pulled automatic pistols out of their coats and laid them on the table where they were sitting. They then called Walters over to their table and told him, “We’re in for a cut of your club.” Walters pulled a gun out of his pocket and laid it on the table with the other two pistols. “So you’re in and I’m out? All right, let’s see you take the place, just go ahead!” The two men reportedly got up and quickly walked out. At one point, Walters’s name was so feared that allowing another blind pig operator to use it in reference was enough to scare off most would-be hijackers and shakedown artists.
Walters was never indicted for being a member of the Legs Laman Gang. He was not positively linked with the gang until several months after his murder in 1930. Walters was arrested as a suspect in the Cass kidnapping in July of 1929, but later released due to lack of evidence. He was eventually connected to the Laman Gang, when “Legs” Laman became a state’s witness.
On April 13, 1930, Jimmy Walters was shot to death while working on his car in the driveway of his home. His killers were never identified. One underworld rumor that had circulated at the time was that Jimmy had been muscling in on the east side drug trade and was murdered as a result. Walters was mixed up in so many different rackets including beer, drugs, kidnapping, and murder, it was hard to pinpoint with any accuracy which of his many enemies finally eliminated him.
The Michigan State Police and Detroit Police Department created a special task force in June of 1929 to deal with the Detroit kidnapping problem. According to Captain Fred G. Armstrong of the Michigan State Police, the task force was formed for two main reasons. The first reason was due to the terror that the kidnapping gangs generated among the public, and the second because of the general disrespect for law and order that resulted. Often it appeared that an underworld character could do more to get a kidnapping victim released than the police.
For a short time, the Laman Gang had great success kidnapping Detroit area businessmen. Most of their victims were thankful to be released unharmed and were terrified into silence by the threats and warnings of the kidnappers. This period of success ended abruptly with the kidnapping of David Cass, a 23-year-old gambler and the son of a wealthy Detroit real-estate operator. The Cass kidnapping would spell the beginning of the end for the Laman Gang.
At 4 a.m. on the morning of July 22, 1929, the telephone rang at the home of Gerson C. Cass in Detroit. Cass was well known around Detroit as a wealthy land speculator. His son David left the house early Sunday morning July 21, 1929, and had not been heard from since. Cass was worried that evening, as it was unusual for his son to be gone so long without calling home. He hurried to the phone in anticipation of hearing David’s voice.
Instead of talking to his son, Cass was shocked to hear a strange voice tell him that David had been kidnapped. He was instructed to look in his mailbox for a note. Cass rushed to the mailbox, where he found a note written in his son’s hand. The note was signed by David and demanded a ransom of $25,000 for his release. Gerson Cass, still reeling from the shock of the horrible discovery, picked the telephone back up and acknowledged to the kidnappers that he had read the ransom note. He was warned that his son would be murdered if he notified the police. Cass was then told that he would be contacted later and given further instructions, and the party hung up. Aside from working in his father’s business, David Cass was also a part-owner in a handbook place located on Sibley Street just off Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Young Cass was also known as a man who enjoyed nightclubs and gambling. Possibly his peripheral connection with the Detroit underworld led to his kidnapping. Out of fear for his son’s life, Gerson Cass followed the kidnappers’ instructions
Walters was never indicted for being a member of the Legs Laman Gang. He was not positively linked with the gang until several months after his murder in 1930. Walters was arrested as a suspect in the Cass kidnapping in July of 1929, but later released due to lack of evidence. He was eventually connected to the Laman Gang, when “Legs” Laman became a state’s witness.
On April 13, 1930, Jimmy Walters was shot to death while working on his car in the driveway of his home. His killers were never identified. One underworld rumor that had circulated at the time was that Jimmy had been muscling in on the east side drug trade and was murdered as a result. Walters was mixed up in so many different rackets including beer, drugs, kidnapping, and murder, it was hard to pinpoint with any accuracy which of his many enemies finally eliminated him.
The Michigan State Police and Detroit Police Department created a special task force in June of 1929 to deal with the Detroit kidnapping problem. According to Captain Fred G. Armstrong of the Michigan State Police, the task force was formed for two main reasons. The first reason was due to the terror that the kidnapping gangs generated among the public, and the second because of the general disrespect for law and order that resulted. Often it appeared that an underworld character could do more to get a kidnapping victim released than the police.
For a short time, the Laman Gang had great success kidnapping Detroit area businessmen. Most of their victims were thankful to be released unharmed and were terrified into silence by the threats and warnings of the kidnappers. This period of success ended abruptly with the kidnapping of David Cass, a 23-year-old gambler and the son of a wealthy Detroit real-estate operator. The Cass kidnapping would spell the beginning of the end for the Laman Gang.
At 4 a.m. on the morning of July 22, 1929, the telephone rang at the home of Gerson C. Cass in Detroit. Cass was well known around Detroit as a wealthy land speculator. His son David left the house early Sunday morning July 21, 1929, and had not been heard from since. Cass was worried that evening, as it was unusual for his son to be gone so long without calling home. He hurried to the phone in anticipation of hearing David’s voice.
Instead of talking to his son, Cass was shocked to hear a strange voice tell him that David had been kidnapped. He was instructed to look in his mailbox for a note. Cass rushed to the mailbox, where he found a note written in his son’s hand. The note was signed by David and demanded a ransom of $25,000 for his release. Gerson Cass, still reeling from the shock of the horrible discovery, picked the telephone back up and acknowledged to the kidnappers that he had read the ransom note. He was warned that his son would be murdered if he notified the police. Cass was then told that he would be contacted later and given further instructions, and the party hung up. Aside from working in his father’s business, David Cass was also a part-owner in a handbook place located on Sibley Street just off Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Young Cass was also known as a man who enjoyed nightclubs and gambling. Possibly his peripheral connection with the Detroit underworld led to his kidnapping. Out of fear for his son’s life, Gerson Cass followed the kidnappers’ instructions
Similar Books
