Max "Kid Twist" Zweifach was an American gangster who, during the turn of the century, belonged to the Eastman Gang and later succeeded the New York gang leader following his arrest in 1904.
Born Maxwell Zweifach to Austrian born father Adolf and Italian mother Hanna. He emigrated to New York in 1886 to escape the anti-Semitic riots, settling right below the Williamsburg Bridge on Delancey St. Zweifach's father hoped he would join the family tailoring business but was a prominent young thief by teenage years.
Zweifach was first arrested in June 1899 on the suspicion of stealing a bicycle and soon graduated into more serious offenses. His right-hand man was his brother Daniel aka Kid Slyfox, both Zweifach brothers led friends during Election Day 1902 rioting to support Republican politician Sam Koenig in the Sixteenth Assembly District.
By 1903, Max Zweifach had picked up the nickname of "Kid Twist" and was known as a dangerous and cunning gang leader. On August 17, 1903, Kid Twist fatally shot a rival gangster named John "Mugsy" Bayard during an argument after a card game and soon attracted the attention of gang boss Monk Eastman.
When Eastman was locked up for robbery the next year, Kid Twist found himself at odds with Richie Fitzpatrick over the leadership of the gang. On October 30, 1904 Fitzpatrick shot and wounded one of Kid Twist's men, Thomas McCauley, in a saloon dispute. Two nights later, Twist invited his rival to a peace conference at a saloon at 77 Sheriff Street. The meeting devolved into an argument. Fitzpatrick, realizing he was about to be hit, rushed out of the place. One of Twist's men, Harris Stahl, gave chase and shot him to death.
Kid Twist maintained the Eastman Gang's supremacy in the New York underworld and was greatly feared in the Lower East Side. He moved his gang into new rackets such as forgery, election fraud, and mass extortion.
Kid Twist's top men included Big Jack Zelig, Ike the Blood, and Samuel Pristrich aka Cyclone Louie, a former wrestler and sideshow strongman.
Kid Twist was known as a ladies man around town, and it was this that would prove the end of him. Zweifach's regular girlfriend was a Canadian dancer named Carroll Terry, who also happened to be seeing Louis Pioggi aka Louie The Lump, an up-and-coming member of the Five Points Gang. Their romantic rivalry allegedly came to a head in the spring of 1908, when Kid Twist and Cyclone Louie got the drop on Louie the Lump in a Coney Island gin mill and amused themselves by forcing him, at gunpoint, to jump out of a second-story window. Soon after this, Louie the Lump confronted Carroll Terry at the Imperial Dance Hall and was told that she no longer had any interest in him.
In the late afternoon of May 14, 1908, Kid Twist and Cyclone Louie repaired to Coney Island to catch Carroll Terry's show at the Imperial. Afterwards, she hooked Louie up with a fellow dancer of hers named Mabel Leon, and the two couples went to a nearby Italian cafe on Oceanic Walk for dinner. The quartet left the cafe around 8 o'clock and began walking down the avenue. They did not see Louie the Lump until it was far too late. The Italian gangster darted out of the darkness and clubbed Carroll Terry sprawling with a fist. He then opened fire on the two gangsters. Kid Twist was fatally struck once behind the ear.
After the death of Kid Twist Zweifach, the Eastman Gang split into factions, continuing their feud with the Five Pointers. Leadership of the largest faction eventually fell to Zweifach's young protege, Jack Zelig.
Years later, it was said that gangster Abe Reles took his nickname of "Kid Twist" from the long dead Zweifach.
Born Maxwell Zweifach to Austrian born father Adolf and Italian mother Hanna. He emigrated to New York in 1886 to escape the anti-Semitic riots, settling right below the Williamsburg Bridge on Delancey St. Zweifach's father hoped he would join the family tailoring business but was a prominent young thief by teenage years.
Zweifach was first arrested in June 1899 on the suspicion of stealing a bicycle and soon graduated into more serious offenses. His right-hand man was his brother Daniel aka Kid Slyfox, both Zweifach brothers led friends during Election Day 1902 rioting to support Republican politician Sam Koenig in the Sixteenth Assembly District.
By 1903, Max Zweifach had picked up the nickname of "Kid Twist" and was known as a dangerous and cunning gang leader. On August 17, 1903, Kid Twist fatally shot a rival gangster named John "Mugsy" Bayard during an argument after a card game and soon attracted the attention of gang boss Monk Eastman.
When Eastman was locked up for robbery the next year, Kid Twist found himself at odds with Richie Fitzpatrick over the leadership of the gang. On October 30, 1904 Fitzpatrick shot and wounded one of Kid Twist's men, Thomas McCauley, in a saloon dispute. Two nights later, Twist invited his rival to a peace conference at a saloon at 77 Sheriff Street. The meeting devolved into an argument. Fitzpatrick, realizing he was about to be hit, rushed out of the place. One of Twist's men, Harris Stahl, gave chase and shot him to death.
Kid Twist maintained the Eastman Gang's supremacy in the New York underworld and was greatly feared in the Lower East Side. He moved his gang into new rackets such as forgery, election fraud, and mass extortion.
Kid Twist's top men included Big Jack Zelig, Ike the Blood, and Samuel Pristrich aka Cyclone Louie, a former wrestler and sideshow strongman.
Kid Twist was known as a ladies man around town, and it was this that would prove the end of him. Zweifach's regular girlfriend was a Canadian dancer named Carroll Terry, who also happened to be seeing Louis Pioggi aka Louie The Lump, an up-and-coming member of the Five Points Gang. Their romantic rivalry allegedly came to a head in the spring of 1908, when Kid Twist and Cyclone Louie got the drop on Louie the Lump in a Coney Island gin mill and amused themselves by forcing him, at gunpoint, to jump out of a second-story window. Soon after this, Louie the Lump confronted Carroll Terry at the Imperial Dance Hall and was told that she no longer had any interest in him.
In the late afternoon of May 14, 1908, Kid Twist and Cyclone Louie repaired to Coney Island to catch Carroll Terry's show at the Imperial. Afterwards, she hooked Louie up with a fellow dancer of hers named Mabel Leon, and the two couples went to a nearby Italian cafe on Oceanic Walk for dinner. The quartet left the cafe around 8 o'clock and began walking down the avenue. They did not see Louie the Lump until it was far too late. The Italian gangster darted out of the darkness and clubbed Carroll Terry sprawling with a fist. He then opened fire on the two gangsters. Kid Twist was fatally struck once behind the ear.
After the death of Kid Twist Zweifach, the Eastman Gang split into factions, continuing their feud with the Five Pointers. Leadership of the largest faction eventually fell to Zweifach's young protege, Jack Zelig.
Years later, it was said that gangster Abe Reles took his nickname of "Kid Twist" from the long dead Zweifach.
Max "Kid Twist" Zweifach was an American gangster who, during the turn of the century, belonged to the Eastman Gang and later succeeded the New York gang leader following his arrest in 1904.
Born Maxwell Zweifach to Austrian born father Adolf and Italian mother Hanna. He emigrated to New York in 1886 to escape the anti-Semitic riots, settling right below the Williamsburg Bridge on Delancey St. Zweifach's father hoped he would join the family tailoring business but was a prominent young thief by teenage years.
Zweifach was first arrested in June 1899 on the suspicion of stealing a bicycle and soon graduated into more serious offenses. His right-hand man was his brother Daniel aka Kid Slyfox, both Zweifach brothers led friends during Election Day 1902 rioting to support Republican politician Sam Koenig in the Sixteenth Assembly District.
By 1903, Max Zweifach had picked up the nickname of "Kid Twist" and was known as a dangerous and cunning gang leader. On August 17, 1903, Kid Twist fatally shot a rival gangster named John "Mugsy" Bayard during an argument after a card game and soon attracted the attention of gang boss Monk Eastman.
When Eastman was locked up for robbery the next year, Kid Twist found himself at odds with Richie Fitzpatrick over the leadership of the gang. On October 30, 1904 Fitzpatrick shot and wounded one of Kid Twist's men, Thomas McCauley, in a saloon dispute. Two nights later, Twist invited his rival to a peace conference at a saloon at 77 Sheriff Street. The meeting devolved into an argument. Fitzpatrick, realizing he was about to be hit, rushed out of the place. One of Twist's men, Harris Stahl, gave chase and shot him to death.
Kid Twist maintained the Eastman Gang's supremacy in the New York underworld and was greatly feared in the Lower East Side. He moved his gang into new rackets such as forgery, election fraud, and mass extortion.
Kid Twist's top men included Big Jack Zelig, Ike the Blood, and Samuel Pristrich aka Cyclone Louie, a former wrestler and sideshow strongman.
Kid Twist was known as a ladies man around town, and it was this that would prove the end of him. Zweifach's regular girlfriend was a Canadian dancer named Carroll Terry, who also happened to be seeing Louis Pioggi aka Louie The Lump, an up-and-coming member of the Five Points Gang. Their romantic rivalry allegedly came to a head in the spring of 1908, when Kid Twist and Cyclone Louie got the drop on Louie the Lump in a Coney Island gin mill and amused themselves by forcing him, at gunpoint, to jump out of a second-story window. Soon after this, Louie the Lump confronted Carroll Terry at the Imperial Dance Hall and was told that she no longer had any interest in him.
In the late afternoon of May 14, 1908, Kid Twist and Cyclone Louie repaired to Coney Island to catch Carroll Terry's show at the Imperial. Afterwards, she hooked Louie up with a fellow dancer of hers named Mabel Leon, and the two couples went to a nearby Italian cafe on Oceanic Walk for dinner. The quartet left the cafe around 8 o'clock and began walking down the avenue. They did not see Louie the Lump until it was far too late. The Italian gangster darted out of the darkness and clubbed Carroll Terry sprawling with a fist. He then opened fire on the two gangsters. Kid Twist was fatally struck once behind the ear.
After the death of Kid Twist Zweifach, the Eastman Gang split into factions, continuing their feud with the Five Pointers. Leadership of the largest faction eventually fell to Zweifach's young protege, Jack Zelig.
Years later, it was said that gangster Abe Reles took his nickname of "Kid Twist" from the long dead Zweifach.
Born Maxwell Zweifach to Austrian born father Adolf and Italian mother Hanna. He emigrated to New York in 1886 to escape the anti-Semitic riots, settling right below the Williamsburg Bridge on Delancey St. Zweifach's father hoped he would join the family tailoring business but was a prominent young thief by teenage years.
Zweifach was first arrested in June 1899 on the suspicion of stealing a bicycle and soon graduated into more serious offenses. His right-hand man was his brother Daniel aka Kid Slyfox, both Zweifach brothers led friends during Election Day 1902 rioting to support Republican politician Sam Koenig in the Sixteenth Assembly District.
By 1903, Max Zweifach had picked up the nickname of "Kid Twist" and was known as a dangerous and cunning gang leader. On August 17, 1903, Kid Twist fatally shot a rival gangster named John "Mugsy" Bayard during an argument after a card game and soon attracted the attention of gang boss Monk Eastman.
When Eastman was locked up for robbery the next year, Kid Twist found himself at odds with Richie Fitzpatrick over the leadership of the gang. On October 30, 1904 Fitzpatrick shot and wounded one of Kid Twist's men, Thomas McCauley, in a saloon dispute. Two nights later, Twist invited his rival to a peace conference at a saloon at 77 Sheriff Street. The meeting devolved into an argument. Fitzpatrick, realizing he was about to be hit, rushed out of the place. One of Twist's men, Harris Stahl, gave chase and shot him to death.
Kid Twist maintained the Eastman Gang's supremacy in the New York underworld and was greatly feared in the Lower East Side. He moved his gang into new rackets such as forgery, election fraud, and mass extortion.
Kid Twist's top men included Big Jack Zelig, Ike the Blood, and Samuel Pristrich aka Cyclone Louie, a former wrestler and sideshow strongman.
Kid Twist was known as a ladies man around town, and it was this that would prove the end of him. Zweifach's regular girlfriend was a Canadian dancer named Carroll Terry, who also happened to be seeing Louis Pioggi aka Louie The Lump, an up-and-coming member of the Five Points Gang. Their romantic rivalry allegedly came to a head in the spring of 1908, when Kid Twist and Cyclone Louie got the drop on Louie the Lump in a Coney Island gin mill and amused themselves by forcing him, at gunpoint, to jump out of a second-story window. Soon after this, Louie the Lump confronted Carroll Terry at the Imperial Dance Hall and was told that she no longer had any interest in him.
In the late afternoon of May 14, 1908, Kid Twist and Cyclone Louie repaired to Coney Island to catch Carroll Terry's show at the Imperial. Afterwards, she hooked Louie up with a fellow dancer of hers named Mabel Leon, and the two couples went to a nearby Italian cafe on Oceanic Walk for dinner. The quartet left the cafe around 8 o'clock and began walking down the avenue. They did not see Louie the Lump until it was far too late. The Italian gangster darted out of the darkness and clubbed Carroll Terry sprawling with a fist. He then opened fire on the two gangsters. Kid Twist was fatally struck once behind the ear.
After the death of Kid Twist Zweifach, the Eastman Gang split into factions, continuing their feud with the Five Pointers. Leadership of the largest faction eventually fell to Zweifach's young protege, Jack Zelig.
Years later, it was said that gangster Abe Reles took his nickname of "Kid Twist" from the long dead Zweifach.
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