{"id":3391,"date":"2020-06-19T11:00:39","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T15:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/?page_id=3391"},"modified":"2020-06-19T11:00:39","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T15:00:39","slug":"papo-of-the-apaches-gang","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/?page_id=3391","title":{"rendered":"Papo of the Apaches Gang"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes it\u2019s fun to pick up an isolated, minor incident and go into the nuts and bolts of the story and the protagonist.\u00a0 The event I am going to write about involves a member of the Apaches, a Puerto Rican gang that hung out on the corner of Pacific and Nevins Streets in Brooklyn.\u00a0 This is the neighborhood of Boerum Hill and their turf was close to the Gowanus Projects.<\/p>\n

This story involves an Apache by the nickname of \u201cPapo,\u201d who lived at 297 Pearl Street.\u00a0 The reason I bring up his address is because it is far from Apache turf and I wonder how he became entangled with the Apaches gang.\u00a0 But entangled he became.<\/p>\n

Born on Christmas Day in 1940 in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Papo and his family lived in a small farming community.\u00a0 His parents split up when he was 8 months old, lived apart for a year, and then came together just long enough for his mother to become pregnant with another child, only to separate again.\u00a0 Papo had asthma and for many years had continuous headaches that doctors couldn\u2019t diagnose.\u00a0 When he was 12, he suffered his first epileptic seizure. \u00a0He would get around four seizures a year, but medication helped control the problem.<\/p>\n

By the time he was a teenager, Papo was thin, 5\u20196\u201d tall, and had brown eyes and reddish brown curly hair.\u00a0 He was pale, passive and withdrawn.\u00a0 He spoke broken English and it was difficult to understand what he was saying.\u00a0 He spoke Spanish at home and with his friends.\u00a0 His favorite activity was watching television; Perry Como and Westerns were his favorite.<\/p>\n

Papo didn\u2019t have a steady job.\u00a0 His mother said his seizures prevented him from getting a good job.\u00a0 The best he could do for employment was when he worked in a pet shop for a month and when he worked after hours in a barber shop.\u00a0 It was while he was working in the barber shop that he met Charles Smith, a music composer who took a liking to Papo and who hired him and his friends to do odd jobs.\u00a0 On one occasion Papo painted his flat for $150.00 \u2013 not an insignificant amount of money (about $1,300 in today\u2019s money, certainly a good amount of money for a teenager).<\/p>\n

Charles Smith felt sorry for Papo and helped him as much as he could.\u00a0 Besides hiring him for odd jobs, he also gave personal counseling and introduced him to a Roman Catholic priest for more help.\u00a0 Charles saw Papo as a \u201clost waif\u201d who couldn\u2019t cope with the New York City environment.\u00a0 When he hired Papo for odd jobs after school, he was impressed by his eager response to any act of kindness.<\/p>\n

Likewise, Papo felt a close kinship to Charles Smith and was very attached to him.\u00a0 Charles even taught him how to play the piano.\u00a0 Whether he was successful or not with this isn\u2019t known, but the effort Charles put out was considerable.<\/p>\n

In August 1959, Charles traveled to London, England to make arrangements for showing a musical comedy.\u00a0 It was then when everything fell to pieces for Papo.<\/p>\n

It started innocently enough on the evening of August 30, 1959 when he went to a movie at the Terminal Theatre on Pacific and Nevins\u2019 Streets with his pal, Carlos Torres (aka \u201cGeronimo\u201d) also of the Apaches gang.\u00a0 They had supper at Geronimo\u2019s house and hung out there until midnight, when four more fellows joined them: Maximo, Apache, Lefty and Jose.\u00a0 They all chipped in and bought a quart of beer for everyone in the group which they guzzled while they hung out on a stoop.\u00a0 Someone proffered a marijuana cigarette.\u00a0 Papo obliged and smoked the cigarette which made him feel \u201chigh and brave.\u201d\u00a0 It was at this point that Apache said in Spanish, \u201cLet\u2019s go rob a house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jose liked this idea and picking up on this theme, he asked Papo if he wanted to come along.\u00a0 He knew a great place to rob.\u00a0 Papo, feeling brave from the effects of the marijuana, agreed and followed Jose.\u00a0 For whatever reason, the others didn’t join them, even though it was Apache\u2019s idea to rob a house.\u00a0 By this time it was about 3:45 a.m.<\/p>\n

The spot that Jose had in mind to rob was two miles away from where they were, which is about a 30 minute walk.\u00a0 While it is possible they took the subway, at this time of night the subway system probably wasn\u2019t running at full capacity and so they probably would have walked to their destination.<\/p>\n

The house that Jose wanted to rob was 70 Orange Street in Brooklyn Heights which was quite close to Papo\u2019s home on Pearl Street.\u00a0 They went to the rear of the building and Jose told Papo to wait outside while he would break in and hand the items to him.\u00a0 Papo was the lookout.\u00a0 It was then that Papo saw that 70 Orange Street was none other than the home of his employer and good friend Charles Smith.\u00a0 The actual break-in though was not into Smith\u2019s flat, but rather that of an office worker who happened to be on vacation.<\/p>\n

\"70<\/a>

70 Orange Street Brooklyn<\/p><\/div>\n

Still, this did not look good \u2013 what would Charles think? To Papo\u2019s credit, he tried to convince Jose to forget about it.\u00a0 Jose laughed at Papo.\u00a0 Papo, who didn\u2019t have the fortitude to press matters, continued working with Jose.\u00a0 As Papo watched, Jose broke the window above the latch and gained entry to the three-story building.\u00a0 A few minutes later he came out carrying a portable typewriter and a slide projector which he handed to Papo.\u00a0 Jose entered the alleyway, repossessed the loot and both boys walked toward to the street.\u00a0 As they got to the end of the alley, Jose suggested that Papo should venture out first to see if the coast was clear.<\/p>\n

As soon as Papo stepped into the street light he saw a policeman.\u00a0 He turned around but Jose had vanished like a wraith into the darkness, leaving the loot against the wall.\u00a0 It was too late; Papo was caught like a rat in a trap.<\/p>\n

Unbeknownst to Papo, someone had heard them trying to gain access in the backyard of the building and hearing the noise had made an anonymous phone call to the 84th<\/sup> Precinct at 4:15 a.m.<\/p>\n

Responding to the call, Patrolman E.R. Rosini proceeded to 70 Orange Street in his patrol car where he saw Papo and Jose emerge from the alleyway.\u00a0 He ordered them to halt.\u00a0 Papo obeyed the command and stopped.\u00a0 Jose fled.<\/p>\n

\"70<\/a>

70 Orange Street Photo Taken Circa 1939-1941 – Home of Musician Charles Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

After his arrest and when he was questioned, Papo was asked about what he expected to happen.\u00a0 He hung his head and said he hoped he could be put on probation.\u00a0 The only reason he did the burglary was because he had \u201clost good sense\u201d by smoking the marijuana cigarette.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t Papo\u2019s first time smoking marijuana: he had started about two weeks before this date.\u00a0 He was asked if he realized that smoking the cigarette was against the law; Papo shook his head and agreed that this only made everything worse and in broken English said, \u201cI hope the Judge let\u2019s me go out.\u201d\u00a0 The smoking of the marijuana had compounded problems for Papo because he was actually on bail for an incident from August 11, 1959.<\/p>\n

On that day \u2013 actually it was night time \u2013 he was picked up on a disorderly conduct charge and an \u201c1897 PL\u201d charge (possession of a dangerous weapon).\u00a0 The time was 10 p.m. and the place was Union Street and 3rd<\/sup> Avenue.\u00a0 Patrolman Rampulla of the 78th<\/sup> Precinct had been called to the scene to investigate a possible gang rumble.\u00a0 Papo and several others were on the corner, milling about and shouting to the annoyance of those living in the area who called the police.\u00a0 Papo was charged along with four others, one of them who I know was in the Apaches.\u00a0 I was able to receive some insightful context from a friend of mine who was a former member of the Butler Gents, one of the many sub-groups under the South Brooklyn Boys gang umbrella.\u00a0 The South Brooklyn Boys were a large white gang with a long history dating back about 10 years.\u00a0 Their turf was relatively close to the Apaches.<\/p>\n

The spot where Papo and the others were arrested on the corner of Union and 3rd<\/sup> Street was the heart of South Brooklyn Boys turf.\u00a0 The South Brooklyn Boys sub-groups usually went by their street names, so based on this corner, the sub group would have been the Union Street Boys who later called themselves the Union Devils in the early 1960s.\u00a0 Most likely this would have been the group the Apaches would have ended up fighting if they didn\u2019t get pinched by the police.\u00a0 Not only was this corner the heart of South Brooklyn Boys turf, but South Brooklyn was a neighborhood with a heavy Mafia presence.\u00a0 Carmine Perisco, who later became the boss of the Colombos, lived on Carroll Street, only three blocks from that corner. He was 26 years old by August 1959, so he was well along into the life of organized crime, but when he was a youth he was also a member of the South Brooklyn Boys and in fact was questioned for his role in a gang murder in 1950.<\/p>\n

The possession of the dangerous weapon was from the same incident.\u00a0 When Papo was arrested, he had a long, stick-like broom handle which was taped at both ends.\u00a0 The police asked why he had the stick and Papo said it was to fight some Italians.\u00a0 When he was questioned further about this, Papo showed some street smarts when he denied that he planned to hurt anyone with the stick.\u00a0 Perhaps he wasn\u2019t planning to hit them very hard.<\/p>\n

At any rate, he said that for that situation the Mau Maus were meeting with the Apaches to fight a third gang.\u00a0 Papo denied he was affiliated with either the Mau Maus or Apaches, but said he was closer to the Mau Maus.\u00a0 In all likelihood, Papo was a member of the Apaches as one of the other boys\u2019 who was also arrested for this possible rumble was in the gang.\u00a0 And as mentioned before, when Papo was hanging out with the guys before the burglary, one of them was Geronimo, a leader of the Apaches.\u00a0 And finally, the Jose who was with him on the burglary was very likely none other than \u201cFlame,\u201d another mover and shaker in the Apaches who would later be arrested in 1960 for shooting a Mau Mau.<\/p>\n

A more in-depth history of the Mau Maus and Apaches can be read in my book Brooklyn Rumble<\/em> (click here to order your copy<\/a>).\u00a0 The two gangs had a tempestuous, on-again, off-again relationship that swung like a pendulum between fast friends and bitter enemies.<\/p>\n

Getting back to the burglary, Papo was in serious trouble because not only was he caught doing a robbery while on bail, he had admitted to smoking the marijuana cigarette.<\/p>\n

\"Papo<\/a>

Papo of the Brooklyn Apaches Gang Fingerprint Card 1959<\/p><\/div>\n

Charles Smith must have been a great human being because when he found out about Papo\u2019s arrest for breaking into the building he lived in, his response wasn\u2019t what you might expect.\u00a0 He still had compassion for the lad and felt that Papo was so shy and lonely that just the offer of companionship was enough to get him involved in the disorderly conduct and burglary.\u00a0 In Smith\u2019s words he said that Papo was \u201cmaterial that can be rehabilitated.\u201d\u00a0 He blamed the company of his friends (the Apaches) for driving him into the crime.<\/p>\n

So what happened to Papo?\u00a0 Well, it was a mixture of good and bad news for him.\u00a0 The good news is he was acquitted of the disorderly conduct charge.\u00a0 For the possession of a dangerous weapon they established bail, but the charge itself was dropped down to a misdemeanor.\u00a0 Most likely he wouldn\u2019t have had much of a punishment for a misdemeanor.<\/p>\n

\"Papo's<\/a>

Papo’s Arrest Noted in Brooklyn 1959 Adolescent Court Book<\/p><\/div>\n

The burglary, on the other hand, was sent to the Grand Jury, and bail was set at $1,500 on Sep.8, 1959.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure if Papo was able to make bail or not, but he was found guilty and sentenced on January 8, 1960.\u00a0 He was sent to Elmira Reception Center in upstate New York, and from there I lost track of him, so I\u2019m not sure how his journey in the criminal justice system \u2013 and after \u2013 ended.\u00a0 Most likely he would have received a 3 year sentence and with good behaviour would have been out on parole in two years which would have been around January 1962.<\/p>\n

As for Charles Smith, I\u2019m not sure exactly who he was, especially with a common name like that.\u00a0 He certainly had some means at his disposal, being able to pay Papo $150 to paint his apartment and traveling to London, England for a musical comedy.\u00a0 So he must have had some substance derived from earnings on the music scene in New York City.\u00a0 I found information on a Charlie Smith who was a jazz drummer that lived in New York City and who worked with Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and other performers.\u00a0 He was born in 1927 and died in 1966, not even making it to the age of 40.\u00a0 During the 1960s, Smith worked mostly as a composer and educator, which fits with how he composed music at the time he befriended Papo and helped him play piano.\u00a0 I can\u2019t say with 100% certainty that this was the Charles Smith in this story, but I think it\u2019s a reasonable assumption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes it\u2019s fun to pick up an isolated, minor incident and go into the nuts and bolts of the story and the protagonist.\u00a0 The event I am going to write about involves a member of the Apaches, a Puerto Rican … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2250,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/Pdrj3O-SH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3391"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3411,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3391\/revisions\/3411"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcitygangs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}