''Concrete Shoes''

By Crusader1307

We’ve all seen the practice for it has been featured in MANY Gangster Noir Books and Films since the 1930s. A ‘’Wise Guy’’, Informant or out and out ‘’Rat’’ against The Mob meets His end by being placed in Concrete Shoes (or Galoshes, if you will). His feet firmly joined to the dried rock, The Victim is taken (by boat), to some river or lake (even The Ocean, if you were a ‘’Soprano’’ Fan). Dumped overboard, the weight would quickly drag down the hapless to the bottom – were He would obviously drown. Later (if there was a later), when found – nothing would be left but a skeleton (or at least skeletonized legs/stumps – even fishes need feeding!)

Unfortunately, this nasty bit of torture and torment  was nothing more that Writer’s fantasy – especially withing The Gangster Noir of the 1940s thru 1950s. To date, no One Victim ‘’executed’’ in such a way had EVER been found. In truth, such a practice would have been ‘’dramatic’’ but way to time consuming for your ‘’average Mobster’’. As we have seen in Film, The Victim has His feet (up to the shin), dipped into wooden boxes or metal buckets. Copious amounts of wet cement are poured into the containers. Tied up and forced to wait until dried, the Victim is now naturally weighted to an extra 10-pounds.

Still restrained, Our ‘’Rat’’ is taken by boat to some river or lake and thrown overboard to His (very quick) drowning. Naturally, when natural decomposition sets in (eg ‘’bloating’’ – or the release of natural bodily gases), the corpse wont float (and be discovered). Sea life will do the rest………But as stated, this ‘’Mob Literature Fantasy’’ was perhaps based on several REAL discoveries, which may have influenced ‘’Cement Shoes’’. In the 1950s thru 1970s – some ‘’East Coast’’ Gangs took previously murdered Victims and encased Their remains (totally) – in cement. Dumped, they were supposed to remain hidden forever. By means of proof, several sets of Human remains have been recently found in Lake Meade (US, Nevada), due to severe drought causing the Lake to dwindle in volume. These ‘’entombed’’ corpses, while never to be identified – were dated to the 1950s and 1960s.

So doubtless of the ‘’dramatic effect’’ of the psychological horror we see in our favorite Gangster Movie, ‘’Cement Shoes’’ are just that…….Fantasy.