The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-30
BY WESTBROOK PEGLEp


NEW YORK, Dec. 29.-It is ~.
often that grand jury TESTIMONY ~
revealed to the public, but, by
strange turn in the prosecutor
several old Capone gangsters in
Chicago labor union racket tbasa
was introduced in court recartl'.
an interesting grand jury discus
sion by George B. McLane. vS.
was fifth vice president of the Ray
tenders International union of ~.
A. F. of L. and business aoon.
at 500 a year, of the Cbicsa'
local No. 27S. The minutes co0.
Germ the character of union organ
cation in the American Fedora,
of Labor.
The Bartenders' international un.
ion is the same whose local in Nj
ami, Fla, was until last sprina
a private racket of Danny Co1pS,
Ian, AL Capone's brother : IN . law
Coughlan was reluctantly kicked
out afte" publicity had traced tba
association between the union racL.
ct and Frank Nitto, the chamninn
criminal of the Capone mob since
the retirement of Capone himself
In the Miamis, Nitto, a Chicaco
crook is a prominent member .,
the criminal scum and deals IN
mineral water for ~highballs and in
alcoholic beverages which wero
pushed by the b~artenders under
ICoughlan.
Proved in Court
The invasion of the building serv,
ice union by the Nitto mob, thru
the election of George Scalise. has
been proved in court, and the pene.
tration of the theatrical craft IN.
ions by the same mob has been
shown beyond question.
Ed Flore, the international presi.
dent of the bartenders, is a mem.
Der of the executive council of the
American Federation of Labor,
along with George Browne, the Chi.
cago gangster who runs the the.
atrical craft unions in collaboration
with the criminal mob. In addition
to these two members of its execu.
tive council the A. F. of l.. also
enjoys the presence in its higher
councils of Joseph Padway as gen.
eral counsel, or attorney general,
and Mr.. PadWay, on the side, is
general counsel for both Flores I'm.
ion and Brownies. He was also |
special counsel for Scalise's mob
of racketeers and certified Sea.
lise's good character to the de.
partment of justice less than
year before Scalise was suddenly
exposed as an underworld agent
preying on the labor movement in
the role of union president.
In the Chicago case McLane was
showed out of his bartenders' un.
ion racket IN favor of a gangster
name Louis Romano, the choice Of
the Nitto mob. McLane then az
pealed to Tom Courtney, the states
attorney, and Courtney got indict'
ments against a criminal named
Murray Humphreys, who recently
was found guilty by the United
States board of tax appeals Of KID
mapping an elderly union president
and extorting $50, 900 ransom.
Minutes introduced
When the time came for McLane
to testify he refused to repeat in
court the statements which he had
made before the grand jury lest he
incriminate himself. The proseeu-
ton then introduced the grand jury
minutes by way of proving that
McLane would not incriminate
himself. Nevertheless, there was a
directed verdict of acquittal.
The grand jury testimony OF NC
Lane declares that in 1888 Nltle
discussed with him a proposal ina,
he (McLane) become lnternatlohaI
president of the bartenders so tna'
the Nitto mob and other MODS else
where could control not merely le
union but, obviously, the vast re-
tail outlet for beer, liquor and MN
eral waters. McLane said gang
ster Browne, of the A. F. OF H.
executive council, was present "
this discussion, along WIN.
Brownies two criminal appolhlees
in the theatrical union-Wllle d.
off, the convicted pander, and NiIh
Circella, alias N.colo Dean, a SUN
up man. Louis Romano, the hiOD'
ster selected to run the Chleag0
bartenders, also was there.
"Bioff talked first" said McLane
to the grand jury, land sald 'ha,
as far as coast was concerned
Seattle, he would contact the var
GUS organizations and see tna' NV
teamsters' organization would WV
for me for general presldeh. W.
the bartenders). I said ousa.
would know I was being used suM
ly as a yes man, their from Ht'I
and I had no alternative IN ~
would Wind up in the penl'enAea3a
or be put in the alley, ana uad
not favor to run. They eHpia
they had run other organlzaHo
and all they said "a two year,
it and they would see | was eie' AZ.
and they would parcel out lhe
ferent parts of the country. prC" .ho
was supposed to take care u ond
eastern part, around Boston sim
through there, and Nicolo p
was supposed to take care OF su,t ~
place else. I was given oel M;.to
understanding I had to rum
said he made Browne, Tor eA' No
pie. Browne is here to tell you w