George S. Musey, also known as "one-armed George S. Musey", was a mob boss in Galveston, Texas, during the Prohibition era. Along with Johnny Jack Nounes, he led the Downtown Gang, one of two gangs which controlled the Galveston underworld until the early 1930s.[1] He was convicted on conspiracy liquor charges in 1929[2] and sent to Atlanta Penitentiary. Musey was killed by shooting in 1935, eight days after his 35th birthday.[3]
George S. Musey | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 17, 1900 Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | July 25, 1935 (aged 35) Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation(s) | Gangster, Mob Boss |
| Title | Boss |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Spouse | Mary Abraham Musey (c. 1924–1935; his death) |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | Jamail (Sid) Musey and Sally Musey |
| Allegiance | Downtown Gang |
| Conviction(s) | 1929 |
| Criminal charge | Bootlegging |
| Penalty | Imprisonment, Atlanta Penitentiary |
Early life
George S. Musey was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, one of five children to Jamail and Sally Musey, who had emigrated from Syria in the 1890s. The family moved to Houston, Texas, in the 1910s, and later to Galveston. Musey worked for a time as a mechanic in his father's auto shop. As Prohibition came into effect, Musey is considered to have started associating with Johnny Jack Nounes, with whom he soon formed a gang.
Prohibition
With Prohibition now in effect, Musey quickly gained a reputation for brutality which, along with bribery of local police, saw him dominate the local black market. Musey was arrested by federal agents in Louisiana during a liquor run. He, Nounes, and twenty-one others, would be tried and convicted on conspiracy liquor charges in 1929.
Convict and fugitive
After his conviction, Musey fled to Montreal.[4]
Now wanted by the United States Secret Service, an extensive search was carried out in Canada and Central America. Musey was eventually found two years later in Lake Charles. He was brought back to Galveston under heavy guard before being sent to Atlanta Penitentiary.
Post-prohibition and assassination
After being released from prison, Musey opened a nightclub and began a profitable pinball machine operation.
Prior to his conviction, Musey and The Downtown Gang had developed a rivalry with other bootleggers, notably the Beach Gang and their successors, the Maceo Crime Syndicate. On the night of July 25, 1935, Musey was talking with a member of the Maceo Syndicate at The Alamo Club on 24th St., Galveston. Informed by a waiter that there was somebody outside who wished to see him, Musey made his way to the door, at which point he was shot five times with a .38 revolver by O.J. Windy Goss, a Maceo mob member.[5] Musey was buried at Old Catholic Cemetery in Galveston, Texas survived by his wife Mary, and two children, Margaret and George Jr.
See also
References
- Cartwright, Gary (1998). Galveston: a history of the island. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-87565-190-9.
- Haile, Bartee (16 March 2005). "Bootleggers Shoot It Out In Galveston" (PDF). The Lone Star Iconoclast. 6 (16): 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- Nieman, Robert (Fall 2008). "Galveston's Balinese Room" (PDF). Texas Ranger Dispatch (27). Texas Ranger Association Foundation.
- McCaslin, Richard B. (2014). Galveston's Maceo Family Empire: Bootlegging and the Balinese Room. The History Press. ISBN 978-1626197534. [dead link]
- Roberts, Joe (1995). The House of Blue Lights. Black Swan. ISBN 9780552995795.
- Roark, Garland (1964). The Coin of Contraband. Doubleday. ASIN B000XOGSL8.
george musey.
- Finstuen, Doc (January 2002). "Fred Musey: Galveston Bootlegger and Club Operator" (PDF). The Lookout Journal. 1 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-13.