1935 News: Dutch Schultz’s Racial Insult to Bumpy Johnson — 8 Men Dead in a Week

It was a lively Monday night at the Cotton Club in Harlem on September 16th, 1935. The club was filled with over 200 patrons: wealthy white men and women mingling with gangsters, celebrities, and politicians, all enjoying the sights and sounds of one of New York’s most glamorous, yet dangerous, nightspots.

At the back of the club, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, a respected Harlem gangster, sat quietly alone, sipping a bourbon and watching the entertainment unfold. The evening was calm, just like any other night. Bumpy was known for his quiet intensity, but that night, nothing would be ordinary.

The tension began when Dutch Schultz, one of the most powerful and dangerous bootleggers in New York, stood up from his reserved table. His face flushed red from the whiskey and rage that had been building throughout the evening. With his bodyguards in tow, Schultz made his way across the room to Bumpy’s table. The mood in the club shifted immediately, with patrons sensing that something was about to happen.

The Insult That Sparked a War

Schultz didn’t approach Bumpy’s table quietly. Instead, he slammed his hand down on the table, causing Bumpy’s drink to spill, and shouted at him, loud enough for the entire club to hear. “You’ve got some nerve showing your face in here tonight, boy,” Schultz spat. He went on to insult Bumpy in front of everyone, calling him a nobody in the criminal world, belittling his operations, and using racial slurs that reverberated throughout the room.

“Do you think running a few penny-ante policy banks in Negro Town makes you a real gangster?” Schultz mocked. His words echoed through the club, and everyone stopped to listen. Bumpy, despite being humiliated in front of hundreds, didn’t respond with anger. He didn’t lash out or fight back. Instead, he calmly looked up at Schultz, his expression unreadable.

The tension was palpable as Schultz continued his rant, calling Bumpy names, saying that he was doing him a favor by allowing black gangsters to work for him. But Bumpy’s response would shock Schultz, and everyone in the club.

Bumpy Johnson’s Ultimatum

When Schultz finally finished his tirade, Bumpy Johnson, without a trace of emotion, spoke calmly and slowly. “You’ve got seven days to get every one of your people out of Harlem. After that, any white man I find running policy in my neighborhood dies.”

The entire room went silent. The gravity of Bumpy’s words was impossible to ignore. Schultz, however, laughed loudly, mocking Bumpy’s statement as if it were the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “Seven days? This negro thinks he can give me seven days?” he roared, turning to the crowd to emphasize how absurd the situation was. He laughed, but deep down, the threat had landed.

Schultz couldn’t fathom that someone like Bumpy Johnson, a black man in Harlem, could stand up to him, a white gangster. Schultz had spent years dominating the city with his money, guns, and connections. He believed that his power was absolute. But in that moment, Bumpy Johnson made it personal. He didn’t just challenge Schultz’s authority in Harlem; he made it clear that disrespecting black gangsters would come with deadly consequences.

The War Begins: Eight Men Dead in Seven Days

Bumpy’s response was measured, calculated, and ruthless. He knew that Schultz’s empire relied on key operators—collectors, enforcers, and policy bank managers—who made the business run. Instead of going after Schultz directly, Bumpy would strike at the heart of his operation, systematically eliminating eight men in seven days.

Bumpy’s plan was simple: kill the eight men who ran Schultz’s operations in Harlem, one by one, with precision and brutality. These men would be publicly executed, their deaths making a clear statement about what would happen to anyone who disrespected Bumpy Johnson.

The first target, Vincent “Clutch” Mel, was a collector for Schultz, responsible for gathering money from policy banks. On the night of Monday, September 16th, as Schultz was still laughing about the confrontation at the Cotton Club, Mel was ambushed by Bumpy’s men. They tortured him for hours in an abandoned warehouse, breaking his fingers, beating his face, and stabbing him multiple times. After he was finally killed, a note was pinned to his body: One down, seven to go.

The Relentless Pursuit: Bumpy’s Methodical Killings

For the next six days, Bumpy’s men carried out their orders with cold efficiency. Each death was more brutal than the last. On Tuesday, Schultz’s man Raymond “Red” Sullivan was executed in a similar fashion, tortured and killed in a quiet alley. A note was left on his body: Two down, six to go.

By Wednesday, Schultz’s fear began to mount. The bodies were piling up, and each death was accompanied by a chilling note counting down the victims. Dutch Schultz, usually a man of immense power and bravado, was now losing control of the situation. The very men he had trusted to carry out his operations were being picked off one by one, and he had no idea where Bumpy Johnson was or how to stop the killings.

On Thursday, Thomas “Tommy” Brennan was found dead, stabbed 17 times with an ice pick in a gruesome copycat killing of Mel’s murder. The note read: Three down, five to go. Last chance to leave.

By Friday, Schultz’s men were in a state of panic. Every death was a reminder of the price of disrespect. The notes kept coming, urging Schultz to pull out of Harlem or face the complete annihilation of his operations. On Friday evening, Harold “Bunny” Weinstein, Schultz’s top lieutenant, was found executed in broad daylight in one of the busiest parts of the city. The note: Seven down, one to go.

The End of Dutch Schultz: A Fight for Respect

Dutch Schultz had underestimated the power of Bumpy Johnson’s resolve. Schultz spent his last days frantically trying to find Johnson, offering money for information, threatening anyone who might help him, but nothing worked. The community in Harlem, still reeling from the public humiliation at the Cotton Club, refused to cooperate with Schultz’s men. By the time Saturday arrived, Dutch Schultz knew his time in Harlem was over.

The final blow came on Sunday, when Schultz’s last remaining key man, Patrick O’Brien, was killed in a fiery explosion orchestrated by Bumpy’s crew. The note found on O’Brien’s body read: Eight down, zero to go. Harlem belongs to Harlem.

Schultz, realizing that he had lost everything, pulled out of Harlem completely, abandoning his operations and retreating from the neighborhood. Bumpy Johnson’s revenge had been executed with brutal efficiency, and Dutch Schultz’s reign in Harlem was over.

A Legacy of Respect and Power

Bumpy Johnson had not only taken down one of the most powerful gangsters in New York but had also sent a powerful message. By killing eight of Schultz’s men, Johnson proved that respect, particularly racial respect, was not optional in Harlem. He had set a precedent that would govern interactions between black and white gangsters for the next century.

The murder spree was not just about revenge; it was about sending a message that black gangsters would no longer tolerate disrespect. From that day on, anyone looking to operate in Harlem would have to understand that racial slurs, humiliation, and assumptions of superiority would have deadly consequences.

Bumpy Johnson’s actions became legendary, and his influence over Harlem grew even stronger. His ability to maintain control and respect in an environment filled with violence and fear set him apart from every other gangster in New York. He showed that power in Harlem wasn’t about money or guns—it was about respect. And for those who forgot that, the price was steep.

In the end, it wasn’t just the death of eight men that reshaped New York’s criminal underworld—it was the message that came with it: Respect is not optional.