On the Coat Tales of a Gambler
Aurthor’s Note: In Episode 25, I described my persistence to learn more about Scarpone which led to the discovery of Scarpone’s given first name. Oddly, his name appeared amongst a list of people associated with a trial for the murders of the Robstown sheriff and son. Although there did not seem to be any connection between Scarpone and the murder trial, the brief description next to his name as a known gambler and dangerous gangster piqued my curiosity. Sailor sometimes insinuated, vaguely perhaps, of suspecting Scarpone of having had ties with an illegal gambling gang. With this Internet information, apparently confirming Sailor’s suspicions, I was certain that I had discovered the man of my search; I was like a dog on a bone looking for more meat.
After my exciting discovery, I continued searching online to see what else I could find regarding stories about John D. Ladrón, Scarpone Ladrón, or John D. Ladrón “Scarpone.” I was hoping to discover old newspaper reports, but it wasn’t as easy as I assumed. It was as if the energy of his past was elusive, like it knew that I was searching for it. Ever persistent, eventually I was rewarded for my endurance. Surprisingly, I stumbled upon three newspaper articles, but not all at once.
It was late in January 2024 when I found the first one. Man Charged in Night Club Shooting, read the headline, but until I started reading the article, I had no idea what I had pulled up from the depts of the Internet. Then as I began to read the article it described Scarpone’s arrest after a shootout accusing him of killing two men. I was flabbergasted with my discovery. Was this Sailor’s story which he told in Episode 14 was my first thought.
I now had the name of the news source; the first article led me to two other articles published by the same news source. The second article was dated a year later, October 30th, 1972, and the third one on the 31st, both describing the murder trial of John “Scarpone” Ladrón. You are about to read the court record of witnesses’ testimony during Scarpone’s trial. Of course, the names, locations and addresses have been changed to protect the innocent.
“Man Charged in Night Club Shooting” December 1, 1971
A 39-year-old man has been charged with murder in an early morning shootout Tuesday that left two people dead and two other wounded. John “Scarpone” Ladrón, no address, was charged with murder in the death of 32-year-old George Blackwell of 616 Cherry St., Robstown. A bystander, Brian Schwam, 48, of Robstown, Alabama, was also killed when the shooting erupted, at the B.B.C. Club about 1 a.m., according to the Robstown Sheriff’s Office.
A Robstown woman, Patty Hulburt, 24, of 83-Bogwell, was wounded in the leg. She was released from the local hospital. John Ladrón, who was also wounded in the shooting, was listed in fair condition Tuesday night at Robstown General Hospital. He was shot in the leg.
Robstown Coroner William Mercer said a .38-caliber revolver was found at the scene of the shooting and noticed several bullet holes in the walls of the club on the 518 Bypass.
Blackwell was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, Mercer said, Schwam was dead on arrival at the hospital.
The Trial of John “Scarpone” Ladrón
“Witnesses Say They Saw Shooting at Club” Monday October 30, 1972
Witnesses testified Monday in Robstown County Court that they saw John “Scarpone” Ladrón, 39, shoot George Blackwell, 32, Nov. 30, 1971, at the B.B.C. Club on Bypass 518. Ladrón is on trial on a charge of murder. One of the state’s witnesses, Jaquline (Jackie) Knight, 23, formerly of Robstown but now in protective custody in DeKalb County, Georgia, was brought into the courtroom by armed investigators from the Georgia Division of Investigation.
She testified that she was in the B.B.C. Club when the shooting occurred and that she had been there for several hours with several of Ladrón’s friends. She said Ladrón was “mad and picking on people” and trying to fight. Miss Knight said Blackwell later came into the club and at that time Ladrón, “was really raising Cain and pushing people around.” She testified that Blackwell went to the blackjack table and that Ladrón, and Blackwell argued. Ladrón left the club for a minute, she said, and came back into the club with a pistol sticking in the front of his pants. The witness said Blackwell and Ladrón were “really getting into it” when Ladrón pulled his pistol, struck Blackwell on the side of the head, and shot him.
She said Blackwell pulled a pistol as he slumped to the floor. “Scarpone shot Blackwell before Blackwell had a chance to pull his gun,” she said. Miss Knight testified that she was dating Danny Kamara, who is presently serving a 25-year term in Georgia and awaiting trial there on a murder charge. She said Ladrón, was wounded during the shooting and that Kamara wanted to “finish Ladrón, off.” However, they left the club, and she did not tell anyone for several months that she was present when Blackwell was killed, Miss Knight said. Under cross-examination by defense attorney Irvin Myers, the witness said she was in custody in Georgia in connection with the deaths of Dr. Martha S. Manning of Columbus, Ga., who with her husband, were slain last May. She told the court that she had been granted immunity in the state of Georgia for crimes she had committed there. “After Ladrón killed Blackwell bullets started flying everywhere,” Miss Knight said. At the conclusion of Miss Knight’s testimony, five armed guards, one carrying a .30 caliber carbine, whisked her away from the courthouse to an undisclosed location.
George Foster of Elizabeth Drive, Robstown, testified that he arrived at the club about 1:00 a.m. with Miss Patricia Napier and that they were seated near the bar. He said Ladrón was standing against the wall, near the blackjack table and was “quite loud and vulgar.” Foster said when Blackwell entered the club, Ladrón became louder and that words were exchanged between Blackwell and Ladrón. He said Ladrón and an unidentified man left the club, stayed outside the club for a few minutes, and came back.
The witness testified that Ladrón went directly to the blackjack table and more words were exchanged between the two. Then, Foster said, Ladrón pulled a pistol and struck Blackwell on the left side of his head and almost immediately there was gunfire. Several shots were fired and when the firing ceased, the witness said he saw Ladrón on the floor with a snub-nosed revolver in his hand. During cross-examination, defense attorney Irvin Myers of Chicago asked Foster “Did you see John Ladrón, shoot anyone?” The witness answered, “Yes, immediately after he struck Blackwell.” Miss Napier testified that she saw Ladrón’s hand jerk sharply upward at the same time as she heard a shot.
Circuit Solicitor Joseph W. Gibson rested the state’s case late Monday and Circuit Judge Landry McBryde locked the jury up for the night at a local motel. Defense testimony is expected ‘ to begin on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
“John Ladrón Refuted Prosecution Witnesses” October 31, 1972
Defense witnesses in the murder trial of Jonh “Scarpone” Ladrón, 39, Tuesday refuted Monday’s testimony by prosecution witnesses. Ladrón is on trial in Robstown County Court for murder in connection with the November 30th, 1971, pistol death of George Blackwell who was fatally wounded while in the B.B.C. Club on By-pass 518.
During prosecution Monday, by Circuit Solicitor Joseph W. Gibson, Jaquline (Jackie) Knight, 23, now being held in protective custody by Georgia authorities as a witness in the May slaying of two Marietta, Ga., pathologists, testified that she was in the club when Blackwell was shot, and that Ladrón struck Blackwell and then shot him before Blackwell had a chance to draw a pistol. George Foster of Robstown testified Monday that Ladrón struck Blackwell and then shot him. Tuesday, several witnesses testified that Miss Knight was not even on the scene and had not been in the club on the night of the fatal shooting.
Ladrón took the stand and testified that he was a professional gambler and that he was running the gambling games in the B.B.C. Club, operated at that time by Charles S. Williams, “Chuck” Williams.
He said Blackwell came into the club and that he and Blackwell discussed a sum of money allegedly owed to Blackwell by a friend of Ladrón. Ladrón said he refused to pay the debt and that he left the club and went outside to “throw to the line,” a gambling game whereby the participants toss coins to a designated spot with the person getting closest wins the game. Ladrón said he and a blonde-haired gambler from Montgomery stayed outside only a few minutes and returned to the club. Ladrón said Blackwell then renewed his argument, demanding the money, allegedly owed by a third-party, be paid by Ladrón, citing some old and obscure law demands for the money allegedly owned by a third party to be paid.
Ladrón said he refused, and Blackwell pulled a pistol from his belt. Ladrón testified that he pushed Blackwell’s pistol to one side, pulled his own pistol and struck Blackwell once on the side of his head. Ladrón said that as he struck Blackwell with the pistol, it slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. Ladrón said Blackwell then shot him in the right thigh. He said he fell to the floor and heard several more shots.
Williams, the operator of the club, testified that Miss Knight was barred from the B.B.C. Club and that neither she nor Danny Kamara, the man she testified that she was dating and who was serving 25 years in a Georgia prison, were in the club when the shooting occurred. Williams said he saw Blackwell with a pistol on the night of the shooting and had told him to put the gun away. He testified he did not see Ladrón with a pistol. Stella Woodruff, who was operating the cash register at the club when the shooting occurred, testified that neither Kamara nor Knight were in the club when the shooting occurred.
Beau Norris of Montgomery testified that on the night of the shooting he saw Miss Knight and Kamara at a restaurant and that Kamara decided to stop seeing her.
Norris said he and Kamara went to the B.B.C. Club together, leaving Miss Knight at the restaurant. He said when he and Kamara arrived at the club, the shooting had already occurred, and ambulances and police were on the scene.
The case is expected to go to the jury Wednesday after the prosecution and defense attorneys make final arguments and Circuit Judge Landry McBryde instructs the jury case.
Author’s note: I hope you recognize the names, Danny Kamara and Jackie Knight from Episode 25, their names appeared in the Georgia murder trial which I discovered when searching information about the Dawson gang. Both people were members of the Dawson gang and were acquaintances of Scarpone. More surprises from Sailor to come regarding Jacking Knight in Episode 29.
I continued to search, in vain, trying to discover the verdict in Scarpone’s trial. I did not immediately find further newspaper articles regarding Scarpone or the outcome of that trial. The Internet trail went cold. It was as if whatever happened to Scarpone was either not published or maybe was withheld or perhaps removed from record. After all, the case was set to go to the jury, the next day after the testimony.
In November or 2023, while reviewing old documents on an old computer, I also found the folder where I had saved the original emails Sailor sent to me. In one of them, from 2009, Sailor had provided his phone number. I placed a call to the phone number, which was still working, but I had to leave a voice mail message, and I did not know with certainty that I was calling Sailor’s phone.
About ten days later in December, I received a call. It was Sailor. We talked for a long time catching up. I listened intently, taking notes, and asking questions for clarity. (I was challenged by my hearing aids and his southern accent.) Sailor updated me, talking about his good fortune winning blackjack tournaments, he told me where he was living, and enjoying life at 83. He repeated some stories from before, recalling a few of the guys from the old days, some by their real name and some by their nickname. However, there was not anything new that I didn’t already have in his emails from 2008 – 2009.
It was February 2024 when I called Sailor with my discovery of the news shared in this episode, about Scarpone’s arrest and trial. I had printed out all the documents that I had found online, and I told Sailor to expect a large envelope in his mailbox.
A week or so later, Sailor called me back. He confirmed the location of the crime scene, recognizing that it was one of the roadhouses out on the 518 Bypass, known for gambling in the 50’s and 60’s. He also recognized Blackwell’s name, one of men killed. Sailor went on to say, the shooting had to have happened after he left Robstown for the navy. However, the account he read in the newspaper reports reminded him of the story that Scarpone told him, about killing two guys in a card game. It is a story that occurred many years before Sailor knew of Scarpone, which Sailor told to me and is written in Episode 14.
Sailor told me that he felt confused as the new incident seemed remarkably similar to the story Scarpone had told him, at the café years ago. He questioned me asking how could there be two stories of Scarpone killing two guys? However, it made sense to me, having discovered the dated newspaper articles online. The event took place after Sailor left Robstown for the navy. Still, Sailor was bothered, confounded by the dates, and he believed that there could not have been two similar shootings involving Scarpone. At the time, Sailor assumed that it must have been a different guy using Scarpone’s name.
On the Coat Tales of a Gambler Continues in
Episode 27 – Distilling the Murders