Harry Strauss | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 28, 1909 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1941 (aged 31) |
| Cause of death | Execution by electrocution |
| Resting place | Beth David Cemetery |
| Other names | Pittsburgh Phil |
| Occupation | Hitman |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Allegiance | Murder, Inc. |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss (July 28, 1909 – June 12, 1941) was an American contract killer for Murder, Inc. in the 1930s. He reportedly killed over one hundred men (some historians put the number as high as 500)[1] using a variety of methods, including shooting, stabbing with ice picks, drowning, live burial, and strangulation. Strauss never carried a weapon in case the local police picked him up on suspicion. He would scout his murder spot for any tool that would do the job.[2]
Most of his associates called him "Pep". In the 1930s, he was committing assaults, larcenies, and drug dealing. He was arrested 18 times but was never convicted until he was found guilty of the homicide that sent him and fellow Murder, Inc. hitman Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein to the electric chair. After hitman Abe "Kid Twist" Reles turned informant, Strauss was arrested for the murder of Irving "Puggy" Feinstein, and at least five other known murders. Strauss tried to avoid conviction by feigning insanity in the courtroom and on death row. Strauss and Goldstein were convicted September 19, 1940, and executed by electrocution using Sing Sing's Old Sparky on June 12, 1941.[3]
- ^ Carl Sifakis, The Mafia Encyclopedia. Checkmark Books, 2005. Page 360.
- ^ Jay Robert Nash Bloodletters and badmen. M. Evans; distributed in association with Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1973. ISBN 0-871-31113-5.
- ^ "2 in Murder Ring Are Put to Death; Pittsburgh Phil Strauss and Buggsy Goldstein Go to Chair for Brooklyn Slaying" (PDF). The New York Times. June 13, 1941. p. 15.(subscription required)