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The '''Hammonton hijacking''' is an event in the series pilot episode "[[Boardwalk Empire]]" and a pivotal happening in the [[Season 1|first season]]. During the course of the Hammonton hijacking a shipment of 500 cases of Canadian Club whiskey bought by [[Arnold Rothstein]] is intercepted near [[Hammonton]], [[New Jersey]] as it is being transported from [[Atlantic City]] to [[NYC|New York]] on [[January 18 1920]], resulting in the deaths of four men and another's critical injury. ("[[Boardwalk Empire]]", "[[The Ivory Tower]]")
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The '''Hammonton hijacking''' was an event in the series pilot episode "[[Boardwalk Empire]]". A shipment of 500 cases of Canadian Club whiskey bought by [[Arnold Rothstein]] was hijacked in Hammonton, New Jersey as it was being transported from Atlantic City to New York on January 18 1920. The liquor was illegally imported by fishing Captain [[Bill McCoy]] as part of an arrangement with [[Atlantic County Treasurer]] [[Nucky Thompson]]. Thompson sold the whiskey on to Rothstein on the condition that Rothstein collect and transport it.
   
 
Rothstein arranged for his sister-in-law's nephew [[Simon]] to oversee transportation of the shipment and placed his enforcer [[Davey Murdoch]] in charge of protecting the load. Three other men were recruited to transfer the cases from McCoy's boats to shore and then to load them onto trucks.
== Antecedents ==
 
   
 
The hijacking was masterminded by Nucky's frustrated and ambitious driver [[Jimmy Darmody]]. Darmody recruited [[Al Capone]] as an accomplice and used Capone's connections as the driver for Chicago Outfit boss [[Johnny Torrio]] to arrange for Torrio to buy the shipment.
One night after the enactment of [[Prohibition]] in the [[United States]], a shipment of whiskey is illegally imported by fishing Captain [[Bill McCoy]] as part of an arrangement with [[Atlantic County Treasurer]] [[Nucky Thompson]]. Following a meeting brokered by [[Johnny Torrio]] (who is nevertheless forbidden to get into the illegal alcohol business by his boss, [[Big Jim Colosimo]]), Thompson then sells the liquor on to [[Arnold Rothstein]] on the condition that Rothstein's men collect and transport it.
 
   
 
Darmody and Capone recruited a third man, [[Billy Winslow]], to drive them out to Hammonton New Jersey and provide a decoy. They overturned Winslow's car to block the road and had Winslow pretend to have been knocked out in an accident. They planned to hold Rothstein's men at gunpoint and steal their vehicles when the convoy stopped to help Winslow.
Rothstein arranges for his sister-in-law's nephew [[Simon]] to oversee transportation of the shipment and places his enforcer [[Davey Murdoch]] in charge of protecting the load. Three other men are recruited to transfer the cases from McCoy's boats to shore and then to load them onto trucks. ("Boardwalk Empire")
 
   
 
The convoy was halted as planned by the decoy. Murdoch and his men were distracted by having to overturn the car and the hijackers managed to surprise and disarm them. The hijackers deviated from their plan when Capone was startled by a deer running through the woods. He opened fire on Rothstein's men and Darmody joined in. They killed Murdoch and two of the others while Simon and another man fled into the woods. Darmody pursued and killed the unnamed man while Capone chased Simon. Capone shot Simon in the abdomen and left him for dead. Simon was the sole survivor of the attack amongst Rothstein's men.
== Development ==
 
   
 
Capone drove the shipment to Torrio in Chicago while Winslow and Jimmy returned to Atlantic City. Jimmy delivers a cut of his earnings from the resale to Nucky although Nucky was unaware of the plan beforehand. Jimmy claims Torrio was also unaware of the plan before buying the shipment but Jimmy appears to have been paid up-front.
The hijacking is masterminded by Nucky's frustrated and ambitious driver [[Jimmy Darmody]]. Darmody recruits [[Al Capone]] as an accomplice and uses Capone's connections as the driver for Chicago Outfit second-in-command [[Johnny Torrio]] to arrange for Torrio to buy the shipment behind Colosimo's back.
 
   
 
When the bodies of Rothstein's four dead men are found in the woods Thompson has [[Hans Schroeder]] murdered as a scapegoat. Nucky's brother [[Eli Thompson]] is the Atlantic City Sheriff and carries out the murder of Schroeder and supports the cover-up. The papers call the shooting the "Woods Massacre" and report that Schroeder is responsible. However, [[Prohibition Agent]] [[Nelson Van Alden]] sees through the story and investigates the shootings independently. Simon survives for three days and is discovered in the woods by a holidaying couple. He is taken to hospital where Van Alden takes over his custody. Simon dies while being transported to New York but not before Van Alden tortures him into identifying Jimmy.
Darmody and Capone also recruit a third man, [[Billy Winslow]], to drive them out to Hammonton, New Jersey and provide a decoy. They overturn Winslow's car to block the road and have Winslow pretend to have been knocked out in an accident. Their plan is to hold Rothstein's men at gunpoint and steal their vehicles when the convoy stops to help Winslow.
 
   
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The ramifications of the hijacking are far reaching: It coincides with the murder of Chicago crime boss [["Big Jim" Colosimo]] and heralds the beginning of Torrio's dominance in Chicago; It causes a feud between Nucky and Rothstein that lasts for almost a year; and it causes Jimmy to go into hiding in Chicago.
[[File:Hijacking-shooting.png|thumb|278px|The hijackers turn into a firing squad.]]The convoy is halted as planned by the decoy, although they don't care for the "victim" and plan to leave him in the woods to die rather than alter their schedule. Murdoch and his men are still distracted by having to overturn the car however, and the hijackers manage to surprise and disarm them. The hijackers deviate from their plan when Capone is startled by a [[deer]] running through the woods. He opens fire on Rothstein's men and Darmody is forced to join in. They kill Murdoch and two of the others while Simon and another man flee into the woods. Darmody pursues and kills the unnamed man while Capone chases Simon. Capone shoots Simon in the abdomen and leaves him for dead ("Boardwalk Empire"). However, Simon survives the attack and manages to stumble upon an unsuspecting couple several nights later ("The Ivory Tower").
 
   
Capone drives the shipment to Torrio in Chicago while Winslow and Jimmy return to Atlantic City. Jimmy delivers a cut of his earnings from the resale to Nucky although Nucky was unaware of the plan beforehand. Jimmy claims Torrio was also unaware before buying the shipment but Jimmy appears to have been paid up-front.
 
 
[[File:Hijacking-result.png|thumb|left|278px|[[Jimmy]], [[Al Capone|Al]] and [[Billy Winslow|Billy]] leave four bodies behind after the hijacking.]]When the bodies of Rothstein's four dead men are found in the woods Thompson has [[Hans Schroeder]] murdered as a scapegoat. Nucky's brother [[Eli Thompson]], the Atlantic City Sheriff, carries out the murder and corroborates the cover-up. The papers call the shooting the "Woods Massacre" and report that Schroeder is responsible. However, [[Prohibition Agent]] [[Nelson Van Alden]] sees through the story and investigates the shootings independently. Simon survives for three days and is discovered in the woods by a holidaying couple, [[George Baxter]] and [[Claudia]]. He is taken to hospital where Van Alden takes over his custody. Simon dies while being transported to New York but not before Van Alden tortures him into identifying Jimmy. ("Boardwalk Empire", "The Ivory Tower", "[[Broadway Limited]]")
 
 
== Consequences ==
 
 
The ramifications of the hijacking are far reaching: It coincides with the murder of Chicago crime boss [["Big Jim" Colosimo]] and heralds the beginning of Torrio's dominance in Chicago; it causes a feud between Nucky and Rothstein that lasts for almost a year; and it causes Jimmy to go into hiding in Chicago. The hijacking also further damages the image of the [[Republican Party]] as the November [[1920 Atlantic City local election]] nears, and while the Republican prospects improve after Nucky replaces incumbent Mayor [[Harry Bacharach]] as candidate for construction businessman [[Edward Bader]] and his own brother [[Eli Thompson]] as [[Atlantic County Sheriff]] with Deputy [[Ray Halloran]], and presents the [[D'Alessio brothers]] as scapegoats for both Schroeder's death and the hijacking the day before voting, Thompson still has to recur to fraud to secure a Republican victory. This eventually leads to his arrest on February 13, 1921.
 
 
[[Category: Events]]
 
[[Category: Events]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
 
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