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He Lived In Moss Beach: December 1977: “Jimmy The Weasel” Fratianno Arrested In

Connection With Two Gang Murders In Ohio

“James T. Fratianno, who resided at —— in Moss Beach, was arrested in San Francisco on Monday by the FBI in connection with two Ohio gangland killings. He is known as ‘Jimmy the Weasel’.

“Fratianno gave no resistance and was brought handcuffed into the FBI office in the federal building. He was one of eight persons named in the complaint filed earlier in the day in the eastern city.

“‘The Weasel’ was out on bail for nearly two weeks. He gave himself up to the FBI on the day before Thanksgiving after charges were announced aainst him for alleged crimes in the L.A. area.

“A federal racketeering criminal complaint alleges one charge of murder and conspiracy to commit two murders.

“Roy McKinnon, special FBI agent in charge, said a .22 caliber revolver was found in a secret under-the-seat compartment of Fratianno’s car. He had a prearranged meeting at the motel but was alone when arrested.

“McKinnon said the complaint alleges Fratianno was ‘an arranger in the murder of two men in the Cleveland area’.

“The agent said that the slayings were ‘gangland motivated: a struggle for power’ in Ohio. U.S. Magistrate Richard Goldsmith set his bail at $50,000.

“Fratianno, who moved to San Francisco last Friday, said he will post bail and go back to his hometown of Cleveland for a hearing set for defendants Friday.

“‘I wasn’t an actual participant in whatever happened. I wasn’t even there,’ said Fratianno. ‘I understand there is word I talked to someone. I can prove I was not there at the time’.

“The FBI affidavit identified one victim as John Nardi, a Cosa Nostra member from Cleveland and the other as Danny Greene, head of the ‘Irish mob’ in the area. Nardi was killed last May 17 by a bomb in a vehicle next to his car, while Greene died when a remote control bomb was detonated in his car on Oct. 6

“The FBI affidavit alleged that Raymond Ferritto, charged with participating in the Greene murder, told them he was a long time associate ‘of La Cosa Nostra member James ‘The Weasel’ Fratianno, who resides in California.

HMB Review, December 1977

I’ll have more on “Jimmy the Weasel” later….

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Speaking of “The Departed”…

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In Reno, in a brand-new movie theater overlooking the beautiful Truckee River, we saw “The Departedâ€?–starring “Jackâ€? Nicholson-Matt Damon-Leonardo Dicaprio—Mark Wahlberg & Alec Baldwin.

All juicy roles—and very, very–even ridiculously funny.

I can’t spoil the terrific script by revealing anything—you must see it. “Jack’sâ€? interpretation of Frank Costello, a Massachusetts mafia chieftain, who specializes in political connections to protect his crime interests- -well,the scene with blood on his hands, is worth the price of the ticket…

At times, the fast-moving dialogue made me think of the brilliant Aaron Sorkin’s witty work (of West Wing fame, now Studio 60)– gone utterly mad and off the map.

And speaking of “West Wingâ€?, Martin Sheen, who played the president in that riveting series, also appears in “The Departedâ€? as the head of an undercover law enforcement office. He’s a civil, soft spoken avuncular type–but I couldn’t help thinking his alter ego was portrayed by actor Mark Wahlberg who stood at Sheen’s left side spewing gutter language.

(This movie’s not for the kiddies).

Is innovative director Martin Scorsese telling us that, these days, in real life, no one is loyal, no one is committed to real ideals and “everybody’s a rat”?

Produced by Brad Pitt and Brad Grey, a fascinating combination of Hollywood & HBO talent.

(Photos: Downtown Reno and scene along the Truckee River near the new Century Movie Theater)

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Sybil & Louis at Tunitas Creek: (Short Version) Conclusion

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Not only was the artisit Sybil Easterday’s home at Tunitas Creek, the end of the Ocean Shore Railroad’s line– but her husband Louis ran the rustic saloon there. Louis, whose drinking was anything but recreational, often barricaded himself in his office at the back of the saloon. During these serious drinking bouts, he surrounded himself with “firearms from a complete arsenal,” making it clear he wanted to be left alone.

Until her marriage, Sybil’s life seemed to have been orderly. The house, landscaped with pretty flowers and shrubs, had been built with money from her commissions. It stood in a secluded spot beneath a bridge. Valuable antiques, handcarved furniture, as well as statuettes and paintings, examples of her work, filled the rooms.

But suddenly her life took a dark turn.

Just before Valentine’s Day in 1916, Sybil, now 40, faced a horrible domestic crisis. She later recounted that the 33-year-old Louis had been drinking heavily as usual and had shut himself up in his office–but this time he did not respond to her pleas to open the door.

Some locals thought it unusual that instead of calling the police, she summoned Dr. Clarence V. Thompson. A county supervisor, Dr. Thompson resided with his wife in a big two-story house in Pescadero. He had set up a “hospital” in his home but few if any patients were admitted there.

When Dr. Thompson arrived at Tunitas Creek, he found the doors of the saloon broken in and rushed to the back office.

Before him, Sybil’s husband Louis was slumped over, a gaping wound in his chest. A double-barreled shotgun lay on the floor.

The official inquest called it a suicide.

After Louis’s death, Sybil and Flora, her invalid mother, pursued a reclusive life. Sybil, who died in 1961, was seldom seen but there were those who remember the vision of a lonely figure wandering around her property at Tunitas Creek, a rifle in her hands.

[Examples of Sybil Easterday’s sculpture can be viewed at the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City–but the artist’s eccentricity has provided her most enduring legacy.]

Photo: Sybil Easterday, courtesy San Mateo County History Museum

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Back From Reno

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We rode Amtrak’s passenger train, the California Zephyr, from Emeryville to Reno– an almost 7-hour trip through the backsides of towns– climbed the Sierra Nevada Mtns thousands of feet, captivated by the eccentric landscape cobbled together with other-worldly-looking boulders and rocks. The trip that never bored me was topped off with close-up views of the eastward flowing (one of the few in the West) Truckee River–a good companion during the last leg of the train ride.

At Sacramento we were joined by two members (Jack & Gene) of the railroad museum– docents, who provided passengers with a colorful narration of construction of the Central Pacific Railroad by the Big Four (Stanford, Huntington, Crocker & Hopkins).
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When I said the train passed through the “backsides” of towns (east of Emeryville), I mean there were fascinating scenes with abandoned broken cars, really good graffitti, litter and garbage, some of it artfully arranged and examples of dead industry.

Later we passed the errie sight of the “mothballed fleet”:
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Historic Roseville: DSCN0480.jpg

DSCN0551.jpg Climbing through the Sierra Nevada Mtns

ONE COMPLAINT: The food should be catered by Jeremiah Tower (former owner of Stars in San Francisco or Alice Waters)….This is California and there are plenty of great chefs. Why not have one on the Amtrak route between Emeryville and Reno?

…More later…Downtown Reno is changing quickly from the honky tonk town you may have known it as….

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What is it?

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You can see it in the Pacific Ocean west of the Moss Beach Distillery–you can see it from the tidepools and the dreamy Cypress forest.

What is it?

It’s a concrete wall that dates back to WWII when it was erected to warn commercial fishermen and aircraft of the target practice range in the vicinity.

It’s west of the Moss Beach Distillery: Distill.jpg

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Downtown San Mateo Needs A Sidewalk-Lift

I love what’s happened to downtown San Mateo. The new shops, the cute restaurants, the sidewalk cafes, very nice.

But when you look down at the sidewalks, mostly on 4th Ave, all the delicious appeal of dining out is lost. The sidewalks are grimy–downright dirty–in some places, filthy is the word.

Certainly doesn’t do much for enjoying a meal, particularly near the sidewalk cafes.

Don’t know whose responsibility the sidewalks are–but I’m not that anxious about showing off downtown San Mateo to friends from out-of-town.

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Sybil & Louis at Tunitas Creek: (Short Version) (Part I)

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Dressed in ribbons and bows, Sybil Easterday was a precocious little girl who felt comfortable reciting poetry before audiences.

But as a young, eccentric sculptress at the turn of the century, she gained notoriety preferring the comfort of men’s trousers to the dainty frocks worn by her contemporaries.

Newspapers in New York City and San Francisco ran amusing pieces about the beautiful young woman from Tunitas Creek, south of Half Moon Bay. Sybil, a graduate of San Francisco’s Mark Hopkins School of Art, did not understand all the fuss.

She thought it quite natural to wear practical clothing while dipping her fingers into the tubs of wet, sticky plaster that she used to mold portrait busts.

As the sole female finalist in a competition to do a bust of President William McKinley for the City of San Jose, Sybil enhanced her reputation. She lost in the finals and took off for Mexico.

She thrived in Mexico’s artist colony, mailing smiling photographs of herself and new friends to her parents at Tunitas Creek. This may have been her happiest, most productive creative period.

Before the 1906 earthquake, she returned to the Coastside. But as time passed, Sybil painted and sculpted less and less. She enjoyed hosting large dinner parties and designed lovely, individually hand-printed menus for these affairs.

In late 1915, Sybil wed Louis Paulsen, a wealthy young bachelor from San Francisco. They probably met through the prominent Wienke family, who operated a resort hotel at Moss Beach–near the tracks of the Ocean Shore Railroad.

Sybil and her husband resided at the isolated Tunitas Creek home with Flora, her widowed mother.

Perhaps it was symbolic that Sybil’s life was interwined with the Ocean Shore Railroad, originally planned to extend as far as Santa Cruz. But the doomed Ocean Shore ran out of money and the tracks never got farther than Tunitas Creek, a few steps from the artist’s home. Passengers wishing to travel farther south climbed aboard a large touring car for the long, dusty trip to Santa Cruz.

…To Be Continued…

Photo: Courtesy San Mateo County History Museum. Visit the new gallerys at the San Mateo County History Museum at the historic Redwood City Courthouse in Redwood City.