It was 1:15 a.m., and Patrolman Stanley B. Thomas got the short end of the stick that night. He was on the graveyard shift for his beat in Central Harlem. The Patrolman was attached to the Juvenile Aid Bureau at the West 132nd Street Police station. The date was January 20, 1945, very early Saturday morning and probably bitter cold. Everyone was in bed, or should have been in bed… Stanley B. Thomas was patrolling West 145th Street between 7th Avenue and Lenox Avenue when he saw several young men running away. He chased them and caught one of them who told him that one of the other boys – Rudolph White – was armed.
The Patrolman then chased Rudolph noticing the butt end of a pistol protruding from his right overcoat pocket. After a nine block chase, he caught Rudolph in front of 117 West 136th Street. Frisking him, he found an unloaded, .45 caliber Colt pistol in his pocket. Heavy fire power for the 19 year-old.
117 West 136th Street. This is the building where Rudolph White of the Sabers was arrested.
Rudolph defiantly refused to give the Patrolman a statement other than the fact that he got the weapon several days ago in the vicinity of West 144th Street and 8th Avenue. Rudolph was a member of a vicious gang called the Sabers which was responsible for various crimes and gang fights in Harlem. Rudolph was a “sturdy, well proportioned person who present[ed] a surly and defiant attitude with respect to constituted authority.” He was “willful,” “obstinate” and he resented criticism. When he didn’t get his way, he became hostile and aggressive.
Rudolph gave his address as a furnished room on St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan. But the truth of the matter was that Rudolph was from the Bronx; 820 Dawson Street to be exact. Rudolph attended Bronx schools, including Morris High School. So what was he doing in Harlem running around with a Colt .45 at 1:15 in the morning?
The answer to that question probably had to do something with the fact that there was a Sabers gang in the Bronx and another one in Harlem. That was also the case with a gang called the Slicksters and most likely the Copians as well, two gangs that were in Harlem and the Bronx. In Rudolph’s case, even though he was from the Bronx, he was probably looking for revenge against an enemy gang on the streets of Harlem.
Fingerprint Card for Rudolph of the Sabers Gang
Rudolph White was sentenced to City Prison and got time served. One wonders if the sentence would have been longer if the gun had been loaded or if there were bullets in his pocket.
If you want to read more about the Sabers, follow these links:
1.) A Harlem Party, a Knock at the Door and a Smith & Wesson