Murder, Inc. and Pittsburgh

Murder, Inc.

One of the most notorious crime enforcement groups in mafia history, Murder, Inc. was run out of New York City. They worked to do the gruesome side of business for the National Crime Syndicate; that was made up of at least 14 organized crime groups, including the Jewish Mafia and the Italian American Mafia. Murder, Inc. was well-known for their heinous hits. They kept the American public enrapt with the headlines their murders created.

Murder, Inc. had several hitmen in their group, and one of the most notorious was Harry Strauss aka “Pittsburgh Phil.” Pittsburgh Phil was born and raised in Brooklyn. His entrance into organized crime isn’t highly written about, but this group recruited men who had a reputation for being the most brutal and violent in Brooklyn.

Pittsburgh Phil

Phil was known to be an impeccable dresser and had a love for murder. In fact, he would try to take hits himself instead of assigning them to the other contract killers. He once said to a fellow mobster, “Like a ballplayer, that’s me. I figure I get seasoning doing these jobs here. Somebody from one of the big mobs spots me. Then, up to the big leagues.”

It’s rumored that he killed somewhere between 100 – 500 people in his time with Murder, Inc. It wasn’t only that Pittsburgh Phil was a prolific murderer, but it was his ability to evade prosecution for his crimes (though he was really good at getting arrested) and his methods of murder that captivated the 1930s public. No place was safe from his bloodlust. Phil was known to take contracts in several cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, and Miami. After news of his modus operandi spread, law enforcement departments across the country started to tie unsolved cases to Pittsburgh Phil. Detroit and Somers, Connecticut were able to close particularly grisly cases that had long gone unsolved.

Skills of the Trade

Phil didn’t always carry a weapon with him. He was worried that if carried a weapon and got arrested, he’d end up serving time. Instead, he would stake out the area where he was planning to carry out the hit and look for items he could use as weapons. One of his favorite ways to kill was by use of an ice pick. He would also use rope, a knife, or a gun.

It wasn’t just strangers he’d sign on to eliminate. News got to him that one of his former roommates, Walter Sage, had been stealing money from the slot machines he managed. Phil and a few of the other Murder, Inc. boys developed a plan to take him out. During a drive one night, an ice pick from behind took care of Sage. They drove his body to the shore of a lake, and Pittsburgh Phil decided to tie the corpse to a pinball machine — symbolism of what had caused Sage to deceive his cohorts.

To the Clinker

Pittsburgh Phil’s time as a mafia hitman would cause his life to end prematurely. In 1940, Phil was arrested and due to the betrayal of another member of the mafia, he would not be released. Instead, he was held in Sing Sing until June 12,1941, when he was executed by “Old Sparky,” the Sing Sing electric chair.

With the nickname of Pittsburgh Phil, you would think Harry Strauss had some sort of ties to Pittsburgh. But it turns out, his ties to Pittsburgh are in name only. In the book Murder, Inc.: The Story of the Syndicate Turkus states he was called that because, “He was the dandy of the outfit.”

Editor’s Note: It turns out there were two “Pittsburgh Phils” one was a gambler and the other was the gangster in the article.

Sources:

Murder, Inc.: The Story of the Syndicate; Turkus, Burton B.; Bantam Books, New York; 1960.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/mafia-hitmen/5

The Mob Museum