Rosemary

Casper Holstein (December 6, 1877 – April 5, 1944) was a prominent New York mobster involved in the Harlem "numbers rackets" during the Harlem Renaissance.

Early life

Born of mixed African and Danish descent in St. Croix, Danish West Indies, Casper Holstein moved to New York City with his mother in 1884. During World War I, he was able to revisit his birthplace while stationed in what had become the United States Virgin Islands.^[1] After the war, Holstein worked as janitor and doorman in Manhattan eventually becoming a messenger, and then head messenger.

Rebirth of the Harlem numbers racket

As the Prohibition began, Holstein's lottery system proved popular and soon Holstein became known as the "Bolita King", going on to earn an estimated $2 million from his lotteries.

In 1932 Dixie Davis, the court house attorney who provided service for the runners for many of the numbers operators, decided that he could make more money if he were to take over as central organizer. In order to enforce his seizure of power, he brought in Dutch Schultz, who could see that Prohibition which had proved lucrative for him was reaching its end. Rather than accept a back seat however, he decided he wanted the central role. One by one various numbers operators were picked up by Schultz and told they would have to deal with him. Most complied but he was resisted by Madame Stephanie St. Clair and Bumpy Johnson. Holstein saw himself as having a political mission which would be undermined by violence and dropped out of active or central involvement overseeing street collection. The numbers game then continued operating with mostly Black collectors and mid level management. This was under mostly White leadership and by St. Clair and Johnson.

Political activism

Holstein was a major donor towards charitable purposes such as building dormitories at black colleges, as well as financing many of the neighborhood's artists, writers, and poets during the Harlem Renaissance. He bought the mortgage on the New York hall of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and allowed it to continue to be used as a black function hall until the Marcus Garvey organization collapsed. The site was then developed by him as Holstein Court a residential building for Black business owners and professionals. He also helped establish a Baptist school in Liberia and established a hurricane relief fund for his native Virgin Islands. He was a regular contributor of articles to the NAACP newspaper Crisis.

Prohibition and later years

By the end of the 1920s, Holstein had become a dominant figure among Harlem's numerous policy operators. Although both he and rival Stephanie St. Clair claimed to have invented the way that "numbers games" chose the winning number, both claims have long been in dispute.^[2] He controlled a large scale numbers-running operation, as well as nightclubs and other legitimate business. According to The New York Times, he was "Harlem's favorite hero", because of his wealth, his sporting proclivities and his philanthropies among his community.^[3]

Kidnapping

In 1928, he was kidnapped by five white men who demanded a ransom of $50,000. He was released three days later, insisting that no ransom was paid. The incident was never explained.^[3]

In popular culture

The character Valentin Narcisse, played by Jeffrey Wright, on season 4 and 5 of the HBO period crime-drama Boardwalk Empire was inspired by Holstein.^[4]

References

External links

• "Harlem's Virgin Islanders" (PDF). (88.8 KiB) by Sara Smollett