Bessie Starkman
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Bessie Starkman (born Besha Starkman; June 21, 1890 – August 13, 1930) was an
organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...
figure in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada, in the early 20th century. She and her
common-law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prec ...
husband,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
-born
Rocco Perri Rocco Perri (; born Rocco Perre; December 30, 1887 – disappeared April 23, 1944) was an Italian-born organized crime figure in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was one of the most prominent Prohibition-era crime figures in Canada, and was sometim ...
, established a business in bootlegging after the sale and distribution of alcohol was prohibited in both
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and the
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. Starkman dealt mainly with the finances of the business.


Early and family life

Bessie Starkman was born in the
Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...
within the vast
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
on June 21, 1890, to
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
parents Shimon and Gello Starkman. Starkman immigrated to Canada circa 1900, settled in The Ward,
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
with her parents, and married Harry Toben by the age of 18. The couple were married in Toronto on 15 December 1907. She had two daughters with Toben, Gertrude and Lilly. Starkman found life as a housewife within a traditional Orthodox Jewish household to be unbearable and she longed to escape from her marriage. In 1912, Starkman met
Rocco Perri Rocco Perri (; born Rocco Perre; December 30, 1887 – disappeared April 23, 1944) was an Italian-born organized crime figure in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was one of the most prominent Prohibition-era crime figures in Canada, and was sometim ...
, an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
immigrant, while he lived as a boarder in her family home. Shortly after, Perri began an affair with Starkman, and when he got a job working on the
Welland Canal The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller, Ontario, Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lak ...
in 1913, she left her husband and children to move in with Perri in
St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...
and begin a
common-law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prec ...
relationship. After a few weeks of living with Perri, Starkman attempted to return to her husband, who refused to accept her. Starkman later said of her life with Perri in St. Catharines: "We had no friends. We ate bread and swallowed insults. We were marginalized among those who, as immigrants, were already marginalized". In a letter to his mother in Italy, Perri wrote: "We used to work risking not only our health, but in many cases our lives". When the
Canadian government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ( ...
cut funding to the Welland Canal project due to
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Perri became unemployed. After working in a bakery, he was hired as a salesman for the Superior Macaroni Company. However, Perri and Starkman found a better means of income when the ''
Ontario Temperance Act The ''Ontario Temperance Act'' was a law passed in 1916 that led to the prohibition of alcohol in Ontario, Canada. When the Act was first enacted, the sale of alcohol was prohibited, but liquor could still be manufactured in the province or import ...
'' came into effect on September 16, 1916, as it restricted the sale and distribution of alcohol. The couple began bootlegging; using Starkman's business acumen and Perri's connections, they established a profitable enterprise. It was Starkman who suggested bootlegging, but Perri used his network of Italian friends to create the Perri-Starkman gang. Alcohol was still legal in Quebec, and Perri used his network of friends in Montreal to buy alcohol to smuggle into Ontario. By this time the two lived in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, and by 1920, moved into a larger home at 166 Bay Street South. Perri and Starkman also opened brothels in Hamilton, at the time the city with the highest percentage of its women engaged in prostitution in North America. On 9 March 1917, the Hamilton police raided the house at 157 Caroline Street North owned by Perri and Starkman and arrested Starkman for keeping a common bawdy house after the police discovered a prostitute, Mary Ashley, engaged in her trade at the house. Starkman was convicted and fined $50. On 17 November 1917, Starkman gave birth to a son by Perri, but the child died after only two days. On 1 April 1918, the Dominion government banned alcohol everywhere in Canada, a law that remained in effect until 31 December 1919. Perri and Starkman had to smuggle alcohol from the United States into Canada to maintain their business. In 1918, Perri began an affair with Sarah Olive Routledge, with whom he had two daughters. After his first child was born, Perri had refused to marry Routledge, but he maintained a home for her in St. Catharines and paid child support. Their affair resumed in 1920. Perri's job as a macaroni salesman required travel across Ontario; he also used those trips to arrange the sale of
liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...
. Starkman, busy running the finances for their organization, did not question Perri's outings. In February 1922, Routledge was falsely told by Perri's lawyer that he was already married to Starkman. Despondent, Routledge committed
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
by jumping from her lawyer's seventh-story office window of the
Bank of Hamilton The Bank of Hamilton was established in 1872 by local businessmen in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada under the leadership of Donald MacInnes, Donald McInnes, the bank's first President. Like the other Canadian chartered banks, it issued it ...
; her parents took custody of their children.


Criminal operations

Perri and Starkman survived financially in the few years after 1915 from his income as a macaroni salesman and their grocery store on Hess Street. After the ''Ontario Temperance Act'' was passed in 1916, making the sale of alcohol illegal, the couple started selling shots of
Canadian whisky Canadian whisky is a type of whisky produced in Canada. Most Canadian whiskies are Blended whiskey, blended multi-grain liquors containing a large percentage of corn spirits and are typically lighter and smoother than other whisky styles.
on the side. Their bootlegging was done on a small scale, with their kitchen as the centre of operations. Bootlegging became a much larger and more profitable enterprise when Prohibition was declared in Canada nationwide on April 1, 1918 and the Eighteenth Amendment that prohibited sale of alcohol in the United States in 1920. Prohibition on the federal level ended in Canada on 31 December 1919. However, the only province where alcohol was legal was Quebec with the other eight provinces all being "dry". Through the 1920s, Perri became the leading figure in organized crime in
Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...
and was under constant surveillance by police. The government allowed for numerous exceptions, allowing various
breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
and
distilleries Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...
to remain open for the export market. Starkman was the head of operations and the duo's negotiator and dealmaker. Perri diversified into
gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...
,
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...
and
prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
. The couple were also reported to have taken part in
drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...
as early as 1922, when the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
(RCMP) suspected Perri of "dealing in narcotics on a large scale." Both Perri and Starkman were friends with William Whatley, the police chief of Hamilton. Whatley, who had been born in rural Somerset in 1878 was a veteran of the
Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...
who had settled in Canada in 1907 and joined the Hamilton police force in 1910. A colourful, striking figure who dressed flamboyantly and ran the Hamilton police force in a militaristic style, Whatley was very fond of gambling on horses, and he was so close to Starkman that the tabloids accused them of having an affair. In a heavy-handed attempt to silence criticism, Whatley jailed a lawyer who had accused him along with Starkman of cheating him in a deal involving the sale of Canadian government bonds under the grounds to criticize him indicated insanity. In March 1923, the Attorney General of Ontario ordered an investigation into Whatley's business and possibly romantic relationship with Starkman and only Whatley's abrupt death from pneumonia on 17 April 1923 saved him being charged for corruption. Starkman realized that to win market share in both Canada and the United States required the gang to sell high-quality and safe alcohol. In 1924, she negotiated the alliance with Harry C. Hatch, the owner and CEO of the famous
Gooderham & Worts Gooderham and Worts, also known as Gooderham & Worts Limited, was a Canadian distiller of alcoholic beverages. It was once one of the largest distillers in Canada. The company was merged in 1926 with Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., and the merged firm ...
distillery. Gooderham & Worts had been one of the most popular brands of alcohol in Ontario ever since the firm had been founded in 1832, but the company had forced to relocate to Quebec following the banning of alcohol in Ontario in 1916. Hatch was quite willing to sell alcohol to Starkman and Perri provided the orders were placed though his lawyer, and in exchange Starkman obtained the exclusive rights to sell Gooderham & Worts alcohol outside of Quebec, including in the lucrative American market. Hatch stated about his business relationship with the Perri-Starkman gang: "The
Volstead Act The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was an act of the 66th United States Congress designed to execute the 18th Amendment (ratified January 1919) which established the prohibition of alcoholic drinks. The Anti- ...
doesn't stop us from exporting our whisky south of the border; it does, however, prohibit Americans from importing it. There's a big difference". Besides Gooderham & Worts, Starkman made deals with the
Hiram Walker Hiram Walker (July 4, 1816 – January 12, 1899) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in 1838. He p ...
distillery of
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...
, the
Corby Corby is a town and civil parish in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, northeast of Northampton. In 2021 it had a population of 68,164. From 1974 to 2021, it was the administrative headquarters of the Borough of ...
distillery of Belleville, the Tayor & Bate Brewery of St. Catharines, the Kuntz brewery of Kitchener and the
Seagram's The Seagram Company Ltd. (which traded as Seagram's) was a Canadian multinational beverage and during the last few years of its existence, entertainment conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Originally a distiller of Canadian ...
distillery of
Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...
. At the time, many "moonshiners" (home brewers) brewed their alcohol under unsafe conditions and added toxic substances such as formaldehyde, acetone, formic acid, mineral oil, sulfuric acid and creosote to their alcohol to increase their profits by keeping their production costs as low as possible. As such, illness and death from drinking tainted alcohol were major problems in the 1920s in the United States and in the "dry" areas of Canada. The Gooderham & Worts alcohol brewed in Montreal, ostensibly only for sale in Quebec, by contrast was known to be safe to drink and the exclusive contract that Starkman negotiated with Hatch proved to be a major factor in the rise of the Perri-Starkman gang. A report by the
Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...
dated 5 August 1926 about the smuggling of alcohol from Quebec into Ontario declared: "One hundred and twenty-five cases is the usual load, three trips weekly being made, although in one week I remember five trips being made. Mrs. Perri tarkmanappears to be the head of all the Hamilton operations. The orders are all placed by her over long distance telephone...Payments are made in cash in Hamilton...and in no single instance was Rocco Perry's erri'sname mentioned". Starkman who was both more literate and numerate than Perri ran the financial aspects of the Perri-Starkman gang while Perri handled the operational side of the business. "Roc and Bess" as the couple were known appeared to enjoy each other's company and their relationship seemed happy. The Italian-Canadian journalist
Antonio Nicaso Antonio Nicaso (; born 1964) is an Italian author, university professor, researcher, speaker and consultant to governments and law-enforcement agencies originally from Caulonia, Calabria, Italy, now based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Lejtenyi, Patr ...
wrote: "Up to that time, a woman's role in the underworld was relegated to wife and mother, or mistress and prostitute. Until Bessie came along, none had been in a position of authority in a major crime gang-let alone entrusted to manage a massive flow of dirty money". Starkman was known for dressing in a modernist "
flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women prominent after the First World War and through the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee length was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their ...
" style with her hair cut short while wearing expensive clothing and jewelry. She was a great fan of the music of
Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
,
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
,
Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...
and
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
and avidly collected the records of their songs. The house she co-owned with Perri at 166 Bay Street South was the first Hamilton home to have a radio. Their house was valued at $6,100, which was the equivalent of what a construction worker could expect to earn after 15 years of working. Starkman had a moody, sullen personality with many considering her to be a "difficult" woman. Unlike Perri, who was known for being generous with money, Starkman was known for being frugal and tight with money. Perri did not oppose Starkman in financial matters, and she was known to impose loans with onerous conditions on Perri's cousins who were also engaged in bootlegging. Starkman became fluent in the Calabrian dialect of Italian that was Perri's native tongue and she usually spoke to him in this dialect. One report estimates that in the mid-1920s, Perri and Starkman were generating C$1 million per year through criminal endeavours and had a hundred employees. In that era, Perri was a "big spender" and the couple lived an opulent lifestyle. Nonetheless, Perri paid only $13.30 in
income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
based on employment as a macaroni salesman and his "export/mailorder" business in 1926; Starkman, who claimed to be supporting him, paid $96.43. At about that time, some reports indicated that she had between $500,000 and one million in deposits at various banks. In that same year, Perri faced criminal charges in the death of seventeen people who died after drinking illegal liquor, but was
acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...
of the charges. In 1927, Perri was compelled to testify at the Royal Commission on Customs and Excise inquiry, focusing on bootlegging and smuggling, and also at a hearing on
tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...
charges against
Gooderham and Worts Gooderham and Worts, also known as Gooderham & Worts Limited, was a Canadian distiller of alcoholic beverages. It was once one of the largest distillers in Canada. The company was merged in 1926 with Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., and the merged firm ...
. Later that year, at the Gooderham and Worts tax evasion hearing, Perri admitted buying whisky from the distiller from 1924 to 1927. Gooderham and Worts was convicted of tax evasion in 1928 and ordered to pay a fine of $439,744. Perri and Starkman were charged with
perjury Perjury (also known as forswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an insta ...
after their Royal Commission testimony, but in a
plea bargain A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include a ...
, the charges were dropped against Starkman; Perri served five months of a six-month sentence and was released on September 27, 1928. In 1929, an undercover officer of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
(RCMP), Frank Zaneth, infiltrated the Perri-Starkman gang. On the basis of information gathered by him, on 29 June 1929 the RCMP arrested Nazzareno "Ned" Italiano at his house in Hamilton. Found inside of Italiano's house were $3,500 worth of cocaine, heroin and morphine along with a large quantity of cash. As the Mounties were taking Italiano from the second floor to the ground floor of his house, Starkman happened to walk into the Italiano house. The Mounties searched her and found she had a large quantity of cash on her, but lacking probable cause, they were unable to arrest her. In September 1929, Zaneth under one of his disguises met Starkman with the request that she sell him cocaine, morphine and heroin. Starkman told Zaneth that she needed more time to research his background before selling him anything and on 23 September 1929 Zaneth appeared in court as a witness for the Crown at the trial of Italiano, which put an end to his undercover work. In a report dated 25 September 1929 Zaneth wrote "Mrs. Perri tarkmanis the brains of the whole gang and nothing is being done without her consent". On 27 September 1929, Italiano was convicted of trafficking in heroin and sentenced to five years in prison. Italiano was offered a plea bargain by the Crown under which his sentence would be reduced in exchange for testifying against Starkman and Perri, but he literally observed ''
Omertà Omertà () is a Southern Italian code of silence and code of honor and conduct that places importance on silence in the face of questioning by authorities or outsiders; non-cooperation with authorities, the government, or outsiders, especially ...
'' by saying nothing in response. In a major violation of the Mafia code which calls for a boss to financially support the wife and children of a Mafiosi who observes ''omertà'' while he is in prison, Starkman refused to support Italiano's wife and children. Italiano was the first cousin to Maria Rosa Italiano, the wife of Antonio Papalia, who was greatly angered at this violation of the Mafia code. Papalia was one of Perri's more important subordinates. Papalia was especially annoyed because the burden of supporting Italiano's wife and children fell upon him in default. Papalia asked Perri as his boss to observe the Mafia code, but Perri told him that he was unwilling to challenge Starkman. Papalia came to hate Starkman whom he felt was too greedy. Likewise, Papalia came to feel a certain contempt for Perri whom he viewed as a weak boss unable to stand up to his common-law wife.


Death

On August 13, 1930, Starkman was ambushed at around 11:15 p.m. as she got out of Perri's car in the garage of the couple's home. Perri ran down the street after the assailants before retreating back to Starkman who had been killed with two shotgun blasts. Police found two
double-barreled shotgun A double-barreled shotgun, also known as a double shotgun, is a break-action shotgun with two parallel barrels, allowing two single shots that can be fired simultaneously or sequentially in quick succession. Construction Modern double-barre ...
s and the getaway car without fingerprints. The investigation eventually resulted in no criminal charges being brought despite a $5,000 reward offered by Perri. However, it was thought that Calabrian compatriot Antonio Papalia, leader of the
Papalia crime family The Papalia crime family () also known as Papalia 'ndrina, is a 'Ndrangheta organized crime family based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, as well as Platì in Southern Italy and Buccinasco in Northern Italy. Another branch of the family is based in ...
and father of
Johnny Papalia John Joseph Papalia (; March 18, 1924 – May 31, 1997), also known as Johnny Pops Papalia or "The Enforcer", was a Canadian crime boss of the Papalia crime family based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The Papalia crime family is one of three maj ...
, played a role in the murder. Sergeant Frank Zaneth of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported to his superiors that Starkman was in debt to the gambler
Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 6, 1928), nicknamed "The Brain", was an American racketeer, crime boss, businessman, and gambler who became a kingpin of the Jewish Mob in New York City. Rothstein was widely reputed to have orga ...
, and that when Rothstein was killed in 1928, the debt had been assumed by
Charles "Lucky" Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano ( ; ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian gangster who operated mainly in the United States. He started his criminal career in the Five Points Gang and was instrumental in the ...
. Zaneth reported that agents of
Stefano Magaddino Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino (; October 10, 1891 – July 19, 1974) was an Italian-born crime boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio to Southern Ontario and as far east as Montrea ...
who in turn was acting on behalf of "Lucky" Luciano had visited Starkman with the warning that she must pay her debts to Luciano or else die. Perri wanted Starkman's funeral to be a lavish affair and he purchased a $3,000 coffin for her that was a copy of the one that was used to bury the actor
Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...
in 1926. On August 17, about 20,000 people lined the street for the funeral cortege of hundreds of vehicles; Perri fainted at the gravesite. ''
The Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation, ''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Ha ...
'' noted: "We've never seen such a gathering of so many people". In Canada, Starkman's funeral upstaged the media coverage of the first
British Empire games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 193 ...
, which were being held in Hamilton at the time. Starkman's former husband, Harry Toben, told a reporter from the ''
Toronto Daily Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands division. The newspaper was establis ...
'': "Seventeen years ago she left me with two small children. She means nothing to me, and I have not seen her since she left me". On the account of her character, no rabbi in Hamilton was willing to conduct a funeral service for her, and instead a visiting rabbi conducted the funeral for her. At the funeral, the rabbi briefly read out Psalm 121. As the rabbi said ''
kaddish The Kaddish (, 'holy' or 'sanctification'), also transliterated as Qaddish, is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the lit ...
'' (the prayer for the dead), Perri broke down in tears and fainted. Inspector John Miller of the
Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...
, who was assigned to investigate the murder commented that Starkman had many enemies as he noted that the Italiano, Silvestro, D'Agostino and Papalia families all hated her. Miller summarized that the killers must had been familiar with the Perri-Starkman house as the couple owned a German shepherd that barked loudly at the sight of strangers, but on the night of the murder, the dog was silent, which indicated that it knew the killers. The fact that the killers fled in a car whose stolen license plates were taken from a car parked in the auto body shop where Papalia worked led the police to view him as a suspect. Papalia told Miller when questioned: "I've got nothing to do with it. But even if I knew something, I certainly wouldn't tell you about it". Perri told the media about Papalia's possible involvement "If it were true, I wouldn't be surprised". Starkman's headstone in Hamilton's Ohev Zedek Cemetery, commissioned by Perri, referred to her as "Bessie Starkman – Perri", but the "Perri" part was later removed by persons unknown. Part of Starkman's estate went to Perri, and the rest to her children.


In popular culture

* In July 2014, the first performance of a one-woman play, ''Bootlegger's Wife'', about Starkman's life was staged at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton. The creator and star was Victoria Murdoch; while the Perri character does not appear, "voiceovers" provide his comments. The play was staged again in mid-March 2019 and at intervals between those dates. * Bessie Starkman appeared as a character on the
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
program ''
Frankie Drake Mysteries ''Frankie Drake Mysteries'' is a Canadian drama that ran on CBC Television from November 6, 2017 to March 8, 2021. The series stars Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley as Frankie Drake and her partner Trudy Clarke who run an all-female privat ...
'' in Season 2 (2018), portrayed by Natalie Brown, in an episode titled "Dealer's Choice". Another website states that the character runs an "illegal sports betting, and an underground casino" and is described as the "financial brains of the gang".


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Starkman, Bessie 1890 births 1930 deaths 20th-century Canadian criminals 20th-century Polish Jews Bootleggers Canadian female gangsters Canadian drug traffickers Murdered Canadian gangsters American gangsters of the interwar period Polish emigrants to Canada People from Hamilton, Ontario Murdered Jewish American gangsters Murdered American gangsters Jewish American gangsters 20th-century Canadian women 20th-century American Jews Deaths by firearm in Ontario People murdered by Canadian organized crime Organized crime in Hamilton, Ontario