Into The Lion's Den

can't let my family get killed because of it. That might be got rob Then I had all these people all again, Gluten FBI and one of who was the black Mirk. You have any idea who would have coolest stuff like this? I don't have no ideas at all. The reason they were mad because they were not anybody, and the man was prob. I think you had from my heart, radio and doghouse pictures. This is fight night.

I'm Jeff Keating. When I spoke with j D during our interview in two thousand and two, he speculated that as the robbers were fleeing the party, Frank Moten had one of his bodyguards waiting in the car outside when Bookie Brown and Lillian Dabney exited in a rush. We think that bodyguard captured them and tortured them for information on the rest of their crew. To the hustlers, there was one guy out of New York, Okay, two guys and one by guy never went into the building the

house of lad managers. Okay. That's a sad outside, okay. And that was the last guy that was robbed. The last gun followed, okay. And what I figured happened is that when they left, the robbers left these last two people, they grabbed him, got the damn money, what it was in the goddamn pilgate. They the damn shotgun from the motherfucker's and that damn bought up aromatic and one scheme mats and blue calammt okay, But who have a coat?

Booky Brown took about a blues got damn head off the guys head on, and that was just the beginning of the killings. Immediately after the million dollar heist, chicken Man struggled with his state of mind. Here's Gordon Williams Jr. Recalling his father's mood the day after the robbery. My dad was really down He was really sad. He was blaming himself, but he didn't know what to do. My mother tried to comfort him, but you couldn't connect with him. He was really just out of it. We were scared.

My mom was scared. I was scared, even being a teenager, I was scared to death. My dad had to tell us, you know, John might have to leave because these people were talking about killing all of us, I mean me, you and your mom, J D. Hudson, and Chicken Man. Remember that time. Well, I knew they were gonna kill it.

I knew they were going to kill him, and I knew I would set up looking for that, and the police weren't going to be responsible, cause I think up on bless his name out of that police an FBI. My dad mentioned to me after the robbery and everything, there were things that he wasn't aware of. First of all, he told me he had no knowledge of what had happened on what was about to happen, but also that there were people there they had ordered hits on him.

And I was like, so you were never scared, He said, I was scared, but they had ordered hits on him, and that's something I never heard until later on, when when we start hearing about stories about my dad being killed, it just blew us away because we couldn't believe it because we read the same stories about Chicken Man was dead. One of my mother's sister called and said, why didn't you call us and tell us that Gordon had been killed?

And I remember my mother telling him my husband's not dead, So you sure, said, they're saying that it's in the papers he's dead. We couldn't even digest it because it was just it was so unreal. Gordon Junior's aunts called his mom and said, why didn't you tell us that Gordon is dead? His mom said, what are you talking about? He ain't dead, but his aunt said, yes, he is. I just read it in the paper. It seems she felt for the same misinformation that I did when it

came to the death of Chicken Man. Meanwhile, Chicken Man made himself visible as possible, knowing this was the best strategy to clear his name. Most hustlers who pulled off such a stunt would be hiding and running from the police and the people they had robbed, but Chicken Man did the opposite. He did, however, make a call to his attorney Joe Salem. Joe Selden was real close to my dad. Joe sale was the one that when whenever my dad got in trouble, you know, Joe Selden would

get him out him. And Joe Selden was very type. He was like family. Joe would come to the house and he talked to my dad, sit down and tell my dad. Listen, you're being investigated. You better slow down what you're doing. They got open case on you. So that's where my dad had to go to w s BTV because he wanted to declare his innocence because people were coming at us. Everybody was saying were serious. Everybody was saying he did it, he did it, we know

he did it. And he told us, I'm going on TV to declare my innocence because I didn't do this. I don't want to do it, but I gotta do it. I want to just say my family in order to protect y'all, otherwise they're gonna kill us. This is the audio from the WSB TV interview the Chicken Men recorded a couple of days after the robbery in nineteen seventy and then the woman that it was because the woman to dressed the house. So I found after all this was over, that he push me that end of the door.

She had a shotgun land on her head to tell her what to say and know what to do. Do you have any idea who would have pulled of stuff like this? I don't have no ideas at all. I wish y'all will wait to y'all get something before y'all. I mean, I guess you know that this is like this is uh deaf one for me for something that I don't even know anything about. I repeat that I

knew nothing about it. I see nothing, and I wasn't any part that I played that anybody victimized at all, And in fact, I feel like I was more victimized than anybody that was there. But one thing for shell, not hunter than seven to one dollar that I lost. I wouldn't even know the man to see to get

that back back. But clarify that I don't knew nothing and I didn't see nothing, so I would move in to this side of the Chicken man was scared and upset that the press implied he set up the robbery with little concern of the consequences these statements had on his life. He once told me that the press were the police, the judge and the jury. This seemed to be a perfect example of that idea was a goddamn national news. And national I said that too, a news

if you report? Who called me from Rome into it? And next time I read in the paper with the black Market got robbed, Yeah, and I said black Michael got rob Then I had all these people called me, including FBI and other people want to know who was the black licher. Someone robbed the black mafia. A spectacular crime, and chicken Man found himself at the center of the

media frenzy that followed. Newspaper headlines all over the world mentioned the Ali Corey fight, but story after story highlighted the million dollar robbery, and Gordon chicken Man Williams was the poster boy. Chicken Man did the only thing he knew would keep him and his family safe. He flew to New York to meet with Frank Molten and the Council of Twelve, right into the lions Den, and he

had no idea if he would come out alive. Chicken Man had to prove his innocence at any cost, and it didn't help that the press and several police officers were convinced he was responsible for setting up the robbery. Here I am with him in two thousand and three getting his side of the story, or during those first few days. It's unusual because a lot of people might think you may want to go in hiding if you said you kept yourself very visible to talk about your

feelings and your movements, let's say. And then a few nights after the robbery, well, I knew that I had nothing to do with it. That's the only thing that really free my spirit. Na was I suddond to be murdered killed? Yeah? Why because the newspaper portrayed that way, having tooker Man house and Chicken Man Gay the party. I didn't give the party. My instruction from from people who did or used the house, not for me not

to tell nobody that I didn't invite nobody. I went to New York and I was telling the guy that was major players and what the party was gonna be, because this really was the black gaming. And then this showing me had me clear and every time my name come up, they was thumbing down. I found that rewarding for me to be able to hear that from my comrade that's why I mean myself clear, I mean invisible, so it wouldn't be misunderstood because the people thought I

had something to do it. Chicken Man flew to New York to face the major players, including Frank Molten. Remember Frank, known as the Black Godfather, was a member of the Council of Twelve. Frank did business with other high level criminals like Nicky Barnes and Frank Lucas. And I always wondered how many other big time players were at the after party when it got robbed. But Frank Molten was an ally the Chicken Man, and he vouched for him. And Fay told me, so this is going, then nobody

think you've done that. He said, God, there's no way than people that Jeric is surface and we don't know it. That's a lot of money. Fact told me, So this is going. One thing we know is that too many people know about it, so it won't be low and if they can't go to the Jews though they came upon it, So we're gonna put the people on notice. But we had to cap by the tail um. But one thing I did know, some of the biggest racketeers

in the country were there if not the biggest. I sweared it out as any big time racketeer who was not in at Manta, and most of whom came to that party. And that's why Coon the graves I said that these guys are crazy. They're gonna get killed because they've robbed a black marka know. J D seems to take credit for coining the phrase black mafia, but we're

not exactly sure when this term was first used. The title was associated in the late sixties and early seventies to a criminal organization in Philadelphia whose activities ranged from extortion, gambling, prostitution, and ultimately political murders, but the members of the black Mafia he is referring to were from several other cities

like Detroit, Kansas City, and New York. J D believed that one of Frank Morton's bodyguards caught Bookie Brown and a lady named Lillian Dabney as they fled the robbery. Soon after, the police found their dead bodies at Proctor Creek, just miles away from Handy Drive. Around this time, j D and his team found their first piece of evidence. That's truth. It is got bed behind some bushes the

hedges on the right hand side of the house. There was a bay back happletes bay Okay, a duffle bag in a way, a hand water and uh that was a forty five revolver, a start off shotgun, A couple of masks are walking talking, and two large pillowcases. The witness told me that that they said a woman was involved. Right he was clicking on the floor right that they would rot the man splitting jewelry, tacking juror from the

women and putting them. Now you've got the duffle bags with forty five was shot up shotgun with pillowcases with some masks. So now you've got the beginning of the case. We checked the time shop on which the gone was like his own age Wood Avenue across from the Minnesota market. About the gun that was found in the duffel bad got you and land it was like this back Houston Hammond use his own drifts to flex his damn. Okay,

so we got this. But once j D. Knew that Houston Haymans used his idea to buy the shotgun from a pawn shop, he and his partner Joe Amos, decided to stake out a part of town that Houston Haymons was known to frequent with a bit of luck. They spotted him while they were eating lunch. Here's j D filling me in on the details. So we got in start. I gat an office and he would get a stampaign. Since he wouldn't tell us who's involved. I called the

press his conference. Can drug about to sail the stugment round the cameras, I said, you tell me who with you. I'm gonna make an announcement that you totally everybody. How mun tell the guys that you was about the robbery. Here I am with j D at his house in two thousand and three when I questioned his account versus what was reported in the newspaper. Now, let me just stop you for one second, because in one of the articles he said he was tricked into buying that gun,

tricked he's a drug, and he's a drug. He got it. And so I totally got my front and lots conference and kind of who you are. Let the boys know you want the robber and how my time you loose unbelievable. That's going to scare him even more. And so that's through about markets and you didn't do that because I've got the article where it mentions his name. Well, I threw in my office. But he's big, He's beat on the door. It big and cry, he cried, Yeah, he

would have been killed. Right. So j threatened to go on the news and tell the world that Houston Hammonds was responsible for the robbery, hoping this would scare him into a confession. Okay, when you told him what you were gonna do, did he reconsider and say I'm willing to talk? He told everything is in his mind and his words. What did he say? Happy? Well, he told me where they bought the walking talking Okay, where did they buy those? In radio shape one street? What hope?

Did he say? They bought the masks from a five intensor stone upon a Butler Street, and ed, okay, but the shotguns old that, uh cont on Leash Street right about seven thus, and they both the songs from a Potwest so at least a year, right they thought? The uns often failed? And I had this Halloween mask. Here's j D explaining to Chicken Man why the robbers had to wear masks. Just what I had the mask on,

because that y'all would have known him. I said one question to have a mask on, and I think that was that boy from Newcastle, New York who just got back to the guy came to Atlanta, he grew up in uh one arriving to Georgia. And he was the brother now the first cousin they were. There were three relatives involved. We knew. It was shocking as a matter of fact, at the caliber of guys who pulled off the robbery. The guys those how cold they were, and

they were cold as ice, threatening to kill everybody. Houston, Hayman's, claimed to j D and Joe Amos during their interrogation that he was paid to purchase the shotgun by James Henry Hall. Now they had another name to investigate. Even more incredible was a piece of paper they found in Houston's pocket. It had a telephone number and extension on it that led the two detectives to a hotel suite. No one was in that hotel suite, but luckily j D and Amos stumbled into a group of robbery victims

before they had a chance to leave town. J D convinced them he was not interested in who they were or what they did, but only in who robbed them. Reluctantly, they agreed to talk the main piece of information he received was that the four of them calculated their losses at a total of seventy eight thousand dollars. I did the math if there were approximately a hundred people at the after party, that puts the total Hall at just

under four million dollars, staggering numbers. J D and Amos were unable to find James Henry Hall at first, but they were able to trace purchases He made it a pawn shop on Marietta Street, a thirty gage shotgun, a knife, hacks, all hacks, all blades, and some sandpaper. Two new names were added to their list as well, Charles Lee and Baby Ray Humphreys. Here's j D back in two thousand and two talking about this young crew. This is getting good now taking me back to that night. These men

are in both to the robbery. How did they find out that the party was going on? Well? Hung around the rule. But these are not big time high Rule. No, these guys are lucre Mark. How old approximately or these guys twented setting? But none of them probably in their late thirties or forties. The one guy affects I think, and what was his name? His name was daughter Nobody connect him to mean that the name j D just mentioned was Emerson Dorsey. His conclusion was that Dorsey was

the mastermind of the heist. From our research, we believe it was another hustler from New York we discussed earlier, named Richard Wheeler a k a. Cadillac Ritchie. But here's j D explaining his speculation. Emerson, Emerson Dorsey. The hustlers connected him than me. So why was this guy Dorsey never connected? We could not know. And just because of evidence or lock there or because he was not bad Okay, but he was at the site. Sous told me that

every part of Emerson also went. There's the thing. As a down woman, I'd be to call it what a down will man woman? Okay, as his main woman right when he went, she was with him night. She was not a defight, which was unusual to the mamas and dust the New York for twenty five thirty years. What was his profession was he was a hotsplorer with the big time, big time Okay, And the word I got was the Chisholm was instrument and running him out of

New York. Sen Chishom Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm was an American politician, educator, and author. In nineteen sixty eight, she became the first black woman elected to the United States Congress, representing New York's twelfth Congressional District for seven terms from nineteen sixty

nine to three. In the nineteen seventy two United States presidential election, she became the first black candidate for a major party's nomination for the president of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. She must not have liked Emerson Dorsey at all or any of his criminal activities, because, according to j D, she was integral in running him out of New York. Here's j D telling me what happened to

this big time hustler. Is Emerson Dorsey still alive or not? Okay? So we got this down woman that isn't at the fight. Within the night of the party, and the hustle's noticed that. They say Amazon Dialon wasn't with him. That was something wrong with that. Amazon had cooled a summer robbery in New York though, And they all suspected me, is she at the party? I don't know. We know what her

name is or a nickname or a real name. I've never got her name, but this tips off the hustlers in retrospecting, I got you and what we're thinking in retrospect this is just all something we're trying to put together. Is that McKinley, James Houston, Charles and maybe a couple of other people were working for Emerson Worth reckon friend

may not be the right Okay, let me phrase to frighten. Okay, I think that Emma friends may have gotten in together and organized the robbery, directed the roper set it up, but it could have been more of a revenge plain but getting right out of who yea, but who would he be getting revenge on the New York hustlers? The body or got you? Okay? I was that rob Okay? So he was run out of New York by not

just one husberd by a bunch of hustlers. Well, I think he had leaving New Yorker back and just leaving Troye or leaving New Yorker rodegea. He moved in Latta. His family lived in a natter so he was here. He came in and decided he's going to take over the lotary. In the last one of the prime hangouts for two or three of the big hustlers was a fool room and on the street made from Miss Turner, and he had started hanging out there and recruiting to young guys to wait for him. He's also drug man.

Hearing JD thought that Emerson Dorsey had organized some local pool hustlers for the robbery, but he had no evidence to prove it, and just as the investigation seemed like it would fizzle out, he and Joe Amos caught a break. Using some information obtain from the streets. They got the address of James Henry Hall, and now they knew where the stash house was and where the robbers we're hiding out.

Fight Night is a joint production from I Heart Radio, Will Packer Media and dog House Pictures in association with Psychopia Pictures. Produced and hosted by Jeff Keating. Executive producers are Will Packer, James Lopez, Kenny Burns, Dan Bush, Lars Jacobsen, and Noel Brown. Supervising producer is Taylor Shicoyne. Story editors are Noel Brown and Dan Bush. Written by Jeff Keating and Jim Roberts, edited by Matt Owen, Mixing and sound

designed by Jeremiah Kolanni Prescott. Music written and performed by the Diamond Street Players. Additional music by Ben Lovett. Audio archives courtesy of WSB News Film and Video Tape Collection, Brown Media Archives, University of Georgia Libraries. Special thanks to Dr Maurice Hobson and David Davis. Fight Night is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, check out the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.