West 54th Street
The Club Abbey, a place of sour memory, was a notorious speakeasy on West 54th Street that epitomized the dark and gritty underbelly of 1920s New York. Known for its loud, raucous atmosphere and the infamous “Cuff Corner,” where sinister characters always occupied the free pews, it was a hub of shady dealings and illicit revelry. One fateful night in 1931, the club’s violent reputation reached its peak. Dutch Schultz, dining with his cronies and girlfriends, found himself at odds with Waxey Gordon’s men. Led by the menacing Charles “Chink” Sherman, Gordon’s associates made aggressive advances towards Schultz’s women, igniting a brawl that escalated into a chaotic melee of fists and gunfire. Amid the fray, Schultz was shot in the shoulder while attempting to slash Sherman’s face with a broken bottle. The brutal clash ended with all involved escaping into the night, plotting their next moves as the police descended upon the scene to padlock the speakeasy for good. The Club Abbey’s brief but turbulent existence came to a dramatic close, leaving behind a legacy of violence and lawlessness that would be remembered for years to come.