Arthur "Daddy" Black

Arthur James "Daddy" Black (July 24, 1877 – September 24, 1932) was a black businessman who came to prominence in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1920s as the manager and owner of two local baseball teams but also as the frontman for a numbers syndicate. In 1932, he was shot in his home by gunman. His death was originally thought to be as a result of a turf war, however, five men confessed to robbery scheme. The subsequent murder trial was one of the most reported in Rhode Island history.

Biography

Black was born on 24 July 1877 in Charleston, South Carolina.[1][2] His family migrated to Rhode Island.[3] He joined the United States Navy when he was nineteen and served for 20 years before returning to Providence, Rhode Island.

Prominent businessman

During the 1920s, Black came to public attention as a businessman and the manager of the all-white Providence Monarchs baseball club.[4]

In 1922, the Providence Journal reported on a minor traffic collision involving Black that was resolved amicably.[5] Around the same time, he also gained publicity for exposing a corrupt policeman, who was subsequently suspended and tried for soliciting a bribe.[6]

By the late 1920s, his influence extended into politics as well as business. In 1927, Rhode Island's Democratic State Central Committee appointed him to organize black voters for the Smith-Robinson ticket.[7]

Baseball owner

In 1931, Black bought the Providence Colored Giants[8] from his friend, and sports promoter, Daniel Whitehead.[9] The team were often dubbed the "Daddy Black Giants."[10][11] Under Black's ownership, the Providence Colored Giants was a formidable team.[11] Black attracted top players to the team because he offered a weekly salary rather than a share of gate receipts.[8][12] Players included Oliver "Ghost" Marcell,[8] Luther Farrell, and Jesse Hubbard.[13]

In 1931, the Giants earned the league title in the Boston Twilight League and helped dedicate Boston's first African American-owned sports venue, Lincoln Park.[11][9] However, Black didn't make much money with the team and eventually sold it back to Whitehead.[14]

Numbers racket

In the 1930s, Black was being referred to in the press as a "numbers king."[15] Although, investigative journalist determined that he was only the frontman for two white men who actually owned and operated the syndicate.[16]

In 1932, violence increased in Providence among rival gambling groups. The police raided Black's home as part of a crackdown on gang activity and illegal lotteries. In one raid, officers confiscated more than $5,000 in cash and charged Black and several associates with lottery-related offenses.[15] The violent "numbers war" also attracted police and federal investigations into tax evasion and organized crime.[17]

In one case, the Providence Sunday Journal described how Black personally paid the $75 fine for a "numbers runner".[18]

Black was shot and killed on the evening of September 24, 1932, at his home office at 160[19] Cranston Street,[12] Providence, when men entered his home and opened fire.[20] His bodyguard was injured when he tried to project Black.[4] Black's wife called the police[4] but Black died 45 minutes later at a local hospital.[4]

Black was survived by his wife, two sisters and a brother.[4] Black's funeral drew thousands in a large outpouring of grief.[21] He was buried in his naval uniform, the uniform of a chief machinist's mate.[21]

Black's widow, Luella, later lost a legal battle for an insurance payout, with the state supreme court ruling that his death had been the result of a crime.[22]

Trial

Black's murder drew significant public attention. The police initially suspected rival gangs were trying to seize control of Black's territory.[23] However, when they questioned six suspects, five confessed to traveling from New York to rob him.[24][25][26] A sixth was charged as an accessory.[19]

The subsequent trial was one of the most sensational in Rhode Island history. On November 15, 1932, the jury visited the crime scene.[27] A number of eyewitnesses identified Webster Barnwell, as the actual defendant who fired the fatal shot.[28] The defense argued that the police had coerced the confessions with physical threats and promises of leniency. The defense also asserting that accused didn't intend to rob Black, but only wanted to ask for jobs.[29] The jury found the five men guilty of first-degree murder and the sixth guilty of accessory. In December 1932, the judge sentenced all six to life imprisonment.[30]

Black's killers were later paroled or had their sentences commuted by Governor J. Howard McGrath in 1945.[31] Later news articles report that one of Black's former associates went on to become prominent in the Patriarca crime family.[32][33]

Legacy

A year after his death, the local Elks lodge dedicated a tablet in Black's honor.[34]

References

  1. ^ United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940. “Arthur James Black.” Records of the Veterans Administration, U.S. National Archives. via FamilySearch. Accessed 1 November 2025
  2. ^ Rhode Island, State Census, 1905. “Arthur James Black.” State Census of Rhode Island. via FamilySearch
  3. ^ "United States Census, 1880; York, Cherokee, South Carolina, United States; Arthur Black in household of William Black". FamilySearch. 1880. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Rhode Island's Numbers King Slain in Home". Afro-American. Baltimore, Maryland. October 1, 1932. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Mr. Black Knocks Down Mr. White But "Meet" is Declared Draw". Providence Journal. November 17, 1922. p. 8.
  6. ^ "Patrolman Faces Bribery Charges". Providence Sunday Journal. August 8, 1927. p. 1.
  7. ^ "De Pasquale Names Black to Organize Colored Vote". Providence Journal. September 27, 1928. p. 4.
  8. ^ a b c Black Baseball (Television broadcast). Rhode Island PBS Weekly. PBS. 26 February 2023. Event occurs at 9:02. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  9. ^ a b Heaphy, Leslie A. (2014-01-07). Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal, Vol. 6. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7902-3.
  10. ^ "Giants Win 3 to 1 Fray". The Afro-American. Baltimore, Maryland. May 30, 1931. p. 15. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Robert Cvornyek, Douglas Stark (2025). Race and Resistance in Boston: A Contested Sports History (1 ed.). University of Nebraska. pp. 150–151. ISBN 9781496232687.
  12. ^ a b Foulds, Alan E. (2005). Boston's Ballparks & Arenas. UPNE. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-58465-409-4.
  13. ^ "Arthur 'Daddy' Black’s Providence Colored Giants". Revel, Layton; Munoz, Luis (2012). Forgotten Heroes: Oliver "The Ghost" Micelle. Center for Negro League Baseball Research. p. 16.
  14. ^ "The Giants". RI SPORTS CHRONICLE. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  15. ^ a b "Six Men Fined $300 in Lottery Drive". Providence journal. July 9, 1932. p. 2.
  16. ^ Edward, Murphy (October 2, 1932). "A Thousand to One". Providence Sunday Journal. pp. 64–65.
  17. ^ ""Daddy" Black Arrested in Numbers War". Afro-American. July 16, 1932. p. 1.
  18. ^ "Lottery Runner Pays Fine of $75". Providence Journal. September 4, 1932. p. 11.
  19. ^ a b "Slayers Denied New Trial". Boston Chronicle. December 24, 1932. p. 2.
  20. ^ "Lottery 'King' Shot to Death While In Home". Lexington Herald Leader. September 25, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 30 Oct 2025.
  21. ^ a b "20,000 File By Bier Of "Daddy" Black". Boston Chronicle. October 1, 1932. p. 1.
  22. ^ "Widow of "Daddy" Black Loses Insurance Award". Providence Journal. January 22, 1937. p. 10.
  23. ^ "Eight of Lottery Gang are Arrested". Boston Globe. October 5, 1932. p. 17.
  24. ^ "Murder Charges for Providence Negros". Morning Sentinel. Waterville, Maine. September 26, 1932. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Five Negros Held On Murder Charges". Record Journal. Meriden, Connecticut. September 26, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 30 October 2025 – via [Newspapers.com]].
  26. ^ "Five Confess Black Killing". Boston Globe. September 26, 1932. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 30 October 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Jurors in Murder Trial Visit Scene of Slaying of Daddy Black". Providence Journal. November 15, 1932. p. 6.
  28. ^ "BARNWELL NAMED AS ACTUAL SLAYER OF "DADDY" BLACK". Providence Journal. November 16, 1932. p. 1.
  29. ^ "Only Sort Jobs Five Negros Say". Providence Sunday Journal. November 20, 1932. p. 2.
  30. ^ "New Trial is Denied Convicted Slayers". Providence Sunday Journal. December 18, 1932. p. 3.
  31. ^ "Parole granted last of six men jailed in '32 Black murder". Providence Journal. May 7, 1953. p. 14.
  32. ^ "Notorious Yegg Arrested here". Providence Journal. November 2, 1932. p. 1.
  33. ^ Rockoff, Jonathan (July 28, 1998). "Police Veterans of the Organized Crime Beat". Providence Journal. pp. C1 – C2.
  34. ^ "Tablet Dedicated to "Daddy" Black". Providence Evening Bulletin. September 25, 1933. p. 5.
  • Rhode Island PBS Weekly. 2023. “Black Baseball.” Season 4, Episode 9. Aired February 26, 2023, on Rhode Island PBS. Video, 9:02.
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