In the fall of 1935, the life of Bernard 'Lulu' Rosenkrantz, a 33-year-old male, came to a violent end in Newark, New Jersey. A known associate of the notorious mobster Dutch Schultz, Rosenkrantz served as his chauffeur and bodyguard. On the evening of October 23rd, he was with Schultz and other members of their gang at the Palace Chophouse, a popular restaurant on Park Street.
The night took a dark turn when two hitmen, identified as Charles 'The Bug' Workman and Emanuel 'Mendy' Weiss, both affiliates of the murder-for-hire organization known as Murder, Inc., entered the establishment.
The attack was swift and brutal. While Schultz was in the men's room, Workman and Weiss opened fire on his associates in the main dining area. Rosenkrantz was struck multiple times at close range. Despite the severity of his injuries, he was still alive when emergency services arrived. He was transported to Newark City Hospital, where medical staff were reportedly astonished that he had survived the initial onslaught, given the extent of his blood loss and the traumatic nature of his wounds.
For two days, Bernard Rosenkrantz clung to life, but his injuries proved to be insurmountable. He died on October 25, 1935, becoming another casualty in a bloody chapter of organized crime history. The aftermath of the shooting saw the arrest of one of the gunmen, Charles Workman. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to 23 years in Trenton State Prison for his role in the Palace Chophouse massacre. His accomplice, Emanuel Weiss, managed to evade justice for this particular crime, though his life of violence would eventually catch up with him; he was later executed for an unrelated murder.
