The Purple Gang - wikipedia The Purple Gang This article is about the Detroit Purple Gang. For the Italian - American criminal group, see East Harlem Purple Gang. For other uses, see Purple Gang. The Purple Gang Founded 1920s Founding location Detroit, Michigan, Muskegon, Mich. Alabama United States Years active 1910s − 1932 Territory Detroit Criminal activities Murder, extortion, theft, armed robbery, kidnapping, gambling, bootlegging Allies The Capone mob, Fred `` Killer '' Burke Rivals Rival gangs, The Detroit Partnership, Fred `` Killer '' Burke after 1927 The Purple Gang, also known as the Sugar House Gang, was a mob of bootleggers and hijackers, with predominantly Jewish members. They operated in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1920s and came to be Detroit 's dominant criminal gang, but ultimately excessive violence and infighting caused the gang to self - destruct in the 1930s. Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 2 Rise 2.1 Cleaners and Dyers War 2.2 Miraflores Massacre 2.3 St. Valentine 's Day Massacre 2.4 Collingwood Manor Massacre 2.5 Aftermath 3 Downfall 4 In popular culture 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 External links History In 1917, three years before national Prohibition, liquor became illegal in Michigan. ( Henry Ford, who owned the River Rouge plant, desired a sober workforce and backed the 1916 Damon Act. ) Due to Detroit 's proximity to Ohio, bootleggers and other people imported booze from Toledo. Judges took a lenient view of offenders, and in 1919 the Damon Act was declared unconstitutional. In 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment was adopted, and prohibition took effect throughout the United States. Canada became a major port for running alcohol products because the Canadian federal government approved and licensed distilleries and breweries to manufacture, distribute, and export alcohol. Origins Like most major cities at the beginning of the 20th - century, Detroit 's immigrant neighborhoods were stricken with poverty and some became breeding grounds for crime and violence. From the Hastings Street neighborhood known as Paradise Valley in Detroit 's lower east side, most of the Purple Gang 's core members went to Bishop School where all were placed in the division for problem children. The gang members were the children of immigrants from eastern Europe, primarily Russia and Poland, who had come to the United States in the great immigration wave from 1881 to 1914. The gang of boys were led by four brothers : Abe, Joe, Raymond and ( Isadore ) Izzy Burnstein, who had moved to Detroit from New York City. Rise They started off as petty thieves and shakedown artists, soon progressing to the more lucrative areas of crime such as armed robbery, extortion, and hijacking under the tutelage of older neighborhood gangsters ( Charles Leiter and Henry Shorr ). They received notoriety for their operations and savagery, and imported gangsters from other American cities to work as `` muscle '' for the gang. There are numerous theories as to the origin of the name `` Purple Gang ''. One explanation is that a member of the gang was a boxer who wore purple shorts during his bouts. Another explanation is that the name came from a conversation between two shopkeepers : `` These boys are not like other children of their age, they 're tainted, off color. '' `` Yes, '' replied the other shopkeeper. `` They 're rotten, purple like the color of bad meat, they 're a Purple Gang. '' The Purples became hijackers and gained a reputation for stealing the booze cargoes of the older and more established gangs. As their reputation for `` terror '' grew, people began to fear them - Al Capone was against expanding his rackets in Detroit and began a business accommodation with the Purples in order to prevent a bloody war. For several years, the Purples managed the prosperous business of supplying Canadian whisky, Old Log Cabin, to the Capone organization in Chicago. The Purples were involved in various criminal enterprises. They were also involved in kidnapping other gangsters for ransom, which had become very popular during this era. They were reportedly suspected by the FBI to have been involved with the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. By the late 1920s, The Purple Gang reigned supreme over the Detroit underworld, controlling the city 's vice, gambling, liquor, and drug trade. They also ran the local wire service, providing horse racing information to local horse betting parlors and handbooks. The gang members consorted with some more infamous mobsters, branching out into other cities, as well. Abe Burnstein was a friend of Meyer Lansky and Joe Adonis, with whom he owned several Miami gambling casinos in his later years. The gang hijacked prizefight films and forced movie theaters to show the films for a high fee. They also defrauded insurance companies by staging fake accidents. Cleaners and Dyers war As the gang grew in size and influence, they began hiring themselves out as hitmen and took part in the Cleaners and Dyers war. The Purples profited from the Detroit laundry industry unions and associations. They were hired out to keep union members in line and to harass non-union independents. Bombing, arson, theft, and murder were the usual tactics that the gang employed to enforce union policy. Abe Axler and Eddie Fletcher were reputedly imported from New York City to take part in the scheme ( other sources put their origins in Detroit ) In 1927, nine members of the Purple Gang ( Abe Burnstein, Raymond Burnstein, Irving Milberg, Eddie Fletcher, Joe Miller, Irving Shapiro, Abe Kaminsty, Abe Axler and Simon Axler ), were arrested and charged with conspiracy to extort money from Detroit Wholesale Cleaners & Dyers. They were eventually acquitted of all charges. Harry Rosman ( 1891 - 1958 ) was president and owner of Famous Cleaners & Dyers in Detroit, Michigan. He gained notoriety in the news for being the key witness testifying against the infamous Purple Gang in a trial that lasted from 1928 - 1929. The prosecution alleged extortion activities against Detroit area businesses during the sometime violent showdown known as the Cleaners & Dyers Wars. Harry testified under oath that the Purple Gang asked for $1000 per week from his and other area cleaners & dyers ' businesses for their `` protection '' against violence. Miraflores Massacre Main article : Milaflores Massacre A Detroit Mob War soon ensued between the Italian, Irish, and Jewish bootleggers over territory. The Purples fought a vicious turf war with the Licavoli Squad led by the brothers Tommy and Pete Licavoli. In March 1927, three men were killed. The deceased men had been brought into Detroit as hired assassins for the Purple Gang and the motive for the murder was believed to be retaliation for a `` double cross ''. The homicides took place in an apartment leased by Purple Gang members, Eddie Fletcher and Abe Axler ( and reportedly Fred Burke ), which made them prime suspects in the slaying. The three suspects ( Fletcher, Axler, and Burke ) were questioned, as were the other Purples and associates. No one was ever convicted of the murder. This was reportedly the first use of a machine gun in a Detroit underworld slaying. St. Valentine 's day Massacre Main article : Saint Valentine 's Day Massacre The Purple Gang was reputedly suspected of taking part in the St. Valentine 's Day Massacre. On February 13, 1929, Abe Burnstein had reputedly called Bugs Moran and told him that a hijacked load of booze was on its way to Chicago. Moran, who was in the middle of a turf war with Capone, had only recently begun to trust Burnstein, who had previously been Capone 's chief supplier of Canadian liquor. The next day, instead of delivering a load of liquor, five men dressed as policemen went to S.M.C. Cartage on North Clark Street ( Moran 's North Side hangout ) and opened fire with machine guns, killing seven men in what has become known as the St. Valentine 's Day Massacre. Collingwood Manor Massacre Main article : Collingwood Manor Massacre The Purple Gang began terrorizing Detroiters with the street executions of their enemies, killing a police officer named Vivian Welsh on February 1, 1927, who was later revealed to be a dirty cop and was reputedly trying to extort money from the Purple Gang and in 1930, murdering well - known radio personality Jerry Buckley in the lobby of a downtown hotel. Whether the Purples were involved with Buckley 's death is questionable, as the police suspected the local Sicilian mob. No one was charged in either case, and both of the murders remain officially unsolved. In 1931, an inter-gang dispute ended in the murder of three Purples by members of their own gang - Chicago gangsters who had been imported to Detroit to help out the Purple Gang. The three men had violated an underworld code by operating outside the territory allotted to them by the Purple Gang leadership. Herman `` Hymie '' Paul, Isadore Sutker a.k.a. `` Joe Sutker '', and Joseph `` Nigger Joe '' Lebowitz, were lured to an apartment on Collingwood Avenue on September 16, 1931. They believed they were going to a peace conference with the Purple leaders. After a brief discussion, the three men were gunned down. Authorities caught up with the gang when they burst into Fletcher 's apartment and found the suspects ( Abe Axler, Irving Milberg, and Eddie Fletcher ) playing cards. Ray Burnstein and Harry Keywell were also arrested. Aftermath Irving Milberg, Harry Keywell, and Raymond Burnstein, three high - ranking Purples, were convicted of first - degree murder in the Collingwood Manor Massacre and were sentenced to prison for life. Burnstein, Milberg, and Keywell boarded a special Pullman train bound for Michigan 's Upper Peninsula to begin serving their sentences in the state 's maximum security prison in Marquette. Harry Fleisher, another possible suspect, remained on the lam until 1932, but he was never convicted in connection with the massacre. Later on, he served time in Jackson Prison, the world 's largest walled prison, in the early 1950s for armed robbery of an Oakland County gambling house. According to Detroit Police Chief of Detectives, James E. McCarty, the convictions in the Collingwood Massacre, `` broke the back of the once powerful Purple Gang, writing finis to more than five years of arrogance and terrorism ''. Downfall For many years, the Purples enjoyed seemingly complete immunity from police interference as witnesses to crimes were terrified of testifying against any criminal identified as a Purple gangster. The Purple Gang reputedly became more arrogant and sloppy as time progressed. They dressed flamboyantly and were well - known to the public and the city 's night spots. They lived in fine houses and soon a romantic aura surrounded the Purples that distinguished them from the other gangs in Detroit. Jealousies, egos, and inter-gang quarrels would eventually cause the Purple Gang to collapse. The police eventually moved against them as gang members began leaving behind too much evidence of their crimes. Phillip Keywell had already been convicted for a senseless murder, and Joe Burnstein and Abe Burnstein both were given hefty prison sentences after previously escaping heavy jail time through intimidation and corrupt officials. Different waves of bloodier - than - previous infighting ensued, with the aggressive and high - ranking members Abe Axler and Eddie Fletcher getting shot dead, then one - time partial - boss ( there was n't a strict hierarchy ) Henry Shorr killed in further infighting. Some gangsters drifted away, a few fleeing Detroit, others were executed by fellow members or rival gangsters, and several members were subsequently imprisoned. A rival Sicilian gang, tired of competing with the Purples, also eventually decided to eliminate them. The gang continued in a diminished capacity, but the predecessors of Detroit 's modern - day Mafia stepped in and filled the void as The Purple Gang, ultimately, self - destructed. In popular culture Although heavily fictionalized, the 1935 film Public Hero No. 1 deals with the hunting down and capture of the Purple Gang. They are referenced in the 1957 film Jailhouse Rock in the song of the same name : `` The whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang. '' See also History of the Jews in Metro Detroit References ^ Jump up to : `` Mobsters, Mayhem & Murder ''. The Walkerville Times. Walkerville Publishing. Retrieved 16 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : Gribben, Mark. `` The Purple Gang : Bootlegger 's Paradise ''. Crime Library. Retrieved 16 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : Nolan, Jenny ( June 15, 1999 ). `` How Prohibition made Detroit a bootlegger 's dream town ''. The Detroit News. Retrieved 17 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : Gribben, Mark. `` The Purple Gang : The Color Purple ''. Crime Library. Retrieved 16 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Purple Gang ''. The Internet Index of Tough Jews. J - Grit. Retrieved 16 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Notorious Purple Gang ''. HighBeam Research. Cengage Learning. Retrieved 21 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : Kavieff, Paul R. ( July 16, 1999 ). `` Detroit 's Infamous Purple Gang ''. The Detroit News. Retrieved 16 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : Lipman, David E. `` Detroit 's Purple Gang ''. My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 16 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Purple Gang Part 1 ''. FBI Records : The Vault. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 16 November 2012. Jump up ^ Schoenberg, Robert J. ( 1993 ). Mr. Capone : The Real - and Complete - Story of Al Capone. New York City : William Morrow Paperbacks. p. 209. ISBN 978 - 0688128388. Jump up ^ `` Purple Gang Part 3 ''. FBI Records : The Vault. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 16 November 2012. Jump up ^ Sifakis, Carl ( 2005 ). The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York : Checkmark Books. p. 371. ISBN 978 - 0816056958. ^ Jump up to : Gribben, Mark. `` The Purple Gang : The Big Time ''. Crime Library. Retrieved 16 November 2012. Jump up ^ Detroit News - June 8th 1928 - `` On the Witness Stand '' Jump up ^ Newton, M. ( 2009 ). Mr. Mob : The Life and Crimes of Moe Dalitz. McFarland, Incorporated Publishers. p. 26. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7864 - 5362 - 7. Retrieved June 14, 2016. Jump up ^ Bak, Richard ( February 2010 ). `` The Gory ' 20s ''. Hour Detroit. Retrieved 18 November 2012. Jump up ^ Kavieff, Paul R. ( 2008 ). Detroit 's Infamous Purple Gang. Arcadia Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978 - 0738552385. ^ Jump up to : Gribben, Mark. `` The Murder of Vivian Welsh ''. The Malefactor 's Register. Retrieved 8 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Death in Detroit ''. Time Magazine. Aug 4, 1930. Retrieved 19 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : May, Allan. `` Jerry Buckley : A Victory Short Lived ''. Archived from the original on 2008 - 06 - 19. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 08. ^ Jump up to : Gribben, Mark. `` The Purple Gang : The Collingwood Manor Massacre ''. Crime Library. Retrieved 19 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : Gribben, Mark. `` The Purple Gang : The End of the Purple Gang ''. Crime Library. Retrieved 20 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` Purple Gang Part 2 ''. FBI Records : The Vault. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 20 November 2012. Bibliography Kavieff, Paul R. `` Detroit 's Infamous Purple Gang. '' Detroit News. July 16, 1999. Kavieff, Paul R. ( 2008 ). Detroit 's Infamous Purple Gang ( Images of America ). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978 - 0738552385. Further reading Rockaway, Robert A. ( 2000 ). But He Was Good to His Mother : The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters. New York : Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 9652292494. Paul R. Kavieff ( 2005 ). The Purple Gang : Organized Crime in Detroit 1910 - 1945. ISBN 1 - 56980 - 281 - 5. Waugh, Daniel ( 2014 ). Off Color : The Violent History of Detroit 's Notorious Purple Gang. Holland, MI : In - Depth Editions. ISBN 978 - 09889772 - 2 - 8. Burnstein, Scott M. ( 2006 ). Motor City Mafia : A Century of Organized Crime in Detroit ( Images of America ). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978 - 0738540849. External links Feature film The Purple Gang on IMDb The Purple Gang at the Crime Library The Purple Gang at the J - Grit : The Internet Index of Tough Jews FBI files on the Purple Gang From the FBI Freedom of Information Act Alcohol prohibition By country Canada Finland Iceland India Iran Russia / Soviet Union United States List By topic 18th Amendment ( U.S. Constitution ) 21st Amendment ( U.S. Constitution ) American Mafia Anti-Saloon League Blaine Act Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau of Prohibition Dry county Islam Jazz Age Local option Moonshine Neo-prohibitionism Roaring Twenties Rum - running Rum Patrol Rum row Speakeasy Swedish prohibition referendum, 1922 Teetotalism Temperance movement Temperance ( Scotland ) Act 1913 Volstead Act Webb -- Kenyon Act Wickersham Commission Woman 's Christian Temperance Union People Lyman Beecher Al Capone Mickey Duffy Waxey Gordon Frank Hamer J. Edgar Hoover Bumpy Johnson Enoch L. Johnson Meyer Lansky Lucky Luciano Sam Maceo Owney Madden William McCoy Bugs Moran Carrie Nation Eliot Ness Roy Olmstead The Purple Gang Lanzetta Brothers George Remus Arnold Rothstein Howard Hyde Russell Dutch Schultz Eliza Thompson Andrew Volstead Wayne Wheeler Frances Willard Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith Political parties National Prohibition Party ( UK ) Prohibition Party ( PRO ) Prohibition Party ( Canada ) Scottish Prohibition Party Related Prohibition ( 2011 documentary miniseries ) Organized crime groups in Detroit Italian American Mafia Active Detroit crime family Inactive Black Hand Unione Siciliana Gianolla gang Adamo gang Vitale gang Jewish Mob Inactive Purple Gang Polish - American Mob Inactive Flathead Gang African American Mob Inactive Black Mafia Family Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Purple_Gang&oldid=813163453 '' Categories : Culture of Detroit Former gangs in Detroit Jewish - American gangs Jewish - American organized crime Jews and Judaism in Detroit Prohibition gangs Hidden categories : Pages using infobox criminal organization with rivals parameter Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Italiano עברית Lietuvių 日本 語 Polski Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 2 December 2017, at 04 : 30. 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Question: who was the leader of the purple gang
Answer: Abe, Joe, Raymond and (Isadore) Izzy Burnstein