Titanic Thompson

Alvin Clarence Thomas, born 30 November 1893 and died 19 May 1974, was better known as Titanic Thompson, an American gambler, golfer and hustler who killed five men but was never charged with a crime. He travelled the country wagering at cards, dice games, golf, shooting, billiards, horseshoes and proposition bets of his own devising, and his skills as an ambidextrous golfer, card player, marksman and pool shark were compared to Merlin himself. Writer Damon Runyon allegedly based Sky Masterson, the gambler-hero of the story behind the musical Guys and Dolls, on Thompson. In 1928 he was involved in the high-stakes poker game that led to the shooting death of New York City crime boss Arnold Rothstein, and the following year he testified at the trial of George McManus, who was charged with the murder but later acquitted.