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Sheriff Sickles's death.

Victor Sickles, played by co-star E.J. Carroll, is the Sheriff of Tabor Heights, New Jersey.

Biography[]

Background[]

Tabor Heights is a sleepy town in Central New Jersey with a largely Methodist Christian population. The town is notable for having the last gas station in New Jersey on the drive from Atlantic City to New York. Sickles is in the pocket of Atlantic City crime boss Nucky Thompson, accepting pay offs to ensure safe passage of his bootlegging shipments through the town. His Deputy, Ramsey, is in on the racket.

Season 3[]

Nucky's bootlegging manager Mickey Doyle makes a stop in Tabor Heights to pay off Sickles in advance of a convoy heading to Arnold Rothstein via the town. Mickey is accompanied by newly released election rigger Eli Thompson. Eli recognizes Sickles from his days as Atlantic County Sheriff and Sickles is dismissive of him as a disgraced lawman.

That night New York gangster Gyp Rosetti eats at the local diner. He is amused to find spaghetti and meatballs on the menu and tries to order some wine to go with it. Sheriff Sickles emerges from the rest room and tells Gyp that the coffee is good. Gyp settles for the legal accompaniment and jokes with his associate Tonino that the dish is just like mama used to make.

Gyp plans to use the town's strategic location as a roadblock to Nucky transporting shipments. Gyp has recently been cut off by Nucky, who has announced his intention to supply Rothstein exclusively. Gyp has Tonino at least ten other armed men accompany him to town. They intimidate Sickles into going along with the plan. He aids them in setting up the road block. They stop the convoy, which is led by Nucky's lieutenant Owen Sleater and Doyle. Gyp intimidates them into turning back. Sickles weakly rationalizes that there was nothing he could do to stop them when Sleater challenges his disloyalty. ("Spaghetti and Coffee")

Nucky drives out to Tabor Heights to meet Gyp and negotiate an end to the blockade. He has the Sheriff Sickles accompany him to the meeting. Nucky criticizes Gyp's tendency to take offence so easily but offers a compromise; a final shipment of free liquor as a goodwill gesture and a fully paid night in Atlantic City.

Gyp is disappointed when Nucky sends Owen with his excuses at the liquor pickup. Owen delivers a good luck message from Nucky, garbling the pronunciation of the Italian "Buona Fortuna" (meaning good luck) as "Bone for Tuna". As Gyp leaves town he lets the perceived insult fester, convinced that Nucky is being sarcastic and intends him to fail. He stops in Tabor Heights to refuel and Sheriff Sickles drives out to meet him. Sickles wishes him good luck. Gyp believes he is being insulted again. He douses the lawman in gasoline and then sets him alight, burning him to death. ("Bone for Tuna")

The newspapers report the death as an accident. Ramsey takes over as Sheriff and enters Gyp's employ, electing not to pursue charges against him. ("Cuanto")

Relationships[]

Memorable Quotes[]

Appearances[]

Season three appearances
"Resolution" "Spaghetti and Coffee" "Bone for Tuna" "Blue Bell Boy"
"You'd Be Surprised" "Ging Gang Goolie" "Sunday Best" "The Pony"
"The Milkmaid's Lot" "A Man, A Plan..." "Two Imposters" "Margate Sands"
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