 A rival of "Big" Jack Zelig, he had been the chief bouncer at "Callahan's Dance Hall" before opening a Lower East Side resort on Doyers Street near Chinatown's notorious "Bloody Angle".The building, known as "Poggi's", could be reached through five Chatham Square alleyways, one of these being though a local dairy store and another through the back door of a barbershop, and was known to be a place "where anything goes".He later became partners with Chick Tricker, a member of the Eastman Gang, who bought an interest in his establishment to retain a connection in the district while he expanded his holdings elsewhere in Manhattan.