Showing posts with label The Duke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Duke. Show all posts

Saturday, January 9, 2016

River City History: The Red Hawk takes control!

When he returned to the United States, his anger brought him easily under the sway of “Duke” Angelosetti. His services quickly made him a favorite of the Duke, but Redhawk had far more aspirations than his boss could imagine. As he consolidated power under the Duke, he also taught everyone to fear him specifically. Redhawk’s cunning mind knew this meant that he was the true power behind the Duke’s rise.

The Duke died in 1949 of an apparent heart attack. The crime boss was only forty-three, but weighed nearly four hundred pounds. Because of these facts, it is still hard to determine whether his death was truly natural or the result of poisoning. Whatever the case, his death left a void in the city’s underworld which Redhawk quickly stepped in to fill.

Whether or not, Redhawk actually wanted the position as crime boss of the city is still a mystery, but he quickly took to the role far better than even his surrogate father. He consolidated control over the gangs and formed a hierarchy that would allow the various gangs to rule over the vices of the city while also controlling much of the police force. Under his sway, money rolled in through businesses both legitimate and illegal, making hundreds of former legmen very rich.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

River City History: The Red Hawk

With Yankee Doodle Jones removed from power over the city, the last few months of World War II were not good ones for the city’s leaders. The citizens of River City were none too happy about the mayor and city council giving in to the power-mad ex-hero’s demands. With so much animosity in the air and the disappearance of the city’s heroes, organized crime realized they could make major in-roads into the city. Ultimately they would all fall under the control of one man.

Jacob Redhawk Moore grew up among the Native Americans of South Dakota. Though she was white, his mother married a full blooded Sioux. A mixed breed boy not accepted by either group, he grew up on the reservation where he took to many outdoor activities. An expert hunter by his teens, he moved from his childhood home at eighteen. With limited calling for his skills during the Depression, he fell into petty crime. But his skills quickly came to the attention of one of River City’s crime bosses, Frederico “The Duke” Angelosetti.

The Duke was a childless but cunning leader. While many bosses fell to the city’s heroes, The Duke kept his profile low enough not to be noticed. As other criminals in the area were arrested and killed, he slowly moved into their territories. Jacob became his chief agent in his forays into other territories. He set out to convince the former lieutenants to come to work for the Duke. Wearing a mockup of Indian garments from movies, he used his own infamy to bring fear to his foes. If someone refused his offer, he killed those who stood in the Duke’s way.

Jacob Redhawk Moore’s criminal past connected to his days in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. He fought valiantly in the Pacific theater, but his mixed heritage often led to enmity with his commanding officers and other pilots. Some historians believe many of his kills were awarded instead to other pilots in the theater. Redhawk may have the most kills of any military-affiliated pilot in the Pacific theater, but his heritage kept him from receiving acknowledgement for that during his time.