confide in Hallisey about their financial situations and personal problems. Ross, as a handbook operator taking bets, was also in a unique position to determine potential kidnap victims who were financially secure. Both men were in ideal situations to become fingermen for the Laman Gang. While Hallisey avoided being directly involved in the actual kidnappings, he was alleged to have fingered some of the jobs pulled by the Laman Gang.
Stanley DeLong, who posed as a Ferndale, Michigan, barber, was also one of the men who operated behind the scenes in the Laman Gang, making telephone calls and other arrangements for the paying of ransoms. DeLong had a Detroit Police Department record of 15 arrests, which included charges for armed robbery, violation of state prohibition laws, and carrying a concealed weapon. DeLong would later be identified by Joseph “Legs” Laman as the voice of the gang. DeLong had solid connections in the Detroit underworld and later admitted in court testimony that he was close friends and business associates with Purple Gangster George Cordell alias Cordelli. He had also been involved in the bootlegging business with Benny Rubenstein, another member of the Laman Gang. Rubenstein would be later accused of being a combination fingerman and muscleman for the gang.
Another Detroit gangster who played an important role in the fingering and kidnapping of local businessmen for the Laman Gang was a man named Jimmy Walters. Walters, a well-known Irish mobster, operated a Detroit blind pig named the Clover Club. His cabaret was reported to be one of the hangouts of the Laman Gang. Walters was both a colorful and vicious Detroit underworld character. Born in Detroit in 1897, Walters grew up in the predominately Irish community on Detroit’s lower southwest side known as “Corktown.” His Detroit Police Department record did not begin until January 21, 1921, when he was arrested for disturbing the peace. He would be arrested 12 times between 1921 and 1930 with no convictions. Charges included possession of burglar tools, violations of the U.S. drug laws, and armed robbery. Walters had served with distinction in the U.S. Army during World War I, as a sergeant in the 116th Field Artillery of the U.S. Expeditionary Force. He was known in the Detroit underworld as a fearless and aggressive thug and reputed to be as good with a pistol as he was with his fists. Walters was also known in the underworld as a powerful independent operator, and he was greatly feared by his competitors.
In 1930, he was identified by Detroit police as being one of the largest drug dealers in the Detroit underworld during the later ‘20s. His other business dealings, including his cabaret and other interests, were supposedly small compared to his drug operation. He had first been linked to the Detroit narcotics trade when he was indicted as a member of the Bill Morton Gang, which controlled the city’s narcotics traffic during the early ‘20s. Walters was known to be a close friend of Joseph “Legs” Laman. Among his many racket interests, Walters was reported to have had control of the barrel beer trade in certain sections of the city. His involvement with the Legs Laman Gang was strictly one of his sideline activities.
Supposedly, Walters liked his combat experience during the war but disliked authority. He came back to Detroit with a general contempt for the law. These feelings may have been further aggravated when his younger brother, Edward Walters, was shot and killed by a Detroit detective. Walters’s brother and another man were caught breaking into a Duffield Street saloon one night in June of 1926.
For some reason, Walters was known to have a particular hatred of the Italian Mob. His fearlessness was demonstrated many times in various underworld encounters. According to one account, one night two tough local strong-arm men known for “shaking down” independent blind pig operators sauntered into Walters’s club. They
Stanley DeLong, who posed as a Ferndale, Michigan, barber, was also one of the men who operated behind the scenes in the Laman Gang, making telephone calls and other arrangements for the paying of ransoms. DeLong had a Detroit Police Department record of 15 arrests, which included charges for armed robbery, violation of state prohibition laws, and carrying a concealed weapon. DeLong would later be identified by Joseph “Legs” Laman as the voice of the gang. DeLong had solid connections in the Detroit underworld and later admitted in court testimony that he was close friends and business associates with Purple Gangster George Cordell alias Cordelli. He had also been involved in the bootlegging business with Benny Rubenstein, another member of the Laman Gang. Rubenstein would be later accused of being a combination fingerman and muscleman for the gang.
Another Detroit gangster who played an important role in the fingering and kidnapping of local businessmen for the Laman Gang was a man named Jimmy Walters. Walters, a well-known Irish mobster, operated a Detroit blind pig named the Clover Club. His cabaret was reported to be one of the hangouts of the Laman Gang. Walters was both a colorful and vicious Detroit underworld character. Born in Detroit in 1897, Walters grew up in the predominately Irish community on Detroit’s lower southwest side known as “Corktown.” His Detroit Police Department record did not begin until January 21, 1921, when he was arrested for disturbing the peace. He would be arrested 12 times between 1921 and 1930 with no convictions. Charges included possession of burglar tools, violations of the U.S. drug laws, and armed robbery. Walters had served with distinction in the U.S. Army during World War I, as a sergeant in the 116th Field Artillery of the U.S. Expeditionary Force. He was known in the Detroit underworld as a fearless and aggressive thug and reputed to be as good with a pistol as he was with his fists. Walters was also known in the underworld as a powerful independent operator, and he was greatly feared by his competitors.
In 1930, he was identified by Detroit police as being one of the largest drug dealers in the Detroit underworld during the later ‘20s. His other business dealings, including his cabaret and other interests, were supposedly small compared to his drug operation. He had first been linked to the Detroit narcotics trade when he was indicted as a member of the Bill Morton Gang, which controlled the city’s narcotics traffic during the early ‘20s. Walters was known to be a close friend of Joseph “Legs” Laman. Among his many racket interests, Walters was reported to have had control of the barrel beer trade in certain sections of the city. His involvement with the Legs Laman Gang was strictly one of his sideline activities.
Supposedly, Walters liked his combat experience during the war but disliked authority. He came back to Detroit with a general contempt for the law. These feelings may have been further aggravated when his younger brother, Edward Walters, was shot and killed by a Detroit detective. Walters’s brother and another man were caught breaking into a Duffield Street saloon one night in June of 1926.
For some reason, Walters was known to have a particular hatred of the Italian Mob. His fearlessness was demonstrated many times in various underworld encounters. According to one account, one night two tough local strong-arm men known for “shaking down” independent blind pig operators sauntered into Walters’s club. They
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