He got out in 1963 at age 56. He died in 1968. He was brought up with six siblings in a household brimming with Black pride. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Mrs. Johnson is survived by a granddaughter, Margaret; a great-grandson Anthony; a brother, Melvin; and a sister, Lily Andrews. Bumpy Johnson Profile - Famous Bookmaker & Mob Boss from NYC Clair. He met his wife, Mayme, in 1948 after serving a 10-year prison sentence for various crimes. Police said that Hagan had a pistol with four unused bullets at the time of his arrest. Bumpy was greatly missed in Harlem and youll never have another. The next morning Madame picked me up in her black Cadillac she was the only woman I knew in Harlem who had her own Caddy and drove me around for an hour, making stops all over the neighborhood, without ever saying a word to me until we stopped and got out at Graham Court a huge apartment complex at 116th and Seventh Avenue. Until the movie 'American Gangster' came out, and Mayme found out that Frank Lucas was telling people that he was once Bumpy's right-hand man. But he was never Bumpys driver. Bumpy played chess with the head of the Five Families for years in front of the YMCA on 135th Street. Before dying, he and the NYPD had a final run-in. I had to get to know him, too. And his friendships werent just limited to writers! One of them was Mr. Johnson. He would close off the streets and throw a party for them. "You are quoted as having said when an airliner crashed with a number of white people on board, that you were glad it happened," a white British reporter asked Malcolm X in the latter's first interview on British television in 1963. Then, learn JFK assassination facts that most history buffs don't know. And I am glad I was able to help. Bumpy Johnson, also known as the Godfather of Harlem, inspired the TV series of the same name. Graham Court was huge, and had a gated courtyard with entrances to the four buildings which made up the complex. John and Clarence Anglin, Two of the Only Men to Escape From Alcatraz [6] That same year, Johnson was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a drug conspiracy conviction related to heroin. Everyone in Harlem knew about the (in)famous Bumpy Johnson. American Gangster and When Denzel Washington Redefined Mob Rule Despite his tumultuous childhood, Malcolm excelled in school. Details of whether he was ever shot in real life remain unknown. A femme fatale from Martinique, she enlisted the freshly sprung Bumpy to provide protection and keep Schultz out of her coffers even as Schultzs gunmen shot up her spots. The kind of man youd better be careful around, because if you said something he didnt like, hed cut you or shoot you, or have you cut or shot. I just knew the person who lived in this grand residence had to be a millionaire. After dropping out of school, Malcolm moved to Boston to live with his older half-sister, Ella. Mayme Hatcher Johnson, Author and Widow of Harlem Gangster Bumpy The steps were made of veined marble. In 2004, Mrs. Johnson became the author of a biography about Bumpy J, which in her words, was written to show "the truth" behind the man. 15 Gangsta Things About Bumpy Johnson, The Real Godfather of Harlem It was really stacked in front of St. Martins Church on 122nd Street and Lenox. Its awesome to pay a quick visit this web page and I was ten years old, and still upset that my family moved from Harlem to the Bronx the year before. . The doorknobs and railings were shiny brass. Godfather of Harlem Season 1 Episode 8 Recap and Review: How I Got Over If you got caught with it, you were the one who'd have gone to jail. In June 1964, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had sent a Other eyewitness and media reports indicate a second man was arrested the night of the assassination in addition to Talmadge Hayer. Colombo has stepped in to fill the void left by Gigante's stint in . Bumpy and I met in April 1948. I dont even know if Junie Byrd knew him. Now you cant even go out to the bank. Just before Malcolm was born, the KKK shattered all their windows in Omaha. Ellsworth Raymond Johnson (October 31, 1905 - July 7, 1968) known as "Bumpy" Johnson was an American mob boss and bookmaker in New York City's Harlem nei. likened his slaying to "chickens coming home to roost. Bumpy Johnson estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. Im just sorry that he had to pass away. I wiggled through the crowd and over to my friend's house. Her husband died in 1968, and after moving to Philadelphia in 2004, Mrs. Johnson wrote Harlem Godfather: The Rap on My Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, published last year. Mayme Johnson: Not at one time. By the time I returned home that evening, the whole incident was totally forgotten. As with the assassination of other famous figures, Malcolm X's demise boasts its fair share of theories about what happened that go beyond the official story. "Yeah, of course," was her response. He was a great guy. Bumpy would say that. I dont know where Frank Lucas was. When he entered the living room, everyone stood up. Fantastic blog by the way! Yeah, now I remembered where Id heard the name. A funeral service followed at the Faith Temple of God in Christ. Malcolm X was pronounced dead 15 minutes after he was assassinated. A reporter looks at bullet holes that pierced the podium stand after Malcolm X was shot. Born with one large horn, Bumpy first saw Ben Pincus when hatched leading Bumpy to be close to the boy. Uniformed police officers with rifles were watching Bumpy Johnson's funeral. The one question I had, I blurted out immediately . For decades, many have been calling for just that sort of thorough investigation. She was a female gang leader who ran numerous criminal . Mrs. Johnson later was a hostess at a Manhattan restaurant. Guys who survived the crime scene in Harlem were special, powerful, strong-willed people, Paul Eckstein, co-creator and co-writer of Godfather of Harlem, the Johnson bio-series starring Forest Whitaker and dropping Sunday on Epix, told The Post. It was such a major moneymaker that the Bronx mobster Dutch Schultz wanted his piece of the $50million-per-year industry. Hoodlum is a 1997 American crime drama film that gives a fictionalized account of the gang war between the Italian/Jewish mafia alliance and the black gangsters of Harlem that took place in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Mrs. Johnson was born near Ashville, N.C., Miller said, and moved to New York in 1938, where she became a waitress at Hagar's, a Washington Heights club owned by actress Ethel Waters. Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson (October 31, 1905 - July 7, 1968) was an American crime boss in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. In the first two seasons, Forest Whitaker's Bumpy Johnson was locked in a dangerous rivalry, sometimes allegiance, with Vincent D'Onofrio's Vincent "Chin" Gigante. If you have any recommendations, please share. Almost immediately, it seemed like the question of who killed Malcolm X wasnt going to see a real answer. King said such language "can reap nothing but grief.". "You didn't know?". You dont see anyone doing that now. A former prosecutor portrayed in the movie American Gangster was sentenced to five years of probation on Thursday for the theft of $20,000 in client funds.. Richard "Richie" Roberts, 81, was . His wife called him the "Harlem Godfather," and for good reason. Season 3 opens in the aftermath of the Harlem riot of 1964, which was prompted after 15-year-old African American . . Bumpy Johnson's funeral took place in Woodlawn Cemetry in New York City. My Uncle Nicky knew something about Harlem bad men, because he had a pretty good reputation himself as one of the best second-story men in Harlem. I look forward to hearing from you! El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, better known as Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. talks with Malcolm X. "I heard a terrifying volley of gunshots and screams and saw Malcolm bowled over by the bullets. See the most powerful photos from before and after the assassination of Malcolm X and then learn more about this historic case that has gone unresolved for more than a half-century. But Malcolm X's words struck a chord with thousands of people. When he was 10, his older brother Willie was accused of killing a white man. In a canny move, he aligned himself with Malcolm X and muscled back his power base, which included an extermination company called Palmetto Chemical. The fight resulted in more than 40 murders and several kidnappings. Subscribers may view the full text of this article in its original form through TimesMachine. 'Godfather of Harlem' Shows How Bumpy Johnson Met Malcolm X He has been the subject or character of a number of Hollywood films including The Cotton Club, Hoodlum, and most recently, American Gangster. Bumpy Johnson cast a huge shadow over the Harlem underworld, with many romanticizing about the good old days when there was order to the chaos that all but choked the life out of Harlem and made the ground fertile . Johnson answered with a laugh. It was a good title to possess. Bumpy Johnson married Mayme Hatcher in October 1948, just six months after their first meeting. Nobody could break into a second-floor window better than my Uncle Nicky. His family's house had been destroyed in a firebomb attack only several days prior, but that did not stop Malcolm X from speaking to the crowd of 400 people. The book paints a compelling and authentic picture of the man and the world of Harlem he operated in and dominated skewering and correcting many of the mistruths and fabrications in Hollywood films about this era that portrayed him like Hoodlum, Cotton Club and American Gangster. After learning about the tragedy of Malcolm X's assassination, read up on Martin Luther King Jr's dark side. Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (1906-1968) Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson was an American gangster in Harlem, New York in the 20th century. [5], In 1952, Johnson's activities were reported in the celebrity people section of Jet. "We will not only send [armed guerrillas] to Mississippi, but to any place where black people's lives are threatened by white bigots. In 2021, a confession letter that Wood wrote in 2011 surfaced when his cousin delivered to the family of Malcolm X. Letting It All Hang Out! Related Articles Bumpy Johnson, stupid. Slowly, in the decades since, new details and revelations have emerged related to the assassination of Malcolm X that have upended the initial story. Actor and Executive Producer Markuann Smith Tells the Real Story Behind After the incident, Johnson took his victim to a hospital emergency room where Charlie was put on a stretcher. He was dark-skinned, with hair so short he looked bald, and dressed in an elegant dark blue suit. Malcolm X mourners are searched as they walk up stairs of Unity Funeral Home, where his body laid. For brothers John and Clarence Anglin, the story of the most infamous prison escape in modern history began with a toy gun. And you have a chance to go to a really good school. Mr Schultz would take one territory and Mr Johnson, the other. "Bumpy had just come out of Dannamora," Miller said, after he had served 10 years at that state prison in northern New York. This is the opportunity of a lifetime., I dont want to go, I insisted as I gulped down the bowl of chocolate ice cream he always kept on hand for my visits. The event surrounding Malcolm X's funeral was heavily guarded by police presence. Go get this smart young lady some ice cream.. ask. He sidestepped some dozen shootings as if bids for his death were drops of rain. There aren't many men who would lay down their lives for you.". The war lasted nearly three years. In 1948, Mrs. Johnson married Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, portrayed in American Gangster, the 2007 film that focused on another Harlem underworld figure, Frank Lucas. So then he looked at it from a different perspective and he saw what they meant when they said the white man was the devil. There were a bunch of men in the apartment Mr. Johnson always had at least two or three really big burly men with him and they hollered with laughter at his answer until he gave them a silencing glare. And we entertained a lot and had dinners and things for different people and he was never invited. Didnt make much sense to me. Johnson was under a federal indictment for drug conspiracy when he died of congestive heart failure on July 7, 1968, at the age of 62. In the throes of a torrid love affair with sultry Vanity Fair editor Helen Lawrenson, the almond-eyed 5-foot-7 Bumpy looked every part the crime boss. Johnson is famous for rising from an enforcer under Stephanie Saint Clair, to taking over her operations and becoming the main black man whom the Italian mafia would . Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson - The Two Mr. Johnsons Merchants in the area had been urged to close by supporters of Malcolm, but only a smattering of stores suspended business. Net Worth 2020 . Mrs. Johnson was having dinner at a restaurant on Seventh Avenue near 122d Street when Johnson walked in, and though she brushed him off, "he sat down and proceeded to talk about everything in the world," Miller said. I was so impressed with the apartment itself I took no notice of the furniture. Flames devour the upper story of a building housing a Black Muslim mosque in Harlem just a few days after Malcolm X's assassination. - "Oh, Oh . Elise Johnson is the real daughter of Bumpy and Mayme Johnson, and Margaret Johnson's mother. Sadly, my question had revealed I was unworthy of his wisdom. She is a female Ankylosaurus that was born in Jurassic World. On this particular evening I was doing my weekly ironing, and listening rather than watching, an episode of Unsolved Mysteries," airing on television in the next room. She said she wanted to reward me for doing so well in school by letting me hang out with her once in while. Nothing that he did that I did not love. Madame, whom had never said more than a quick hello to me before, reacted with such delight you would have thought I were her child. Even as young as I was, I quickly realized that Madame had brought me to the apartment because she knew Mr. Johnson, would be angry with her about something, and she also knew that Mr. Johnson couldnt stay angry around children. Said to be one of Harlems best chess players, he thought strategically and often predicted what the Mafia would do Johnson and the syndicate often tangled before they did it.. Mayme Hatcher Johnson died on May 1, 2009. Secondly, I couldnt even imagine anyone teasing Mr. Johnson about his clothes. "She was tickled pink to tell people she was an author at age 93," said Henry Perkins, owner of Perks, a restaurant on Manhattan Avenue near 122d Street in Harlem. Jim Hughes/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images, Fred Morgan/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. So, they shipped Johnson off to live with his sister in Harlem. He died before the case went to trial. Similarly, they married each other in October 1948. By Walter F. Naedele, Inquirer Staff Writer, California residents do not sell my data request. He was doubtful that we would because 'they're going to kill me soon,'" Ali wrote about his encounter with the prominent speaker. Clothes or no clothes, I was going to that white school and get as smart as Mr. Johnson, and maybe I would get to meet people like Langston Hughes and Bojangles, and live in a grand apartment, too. Johnson came to Alcatraz in . I know this is kinda off topic however , Id figured Id It was towards the end of the summer when Mr. Johnson sat me down and gave me a good talking to when he found out that I had been selected to go to a white school downtown because I was an Intellectually Gifted Child, but didnt want to go. He died on his way to Harlem Hospital.AllHipHop.com: Right on 135th Street.Mayme Johnson: Thats right. Frank Lucas did not fit into that circle. It seemed like a stream of swaying black faces, all pointing in one direction east toward Central Park. Following a 22-month investigation, it was found that authorities withheld crucial information that would have kept the two men from being convicted. I like young ladies who arent afraid to say what they want.. . "As long as I thought he genuinely believed that himself, I believed in him and believed in his solution. Bumpy Johnson : I can't accept any proposals that allows Mr Schultz to continue to operate freely in Harlem. COPYRIGHT (C) 2017 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - BLACK THEN [10], Johnson was arrested more than 40 times and served two prison terms for narcotics-related charges. Mayme Hatcher Johnson was the wife of notorious Harlem Gangster, Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson. I couldnt believe my eyes, it was my Mr. Johnson! Original gangster | Movies | The Guardian No drugs were found and Bumpy was cut loose on the $50,000 bail. Come on, Karen. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Godfather of Harlem: 10 Best Characters, Ranked - ScreenRant Well they kept order in Harlem but nothing like it is now. She met her husband in 1956 at a Nation of Islam lecture in Harlem. One of her sometimes co-workers was a woman I only knew as Madame, who was also the local number runner. [Video] Mayme Hatcher Johnson: Wife of Notorious Harlem Gangster Please join the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation as we take a moment to reflect on the life . AllHipHop.com: So you feel he kept a kind of order to the streets, to the community?Mayme Johnson: Oh yes, I dont think the streets would have so much drugs and so much crime going on. In the wake of the letter's emergence, Malcolm X's family called for his murder case to be reopened. . He was probably dead by now, I thought. [4] He became St Clair's principal lieutenant in the 1930s. Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson (October 31, 1905 - July 7, 1968) was an American crime boss in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. I found it hard to make friends and would often convince my mother to let me to take the Number 2 train to Harlem to visit my pals from the old neighborhood. Civil rights leader Malcolm X in Oxford before addressing university students on the subject of extremism and liberty. All A's as usual, but there was something different on this report card. By the time Schultz got rubbed out in 1935 he was shot in the mens room of a Newark, NJ, chophouse by made men who caught wind he was plotting to kill a fed and feared the blowback Bumpy was thriving in Harlem. Johnson was born in 1914 in NC, and moved to New York City in 1938, where she found work as a waitress in a club owned by singer/actress Ethel Waters. Malcolm X's Assassination In 33 Devastating Photos Like Bumpy said, they wouldnt even be stepping to me if they didnt realize that I was the one real woman in his life. One such life is Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson. Malcolm X addresses a Harlem rally in support of integration efforts in LA with picture of fallen black men. Bumpy Johnson. familiarity. My mother had passed away by this time, but I called her best friend, Abiola Sinclair, a former columnist with the Amsterdam News -- Harlem's oldest African-American newspaper. Early life. According to Brancato, There was a fear that his inability to be subservient would eventually get him lynched., Johnson himself told a reporter that in South Carolina, he fought daily running battles with hostile white kids in order to attend school or venture into the streets.. Godfather of Harlem is an American crime drama that chronicles the true story of New York City crime boss Bumpy Johnson. Bumpy jumped on the gurney and started punching New York Charlie in the face. The couple met back in the year 1968 in June. King's letter read: "While we did not always see eye to eye on methods to solve the race problem, I always had a deep affection for Malcolm and felt that he had the great ability to put his finger on the existence and root of the problem.". Even if Margaret's grandparents ducked the fact that she was their granddaughter, she always felt that she was their own; they squandered her with . Mayme H. Johnson, 94, widow of Harlem gangster - Inquirer.com Vivid memoir of Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson, Harlem street legend and husband of co-author, Mayme Johnson. She has not involved herself in any sort . He started writing to Elijah Muhammad, leader of NOI, who was taken by Malcolm's intelligence. When we would walk into a restaurant, a fancy restaurant on 125th street, people would stand up and greet us. My mother, my twin sister and my two brothers and I lived in a three bedroom apartment at 31 West 115th Street, right around the corner from the real estate office where my mother worked as a minimum-wage bookkeeper. Bumpy Johnson Net Worth (Criminal) Harlem Gangster 'Bumpy' Johnson's Granddaughter "The Annie Oakley of It took a LOT of insisting!) I was a third-grader at P.S. Bumpy Johnson - YouTube In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.". Mayme Johnson: Yes I think it was different. As far as I am concerned," he toldEbony magazine in its September 1964 issue, "Mississippi is anywhere south of the Canadian border.". The boy screwed his face up with disgust.

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