Detroit evening times., 1946-01-08

really along about 4 in the
morning, We got into a SPELL
down with a welldigger in a
place on Clark street and this
welldigger spelled both of us
bowlegged with one hand tied
behind him, and a nice looking.
rather stout barmaid named
Agnes refereed.
THEN one time we walked
l. across the street 10 a big
bank and Lewis had his hand
Jabbed in his overcoat pocket
and rammed il against a police
man and said:
Get In there and grab us
a hundred grand and be quick
about IT,"
And l thought:
"Well, she warned me not to
20 out with that Lewis and
wouldn't listen, and now this In
It," But the policeman merely
said, MIR. Lewis, you are 80
comicaI." and nothing happened.
1t takes nerve enough for Mr..
Lewis 10 20 out at all in Chi
cago, considering what hap
pened 10 him that time, but 10
go out with me and pick dis
puteS with well diggers about
the spelling of "erysipelas' and
"embarraSs' is madness because
am supposed 10 be hot cargo,
although that is just rumor be-
cause Jimmy Petrillo. for ex-
ample. is one of my best friends
and Old Dan Tobin. Of the
teamsters, always sends me a
turkey for Christmas.
WHAT happened 10 Joe that
w time was that he had Just
closed a season al a big noisy
joint on the North Side and
signed a contract with a place
called the Rendezvous and was
about TO open when A eangster
named Jack McGurn called on
him and told him 10 ditch the
Rendezvous and go on back 10
the other place.
Joe'S answer is expressed by
telegraph operators as q. T II.
and McGurn said he never
would open al the Rendezvous
but he did and had played A
week 10 big business while busi-
ness at the old trap went off
Then. about 10 o'clock one
morning. there was a knock on
his door at his hotel and he
opened IL and three of them
walked in.
"One Of them pulled out a AS
and belted me over the head
and I went down trying 10 fight
because was desperate and
knew I was gone" Mr. Lewis
has told me. II came 10 in
about 10 minutes and jiggled
the phone because 1 couldn't
talk"
If you have ever seen him
you will understand why he
couldn't talk. They not only
hacked his face with a razor,
possibly desiring 10 send him 10
his grave with the traditional
laughing mouth of the under
world. but cut his throat and
left him for dead.
JOE made no formal police
81 complaint because in those
days in Chicago such matters
were regarded as private affairs
and in couple of years, sure
enough. all three were dead but
not by any Of Joe's doing or
procurement but just as routine
casualties from occupauonal
hazards.
He was a friend Of AL Ca
pone, though, which may mean
much or nothing at all, AL
though, feeling secure and even
braSh in that friendship. he
chased one punk out of his
dressing room at the State
Lake Theater who tried 10
shake him down, as was GUS
tomary in those days, and
warned him that he was going
10 turn him in 10 Capone for
using his name IN vain.
He says Capone once offered
$4,000 10 any one who would
bring in an operator who was
running this kind of shake and
using his name
He was in the hospital nearly
four months and didn't really
regain his speech for about two
years, and the first place he
played when he was able was
the Rendezvous. again.
Just TO show you, one night
recently at the Copa in New
York. facing an audience that
was pretty well along and hard
10 hold, anyway, he went on for
more than an hour enure0 n
a satire about President Tru-
man, starting with Mr.. TrI-
mans piano playing, and not
even a Smudge of dirt and left
them hollering for more because
he wanted 10 come over 10 our
table and tell her about the
time he and I rented a DuSh-