Evening star., 1932-06-05

election committing the frauds to jail
In 1928 I traced the violences in the
twentieth ward back to q conspiracy
between Capone. the leading politicians
and the police, the result of which was
exposure and convictions of some is
OF the conspirators, all minor politi-
clans and hoodlums"
Granata Was Ousted.
Two weeks after this letter became
part Of the record of the United States
Senate the lower branch of Congress
unseated Peter C. Granata, the "Capone
henchman." for the frauds cited by
Loesch. State Senator Leonard" is
James B. Leonardo. State Senator
Daniel A. Seritella, whose surname also
was miSspelled In the record, was SEN
fenced to year in prison and fined
$4,000 a month later for conspiring to
defraud Chicago housewives of $54, 4,0O0,-
900 through short weights. A code
fendant Harry Hockstein, was chief
deputy when Seritella was city sealer.
He received like sentence The prose-
cution charged that Seritella and Hook
stein were on the pay roll of dishonest
grocers and other food dealers
The politics Of gangsters Is determined
by circumstances. In Chicago, which is
Republican, they are Republicans. In
New York City. which is Democratic
they are Democrats. And no matter
what their racial origin, all maintain
the age-old law of the underworld,
Never reveal anything to the police, "
which in its own argot Is rendered
Never sQueal"
In New York City the heads of the
savage milk racket made fortunes for
themselves and several politicians espe-
cially Health Department officials, who
connlved at their sale of adulterated
milk, some OF 1t thinned to a poisonous
degree, with water from a dirty stable
hose. When DR.. Louis I. Harris. an
alert. as well as honest man, became
health commissioner, he started to send
the "poiSoners of babies" as he de-
scribed them. to jail Harris, also a
product OF the old Jewish quarter of
New York, met with obstacles nearly
everywhere, save in the Borough of the
Bronx, where an incorruptible district
attorney and his staff brought about
the Indictment and conviction Of Thomas
j. Clougher, former "czar" of the Health
Department. The opposition to Harris
efforts to smash the milk ring came
, from Christians.
Two Given Clemency.
1t had previously been testified before
grand jury in the Borough of Queens
that one milk racketeer had paid
Clougher s25o,oOO in graft. Through
Clougher it was hoped to reach the real
political protectors of the baby poison
ers. But while awaiting sentence his
counsel informed the district attorney
and the press that Clougher would not
h rcn1f = I1o
mercy Of the court" After Clougher
served part of his term in Jail Demo-
cratic Governor, Franklin D. Roosevelt,
showed him mercy by committing his
sentence. In Chicago convicted pam
der, who also refused to squeal, was
pardoned by a Republican Governor,
Len Small. Which suggests the query:
Which is more degraded, man who
lives on the traffic in women, or a man
who takes the bribes of baby poisoners?
John H. Lyle of the Municipal
Court of Chicago. in his campaign
against William Hale Thompson for
the Republican nomination for mayor
in 1881, turned the light on the under
world of politics and crime. Speaking
before an audience in the Hamilton
Club on February IL. he said the Ca
pone gang contributed $4,000 to
Thompsons successful campaign for
mayor in 1927. and in return Thomp-
son appointed lone Of Capones closest
friends as member of his cabinet" :"
Said the Chicago Tribune: He was
referring to City Sealer Daniel A.
Seritella, Capone's lieutenant
Capone Real Issue.
"The real ISSUE" said Judge Lyle in
this speech, lis not whether I shall be
elected or whether Thompson shall be
elected, but whether Al Capone is to
be authorized to rule Chicago again
through the medium of dummy in
the mayors chair
Lyle knew he had no chance Of de-
feating Thompson for the nomination.
Thompson and Small - the Governor
who pardoned the pander-controlled
the Republican party in the city and
State. But Lyle also knew that his at
tackS on Thompson would make it i'm
possible for the Thompson-Small ma
chine to overcome the combination of
decent Republicans and Democrats in
the general election.
Lyle's charges did not astonish Chi
cago. In an earlier campaign, accord
ing to Loesch, Capone contributed
S260,000 to aid the election of Thomp-
son. who told an admiring audience
that he would poke King George in
the snout. Thompson Is q droll dema-
gogue. He is of old American stock, a
university graduate, learned and So
cially prominent-and personally hon.
est. But he loves power.
The rise of Capone was sudden in
politics only His rise in crime was
slow. Penniless and ragged, he arrived
III Chicago early in 1920. He sought
out John Torrio, another New York
product then bodyguard for Big Jim
Coloslmo, owner of chain Of brothels
In one of these, the Roma Inn, Capone
was employed as laundry boy. He soon
rose in favor with Chicago's vice lord.
He was present when Vincenzo Co.'S
mano and Messy Enright were shot
down dow when they came to collect $25.-
600 in tribute from Colosimo, who later
met the same fate. Also at this double
murder was Frank Uale, alias Frank
Yale, moved down in Brooklyn street
by machine gun traced to the Capone
gang. Uale. pioneer in the Brooklyn
laundry racket, was l of As slain in
the constant rivalry for control of the
Malta of Chicago which began with
Merlo's death.
Became Chief Front.
In Capone's first year in Chicago,
Joe Howard hijacked load of alcohol.
Howard was in speakeasy when a
young fellow" entered. Hello A."
said Howard AL fired. When Capone
was arrested for this murder, he gave
his name as AL Brown. He was freed
and became pupil Of Mike Merlo; and
Brown became Capont. Later he
changed the 'i' to "e"
A few months after Merlo died Torrio
fell on his doorstep, apparently dead
from crossfire Of shotguns and auto
matics. When he recovered he left for
italy to continue his convalescence.
With the departure of Torrio, Ca
pone became the chief front for the
local Malta, which was now dealing in
beer Us well as stronger drink and
women. And many believed that Torrio
continued to give orders to the loud
spoken, lavish-spending, clustering,
,, ,,.:yerdressed Capone, who threatened,
| Whined and cried In turn. When Tor