78 Facts About Shondor Birns

Alex Birns, best known as Shondor Birns, was a Jewish-American organized crime figure, racketeer and crime boss from Cleveland, Ohio, who was once labeled by the local newspapers as the city's "Public enemy No 1".

In November 1920, Shondor Birns' mother was tending to the 10-gallon still in their apartment, when a faulty gas connection caused an explosion.

Shondor Birns's clothing caught fire and was engulfed in flames.

Shondor Birns ran outside screaming, where a passing motorist helped extinguish the flames and drove her to the hospital.

Shondor Birns grew up quickly, and took a job as a newspaper boy during the tough circulation wars.

Shondor Birns dropped out of school after 10th grade in 1922 and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1923, but was discharged six months later because he was underage.

Shondor Birns was prolific in his criminal activities, having several stacks of arrest records that are currently located in the Cuyahoga County Archives.

Shondor Birns was convicted of car theft in 1925, for which he served 18 months in the Mansfield Reformatory.

Shondor Birns soon acquired an assault conviction in which Birns broke the jaw of a motorist who had taken too long to make his turn in front of Birns.

Shondor Birns soon developed a knack for beating legal charges.

At the age of 19, Shondor Birns was convicted of auto theft and served two years in prison.

Shondor Birns became a ranking member of Diamond's gang during the battles for control of the city's dry cleaners and launderers.

Shondor Birns was released, but only after paying $2 for two overdue traffic tickets.

Later in the year, Shondor Birns was arrested by the police.

Shondor Birns told the reporter that he was serving his time happily and enjoying the hard work.

Shondor Birns was labeled as "Cleveland's Public Enemy No 1" by the local press.

Shondor Birns was sitting at Keystone with two of his fellow gang members when he rose to retrieve some cigars from his overcoat which he had checked in the coat room.

Shondor Birns had misplaced his cheque and could not produce it when asked for it by the coatroom girl.

Over her objections, Shondor Birns entered the coatroom, shoving her aside in the process, and retrieved some cigars from his coat.

Shondor Birns then returned to the table, had two more drinks, and smoked one cigar.

Shondor Birns muttered something and the two lunged at each other.

Shondor Birns denied ownership of the gun and would not reveal who shot him.

Shondor Birns refused to identify Duncan as the man who shot him.

Many of Shondor Birns's clients were judges, politicians and police officers of high rank.

At the time, Shondor Birns was unaware of the Immigration Act of 1917 which required any alien convicted of a crime of moral turpitude to gain permission prior to entering or leaving the country.

In 1942, at the height of World War II, Shondor Birns was arrested on a deportation warrant based on the auto theft and bribery convictions.

Shondor Birns was regarded as a celebrity gangster and had many public sympathizers in what was generally seen as a vendetta.

Shondor Birns opened his Ten-Eleven Club at 1011 Chester Avenue in Downtown Cleveland.

Shondor Birns managed to bypass that by disguising his connections to the Alhambra.

Shondor Birns was determined to firmly keep this traditionally Afro-American racket under his control.

In October 1956, Shondor Birns sent an emissary to King and his colleagues demanding that they pay $200 a week as street tax, or suffer the consequences.

Uninjured, he went to the police and accused Shondor Birns of ordering the bombing.

Shondor Birns's attorney told the judge she was told that she and her 12-year-old daughter would be killed if she testified.

In spite of being diligently pursued by law enforcement for most of his life, Shondor Birns eventually came to respect and admire the city's police officers.

Once, when he was under a 24-hour surveillance, Shondor Birns was leaving a Cleveland Indians baseball game.

Shondor Birns happened to notice the two detectives assigned to follow him and flagged them over.

Shondor Birns was convicted of assault and battery and was sent to the Warrensville Workhouse for nine months.

The relentless prosecutors didn't give up and accused Shondor Birns of trying to contact a juror in the second case.

Shondor Birns said he had merely asked an Alhambra waitress to see if the juror would be fair to him.

In 1959, Shondor Birns was shot at by an unknown assailant as he arrived home.

The gunman missed, whereupon Shondor Birns cruised the neighborhood on the lookout for him.

Shondor Birns was arrested and brought to the booking window at Central Station.

Shondor Birns changed his mind again and reluctantly agreed to testify.

Shondor Birns had been suspected of two murders, including that of a financier named Mervin Gold.

Shondor Birns had been beaten, strangled with a clothesline and shot in the chest.

Shondor Birns was shot three more times in the skull.

Shondor Birns's wife told police that Gold was on his way to meet with Birns the night he was murdered.

Shondor Birns told the doctor a firecracker caused the injury.

On Wednesday morning, Shondor Birns called John Kocevar, chief deputy Cuyahoga County sheriff.

Shondor Birns arranged to surrender at a meeting spot in suburban Garfield Heights.

Shondor Birns was taken to Central Station for questioning by the head of the Homicide Unit, Lieutenant Carl Delau.

Amid aggressive interrogation by Delau, Shondor Birns insisted he had been dining on frog legs in a Garfield Heights steakhouse at the night of Gold's murder.

Shondor Birns claimed that he was at home with a woman of fine character.

Shondor Birns did not name her, but said she was willing to testify for him.

Shondor Birns's bail was set at $50,000, which he posted with ease.

Shondor Birns had married Jane in 1952, and had one son, Michael, with her.

Shondor Birns laid off or distributed big bets to other cities like Pittsburgh, so no single operator lost too much if a number came up.

In 1968, after a massive investigation into his assets by the Internal Revenue Service, Shondor Birns was convicted and sent to federal prison for lying about his assets.

However, when longtime Cleveland family boss, John Scalish died, Birns teamed up with the faction backing James T Licavoli as the new boss.

Shondor Birns was always dealing with heavy opposition from a few Afro-American gangsters who wanted independence from him and the more powerful and politically connected Mafiosi of the Cleveland family.

Several close murder attempts led Shondor Birns to buy a Doberman Pinscher to protect his home.

Several months later, Shondor Birns walked into an east side bar in response to a meeting requested by several Afro-American numbers racketeers.

The relationship between Irish mob boss Danny Greene and Alex Shondor Birns began to sour.

Shondor Birns was jealous of Birns's immense wealth and celebrity status with the Cleveland media and public.

Therefore, Shondor Birns arranged the loan for Greene through the Gambino family.

The Gambino family, from whom Shondor Birns had borrowed the loan, wanted their money paid back.

Shondor Birns pressed Greene but Greene flatly refused to pay; instead asserting that it wasn't his fault that it got lost.

Shondor Birns, known for his ruthless enforcement of debts, demanded repayment and threatened Greene.

The situation escalated when Shondor Birns placed a bounty on Greene's head, offering money to anyone who would kill him.

In retaliation, Shondor Birns gave $25,000 to an associate to hire a hit man for Greene to be murdered, especially in the event of any harm befalling him.

Shondor Birns was blown several feet through the roof of the car and his torso landed near the passenger door.

Shondor Birns' nose was broken when his body landed on the street after being blown out the top of his car.

Shondor Birns's hair was scorched off from the heat of the blast.

Shondor Birns's severed legs landed fifty feet away and other smaller parts of him were scattered all over the place.

Shondor Birns was white but it didn't make no difference.

Shondor Birns was a feared man, but a genial and generous man, holding court almost daily at the Theatrical Lounge where he lunched.

Shondor Birns's widow was oblivious to his conflict with Danny Greene, as her husband had largely concealed his underworld activities from her.

Shondor Birns's remains are held at Hillcrest Cemetery in Bedford Heights, Ohio.