Why did the prototype of the "great Gatsby" kill his wife, and why was he not punished
It so happened that American lawyers of the 20s of the last century, who defended gangsters in the courts, themselves did not shine with decency and law-abiding. And in some cases, they even became bandits, and they themselves needed legal protection. An excellent example of this is the story of the Screaming Remus, who turned from a nationally known lawyer into a bootlegger millionaire, and then killed his own wife.
Few people knew the lawyer George Remus by name. Everyone called him a Screaming Remus, for the habit of "taking the voice" of opponents in court and excessive theatricality. He could quite afford to shout, irony and provoke, as he was an excellent lawyer. Remus took on the most difficult cases and, most often, won. And he was also "his" lawyer for the mafia, which paid him a lot of money.
In 1920, when trouble fell on the residents of the United States in the form of prohibition, Remus did not strain to earn 500 thousand dollars. This is by current standards, for a moment, as much as $ 7 million (625 million rubles)! It would seem that what was missing from this person? But the Screaming Remus was not only an experienced lawyer, but also an incredibly greedy guy.
George was born and raised in a family of alcoholics and did not see anything good from his parents. His uncle, who kept his own pharmacy, took care of him. Remus helped a relative from an early age and became a good pharmacist by the age of majority. He not only provided for himself, but also helped his wayward parents.
At the age of 19, the guy graduated from college and received a pharmacist's degree. And at the age of 21, he already had his own pharmacy. But Remus had only been in this business for three years. He realized that it would not be possible to earn a lot of money by making pills and powders. So George sold the pharmacy and went to university to study law.
But even the mafia money received for defense in court seemed ridiculous to Remus. Therefore, in the early 20s, he found a loophole in the legislation and opened his own, quite legal, alcohol factory. All this was not done in order to pay taxes honestly. George colluded with gangsters and pulled off a cunning scheme.
When the Remus liquor warehouse was full, it was robbed clean at night. In the morning, a former lawyer, and now a manufacturer, went to write a statement to the police, while his whiskey was being transported to underground drinking establishments. This unaccounted-for alcohol was sold faster than the official one and, of course, was not taxed.
Such an illegal trick allowed Remus to become fabulously rich in just 3 years. He became the acknowledged king of bootleggers and caroused like a king. On his birthday, he could invite a couple of hundred guests and gave them gifts himself. Every man got a diamond tie pin, and every woman got a new car. It wasn't expensive at all, because Remus controlled a seventh of the U.S. liquor market.
The introduction of prohibition contributed to the complete transition of the alcohol business into the shadows. Now the need for a robbery performance has disappeared. Remus simply produced illegal alcohol and sold it to the suffering through his people. He had long forgotten about the practice of law, as well as about his family. George left his wife and daughter, and then married his secretary Imogen Holmes.
Remus's new wife was no match for the last one. She turned out to be overbearing and incredibly scandalous. During the quarrels that the couple often had, Imogen screamed no worse than her husband once did in court. She also adored luxury and was happy to help her husband organize grand parties. It is said that these events became the prototypes of the Gatsby parties from Fitzgerald's novel.
But all good things end quickly. In 1925, the police got tired of the impudent king of bootleggers operating under their noses. The screaming Remus was arrested and it didn't work out to pay off, as it was usually done. But we managed to avoid serious punishment. The mafioso received only two years in prison, as investigators failed to uncover George's schemes.
A guy named Franklin Dodge was put in Remus' cell. He was an undercover agent whose task was to completely expose the bootlegger. An experienced Dodge managed to find out everything he needed from his cellmate. But he did not plan to turn in a cellmate at all. The agent, having learned that Remus's business continues to operate under the management of Imogen, decided to take possession of it.
Dodge quit and went to seduce Remus' wife. He quickly achieved his goal and became the roommate of Imogen Holmes and an assistant in the criminal business. They exploited him so effectively that two years later, Remus, released, found his house mortgaged and his accounts emptied. As if in mockery, Dodge and Holmes left $100 in cash in his safe and fled.
But that's not all, the ex-wife and her lover hired a hitman to kill George. They promised to pay 15 thousand dollars and even gave an advance. But the hired killer, having found out who he would have to deal with, was scared. After all, the Screaming Remus was a well-known figure in the criminal environment. Therefore, the killer went to the "client" and laid everything out to him. Of course, Remus was furious.
In 1927, Imogen Holmes filed for divorce. Remus waylaid her outside the courthouse and offered to talk to her. The woman got scared, got into the car and drove away. The ex-husband jumped into a taxi and gave chase. He caught up with Holmes near the city park, where Imogen's car did not fit into the turn and slid into a ditch. Remus dragged the woman out of the car and a violent verbal altercation began.
As a result, the enraged bootlegger pulled out a pistol and shot his ex-wife several times in the stomach. She died on the spot, and a screaming Remus went to the nearest police station to surrender. He told the circumstances of the murder without reserve and, it seems, was even pleased when the handcuffs snapped on his wrists.
The trial of the Screaming Remus was a real event. In anticipation of the show, the hall was packed to the brim. The killer did not disappoint the expectations of the crowd. He defended himself and, as usual, did it loudly and pathetically. Remus told how his cellmate betrayed him, and then his beloved woman, described the depth of his despair and portrayed remorse.
At the same time, in places his speech looked messy. This was no accident — an experienced lawyer was playing his favorite card, "the madness of the defendant." The jury of the court, who were all men, were imbued with the story of the accused. They unanimously decided that Remus had lost his mind from grief. Instead of prison, the cunning criminal went to a hospital, from which he was released just 7 months later.
George no longer tried his luck and did not engage in crime. He remarried a secretary and opened a legal consultation. The gangster lived the rest of his life quietly and decently. Screaming Remus died in 1952 at the age of 74. His story inspired Francis Scott Fitzgerald, who personally knew the bootlegger, to write the novel The Great Gatsby.