William Colbeck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willian "Dint" Colbeck (March 17, 1889 - February 17, 1943) was a St. Louis, Missouri politician and organized crime figure involved in bootlegging and illegal gambling. He succeeded William Egan as head of the Egan's Rats bootlegging gang in the early 1920s.
Contents |
[edit] Early years
Born in the St. Louis Irish neighborhood known as "Kerry Patch", Colbeck joined Egan's Rats in his late teens. In between his gangster jobs, Colbeck trained to work as a plumber. With the outbreak of World War I, Colbeck joined the U.S. Army and served as an infantryman with the 89th Infantry Division in France. Upon his return home in 1919, Colbeck became Egan's right hand man in the gang.
[edit] Gang leader
On October 31, 1921, Egan was murdered and Colbeck took command of the gang. Egan had been killed by the Rats' bitter rivals, the Hogan Gang led by Edward "Jelly Roll" Hogan, the Missouri state beverage inspector. Once in power, Egan struck back at the Hogan Gang; gang killings proliferated across the city.
Despite the gang warfare, the Rats continued to dominate bootlegging in St. Louis. They also began to supplement their bootlegging profits with armed robberies as well as robberies of banks, armored cars, and messengers. It was estimated that Egan's Rats stole nearly $4,000,000 over a five-year period. Colbeck was ruthless with anyone who got in the gang's way, including its own members.
During this time, Colbeck served as the sergeant-at-arms of the St. Louis Democratic City Committee, giving him a political base inside the city government. While Dint didn't usually accompany his men on jobs, he had no qualms about getting his hands dirty. Colbeck headed the "firing squad" that assassinated Hogan Gang lawyer Jacob Mackler on February 21, 1923. Dint also led some of the boys on the robbery of the Granite City National Bank on April 25, 1924, netting $63,000. Dint also personally help to execute disgruntled gang member Eddie Linehan at the Maxwelton Club on February 13, 1924. Colbeck's weapon of choice was the BAR, a gun with which he was rumored to be an expert shot.
[edit] Prison time
By 1924, Colbeck and the Rats were at the height of their power, but trouble was coming fast. By the end of the year, Colbeck and his top henchmen were on trial for two 1923 mail robberies, one of which netted the gang nearly $2.4 million US in cash and negotiable bonds. One the strength of the testimony of one of the Egan's Rats, Ray Renard, Colbeck and eight of his men were convicted on November 15, 1924 and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. While in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, one of his cell mates was Chicago gang boss Al Capone, who assisted him in his work with the Catholic chaplin. Legend has it the two hit it off so much they planned to go into business together once they were both paroled. These plans were foiled by Capone's transfer to Alcatraz in 1934.
[edit] Unsuccessful comeback
Paroled in 1940, Colbeck declared he was going to work as a master plumber and stay out of trouble. Nevertheless, Colbeck and his old pals were rumored to be trying to muscle their way back into the St. Louis underworld. On February 17, 1943, Dint Colbeck was found machine-gunned to death in his car at the corner of Ninth and Destrehan streets in St. Louis. The exact motive for his murder was unclear; he might have been killed by crime bosses wanting to eliminate a potential rival or by someone nursing a grudge from the old days. No one was ever charged in Colbeck's murder.
[edit] Further reading
- Waugh, Daniel. Egan's Rats: The Untold Story of the Gang that ruled Prohibition-era St. Louis Nashville: Cumberland House, 2007.
