Police chief writes book on gangsters in Spa City
Veitch covers gambling, corruption in local area nearly a century ago
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> City Police Chief Greg Veitch always had an interest in history. His father taught history for 32 years in Saratoga Springs.
Over the past few years, Veitch delivered presentations about the crime, gambling and corruption in Saratoga Springs nearly a century ago.
Now, he has written a book about his findings.
“All the Law in the World Won’t Stop Them” will be available for $25 on Friday at Northshire Bookstore or online at www.gangstersofsaratoga.com or www.northshire.com.
It all began years ago with a family legend involving Veitch’s greatgrandfather. In 1936, the story went, Veitch’s great-
grandfather was present during a gangland murder in Saratoga.
“I was told the story as a boy and years later was in the police archives looking for a different case when I stumbled upon the murder my great-grandfather was supposed to have been a part of,” said Veitch. “It turns out he wasn’t involved at all, but the story is an amazing tale of a mob murder where the victim was shot and left for dead at the hospital.”
Veitch then researched that murder, presenting the research for the Saratoga Springs History Museum.
“While researching that story I found dozens of other stories of crime, corruption and gambling that, to me, were just as fascinating,” said Veitch. “Someone suggested I write a book and I did.”
“All the Law in the World Won’t Stop Them” details topics ranging from the gangland murder of Adam Parillo in the 1930s, the rise of the gangsters in Saratoga during the 1920s, the history of the police department and the famous gambler, Richard Canfield.
The book contains stories Veitch researched about the earliest gamblers at Saratoga, and the earliest lawmen who often found it difficult to keep the more nefarious areas of town under control.
“There is no one single resource for someone looking at this particular aspect of Saratoga’s history, so I thought it might be valuable to help keep these stories alive in the community,” said Veitch.
Featured in the book are John Morrissey, Canfield and Captain William Mahedey, who would have been the first chief of police in Saratoga Springs but was arrested before his appointment.
“I did not find it too difficult to find information on corruption as there were many raids and some good reporting at the time,” said Veitch.
Veitch said he only used publicly available sources, not family legends like the story of his great-grandfather.
“Although that might have been more interesting, I wanted to write a historically accurate account,” said Veitch.
The book explains stories like the arrival of socalled “Grandfather of Organized Crime,” Arnold Rothstein, who not only ran a gambling house on South Broadway but also fixed the 1919 World Series.
Veitch said if people enjoyed this book he does plan on writing a second one on the same topic, covering the era from prohibition through the Kefauver Committee, which investigated organized crime in 1950-51.