The Life and Times of Uncle Frank Erickson, the “Tin-Horn Punk”

In my research I run across interesting characters. Here's one of them.

(1930s bookmaking. Photo: sfsu.edu)

We love our mobsters and bad boys in this society. Sure, we may hate their crimes; the murders and the violence, but over a hundred years of American fascination with mobsters in movies, television and books continues unabated. Gambling has always been a part of organized crime. Especially during economic hard times, t…