Arkansas Godfather: The Story of Owney Madden and How He Hijacked Middle America

by Graham Nown

Overview

Owney Madden lived a seemingly quiet life for decades in the resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, while he was actually helping some of America's most notorious gangsters rule a vast criminal empire. In 1987, Graham Nown first told Madden's story in his book The English Godfather, in which he traced Madden's boyhood in England, his immigration to New York City, and his rise to mob boss. Nown also uncovered a love story involving Madden and the daughter of the Hot Springs postmaster. Before his arrival in Hot Springs, Madden was one of the most powerful gangsters in New York City and former owner of the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. The story of his life shows us a world where people can break the law without ever getting caught, and where criminality is so entwined in government and society that one might wonder what is legality and what isn't.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935106517
Publisher:	Butler Center for Arkansas Studies
Publication date:	04/01/2013
Pages:	290
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Graham Nown was a journalist and broadcaster who lived in the United Kingdom. He spent four years during the 1980s researching the life of Owney Madden.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

1 Duke of the West Side 15

2 Huddled Masses 32

3 Fire in the Streets 44

4 Enemies 65

5 The Big Thirst 87

6 The Great White Way 108

7 Phoenix Rising 135

8 Fighting Chance 156

9 Birth of the Businessman-Gangster 167

10 The Mad Dog 182

11 The Postmaster's Daughter 198

12 Trouble in Mind 220

13 Enter the G-Men 246

14 Symphony in Blue 265

15 Bubbles 281

16 The Quiet American 306

17 When the Bubble Burst 332

Acknowledgments 358

Bibliography 360

Index 365

About the Author 377