EDDIE CUMMISKEY
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Eddie "The Butcher" Cummiskey was a New York Mobster and murderer who came from the Irish-American ghetto of Hell's Kitchen on Manhattan's Westside the territory of the notoriously violent Irish "Mafia" known to all as The Westies. Cummiskey, while serving time in Upstate New York learned the trade of butchery. Learning the skills invoved in being a butcher meant less wasted time in prison and a better chance of early release by showing the authorities a willingness to learn a trade with a view to going straight if released early, Cummiskey's new butchering skills would be put to more sinister use further down the line. Shortly after his release Cummiskey, who at this time worked for Mickey Spillane, who's gang ruled Hell's Kitchen took on a young protégé by the name of James "Jimmy C" Coonan. Coonan was a violent younger generation Irish hoodlum who had intentions of taking out the old-timer Mickey Spillane when the time was right. Jimmy Coonan had a following among the younger Irish guys in the neighborhood, including including tough guys like Billie Beattie, Billy Bokun, Jackie Coonan, Eddie Coonan, Mickey Featherstone, Jimmy McElroy, Richie Ryan and Tommy Hess, also some old timers such as Tommy Collins shifted their allegiance to Coonan instead of with Spillane. It would not be long before the much feared Cummiskey also began to favor working for Coonan over Spillane.
Two of Coonan's hoods were Dennis Curley and Paddy Dugan, both were life long best friends. One night while they were both getting drunk together Curley pulled a gun on Dugan, the two pals had been joking around but being intoxicated the joke was lost on Dugan. Dugan stormed out of the pub and took Curley's gun play as a personal insult. Later that night, the night of August 25th 1975 Paddy Dugan came across Dennis Curley walking through the streets of Hell's Kitchen, he pumped two slugs into Curley's head killing him instantly. This murder shook up the entire neighborhood. Hell's Kitchen had always been a violent place but no man had ever killed a best friend over anything as trivial as being the brunt of a joke. One member of the Hell's Kitchen community who was not pleased at this murder was Eddie Cummiskey. Curley had been like a younger brother to Cummiskey, Curley started out just as Cummiskey had as a small-time Irish hood in Hell's Kitchen, a hood who Cummiskey had hopes of seeing rise above the rest. Cummiskey was one of the Spillane crew and Dugan ran with the Coonan crew. Spillane wanted to avoid conflict, he said he did not want any retrobution carried out against members of the Coonan gang unless they struck against his own men first. This did not sit well with Cummiskey who wanted revenge for Curley's death..
Coonan still annoyed that Spillane had not sanctioned a hit on Dugan and who liked the thought of having a more elderly, feared and respected gangster like Cummiskey on his side decided that he would use Dugan as some what of a offering to seal Cummiskey's allegiance to him in the event of him going to war with Spillane in a take over bid.
Coonan and Cummiskey had already been seen by others as becoming too close for Spillane's liking. Both men were seen around town together and Cummiskey was teaching Coonan some tricks of the trade. Spillane never acted on this, he could not risk the chance of taking out Cummiskey,one of his heaviest hitters or at least not yet. Coonan and Cummiskey later, on November 17th 1975 almost three months after the Curley murder would call Dugan in under the premise that they were going to hit the Spillane crew and that he was needed as the driver. Little did Dugan know that he was going to be the one hit, not Spillane or his crew. Coonan and Cummiskey together murdered Paddy Dugan and proceeded to cut up his remains butcher style. Cummiskey the Butcher of Hell's Kitchen taught the young blond-headed Irishman the art of body dismemberment with Paddy Dugan as the carcass and Coonan's niece Alberta Sachs supplying the tools, a set of knives. Sachs also helped cleaned the blood that had spilled onto the floor of the hallway, as the plastic bag containing Paddy Dugan's head leaked blood as it was carried away for disposal.
Coonan and Cummiskey had already been seen by others as becoming too close for Spillane's liking. Both men were seen around town together and Cummiskey was teaching Coonan some tricks of the trade. Spillane never acted on this, he could not risk the chance of taking out Cummiskey,one of his heaviest hitters or at least not yet. Coonan and Cummiskey later, on November 17th 1975 almost three months after the Curley murder would call Dugan in under the premise that they were going to hit the Spillane crew and that he was needed as the driver. Little did Dugan know that he was going to be the one hit, not Spillane or his crew. Coonan and Cummiskey together murdered Paddy Dugan and proceeded to cut up his remains butcher style. Cummiskey the Butcher of Hell's Kitchen taught the young blond-headed Irishman the art of body dismemberment with Paddy Dugan as the carcass and Coonan's niece Alberta Sachs supplying the tools, a set of knives. Sachs also helped cleaned the blood that had spilled onto the floor of the hallway, as the plastic bag containing Paddy Dugan's head leaked blood as it was carried away for disposal.
The next day Coonan and Cummiskey were drinking at the Sunbrite Bar where they phoned Billie Beattie to meet up with them. The Sunbrite was also the site where Cummiskey and Coonan allegedly brought the head of Dugan, sat it down on a bar stool, ordered Dugan's favorite whiskey,lit a cigarette and placed it in the mouth of Dugan's decapitated head, saying "Although he f*cked up, he was still a good Irishman".
When Beattie met the two he was told to go over to Dugan's apartment and grab the carton of milk that was in the refrigerator and bring it down to the bar. Beattie did as was told. Upon returning Beattie was told to get rid of the contents when Beattie left the bar he took a look in the milk carton to find that it contained Dugan's "manhood".
Cummiskey's time on earth was nearing the end. Over the next few years Cummiskey would further distance himself from the Spillane faction and become more and more aligned with Coonan and his crew. When the construction began on the Jacob Javets Center in Hell's Kitchen It was seen by Spillane as being a huge earner as it was in his territory. Genovese family crime boss 'Fat Tony' Salerno didnt see it that way though he saw this venture as being a money maker for him and the genovese family. Salerno dispatched a free-lance irish hitman from Queens named Joseph Mad Dog' Sullivan to take out a few Spillane main guys. The first of these guys to go was Eddie Cummiskey he was murdered by 'Mad Dog' Sullivan at the Sunbrite Bar in August 1978, the irony being by that time Cummiskey was with the Coonan Crew and not Spillane. Unfortunetley Salerno nor 'Mad Dog' Sullivan knew that Cummiskey had switched.
When Beattie met the two he was told to go over to Dugan's apartment and grab the carton of milk that was in the refrigerator and bring it down to the bar. Beattie did as was told. Upon returning Beattie was told to get rid of the contents when Beattie left the bar he took a look in the milk carton to find that it contained Dugan's "manhood".
Cummiskey's time on earth was nearing the end. Over the next few years Cummiskey would further distance himself from the Spillane faction and become more and more aligned with Coonan and his crew. When the construction began on the Jacob Javets Center in Hell's Kitchen It was seen by Spillane as being a huge earner as it was in his territory. Genovese family crime boss 'Fat Tony' Salerno didnt see it that way though he saw this venture as being a money maker for him and the genovese family. Salerno dispatched a free-lance irish hitman from Queens named Joseph Mad Dog' Sullivan to take out a few Spillane main guys. The first of these guys to go was Eddie Cummiskey he was murdered by 'Mad Dog' Sullivan at the Sunbrite Bar in August 1978, the irony being by that time Cummiskey was with the Coonan Crew and not Spillane. Unfortunetley Salerno nor 'Mad Dog' Sullivan knew that Cummiskey had switched.