Buster From Chicago - Life As Hitman

Life As Hitman

Buster's crime companions knew little of his background, other than that he was from Chicago. Government informant Joe Valachi described Buster as a "college boy" in appearance and claimed he carried a Tommy gun inside a large violin case. While working with the unknown assassin, Valachi noted his exceptional skill with a wide range of weaponry including pistols, shotguns and machine guns. Contrary to Valachi's story that has him hiding a Tommygun in a violin case (the Thompson won't fit in a violin case), Buster did carry a sawed-off, 12 gauge pump shotgun in a guitar case.

Buster's first murder assignment for Salvatore Maranzano was to kill Giuseppe Morello. On August 15, 1930, Morello and Joseph Perrano were shot dead in the former's East Harlem office. Two gunmen were seen fleeing the scene. Some accounts claim that Albert Anastasia and Frank Scalise were the shooters that day, although Valachi wrote that Buster was responsible.

Buster was also responsible for the deaths of top Masseria lieutenants Alfred Mineo and Steve Ferrigno, gunning them down with his guitar-cased shotgun as they walked through the courtyard of a Bronx apartment complex on November 5, 1930. As his accomplices, Girolamo "Bobby Doyle" Santuccio and Nick Capuzzi, fled the scene, Buster allegedly ran into an investigating patrolman who had heard the gunfire. In the guise of a frightened bystander, Buster told the officer the direction of the shooting and calmly walked away as the officer rushed to the scene. Joe Valachi then picked up the three assassins and sped them to safety.

On February 3, 1931, Buster was stationed in a basement apartment on Belmont Avenue in the Bronx in order to watch for Giuseppe Catania aka Joe the Baker. As his quarry left a store across the street with his wife, Buster opened fire. Catania fell mortally wounded and Buster made a clean getaway in the commotion that followed. Buster was supposedly proud of the fact that, despite the wide blast pattern of his shotgun, Catania's wife was unharmed.

Although he survived the Castellammarese War, Buster was distrustful of the new mob regime. According to Valachi, Buster wanted to continue fighting against Lucky Luciano because "They'll take us away, one by one." After this, according to Valachi's McClellan Committee testimony, Buster "was killed during an argument at a crap game."