Mafia in West Virginia (Charleston, Huntington: homes, buyer, high school)
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I always heard about La Cosa Nostra (Italian-American organized crime) around Fairmont, WV and also Boomer, WV in Fayette County? But is there any truth to it? Also heard it about a now defunct deli on 4th Avenue in Huntington. Then there was supposed to be Mafia rackets in Wheeling and Weirton. What is the truth on this? Where are the facts?
I've never heard of any such thing growing up in Huntington but you never know. There's also a VERY small Italian population here so that makes it even less likely.
Facts? Since when does the presence of the mafia often support itself with facts, lol.
Being relatively new to the North-Central region, all I hear are tales from co-workers who are life-long residents. One said Fairmont was often referred to as 'Little Chicago' back in the day..
What, if anything, they controlled 'back in the day' would be an interesting factoid. I suppose organized labor? Illegal liquor? Don't know. I'll defer to someone with a greater base of historical knowledge...
"Big Bill" Lias was reputed to be the kingpin in the Wheeling/Weirton area, with ties to the mob in Steubenville and Cleveland. Supposedly he was big in numbers and bootlegging.
The facts lie in the graves...and minds of a few still living. Here is what I know about them....told to me by reputable folks..I've been wondering when this topic would arrive.
Fairmont was the last depot for the Al Capone/Joe KeXXedy bootleg operation out of Canada/Chicago...The whiskey was the best Canada could manufacture and 16 distilleries were built to provide the needed volume. It was hauled in trucks from Chicago to Wheeling to Fairmont on Rt 250...deliveries were brought in and the trucks sometimes returned with stolen furniture or other goods brought up from other areas of the state.
In the 50's and 60's many mafia people retired in Fairmont. Kept low profiles and about all are dead now. A city policeman took me on a tour once when they recirved new cruisers and pointed out several homes belonging to mafia employees.
West Virginia was a central location during the 50's and 60's and used for meetings in private locations...Most of our influence has been the Cleveland people (strickly Italian
and the Philidelphia people...spanish and italian...
During the 70's a shift in control was seen in the dope business...other groups took over.
Now legitimate businesses have been built with the illegal money and reputations have been changing...it's hard to say anything about your employer if you are getting a paycheck.
I knew an old man who ran numbers here. Helped many an old widow too...as the numbers lottery is based on 300. It's a good odd maker and most played their number until it came up..almost once a year...a dollar paid back $100, if my memory served me right...1/3 went to the racketter, 1/3 went to the organization, 1/3 went to the winner. He would make his rounds..just like the milk man or breadman...(some would even run their own small change lottery.
I'm not worried about them so much..they keep things in order...I'll tell this story last.
In the 70's I was bass fishing in the Trough...there were 3 of us...Romney Red was everywhere and about 10 feet high and in bloom. One guy decided to go back a few days later and get some freebee. He loaded his car with several sacks and came home. begun pedaling the pot out of his car. Within 4 hours, a buyer pulled a gun on him and said these words, "Take that S^^t back where you got it or in 24 hours we will put concrete shoes on your feet and drop you off the bridge."
The guy took the pot back to the area where we had been fishing and threw it over the roadbank.
There has been several suicides in Fairmont in the past few years. People ran over by trains. I think three total...all of them at 2:30 am when the coal freight goes out of Barbour County to Pittsburgh. Each of those unfortunates have been the owners of nice cars and flashy clothes...and not really in any business for too long...
This has been a rich part of American history and we will never know much about it because it was illegal and secret.
That's too bad.
Last edited by David Kennedy; 05-01-2008 at 03:03 PM..
Good stories DK, i enjoy reading your posts. Do you ever write books? Sounds like you could write an autobiography with some of the stories i've heard from you in the short time i've been posting here.
I do have one small piece to add to this story. I know a man here in WV, i'll just mention his last name to keep his identity private. His name is Marino, and was pretty active person in the small comminuty i once lived in West-Central, WV. Anyways, he's been known to have unusual visitors meet him in parking lots of supermarkets from New York, and even had a visitor in town who was an NYPD, he came and spoke to our class one time in school.
We all thought it was very strange, however nobody in town wanted to stir too much up over these encounters because they didn't want to be nosey like that. And there really wasn't anything to get all ruffled about.
Anyways, i ran into Marino over the winter, and he was at a high school sporting event down here in the Charleston area watching some teams play ball, and he had a couple of odd looking buddies with him, kinda reminded me of Enterage, except these fellas are in their 50's-60's and 70's, lol.
I do write...every night for a few hours...3 am to 5 am usually...two books in the hopper.
Theme:
Military guy gets shot...finds love interest...they live in West Virginia...over come some tragic situation...learn from it...looking for a publisher...saving up for McClain in Parsons to do it in a year or two.
As for writing about people who need privacy...will never happen.
Next one is begun...about the #9 Coal Mine in Farmington...research has been difficult as few survivors exist...the real story about that event needs to be told. Will be historical fiction just like the others...thanks for asking...
very passionate hobby and CJG/B was my best critic...I miss her a lot...North Carolina got her...one extra fine lady.
I do write...every night for a few hours...3 am to 5 am usually...two books in the hopper.
Theme:
Military guy gets shot...finds love interest...they live in West Virginia...over come some tragic situation...learn from it...looking for a publisher...saving up for McClain in Parsons to do it in a year or two.
As for writing about people who need privacy...will never happen.
Next one is begun...about the #9 Coal Mine in Farmington...research has been difficult as few survivors exist...the real story about that event needs to be told. Will be historical fiction just like the others...thanks for asking...
very passionate hobby and CJG/B was my best critic...I miss her a lot...North Carolina got her...one extra fine lady.
My grandfather was a coal miner, I'm not sure where at. I know my mom and dad both grew up on Dent's Run in Mannington. I know he was involved in the explosion that they had way way back when.
1953...a section ( Main North 5 right...near the junction of the Atha's Portal Supply Track) caught on fire from improper blasting...I believe 5 men were killed in that accident...
and 1968...the explosion that killed 79 miners and changed the history of mine safety. Would you e-mail me your gf name?
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