Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-09-12
Daily Short Story
his Was a Man
BY STEVE sINTAY

BY STEVE SINTAY
TIVE Duke never looked classic
Il IN his life than he did lyinl
there IN his coffin IN Durham
Funeral ParlorS. The black hail
that grew down 10 point abou
two inches above his flatteneC
nose was comhed slick His mouth
was closed tight. The artisticS en-
balmer had put a dab Of rouge u
each OF his high check bones.
He was wearing tuxedo coat
and a black dress tic The hands
that were so fast with a gun or z
buck were all wrapped up in 4
pearl rosary.
Except for the rosary, you'd
think he was just asleep. The
fellow that worked on hun was
pretty proud of himself. He was
a new embalmer just out OF college
and he'd Just got the job with the
Durham Funeral Home and he had
wanted 10 make good.
And he had. You could 60 the
length and breadth OF the land
and never find a more natural
corpse than the Duke was lyinc
there. And this embalmer-h,S
name was Lucius-stood around
waiting for the numerous friends
of the Duke 10 drop in 10 pay
their last respects so that they
could admire his work.
But Lucius cot disappointed.
Harry anybody came. And LuciuS
thought, il just went 10 show you
how unimportant everybody Is,
even n king, or even a Tammany
big shot or even the Duke. here,
himself And that, Luclus thought
was plenty fHHRY.
Nine or 10 years ago. the Duke
was the boss of the whole Atlantic
Seaboard. His booze trucks burned
up the roads rolling between New
York and Philadelphia. between
Boston and New York, between
his beer drops in Camden ana
Newark and Paterson. n. j., and
towns as far away as st. Louis.
In those days and for 10 years
before that. the Duke had lot to
do with who ran the big cities.
ELECTED GOVERNMENTS
His boys elected the govern
ments and the Duke lined up the
dry dicks, the prohibition officers,
who were supposed 10 stop his
trucks from rolling and throw him
into the can for bootlegging, and
paid them off on Tuesdays.
When he needed a Sheaf OF
dough in hurry, he didn't run out
TO a bank and ask 10 see the
cashier and beg and plead with
him TO let him have the use of IT
for a little while. Not the Duke.
He just picked up a telephone and
got a bank president.
Hello. sweetheart" he'd say.
"This Is the Duke. What did you
20 round In at ESSEX County
yesteday? Ninety-elght! You're
kiddin'. He'll, you're outta my
class. broke 10 Thursday at
Balustroi and thought l was
good.
But 80 is professional. Say.
sweetheart, I'm n little shy OF
shark-20 grand: I'll get II back
10 some newspaper reporters
and you In four days. Thanks,
sweetheart. l thought you would.
No. you needn't bring IL over
yourself. Send a messenger boy"
That's how heavy the Duke was
in those days. Today, it's diff
ferent. Today, a bank president
wouldn't take chances like that
with 20 grand because the govern
ment is now guarding the in
vestors money.
He wouldn't send any messenger
over with il. He'd bring it him
self because bank can't trust
every messenger that works for il.
Yen. Lucius thought. today it's
different. And how the mighty
have fallen because here lay the
Duke 10 receive his friends for the
last time and there weren't any
friends.
HIS MOTHER APPEARS
Oh, the Dukes mother came
She was a little old gray lady and
she thought the same about the
Duke today as she did the day he
was born. She had thought then
that he was the incest baby that
ever came. And the Dukes wife
came.
The young priest came that hao
given him the last sacraments as
he lay still twitching. in the street
He didn't think Of the Duke. at all
He Just thought of the Dukes soul
and he prayed prayer 10 Him
who knows all things to give the
Duke a break--if He could.
A couple of punks came from
the underworld or the photog-
raphers. But no big shots came
from the Underworld or the over
world either. II wasn't safe. The
Duke had come 10 his death by
shooting a cop and there is nothing
that makes a man an unwelcome
corpse like shooting q cop.
The police had their eyes on
Durbans Funeral Home They
were curious 10 see who would