their leader, he was effectively out of power. For several years, Eastman reverted to petty thievery. During this period, he became addicted to opium and served several short jail terms. Military service After the United States entered World War I in 1917, the 42-year-old Eastman decided to join the army. During his military physical, the doctor observed all the knife and bullet scars on Eastman's body and asked him which wars he had been in. Eastman replied, "Oh! A lot of little wars around New York." He served in France with "O'Ryan's Roughnecks," the 106th Infantry Regiment of the 27th Infantry Division. Final years and death After his discharge from the army, Eastman quickly returned to a life of petty crime. One of his partners was Jerry Bohan, a corrupt Prohibition agent. On the morning of December 26, 1920, Eastman and Bohan met with other men at the Bluebird Cafe in Lower Manhattan. Around 4:00 am, they argued over money, with Eastman and Bohan particularly at odds. When Bohan left, Eastman followed him and accused him of being a rat. Feeling threatened, Bohan fatally shot Eastman several times with his pistol. Eastman was buried with full military honors in Cypress Hills Cemetery in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York. Bohan was later convicted of his murder and served three years in prison. In popular culture Eastman's life and exploits were fictionalized in the Jorge Luis Borges short story "El proveedor de iniquidades Monk Eastman" ("Monk Eastman, Purveyor of Iniquities"), included in the Borges collection Historia universal de la infamia ("A Universal History of Infamy"). He is also a recurring character in the Molly Murphy mystery series by Rhys Bowen. References Sources External links Monk Eastman: The Terror of Lower East Side, New Criminologist Monk Eastman & the Lower Eastside, Gangster City New York Times: "'Monk' Eastman Caught after Pistol Battle", New York Times Neil Hanson's Lecture on Monk Eastman at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library 1875 births 1920 deaths 1920 murders in the United States United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Cypress Hills Cemetery Eastman Gang American crime bosses Deaths by firearm in Manhattan People from the Upper East Side People murdered in New York City Male murder victims Inmates of Sing Sing