The Downtown Gang was one of the two gangs that dominated the

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 ...

world in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

, United States, mainly during

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. The gang was founded by Johnny Jack Nounes around 1920. The gang became a large profiteer and leader in the Galveston's crime syndicate while fighting for control of the island. The gang operated many night clubs, gambling establishments, and

speakeasies A speakeasy, also called a beer flat or blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. In the United State ...

along the island.

Origins and Pre-Prohibition

Johnny Jack formed the Downtown Gang around 1920 after

came into effect. They were the rival gang of Ollie Quinn and Dutch Voight's Beach Gang. Before prohibition, Dutch and Ollie usually controlled gambling on the island. The two gangs decided to use Broadway to set the boundaries of their territories. As prohibition was approaching Johnny Jack looked for a partner to get in with him, and so he found a Houston boy by the name of George Musey. Musey, a

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

who was not even old enough to take drink, was also, like Nounes, from family of immigrants. As the roaring 20s boomed, the gang began to rake in a profit with bootlegging as their main source of income.

Prohibition

Among the gang's suppliers were schooners from

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, and the

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. They had money overflowing the cash registers from speakeasies owned up and down Downtown Galveston. The gang was making more money than ever, encouraging them to buy fancy clothing, cars, houses, and food. Some of the gang's popular business partners were the

Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or the Organization, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family based in Chicago, I ...

Frank Nitti Frank Ralph Nitto (born Francesco Raffaele Nitto, ; January 27, 1886 – March 19, 1943), known as Frank Nitti, was an Italian-American organized crime figure based in Chicago. The bodyguard of Al Capone, Nitti was in charge of all money flowing ...

and allegedly New York Jewish mob boss

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 ...

. Therefore, Nitti became a good business partner of Johnny Jack which created a good connection with the Downtown Gang and the Chicago Outfit. Gangland shootouts was something that came around every once in a while since the gain of the island led to more business. The Downtown Gang sold bootleg hooch and had connections from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, all the way up to

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada. Furthermore, Johnny Jack wouldn't take any nonsense from anybody, he wasn't afraid of a fight. He would even lead the gang into hijacking the Beach Gang's liquor trucks and so gang shootouts were common. Also, George Musey became the gang's top enforcer. He was also a person you didn't want to cross paths with, apparently somebody crossed him and found themselves with their head buried in the ground covered with

quick lime Calcium oxide (chemical formula, formula: calcium, Caoxygen, O), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, corrosive substance, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The bro ...

. Every now and then for business purposes the gangs would negotiate like the majority of the mob does with their counterparts. Dutch Voight would bring some guys and go on rum-runs with George Musey. However, if business was shady or unreal, they would be back to fighting and war would be declared.

Decline of the Downtown Gang

However, as Nounes served his time in federal prison and Musey was on the run from the law in

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 ...

, the gang was headed at the moment by Big Jim Clark. However Big Jim betrayed the gang by giving the Beach Gang shipments Musey had scheduled. It is assumed that there was a woman involved between the two men which is likely to have caused the tension. However, after Big Jim's betrayal, Fatty Owens took control of the gang and a few weeks later a shootout occurred between the Downtown and Beach Gangs. Members of each gang died in the shootout on Tremont Street. Furthermore, not long after, Fatty Owens would go on to 23rd Street with his assistant Jimmie Crabb to kill Kye Gregory and Mitch Frankovitch, also betrayers of the gang, however Frankovitch survived the shootout with Gregory dying from gunshot wounds. With Nounes in prison, Musey in Canada, Big Jim's betrayal, and Fatty Owens' court trial, there was nobody to lead the Downtown Gang. With all these chaotic incidents happening, it's most likely George's younger brother, Fred Musey, stepped up to the plate as acting boss.

Post-Prohibition and Defunction

After prohibition ended, the long-running organized crime gang eventually fell apart. They operated some night clubs, and continued with gambling, but it eventually came to an end around the mid-1930s. George Musey was assassinated through orders by the Beach Gang's successors, the Maceo Syndicate, which took over much of the island and wielded much more power than the Nounes-Musey mob. The Downtown Gang did not wield the strength like they did back in the old days, and so it eventually deceased. However, Johnny Jack Nounes would go on to make a living operating different clubs and restaurants.

Historical Leadership

Bosses * c. 1920 – 1930s – Johnny Jack Nounes * 1920s - 1935 - George Musey, (his death) ** ''Acting'' 1930 - 1931 – Marvin "Big Jim" Clark ** ''Acting'' 1931 - Theodore "Fatty" Owens ** ''Acting'' 1931 - Fred Musey Lieutenants *1920s - 1931 - Marvin "Big Jim" Clark *1920s - 1930s - Theodore "Fatty" Owens *1920s - 1930s - Harry Giddy *1920s - 1930 - Mitch Frankovitch *1920s - 1930 - Kye Gregory Associates *Francis Nonus *Fred Musey *Sam Musey *J.J. Davis *H.J. Kriger *Joe Marrero *Chris Paul *Robe Owen *Lawrence “King Coal” Balkey *Tom Lera *Joe Varnell *Morris "Kid" Ross *Otis Skains *Jimmie Crabb *Harry G. *T.R. Davis *George Etie *Douglas Etie *Tony Vadello *Asia Stein *R.R. Owen *Charlie Mushmach *Joe Rees *Marshall Ballard *Marion Ballard *Sam Alena *Harry Evelt

References