Young Leonard, aka Sammy Lindenbaum, Well Known to Lawrence Police circa 1925

There were many noble men who pushed leather in Lawrence but there were also some that were not so noble. Here is a brief story about a Sammy Lindenbaum, who may have never called Lawrence home but certainly spent time in the city.

fought as Young Leonard during the 1920s

Photo from the Boston Globe, 1966

Although his official record on BoxRec does not list any fights for Sammy Lindenbaum in Lawrence, there's a good chance he had some fights of the unofficial kind.

According to Howie Carr's book, Hitman, The Untold Story of Johnny Martorano, Lindenbaum was a criminal jack-of-all-trades and was great buddies with Steve Hughes. On a warm Indian summer afternoon in September of 1966, Hughes and Lindenbaum came up to the Lawrence area to do some collecting from his bookies. They stopped off at Blinn's Clam Stand in Bradford Hills, where Sammy ate his "usual" two lobster rolls, french fries with a side of fried clams. Once sated, Hughes, Lindenbaum and his two Chihuahuas started the trek back to Boston via route 125 to 114. The pair where shot while driving in Middleton by men in a black sedan that pulled up and blasted them with a shotgun. Hughes was the target and Lindenbaum was collateral damage. The Chihuahuas were the only known survivors.

Years before this, Sammy Lindenbaum made front page news in Lawrence for a series of stick ups in the area, most notably Haverhill. In January of 1925, Lindenbaum put on a dress and make up in order to lull innocent shopkeepers into letting their guard down. Along with two female accomplices, one named Blanche Dubios (this is 22 years before Tennessee Williams glommed onto the name for his aging temptress who was "always dependent on the kindness of strangers") Lindenbaum, in drag, took on the much-bigger shopkeeper and, according to the Boston Globe, "went about her business expertly."

Included here is a link to a enjoyably informative article by Ted Sares that talks about the Boston gang wars and ties to the boxing community. The Friends of Tony Veranis by Ted Sares. Lindenbaum didn't make it into the story but it is most definitely worth reading, enjoy.