checkpoints on major streets, and we have orders to arrest anyone, regardless of color or background, who is found carrying weapons or who is suspected of involvement in criminal gang activity. I am calling on both sides in this conflict to stand down, to resolve their differences through lawful means, and to recognize that continued violence will result in the full force of law enforcement being brought against both organizations.”

However, observers note that police efforts to suppress gang violence have been largely ineffective in the past, particularly when the criminals involved have corrupted significant portions of the police force itself. Multiple sources within the department have confirmed to this newspaper that both Johnson’s and Schultz’s organizations have police officers on their payrolls, creating situations where police response to gang violence is often delayed or deliberately ineffective.

**Community reaction.**
Harlem’s colored community appears largely supportive of Bumpy Johnson’s stand against Dutch Schultz, viewing the conflict not simply as a gang war, but as a racial struggle for control of Harlem’s economy. The Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Sr., pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, issued a statement many interpreted as tacit support for Johnson’s actions.

“While we cannot condone violence or criminal activity, we recognize that Dutch Schultz and his organization have terrorized our community, have extracted millions of dollars in profits while giving nothing back to Harlem, and have killed our people without remorse. If Bumpy Johnson is fighting to reclaim Harlem from these outside exploiters, then many in our community will view his actions as defense rather than aggression.”

**What happens at 2:30 p.m. Saturday?**
When the 48‑hour deadline expires tomorrow afternoon, one of three scenarios seems likely.

**Scenario One: Schultz retreats.**
Dutch Schultz could recognize that continuing the fight would be too costly, withdraw his operations from Harlem, and avoid further violence by accepting Johnson’s demands. However, observers believe this is unlikely. Schultz has too much invested in Harlem’s policy operations, has too much pride to be publicly humiliated by a colored gangster, and commands resources that exceed Johnson’s organization.

**Scenario Two: Negotiated settlement.**
Representatives from both sides could negotiate a compromise that allows both organizations to operate in Harlem with defined territories and agreed‑upon boundaries. However, given the violence of the past 24 hours and the public nature of Johnson’s ultimatum, such negotiations seem difficult without both sides losing face.

**Scenario Three: All‑out war.**
The most likely scenario is that violence will escalate dramatically after the deadline expires, that both sides will attempt to destroy each other’s organizations through coordinated attacks, and that Harlem will become a war zone where dozens or even hundreds of people may be killed before either side achieves victory—or before law enforcement manages to arrest enough gangsters to end the conflict.

The gang war in Harlem has attracted attention at the highest levels of government. Sources in Washington confirm that federal officials are monitoring the situation closely and are prepared to intervene if local authorities cannot restore order.

**FBI interest.**
J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has reportedly ordered agents from the Bureau’s New York field office to begin investigating both the Johnson and Schultz organizations, looking for federal crimes that could provide justification for prosecution. Violations of the Volstead Act (Prohibition laws), interstate transportation of stolen property, income‑tax evasion, and other federal crimes are being examined.

**Treasury Department.**
Federal tax agents are reportedly reviewing the financial records of both organizations, seeking evidence of income‑tax evasion that could be used to prosecute key figures. The recent successful prosecution of Al Capone for tax evasion has demonstrated that gangsters who are difficult to convict for violent crimes can sometimes be imprisoned for failure to pay taxes on their illegal income.

**Political implications.**
The Harlem gang war comes at a difficult time politically, with national elections scheduled for November, President Hoover facing a strong challenge from Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the nation mired in the worst economic depression in its history. The spectacle of gangsters openly warring in New York City represents an embarrassment to the Hoover administration and provides ammunition for critics who argue that Prohibition has created more problems than it has solved.

To understand why this gang war is so intense, one must understand the economics of Harlem’s policy gambling operations.

According to estimates from law enforcement and independent observers, Harlem’s numbers game generates approximately $20 million in gross revenue annually, making it one of the most lucrative criminal enterprises in the United States.

**How the policy game works.**
Policy gambling—also called the numbers or bolita—is a lottery‑style game where players bet small amounts, typically 10 cents to $1, on three‑digit numbers, hoping to match the winning number drawn daily. The winning number is typically derived from published financial figures, such as the last three digits of the New York Stock Exchange trading volume, to prevent operators from manipulating results.

The odds of winning are approximately 1,000 to 1, but payouts are typically 600 to 1, giving operators a substantial profit margin. Most players lose their bets, meaning operators keep the majority of money wagered.

**Profit structure.**
Of the $20 million wagered annually in Harlem, approximately:

– $2 million is paid out to winners.
– $3 million goes to operational costs—runners, collectors, guards, policy banks.
– $2 million goes to bribes—police, politicians, judges.
– Approximately $13 million is pure profit to operators.

This $13 million in annual profit is what Dutch Schultz and Bumpy Johnson are fighting for—money that represents one of the largest concentrations of wealth controlled by criminal organizations anywhere in America.

**Community impact.**
The policy game is deeply embedded in Harlem’s economy. Thousands of residents are employed as runners, collectors, and in other positions within policy operations. Many legitimate businesses—restaurants, barber shops, newsstands—serve as collection points for policy bets and receive commissions for this service.

Some estimates suggest that as many as 25,000 Harlem residents derive at least part of their income from policy gambling, making the question of who controls these operations profoundly important to the community’s economic survival.

**The hour grows late: Will Saturday bring bloodshed?**
As Friday evening turns to night, Harlem’s streets empty of civilians who fear being caught in crossfire. Police establish checkpoints and prepare for violence. The question that hangs over New York City is simple and terrible: Will Saturday bring peaceful resolution, or will it bring a bloodbath that claims dozens of lives and transforms Harlem into a battlefield?

Multiple sources within both the Johnson and Schultz organizations have confirmed to this newspaper that both sides are preparing for war. They are stockpiling weapons, positioning gunmen, identifying targets, and planning coordinated attacks that will be launched if the 48‑hour deadline passes without Schultz’s withdrawal from Harlem.

Johnson’s organization has reportedly assembled over 200 armed men, many of them World War veterans who know how to handle weapons and who have combat experience. They have acquired Thompson submachine guns, positioned snipers on rooftops overlooking key Schultz locations, and prepared vehicles for rapid mobility during attacks.

Schultz’s organization, with far greater resources, has reportedly brought in reinforcements from his operations in the Bronx and New Jersey. Witnesses report seeing trucks carrying armed men entering Harlem, seeing weapons distributed to Schultz’s enforcers, and observing preparations that suggest Schultz intends to respond to Johnson’s ultimatum with overwhelming force designed to crush Johnson’s organization permanently.

The stage is set for catastrophe. The deadline approaches, and New York City holds its breath, waiting to see whether tomorrow will bring peace—or violence on a scale not seen in the city’s history.

**Editor’s Note.**
The New York Herald will provide continuous coverage of this developing crisis. Saturday’s edition will include on‑the‑scene reporting from Harlem as events unfold, statements from law‑enforcement and political officials, and analysis of the broader implications of this gang war for New York City and for the nation. Readers are urged to avoid the Harlem area until this crisis is resolved, as the danger to civilians from potential crossfire and general lawlessness is severe. We will update our coverage as events warrant.

The gang warfare erupting in Harlem—the spectacle of criminals openly challenging each other to deadly combat, the brazen nature of violence committed in daylight on public streets, the apparent inability of law enforcement to prevent or control this crisis—represents the ultimate failure of the Prohibition experiment that began 12 years ago with such high hopes.

When the 18th Amendment was ratified in 1919 and when the Volstead Act was implemented in 1920, proponents promised that banning alcohol would reduce crime, eliminate the saloon culture that corrupted politics, and create a more moral and more productive American society. Instead, Prohibition has created the opposite.

It has made criminals extraordinarily wealthy, has corrupted law enforcement at every level, has created gang organizations that operate with impunity, and has made average citizens complicit in lawbreaking through their continued desire to drink alcohol despite its legal prohibition.

The current crisis in Harlem is a direct consequence of Prohibition’s failure. Dutch Schultz accumulated the fortune he uses to terrorize Harlem through bootlegging operations that should never have been possible in a society where law enforcement was effective and uncorrupted. Bumpy Johnson built his organization on gambling operations that flourished because Prohibition had already established that unpopular laws could be violated with minimal consequences.

The corruption that allows both men to operate—the police officers on their payrolls, the politicians who protect them, the judges who dismiss charges against them—was created by Prohibition’s vast profits and by the impossibility of enforcing laws that millions of Americans violate daily.

This newspaper has argued since 1925 that Prohibition should be repealed, that the experiment has failed, and that the costs of continuing Prohibition—in violence, in corruption, in disrespect for law generally—exceed any possible benefits. The Harlem gang war provides fresh evidence for this argument.

We call on political leaders of both parties to acknowledge Prohibition’s failure, to work toward repeal of the 18th Amendment, and to recognize that the violence we are witnessing in Harlem—violence that may claim dozens of lives in the coming days—is a direct consequence of a policy that has proven disastrous for American society.

The Herald has learned from sources within the police department that additional violence occurred within the past two hours. Three men believed to be associated with Dutch Schultz’s organization were killed in a shooting on Lenox Avenue at approximately 9:30 p.m. Witnesses report that a car containing four colored men drove slowly past a group of white men standing outside a speakeasy, that one of the colored men shouted, “This is Bumpy’s territory,” and that gunfire erupted immediately thereafter.

Police arriving at the scene found three dead men and two wounded men, all believed to be Schultz enforcers stationed in Harlem to protect Schultz’s policy operations. The attackers fled before police arrived. This brings the total death toll to nine men killed in gang warfare since Bumpy Johnson’s ultimatum was delivered yesterday afternoon—a pace of violence that police say is unprecedented in New York City history.

Commissioner Mulrooney has announced that a citywide curfew for Harlem will be imposed beginning at midnight tonight and continuing until further notice. All establishments in Harlem are ordered to close by midnight. All residents are advised to remain indoors, and anyone found on Harlem’s streets after midnight without legitimate business will be subject to arrest. The Herald will provide additional updates as this crisis develops.

As midnight passes and Saturday begins—as September 17th, 1932 dawns on a city in crisis—less than 16 hours remain before Bumpy Johnson’s 48‑hour ultimatum expires at 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The question facing New York, the question that will be answered within those 16 hours, is whether Dutch Schultz will blink.

Will he withdraw from Harlem to avoid further bloodshed and accept that Bumpy Johnson has demonstrated sufficient power and will to make continued conflict too costly? Or will Dutch Schultz dig in, respond to Johnson’s ultimatum with overwhelming force designed to crush the upstart who dared to challenge him, and transform Harlem into a killing ground where the question of who controls Harlem’s policy operations is settled through violence that may claim dozens of lives before one side achieves victory?

The answer will come tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m. New York holds its breath. Harlem prepares for war. And history waits to record whether September 17th, 1932 will be remembered as the day when a colored gangster successfully challenged white organized crime’s domination of Harlem—or as the day when overwhelming force crushed a rebellion and demonstrated that challenging established power, regardless of the justice of the cause, leads only to death and defeat.

The Herald will report Saturday’s events as they occur.