Obituary for a Godfather

By Gordon Hopkins “Where in hell is Omaha?” - Joseph Valachi to Nebraska Senator Carl T. Curtis when asked about mafia activity in Omaha in front of the Senate Rackets Committee in 1963. We've all been told at one time or another not to speak ill of the dead. It is good advice, and not just for the sake of decorum. You never know if the dead have some close friends that are still among the living.Back in the 70's, in the basement of an otherwise empty office building on Farnam Street in downtown Omaha, there were two small businesses. One was the Guys and Dolls Nightclub, owned by my folks. The other was the Rocket Cafe and Pool Hall, owned by Max “Little Giant” Abramson, who often used the Rocket as a base of operations for his other, considerably more profitable side hustle: gambling.As a result, my folks made the acquaintance of, and sometimes even close friendships with, a highly eclectic assortment of people, respectable and otherwise, from cops and politicians to minor hoods and made men. Exactly which is “respectable” and which is “otherwise” depends on your point of view, I suppose. One of those eclectic individuals my folks knew quite well was a man named Bernard B. “Bennie” Barone, although his FBI file misspells his name as “Benny.” That mistake might seem minor to you but to me and my little sister, that “ie” is how we distinguished Uncle Bennie from my father's brother, Uncle Benny.Anyway, Bennie was born in Omaha in 1912. In 1950, he was co-owner of The Last Chance Cafe in Des Moines, Iowa. It was that same year that he was convicted of having “transported and caused to be transported in interstate commerce from Laurens, and Sioux City, Iowa, to Omaha, Nebraska, certain stolen lawful money of the United States and securities exceeding $5,000.00 in value, the securities consisting of American Express Company and Bank of America Traveler's Checks, knowing the same to have been stolen.” The above was quoted from a U.S. Court of Appeals document. When they said, “exceeding $5,000.00,” they weren't kidding. What was actually stolen was:Approximately $4,480.00 in lawful silver money,Approximately $8,000.00 in lawful paper money andApproximately $17,450.00 in American Express Traveler's Checks (Karl Malden would be very upset).This was back when $29,930 was a lot of money (approximately $389,930 in 2024).Keep in mind, Uncle Bennie did not steal any of that money. He merely transported it. See, Uncle Bennie was what is known as a bag man. A bag man does not, as a general rule, get involved in the dirty business of making money. A bag man is the middle man, distributing the money. Many dismiss the bag man as a lackey, merely a delivery man or errand boy. To do so is to miss the importance of the bag man to “underworld industries.” Without access to the more traditional means of financial transactions, the bag man is the grease that keeps the wheels of illegitimate businesses turning. It is also somewhat ironic that, in a very dishonest business, a successful bag man must have a reputation for scrupulous honesty. Within the business, I mean. Can't go around being honest with cops.Uncle Bennie had that. He also had a reputation as a really, really nice guy. Frankly, I'm not aware of anyone who didn't like Bennie, even those trying to put him in prison. By the late 60's/early 70's, Bennie was primarily dealing with money from gambling operations, like the one run by the “Little Giant” out of the Rocket, transporting winnings between Omaha and Las Vegas. His “employers” (I'm not sure if that's the right word but I'll go with it) treated him with the respect that acknowledges the importance of his role. He didn't drive himself to Las Vegas. Oh no, he had a driver.You don't give a man that sort of responsibility if you don't trust him. Likewise, you don't make a man like that the godfather of your daughter unless you trust him.So, in 1969, Uncle Bennie became the godfather of my little sister. Neither my sister nor I have any real memories of Uncle Bennie, apart from the stories related to us many years later by our parents. He died in 1974. I was just seven at the time and my sister five.I do, however, remember the anger resulting from a somewhat disrespectful story appearing in the Omaha World Herald, commenting on Uncle Bennie's passing. The unidentified journalist wrote, “Barone, a corpulent figure, was in and out of state and federal courtrooms for more than 30 years.”Technically true, but the writer left out that, in most cases, Bennie walked out of those courtrooms the same way he walked in, a free man.Personally, I'd be more upset at being referred to as “corpulent.” At least Uncle Bennie got the last word in the story. In 1970, after being questioned by a grand jury, a reporter asked him about the gambling investigation. Bennie was quoted as saying, “Why don't they (the authorities) get out and get those protesters who are burning down the cities and leave us alone?”Remember, this was 1970 after all.Anyway, that disrespectful story received considerable backlash in the form of letters to the editor.“The World-Herald obituary was a lousy sendoff for Bennie Barone,” wrote a man calling himself Boots G. “Bennie knocked heads with the law, but on Judgment Day they won't say he ever foreclosed on a widow or fattened his own pocket by underpaying working stiffs. Even in bad health Bennie was an easygoing guy with a big hello and a good sense of humor . . . Plenty of people around here are going to miss him.”“I must protest your insidious article on the death of Bennie Barone,” wrote another. “Bennie didn't have much in worldly possessions but what he did have he gave to those in need, gladly. The good and kindly deeds perpetrated by this man were many. I, with many others, pay tribute to a very fine gentleman. May God rest his soul.”That same impassioned letter also said, “Also your implication of his association with the underworld, which was never true.”Another wrote, “Your news column made reference to certain aspects of his life. I am a strong adherent of a free, uncontrolled press, but I believe your presentation was in bad taste.”Unlike the previous letter, this person was a little less naive about Bennie's business, “Whatever wrong Bennie did he paid the penalty. Was it necessary to besmirch his name in death? Why bring more grief to his family? In my opinion, and I am sure many others who knew Bennie will attest, he possessed rock-like integrity, innate kindness, and radiated good cheer wherever he went. My life was enriched by our unwavering mutual friendship.” A great many people showed up to his funeral, including several FBI agents, although they kept a respectful distance, using long-lens cameras to take photos of everyone at the church and gravesite. I assume that means photos of my mother and father can be found stuffed in a manila file folder at some FBI office. I just hope they spelled their names right.

William Ray “Bill” Sell

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