The Story of the Real Godfather of Harlem (BUMPY JOHNSON)

[Music] Al Capone may have ruled over Chicago lucky luchano may have controlled nearly all of New York but when it came to Harlem there was only one name that mattered Bumpy Johnson you might not be familiar with his name yet he was one of the most influential gangsters in American underworld history from 1930s to the 1960s he was considered the Godfather of Harlem a neighborhood in Northern Manhattan where he held absolute control W to on an illegal gambling operation you had to go through bumpy want to open a Speak Easy you had to go through

bumpy want to do anything illegal in Harlem you had to go through bumpy even Frank Lucas the notorious drug trafficker played by Denzel Washington an American Gangster was one of his right-hand men he once said if you wanted to do business in Harlem you did it with Bumpy Johnson or you were dead whenever the police or politicians needed something something they turned to him even the mafia had to go through bumpy to conduct business in Harlem no other African-American gangster of that era had ever achieved such power and influence at a time when racial discrimination

was deeply ingrained black men had to fight through obstacles just to claim a piece of the American dream even in the criminal underworld Bumpy Johnson was the exception to the rule but before becoming the Godfather of Harlem he like many others started at the very bottom here is his [Music] story you know back in the day if you wanted to stay safe you had to watch your back make sure no one was following you keep your business quiet today the real threats aren't in the streets they're online hackers data brokers people looking to snatch your

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$23 a month plus four extra months free and if you don't like it there's a 45-day money back guarantee no questions asked so yeah if you're online you need a VPN hit the link in the description and stay protected [Music] bumpy whose real name was Ellsworth Raymond Johnson was born on October 31st 1905 in Charleston South Carolina during this time in the United States racial segregation was still in effect so his family settled in the city's black neighborhood the Johnson's were a modest family respected in their Community they were also very religious and attended church

regularly his father William worked as a fisherman while his mother Margaret worked as a domestic servant Mr and Mrs Johnson had eight children Margie Priscilla Pauline Willie Mabel Lena Elise and finally Ellsworth nicknamed bumpy a name he would keep for Life due to a bump on the back of his skull around the age of one or two bumpy spent the entire year living with his father and brother Willie the reason for this was that his mother had two jobs one in Charleston where the Johnson family lived and another in New York there she took her

three eldest daughters Pauline Mabel and Lena with her to help her work as a domestic servant although she would returned to Charleston once her seasonal work in New York was over her absence from the family home created a void in young Bumpy's life he sought a maternal figure in one of his older [Music] sisters at school he was said to be incredibly intelligent and talkative so much so that he had skipped two grades at the public school in Charleston ironically he would never finish High School a source of Shame for bumpy who had been raised

in a family that greatly valued education as a result he didn't hesitate to lie claiming that he had attended a prestigious School in Charleston where the wealthiest black families send their children or that he had attended a prestigious University in New York however he was so clever and Charming that no one ever questioned him when he claimed to have a college education bumpy also had a rebellious side and was always very sensitive to the racial injustices faced by black people in the segregated South in fact his family found itself in turmoil due to these racial

discriminations when he turned 10 years old at that time Willie his 19-year-old brother was accused of killing a white man in South Carolina an area known for taking matters into their own hands when when a black person committed an offense against a white person the horrific lynching of Kit bookard in 1904 in Berkeley County located about 60 km from the Johnson family home served as a perfect [Music] example kit bookard a 21-year-old black man went fishing one day with six white men but on the way back a dispute broke out between bookard and one of

the men bookard threatened to strike him apparently because the man had struck his younger sister and he wanted Revenge however Revenge was something he could not fulfill when they returned to town he was arrested because of the quarrel and forced to pay a $5 fine the problem was he didn't have the money to pay it he was then thrown into prison but while there a group of white men demanded he be handed over and that's when everything escalated they took him to the edge of a river and tortured him they scalped him gouged out his

eyes cut off his genitals and tongue then tied him to a grate and threw him into the river to drown none of the people responsible for this crime were ever brought to justice so when Willie Bumpy's older brother returned home and told his family that he was accused of killing a white man the Johnson's panicked they wanted to save their son from a possible lynching so they quickly got him out of town and sent him to to New York where Margie and Pauline were already living bumpy joined them later in 1919 his father had arranged

for him to be sent to his older sister Mabel who lived in Harlem hoping to give him the opportunity for a better life at that time bumpy was 14 years old and was rather small for his age a small size he made up for with his tough guy attitude but sometimes that wasn't enough and bumpy became the target of the bullies in his neighborhood one such altercation happened on his first day at school in Harlem he was only two blocks away from his school when he crossed paths with six other teenagers standing on the straight

Corner throwing dice against the building he slowed down and took a glance and just as he was about to walk away he heard one of the boys call out to him and felt someone grab his arm Hey You country what you got in your pocket my hand why you got a problem with that old country boy got some mouth on him said one of the bullies named juny with a laugh well take your hand out your pocket and let me see what else is in there said another boy nicknamed 6 and8 as he stepped closer

man you don't want me to take my hand out of my pocket cuz if I do I'm going to smash it against your head meanwhile the other boys were betting on who would win the fight between six and bumpy Finley bet on six while another boy named Nat placed his money on bumpy it was six who threw the first punch he aimed for Bumpy's chin but missed bumpy being smaller and faster easily dodged it causing his opponent to lose his balance then bumpy pulled his hand out of his pocket and as promised six was going

to regret it his fist landed squarely in the middle of six's face breaking his nose six fell to his knees as blood sprayed everywhere Bumpy's second punch hit six in the side weakening him even more yet six was still not down he clung to Bumpy's pants trying to push himself back up but bumpy struck again and this time when he hit him coins fell from his fist and Scattered on the ground Finley who had bet on six saw the cheating and shouted that's not fair he's fighing dirty on his side bumpy kept Landing punch after

punch on his opponent he finally managed to make six release his grip on his pants and knocked him down with a violent kick between the legs however it seemed that bumpy wasn't finished yet as at that moment he was preparing to deliver another kick to six's head but before he could do so a hand grabbed the back of his collar and he was thrown against a car okay L you didn't want me my money already but I can't let you kill my boy here said Nat [ __ ] you replied bumpy now ready to fight

Nat Nat smiled and responded gradually backing away from bumpy I ain't fighting you man like I said you didn't warn me my money and you better be glad there was money riding on this fight else we all would have jumped your ass this time it was Bumpy's turn to smile and I would have kicked all your asses and I still will after that bumpy Nat Finley and juny became close friends in enduring friendship that would last until the end of their lives following this encounter bumpy never set foot in school again every morning he would

leave his sister Mable's apartment to meet his new friends they would go out to try to make money playing pool shooting CPS or selling newspapers they soon started sweeping the sidewalks in front of certain businesses in Harlem and they earned even more money but was clearly the brains of the gang and it didn't take him long to realize that he and his friends could make even more by offering their protection to some of the new stores in the neighborhood and it was through this that he met bub huet bub huet was one of those Fearless

thugs in Harlem who never walked around without a knife a baseball bat or a gun in hand they would use any excuse to pull out their weapons whether it was against the police or Irish gangsters who dared set foot on their Turf of all these criminals bub was the most violent standing at 61 with an imposing build he was the kind of guy you didn't want to mess with bub made his living by extorting money from local businesses in exchange for protection from local thugs one day he and bumpy met when bub heard about the

opening of a grocery store on 7th Avenue he went there to offer his protection services but to his surprise the store owner told him he had already paid for protection and pointed to bumpy who was leaning against Bub's black Lincoln arms crossed glaring at him through the store's [Music] window that L bub said laughing at the store owner at the time bumpy was 16 years old about to face a gangster almost twice his age who was also a good 10 cm taller than him get up off my car little you know who I am yeah

I know you're bub huet now I'm off your car so get off my BL block your block how the hell is this your block cuz me and my boys claimed it at least we claim in this store at that moment bub could have easily knocked young bumpy out with a single punch but he admired the kids's guts so he offered to partner up and that's how bumpy began his rise in the Harlem underworld [Music] by now bumpy hadn't been to school for several months his sister Mabel was worried and insisted every day that he go

back but seeing all the money he was bringing home she started to leave him alone more and more in the 1920s bumpy and his crew made their living through all sorts of rackets as well as burglaries they no longer just protected grocery store or restaurant owners they expanded their Protection Services to club and Speak Easy owners as well during this time bub h who had developed a fondness for bumpy suggested that he and his crew diversify by offering protection to owners of illegal lotteries in Harlem some of these owners were among the richest in the

neighborhood earning several thousand doll a week all tax-free these people didn't hesitate when it came to protecting their money they were willing to pay for the toughest bodyguards in town bumpy seized the opportunity to make even more money from then on he quickly became one of the best in this field to the point where he was one of the most sought-after bodyguards in Harlem his reputation grew day by day and it was about to take off thanks to someone known at the time as the queen of the illegal Lottery none other than Stephanie stclair [Music]

Stephanie stclair was a French born gang leader in Harlem she operated in the gambling business and by the 1920s had built a vast criminal Empire in the neighborhood she hired bumpy to protect one of her many illegal lotteries impressed by his protection skills she made him her personal bodyguard bumpy would escort her when she went to see a place and a quick friendship developed between the two bumpy admired St Clair's class but also the fact that she was always ready to fight to protect what was hers this came to light in the 1930s when the

mafia tried to take a slice of the illegal gambling business in Harlem the underground Lottery made a lot of money in that part of New York so it was natur for the mafia to want to get involved Dutch Schultz a gangster linked to New York's five families took charge of the [Music] [Music] operation Schultz operated in the Bronx and had made a fortune through alcohol smuggling during Prohibition in 1933 with Prohibition repealed he was forced to find new sources of income to expand his Empire he turned to a very profitable business the illegal lottery in

Harlem we're in the middle of the Great Depression and at the time an illegal gambling game had become widespread in Harlem the numbers game the numbers game was like a lottery for the poor The Gambler had to pick three numbers and if the numbers were drawn the next day they won a prize based on their bet to participate in the numbers game all you needed to do was bet $1 with the hope of winning $600 the temptation to play was immense for the people of Harlem who usually earned only $10 to15 a week by the

early 1930s this business was generating more than $50 million annually an enormous amount especially considering the economic hardship the country was facing some of the lottery owners were making more money than the president of the United States which was a clear indication of the scale of the operation it didn't take long for Dutch Schultz to learn about this opportunity his goal was to grab a slice of the pie and when you knew the man you understood that this threat had to be taken seriously Schultz was a paranoid man he could kill for pleasure and answered

everything with violence on one occasion he and his men had beaten a man almost to death tied him up and blindfolded him with a piece of clothing infected with the sexually transmitted dise disease rendering him blind St Clair clearly had reason to be worried Schultz had started sending his men to Harlem to tell the lottery owners that he was ready to join their operations in exchange he promised they wouldn't have problems with the police and offered protection particularly against kidnapping a threat which in reality was perpetrated by his own men from there he managed to

establish himself in Harlem's gambling business and his empire grew significantly something that didn't sit well with St Clair a war between the two factions was now inevitable bumpy on the other hand was still under St Clair's command in the 1920s he had been arrested several times he was sent to prison for burglary serving 2 years out of a 10-year sentence then in 1927 he was sentenced Ed to another 2 years for assault not long after his release he was sent back again for theft but it was after serving this last sentence that things really started

to get serious for him by the end of 1931 bumpy was released from prison after serving 2 and 1/2 years during his absence Stephanie stclair had received a visit from BB huet who now worked for Schultz bub tried to convince St Clair to join their organization which by then had taken control of most of Harlem's Lottery operations this proposition infuriated her the pressure on her crew was only growing stronger ever since her conflict with Schultz she and her men had been the target of driveby shootings her employees were being brutally beaten and some were even

threatened with the worst if they dared to keep working for her despite all these troubles St Clair had managed to keep her gambling Empire alive though on a smaller scale many of her men remained fiercely loyal to the queen of Harlem she knew how to inspire them and would say things like what kind of men would desert a lady in a fight however many couldn't withstand the immense pressure from Schultz and his men they had tried to hold out for as long as possible but the Relentless threats eventually broke their will to keep working for

St Clair she was cornered but she still had one last hope she knew that someone she trusted would soon return to Harlem someone who was always ready to fight especially when a white man tried to take something from black people bumpy was about to make his comeback it had only been 2 days since bumpy was released from prison at 25 years old he was back on the streets of Harlem that's when he ran into bub huet at a bar bub patted him on the shoulder I see you made it home welcome back how they treat

you up there how you think like [ __ ] well you got it right both of them laughed but what was at stake was anything but funny everyone in Harlem knew that Bub worked for Schultz and that he would try to convince bumpy to join them at the same time everyone also knew that St Clair wanted bumpy as her Ally in this war people were left wondering which side bumpy would choose bub went on telling bumpy that he had a job for him yeah what same thing you was doing before you left the streets is

keeping folks in line making sure they do what they supposed to do and what they ain't supposed to be doing is right numbers for anyone but that Jew God shs huh bub then looked at him in surprise so you heard huh yeah I heard while I was in The Joint they say the Jew guy been taking over the numbers in Harlem said he's hired a bunch of treacherous colors to beat up other colors you heard anything about that hot you grown now cuz it seems like you smelling yourself all right you so grown you think

you going to try me nah I ain't going to try you but I'm not expecting you to try me either I ain't in this [ __ ] and I don't see any reason to get in it good to hear at least not right now what's that supposed to mean it means I only been out 2 days so I got to get the lay of the land again see what I'm going to be doing you work for Dutch and I can guarantee you 200 a week I heard you getting paid 300 oh so now you think

you should be getting what I get I told you that you smelling yourself but you's a good man let me talk to schz and see what he says I'm sure we can work something out nah don't do that I can't never see myself sing with the white man over the black man you do what you got to do and I'll see what I'm going to be doing fair enough then the two shook hands and parted ways later that night he went to see Stephanie St Clair I want to take care of the damn Dutchman run

him out of Harlem and back to the damn Bronx where he belongs or better yet kill him and put him out of his misery but Queeny no no but Queeny I want you to kill him or I kill him myself queenny you know I'm not scared but what you talking about is all out War who's going to finance your War you think me got no money I got plenty of money well it's going to take a lot more than just plenty of money figure you're going to have to pay at least 200 a week for

each good men and even if you only have 10 which really ain't near enough that's 2,000 a week in addition to the men you got to buy guns and pay off the cops put up bails and this is not going to be a matter of days or weeks this is going to take months maybe years hell you think you've got enough money to last that long especially with your spots being hit every other day finally bumpy and St Clair organized a meeting with dozens of African-American figures from Harlem's gambling scene most of them expressed doubts

about the bumpy St Clair Alliance winning many were afraid not just of losing money but of losing their lives due to Schultz's looming threat however some chose to stand by their side and that marked the true beginning of the war between Schultz in St Clair in this war bumpy had the unwavering support of his old friends Nat Finley and juny one day while out with them he spotted bub huet on the other side of the street y stay here but in plain sight hey Bub hey I've been looking for you bub responded suspiciously one hand

tucked into his pocket that's when Nat noticed Bub's Hidden Hand bumpy you all right man bumpy signaled to him that everything was fine all while keeping an eye on bu whose hand remained inside his pocket I told you I'd let you know what I was going to be doing remember and I'm working for Queenie man you making the wrong move the Queen's going down the writing is on the W yeah you know that means you're going up against me and my men I know the shit's going to get interesting guess I'll be seeing you around

bumpy yeah man but I'm banking on seeing you first bub and bumpy burst into laughter once again before parting way once back in the car bumpy turned to his friends and said I feel like the president of the United States I just declared war and you guys are my Army now we got to come up with the battle plan the first thing bumpy and his men had to do was find weapons for this they could rely on Finley juny on the other hand was the second brain of the group the ideal person to carry out

Bumpy's plans bumpy therefore was the planner and Nat was in charge of the paybacks a ruthless type who would stop at nothing with his gang of nine men bumpy went after schulz's soldiers they were vastly outnumbered so their only option was to adopt a gorilla strategy in the hopes of prevailing and it must be said they did very well unlike Schultz's men bumpy and his crew Blended in effortlessly as African-Americans in Harlem which gave them a huge Advantage however facing bub huet's crew was a different story bub had a deep grudge against bumpy and the

feeling was Mutual the two factions clashed repeatedly but neither managed to gain the upper hand the bumpy vers bub duel finally ended in April 1933 6 months after the war started when bub in a matter unrelated to the conflict between Schultz and St Clair was sentenced to serve a prison term of 2 to 5 years after his incarceration most of Bub's men abandoned the battle against bumpy except for a few die hards like ulyses Rollins ulyses Rollins had replaced Bob as Schultz's main enforcer in harot in 1934 his intentions were clear he wanted to take

down bumpy upon hearing this news bumpy laughed though he didn't underestimate his new adversary who had a reputation for being a dangerous man moreover Schultz rarely set foot in Harlem which frustrated bumpy because he had never had the chance to reach him Schultz always traveled with multiple bodyguards which made the task even more difficult but bumpy still had one C to play this card involved contacting someone who personally knew Schultz the boss of the New York mafia lucky luchano [Music] bumpy reached out to luchano at the end of 1934 to discussed the ongoing war in

Harlem which was resulting in more and more deaths luano of course was aware of what was happening in that part of New York he listened carefully to bumpy but then told him that he couldn't get involved he added that if he ever decided to stick his nose in he would lay down his terms namely to take over the gambling business in Harlem and add bumpy to his list of employees for about $1,000 per week bumpy was clearly disappointed by his response he then warned luchano that if he tried to Target the illegal Lottery operators in

Harlem he would have no choice but to go after him personally this made luchano laugh and he told bumpy that he had no chance of winning a war against him to which bumpy smiled and responded that's the same thing sha said and here I am 3 years later speaking with you although impressed by Bumpy's audacity luchano remained firm in his stance and the two men left it at that at least for the moment meanwhile the war in Harlem continued to rage it was during the summer of 1935 that bumpy and Rollins first clashed it happened

when bumpy was taken a girl out to dinner the two were walking calmly when bumpy saw Rollins pull out a knife and charge at him the two men rolled on the ground fought for a while and then bumpy got up and adjusted his tie he had severely slashed rollins' face and body who was left lying on the ground one of his eyeballs was hanging by the ligaments practically out of its socket after the altercation bumpy calmly stepped over him and then announced that he suddenly had a craving for spaghetti and meatballs Rollins seriously injured was

taken to the hospital but true to his reputation as a tough guy he left the same night covered in bandages searching for bumpy he found him at a restaurant on 125th Street and when he spotted him he didn't hesitate for a second he drew his weapon and aimed for his head fortunately for bumpy the bullet only went through his hat and ended up hitting an innocent woman killing her instantly Rollins was eventually arrested by a police officer who happened to be in a restaurant that night and received a heavy sentence one could say bumpy got

lucky in fact that day he made a decision he would never wear hats again at this time bumpy still wanted Schultz dead a wish that would eventually be granted in October 1935 when luchano and other members of the American organized crime syndicate decided that Schultz had to be eliminated Schultz was being relentlessly pursued by the law at that point and to escape and calm things down he had decided to kill a prosecutor named Thomas dwey A solution that was simply unacceptable to luchano and his associates as a result Dutch Schultz was shot in a restaurant

in New Jersey and died in the hospital shortly after the bumpy stclair Clan had won Harlem was once again free and the war was finally over the only question left was how the illegal lotteries would be organized now that Schulz was dead would lucky luchano sweep everything away possibly sidelining bumpy bumpy would soon get answers to his questions as a week after Schultz's death he had another meeting with luchano [Music] [Music] [Music] with Schultz out of the picture bumpy and luchano met again this time at the request of the Italian mafia boss luchano let bumpy

speak first then the two men discussed several points bumpy first stated that he was aware that he couldn't win a war against luchano but he certainly couldn't just sit idly by and let the Harlem gambling business slip away from African-Americans after listening to bumpy luchano declared that he was willing to leave all the Harlem gambling operators alone at least those who had supported him during the war he then added that any new Lottery opening in the neighborhood would now fall under the control of the mafia after that bumpy asked to become lano's partner in Harlem

meaning the mafia would not take any action there without his agreement and a share of the business bumpy and luchano then negotiated for hours on these points don't you realize I'm doing you a favor I could kill you right now and just take over everything smiling bumpy replied that he knew luchano was far too Savvy a businessman to do such a thing the negotiations continued and the two men eventually laughed together reaching an agreement bumpy had successfully negotiated a peace with honor and had stood his ground against New York's biggest Crime Boss an achievement that

the people of Harlem would not soon forget and many would admire him for it after the meeting with luchano everyone wanted to be his friend do something for him or his associates eager to stay in his good graces drinks were always on the house whenever he entered a bar or club more and more women flocked to him and more celebrities even came to introduce themselves but what bumpy liked most about his new status was seeing the Italian gangsters respect the deal he had made with luchano none of them could meddle with the lotteries owned by

bumpy and his friends or they would have to confront bumpy himself everything was going smoothly until the day a problem arose with one of the lottery managers bumpy was protecting to resolve the issue luchano some him one afternoon to his luxurious suite at the Waldorf [Music] Historia so what's been going on Uptown nothing new is that so I hear the money has not been so good lately really I'm sorry to hear you say that anything I could do to help we're both business men let's lay our cards on the table you got a problem you

come to me and I straighten it out I'm the boss remember that we had a deal you don't move against any of the independent Bankers this man you're talking about he owes us money the way it's figured if he owes us we own him understand no I don't understand if you had a problem with one of my people then why didn't you come to me and Harlem I'm the boss remember that you now you're the boss in Harlem yes you may control the rest of New York and I respect that I would never make a

move against one of your friends I give you that respect I recognize that bumpy and you know I'm a man who gives respect don't matter to me if they're a Jew a mick or we all want to make some money ehh Live and Let Live exactly the two men then continued their conversation and eventually came to an understanding bumpy was about to leave when he noticed a chest Ford on a table you play huh yeah you never mind I should have figured that what do you mean you're a man who always seems to have his

moves planned two steps ahead so do you me nah I plan four or five moves ahead bumpy and luchano sat down at the chessboard and played a few games bumpy won the first one luchano took the next and the remaining two ended in a draw which became a tradition every time they played chess together thus a friendly relationship developed between the two men their chess games would continue until 1936 when luchano was sent to prison for forced prostitution in fact bumpy joined him a year later after being arrested for criminal assault he had attacked a

pimp who had beaten one of the girls he was protecting and received a 10year sentence for it he was then sent to damura prison where luchano was incarcerated it's even said that bumpy once saved Lucky in the prison yard by shoving and hitting a man who had tried to stab him this favor reportedly earned him some good Italian food during his stay bumpy was released from damura in 1947 but when he returned to the streets of Harlem things had changed things like they supposed to be bumpy the Italians got things all tied up now they

might not even let you open a spot let me open a spot since when I need permission from a GRE bar to open a spot like I said things got different nowadays no one opens the spot unless it's sanctioned by the Italians up on the east side a few days later bumpy went to the east side to meet Joe Adonis the acting head of lucho's operations since he had been deported to Italy bumpy didn't like Adonis much he found him Vain and pretentious the type of guy who wouldn't pass airor without stopping to fix his

hair and admire himself however he did recognize some qualities in him Adonis knew how to handle business and he was fairly loyal when they met he was with Frank Castello Meer Lansky Tommy lucazi and Albert Anastasia the kind of people luchano trusted to carry out his orders from prison and later from Italy during his exile during their meeting the Italian mobster gave him a welcome gift a thick envelope with $6,000 in a brand new 1947 black Lincoln Continental nice but I prefer Cadillacs no problem take the Lincoln now I'll replace it with the Cadillac in

a couple days this is going to come in handy cuz I'm going to be swinging back in action in a couple of days yeah that's nice what kind of action you talking about same kind of action I was in before I went up I'm opening up a bank you got the okay for that bumpy what kind of okay you talking about for our friends you talk this over with our friends man I don't need to talk it over with nobody I'm going back in action for myself like always I'll set up a meeting and you

can come and talk we'll see what happens later that evening bumpy received a call and the next day he went to meet with the Italians in east side Harlem he wasn't alone Nat juny and two other friends accompanied him all were armed just in case the situation escalated at the meeting there were six Italian Mobsters including Joe Adonis bumpy and his men calmly sat around a table with them we hear you want to get back into business and we want to help said Anthony solo known as Fat Tony an Italian gangster who was Rising in

through the ranks at the time and would later become the head of the geneves family at this point he was in charge of the Harlem gambling business for the mafia you know we always liked you and we know you're a man worthy of respect what's it you thinking of doing well I thank you for your gracious offer of help and also thank you for your gifts you've already given me but I don't want to impose on our friendship you've already done so much I'm just going to reopen my numbers Bank on 135th Street so I

can take care of myself ah but my friend that won't be so easy as that yeah seems to me it should be pretty easy well I'm sure you know things have changed since you've been gone that's the way things go time goes on things change you want to open up a spot on 135th Street fine we'll be glad to let you do that but you got to understand you run the spot but you Bank your number through us you know we're going to give you a good cut you're a man who's earned that respect then

I expect you to respect the deal that was cut before I left I run my own business with no interference from anyone that deal was cut from some friends who are no longer running things like I said time goes on things change you want to do business you do business to us I had a deal and as far as I'm concerned the deal is still on the table the people at the head of the table have changed and the deal has changed but bumby refused to be intimidated he let out a small laugh then stood

up with his men I guess this meeting is over he then looked at Adonis you need to get word out to our friend about what's going on and that I'm not too happy about it you're trying to give me orders bumpy at that point Nat stepped forward but bumpy pushed him back said no I wouldn't presume to give you orders just as you know I won't be taking orders and as far as I'm concerned we're equals like we've always been but I am requesting that when you next make contact with our friend you give him

my best regards and let him know I was very happy to be of assistance while we were away together bumpy was of course referring to the time he had saved lucho's life at damura after this statement he and his men left the meeting they stopped in front of a store window to discuss the situation we going back to war maybe I don't know yet I got to figure out our next move so okay bumpy what's your first move I'm thinking we snatch a couple of them the scenario seemed unbelievable a group of African-Americans discussing removing

members of the mafia unbeknownst to them bumpy and his men were talking in a location where the New York police had placed a bug in fact one of the city's inspectors who listened to the tape couldn't believe his ears he had to replay the recording twice because he found it so hard to believe fortunately no violence was needed Adonis had informed luchano about the situation and luchano had told him that not only did the mafia have to honor the deal he made with bumpy but they also had to give him everything he [Music] wanted why

didn't you tell me what you did for our friend asked Donis to bumpy sometime later handing him the keys to a brand new black Cadillac it wasn't for me to tail from that point on bumpy was able to solidify his dominance over Harlem no one could stand in his way anymore then the unthinkable happened [Music] following his agreement with the Italians bumpy was able to open his Lottery on 135th Street it was a lucrative business earning him nearly $60,000 a month his reputation continued to grow on the streets of Harlem everything was going well and

until the day he met a man named flash Walker flash Walker was a young orphan penniless and looking for work with bumpy a friend of his who knew bumpy introduced him to the Godfather of Harlem one evening in December 1948 that night bumpy took pity on him and hired him to help his wife with certain household tasks at the time flash was 19 he was talkative and according to some had an almost enchanting charm he quickly integrated into the Johnson family to the point of becoming like a son to bumpy who had none and would

never have any bumpy genuinely liked him and the feeling was Mutual their bond became so strong that it even made his two daughters a little jealous no kidding the two of them grew very close to the point that bumpy started to trust him more and more and offered him a position in one of his Lottery businesses flash had a knack for Charming people and getting them to bet more than they should it didn't take long for him to become Bumpy's most profitable employee then came a moment when bumpy trusted flash enough to allow him to

accompany him to some important meetings including those with the Italians by the way as an anecdote it's possible that Frank Lucas the' 70s heroin dealer portrayed by Denzel Washington an American Gangster took credit for the relationship flash Walker had with bumpy so Lucas may never have been as close to bumpy as he claimed to be but anyway that's another story the relationship between Flash and bumpy lasted nearly 2 years before an event came along that changed everything it All Began in 1949 when flash Walker met a pimp who proposed a lucrative deal to him this

man asked flash to cash suspicious checks apparently stolen without raising any suspicion and without having to go through the bank for flash it was a way to make some extra money aside from what he was already earning with bumpy so he accepted the deal and cashed the checks into the account of the man who considered him like a son 4 months later bumpy received a call from his bank asking him to come in to discuss his account it was there that he learned of the scam fortunately for him he managed to sort things out and

resolve the issue however he returned home Furious he paced back and forth in a room thinking to himself that flash could have caused him serious trouble but suddenly one of his 16-year-old daughters came to see him bumpy I'm glad you're here I wanted to tell you that when flash was here earlier today he patted me on the butt at that moment bumpy stopped his mouth a gape he did what Ruthie I've been home all day how come you didn't say anything to me because I wanted to tell bumpy myself bumpy 's face turned purple but

it wasn't over yet as his other daughter also testified he did the same thing to me too Daddy patted me right on the butt and said he couldn't wait to get me alone and it's not the first time he did it bumpy had already headed toward the door he got into His Cadillac and drove off to find flash flash was just leaving his house when bumpy spotted him what happened boss man some [ __ ] went down we got to take care of bumpy didn't say a word got out of the car and landed a

right hook to Flash's face flash didn't even have time to understand what was happening before bumpy was already on top of him punching him and calling him every name in the book you lousy [ __ ] no good I trust you in my house and you turn around and [ __ ] [ __ ] on me I'm going to kill you bumpy continued to hit him and it was a brutal sight Flash's face was becoming unrecognizable bumpy stood over him Breathing heavily then delivered a final kick to his head and shouted stay away from me

and my family else I'm going to [ __ ] kill you next time after that flash called bumpy every hour trying to speak to him but bumpy would hang up on him each time bumpy discussed the situation with his old friends during a card game man you know damn well you should have went ahead and killed that little if you was going to beat him like that [ __ ] ass kicking like that in front of everyone he ain't going to forget that [ __ ] you done made an enemy for life like I give

a [ __ ] I'm with junor on this one I lay odds that he's going to come back at you why don't you go ahead and take care of him mind your business man I did what I had to do and it's over then not grunted that knows too much if you ain't going to take care of him I will I never did trust that little [ __ ] bumpy continued to ignore the advice of his friends perhaps he still had some affection for his Protege whatever the case he would bitterly regret this decision when

he learned one evening that flash was planning with one of his ex-girlfriends to hide a packet of heroin under one of the cushions on his sofa then call the police to get him busted they all gathered in his living room for an emergency meeting for half an hour bumpy and his friends discussed what should be done once the meeting was over they all went out together to hunt for Flash unfortunately it was already too [Music] late bumpy was later arrested at his home by two narcotics agents he was taken to the narcotics Bureau where he

learned that flash had ratted him out to the cops when he was arrested for a heroin case in December 1950 at the time flash had told the police he was selling drugs for bumpy which apparently wasn't true as even the narcotics officers didn't believe him none of them had ever heard that bumpy was involved in the drug trade that's when the feds got involved and for them even if bumpy was telling the truth that he wasn't involved in drugs they knew that by arresting him they could clean up Harlem by forcing him to name the

drug dealers operating there as a result bumpy spent a fortune trying to prove his innocence unfortunately for him it wasn't enough the feds wouldn't let up they harassed him asking him to give names in exchange for dropping the case but bumpy told them to go to hell every time it wasn't until June 1953 that the trial took place during all this time bumpy had remained free on bail he was relatively confident when it came time for his judgment the jury deliberated for only 3 hours before announcing their verdict a good sign according to his lawyer

since juries typically took longer when they were declaring the guilt of a defendant yet against all expectations bumpy was found guilty on two counts of drug trafficking his loved ones were shocked he was going to be sentenced to 15 years in prison he would spend most of his time in detention at Alcatraz a prison that housed the most dangerous criminals in the country at the time at this Penitentiary guards referred to prisoners by their identification numbers rather than their names which was a way of breaking them morally the federal government even ensured that the prison

was designed in such a way that escape would be impossible still that didn't stop Frank Morris in the England brothers from escaping in 1962 it was the only Escape in the history of this high security prison and it is said that to carry out this incredible Escape they received help from a person with solid contacts outside a person who helped them obtain a boat to cross San Francisco Bay someone who was none other than Bumpy Johnson himself [Music] in the end bumpy served only 10 years in prison and was released on parole in 1963 juny

came to pick him up in a 1962 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and the news of his return spread throughout Harlem soon the streets were filled with people welcoming him people clapped and threw confetti as the car passed by it felt like the president of the United States was parading through bumpy stood up tears in his eyes and waved to the crowd yeah it seemed the people of Harlem hadn't forgotten him even after all this time in the end the scene hinted at a kind of farewell that was soon to come bumpy had heart problems that had

started at the beginning of 1967 and they would claim his life a year later on July 7th 1968 he was about to eat at a restaurant in Harlem that night when his heart gave out he was 62 years [Music] old the brutal death of Bumpy Johnson shocked everyone it marked the end of one of Harlem's most memorable figures often described as a gangster with a social conscience a criminal who played the role of a philanthropist helping the less fortunate in his neighborhood a few hundred people gathered to pay their final respects to the man considered

the Robin Hood of Harlem however this Robin Hood was still a racketeer a pimp and a drug trafficker because yes even though bumpy insisted until his death that he had been framed for the drug trafficking charges that sent him to Alcatraz in the 1950s he would later get involved in the drug trade in the 1960s ultimately bumpy was a smart guy who could have become a lawyer or a doctor but he ended up as a gang leader it said that he regretted not continuing his studies what people will remember about him is the African-American man

from a poor background Who Rose to the top of the New York underworld with just a handful of loyal men he managed to stand up to the powerful Italian mafia becoming its sole Ambassador in Harlem a gangster who spent 26 years of his life in prison was shot at 15 times and was described by the prosecutor in his 1953 trial as one of the most dangerous criminals in the history of Harlem [Applause] sh sh [Music] I just want you to know it's around of unnown but if it stick together nothing can go wrong so if

I made this far and I don't point you all way you got to listen to what I have to say I need to tell you that's what I'm going to do tell you how I feel for you for you how I really care I do tell you I love every little thing but you yeah you you're my dream come true tell you I want you to be [Music] thank you all for watching my video all the way through as always if you enjoyed it feel free to reward my work by liking the video and sharing

it otherwise I hope you enjoyed the story of Bumpy Johnson I personally had a great time creating it thanks again to cyber ghost VPN for sponsoring today's video if you're you're serious about protecting your personal info and accessing content from around the world don't wait click the link in the description to get started with cyber ghost you can enjoy complete online privacy unblock streaming libraries and protect up to seven devices all for just $23 a month with 4 months free plus there's a 45-day moneyb guarantee so it's risk-free don't miss out protect your digital life

now that's all for now I'll see you again soon take care and see you next time home we're going home