At a time in U.S. history when gangsters were famous personalities, Louis ("Lepke") Buchalter (1897-1944) was one of the most famous of all. As head of Murder, Inc. he was also one of the most feared.

Louis ("Lepke") Buchalter was born in New York City in 1897. The son of a Jewish hardware store owner on Manhattan's Lower East Side, his childhood was filled with street fighting and minor crimes. His only known occupation was as a criminal. Lepke (a childhood nickname by which he was universally known) graduated from simple pushcart robberies at the age of sixteen to organizing protection rackets the following year. Too short at five feet seven and one-half inches to intimidate those he sought to "protect," Lepke joined forces with Jacob ("Gurrah") Shapiro, a huge man whom he met when they both attempted to rob the same pushcart.

Labor Activities

Being an intelligent...