Charles
Baron
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles
"Babe" Baron (b?-d?) was an organized crime figure in Chicago, Illinois. He
owned a successful Chicago new car dealership
( Charles Baron Ford) as well as holding the rank of Brigadier-General in
the Illinois National Guard. He was involved in
illegal gambling as
a handbook operator for the Chicago Outfit.
Along
with Dave Yaras and Lenny Patrick, Baron served as a protégé to Democratic Party ward
boss Jacob Arvey. Baron was an
associate of Meyer Lansky.(see: Peter Dale Scott, 1993:199) He was also a
close associate of Patrick Hoy, a Henry
Crown employee of General
Dynamics who was later able to arrange a job for Sidney
Korshak at the Hilton
Hotels.[1]
Twice
arrested for murder, including that of bootlegger James
Walsh, whom he shot and killed following a prize
fight in 1929, and of North
Side Gang financier 'Smiling' Gus
Winkler, on October 9, 1933.[1] Baron
was identified as an associate of John
Roselli during the Kefauver
Hearings, in the 1950s.[1]
According
to Jack
Ruby and Baron associate Tony Zoppi, Baron knew U.S.
Air Force General Curtis
LeMay.(see: Peter Dale Scott, 1993:199, 355)
A former
general manager of the Havana Riviera in pre-revolutionary Cuba, Baron was one of
the first to be granted a gaming license by the Gaming Control Act, in 1960,
and served as the official greeter of the Sands
Hotel and Casino, in Las
Vegas, under Joseph "Doc" Stacher.[2]
References
Demaris,
Ovid, "Captive City," 1970, p.250
Rothman,
Hal. Neon Metropolis: how Las Vegas started the twenty-first century.
London: Routledge, 2002. ISBN 0-415-92612-2
Scott,
Peter Dale. Deep Politics and the Death of JFK.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. ISBN 0-520-08410-1
Charles
"Babe" Baron (b?-d?) was an organized crime figure in Chicago,
Illinois. He owned a successful Chicago new car dealership (Charles Baron Ford)
as well as holding the rank of Brigadier-General in the Illinois National
Guard. He was involved in illegal gambling as a handbook operator for the
Chicago Outfit.
Along
with Dave Yaras and Lenny Patrick, Baron served as a protégé to Democratic
Party ward boss Jacob Arvey. Baron was an associate of Meyer Lansky. He was
also a close associate of Patrick Hoy, a Henry Crown employee of General
Dynamics who was later able to arrange a job for Sidney Korshak at the Hilton
Hotels.
Twice
arrested for murder, including that of bootlegger James Walsh, whom he shot and
killed following a prize fight in 1929, and of North Side Gang financier
'Smiling' Gus Winkler, on October 9, 1933. Baron was identified as an associate
of John Roselli during the Kefauver Hearings, in the 1950s.
According
to Jack Ruby and Baron associate Tony Zoppi, Baron knew U.S. Air Force General
Curtis LeMay.
A former
general manager of the Havana Riviera in pre-revolutionary Cuba, Baron was one
of the first to be granted a gaming license by the Gaming Control Act, in 1960,
and served as the official greeter of the Sands Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas,
under Joseph "Doc" Stacher.
Letter
Chicago Mafia Charles Babe Baron 1966 Sands Hotel Las
Vegas This is a great signed letter from known Chicago Mafia member, Charles
Baron. It is from 1966 from Las Vegas on Sands Hotel letterhead. It is to
General William H Harrison thanking him for his Army pistol and holster and
hoping to see him when he visits the West Coast. It is guaranteed original and
in good condition.
General
William H. Harrison
https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/64/1616/smith-wes
Description
This is
an excellent example of a very rare Smith & Wesson Model 38 Bodyguard
Airweight revolver with the super scarce 3 inch barrel. This revolver was
previously owned by Col. Charles Baron (later Brigadier General) and is so
engraved on the right side of the receiver; "COL. CHARLES BARON, USA
0383316".
Col.
Baron's service record indicates that he entered military service in Nov. 1938
and was placed on active duty from March 1941 through Jan. 1946. He continued
his military career in various National Guard positions until retiring in Oct.
1967. His active duty decorations and awards include the Bronze Star, European
African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with 5 Service Stars, American Defense
Ribbon, American Theater Ribbon, WWII Victory Ribbon, and Army Occupation Medal
Ribbon. While in the ARNG he served primarily at the HHD in Springfield,
Illinois.
Baron
was connected with the mob and was on the IRS's list of 42 powerful mobsters.
This specific revolver is an early model with alloy frame and steel cylinder
with the very rare all nickel plated finish. It is fitted with the very rare 3
inch barrel that is marked on the right side "AIRWEIGHT / 38 SPL.
CTG.", with the standard S&W markings on the frame. It has the
serrated ramp front sight with notch frame rear sight with the color
casehardened trigger and shrouded hammer. It is fitted with S&W checkered
walnut grips with S&W medallions.
The
following further information on Charles Baron is found on Wikipedia: Charles
"Babe" Baron was reportedly an organized crime figure in Chicago,
Illinois. He owned a successful Chicago new car dealership, Charles Baron FORD, as well as holding the rank of
Brigadier-General in the U. S. Army and Illinois National Guard.
In the
1920’s and 1930’s he was involved in illegal gambling as a handbook operator
for the Chicago Outfit and served as a protégé to Democratic Party ward boss
Jacob Arvey. Baron was an associate of Meyer Lansky. Baron was twice arrested
for murder, including that of bootlegger James Walsh, whom he shot and killed
following a prize fight in 1929, and of North Side Gang financier 'Smiling' Gus
Winkler, on October 9, 1933. Baron was identified as an associate of John
Roselli during the Kefauver Hearings, in the 1950s.
According
to Jack Ruby and Baron associate Tony Zoppi, Baron was a friend of U.S. Air
Force General Curtis LeMay. A former general manager of the Havana Riviera in
pre-revolutionary Cuba, Baron was one of the first to be granted a gaming
license by the Gaming Control Act, in 1960, and later served as the official
greeter of the Sands Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas.
Condition
Excellent
overall with 98% plus original nickel finish. Revolver displays some light
handling marks, and very faint surface scratches. The grips are excellent, with
crisp checkering and minimal handling marks. Mechanically excellent.
Blakey
and Billings, The Plot,230. More pertinent was probably the fact that the Sans
Souci was operated, at this time, by Dave Yaras and Lenny Patrick, the
suspected killers of James Ragen (9 AH 948).
Also at this time, Rosselli's most
constant companion was "Major" Charles "Babe" Baron, a
suspected murderer who was also a brigadier-general in the Illinois National
Guard.[75] Rappleye and Becker, All-American Mafioso,136, 139, 145-47, etc.
In
1978, investigating the circumstances of Ruby's trip to Cuba, House Committee
investigators interviewed Ruby's friend Tony Zoppi, with whom Ruby spent the
morning of November 22 before the assassination. (As we shall see, there are
serious problems with Ruby's and Zoppi's conflicting accounts of both the 1959
trip and the November 22 visit; 5 WH 183; 5 AH 176 [Ruby]; 5 AH 170 [Zoppi].)
They
found Zoppi in 1978 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, where Baron now worked. Zoppi
knew Baron, whom he identified as "a general in the Army Reserves and a
close friend of General Curtis LeMay." The investigators
"subsequently learned that Baron was visiting LeMay the following
week" (5 AH 170).
Baron
was a protégé of Chicago Democratic machine leader Jake Arvey, as were Yaras
and Patrick; and an even closer friend of Patrick Hoy, the Henry Crown employee
at General Dynamics who arranged for Sidney Korshak to work for Hilton Hotels.[76]Demaris,
Captive City,250 Hoy was also the general manager of the Sherman Hotel in
Chicago, a hangout frequented by Ruby and Jones in 1947 (22 WH 366; 24 WH 518).
There
have been a number of stories linking Ruby, and his casino operator friend
Lewis McWillie, to arms trafficking to Cuba, one of which involved an
eyewitness account of a meeting in Dallas between Ruby and a US. army colonel
in uniform.[77]14 WH 345-53 (colonel); Meagher, Accessories,385-86; Scheim, Contract
on America,225-27; cf. Summers, Conspiracy,461-65.
After Ruby had been
convicted of Oswald's murder, he reportedly told a friend in his jail cell,
"They're going to find out about Cuba. They're going to find out about the
guns, find out about New Orleans, find out about everything."[78]Page 167
of 361Deep Politics and the Death of JFK7/22/2006
It's about time this got some attention. Great work, Bill as usual.
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