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After the trial, the white witnesses were thanked for their time and received $100 each, said Hackett.

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The judge ruled it was self-defense and Andrews left the courthouse a free man. The testimonies of the African American witnesses were dismissed.

The white witnesses, of whom were all police officers, testified in favor of Andrews. Screw Andrews then pulled his gun out and fired three times, killing Clark,” Hackett said.Īccording to Hackett, Clark was a marine sharpshooter, but the official story that was accepted in the courtroom was that he missed each time. Clark pulled out his gun, fired at Screw Andrews three times and missed each time. When Andrews was tried for the murder, the white gangster told a different set of circumstances. “The black witnesses said that Screw Andrews approached Clark, put out his hand to shake, grabbed his hand and shot him in the neck,” Hackett said. Pepper Pod Restaurant, once frequented by gangsters, on MonmouthĪccording to the autopsy, Clark was shot three times, twice in the chest and once below his chin. What happened next is up for debate, Hackett said. Two days later, Clark and his men were out on Central Avenue when Andrews approached them. “And the white mob blamed and his guys for it.”Īccording to Hackett, Clark was arrested on the charge but posted bail soon after.

“There was an attempt on a white mobster’s life and he was badly wounded,” Hackett said.

“ was to make certain that you had a good time, that the city was clean, that you didn’t see any murders happening,” Tenkotte said.Īs an enforcer, Andrews was also responsible for dealing out consequences for one’s actions. Tenkotte described Andrews as an “enforcer” for his establishments. Tensions were high between the two gangs and the crux of the battle mostly fell on Clark and Andrews, said Hackett. In contrast, most of the white mafia members, one of the most well-known of which was Frank “Screw” Andrews, were from out of town and encroached on the territory as soon as its seedy reputation was formed. According to Hackett, most of the African American mafia members were local and operated quasi-legitimate businesses on the side. As an owner of several gambling clubs, Clark was an influential leader of the African American sect. That level of political corruption came at a price, as demonstrated by the murder of numbers racketeer Melvin Clark.Īlongside many social structures in America at that time, the mafia in Newport was segregated. “The mob moved into an area that was small enough that the government and police could be bribed,” Hackett said. Hackett said the mafia chose places like Newport and Las Vegas for their limited space and connections. As soon as night fell, that number rose to 100,000, according to Tenkotte. Newport’s population was approximately 30,000 during this era. A manufactured vacation destination, tourists flocked to Newport to partake in its formal and informal businesses under the cover of isolation and darkness. Paul Tenkotte, Newport was the predecessor to Las Vegas. The Thompson House, former home of the Tommygun inventor, on East Third Street.Īccording to NKU History Professor Dr. “You know, along with this kind of romanticization of gangsters and gambling, there’s murder, there’s prostitution, there’s extortion, there’s drugs.” Billy Keeney Brian Hackett, NKU director of the public history program, said. “People always say history is just a story well-told, and the fact of that is it’s never as pure and clean as you think it is,” Dr. Unofficially governed by mafia members, Newport was a center of illegal activity. The streets were clean and citizens left their doors unlocked.īut the city also operated under an open secret. Celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Duke Ellington frequented the city. This was Newport-desirable and dangerous, commercial and criminal.īetween the 1930s to the 1960s, the Northern Kentucky city was the gambling mecca of the United States. And criminal racketeer Melvin Clark collapsed with a bullet lodged in his throat on Central Avenue. Dean Martin entertained guests at infamous mafia member Frank “Screw” Andrews’ house parties.

Frank Sinatra gambled in the back room of the casinos on York Street.

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