The Wilmington morning star., 1947-06-27
AsPeglerSeesH
BY .WEsTBRoOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1e47, BY King Features syndicate

fooths11 tho nioh+ clubs. radio and the movies
was awakened about the first OF this year
by George Raft, the Hollywood tough guy,
who. strangely enough, nevertheless employs
a bodyguard known as Killer Gray 10 pro-
tect him from nameless perils. Raft did this
nv trimmin a sucker several years ago IN
the apartment of Lee Durocher, the manager
of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The case just taded
away for various reasons, one OF them beng
that the mugg was not a rellable Wltness
and there it lay until last fall when there
were several querulous complaints on our
Sports pages of the i n n o p tallty
of Leo Durocher to the baseball writer's and
his warm cordially to number Of unnamed
characters referred to as Hollywood buns.
This meant Raft and Gay. I think 1t an
moved me to think OF baseball writer's hang
ing off that way, and touching their caps to
Durocher, while he entertained this Hollywood
trash. I used to write sport and most Oh US
got along nicely with most OF the sport peo-
pie, although we did have some very robust
personalities. Most of us respected most OF
them and vice versa. but I think that if
this dirty-talking plug-ugly had barred the
baseball reporters from his Office or the club
house in this manner IN those days. we
wouldn't have gone whining to the readers
about the indignity.
Nv low opinion of Durocher dated way back
70 my own days on the sport side. We used
to hear clubhouse gossip about him when he
was with the Yankees, but he was not very
important SO we ignored it. Then, when this
talk of Durocher's rudeness and his fellow
shipping with the Hollywood trash was going
on last fall, I asked old Ed Barrow, for
many years the business manager Of the Yam
KEGS. but now retired, why they ever let him
get out of the American league. For all his
nasty disposition and a low batting average,
he was a very fine infielder and an agrees
sive. energetic fellow. The American league
isn't bowling that sort of pople over to the
National, Or vice versa, except for special
reasons.
But Mr.. Barrow said, no, there was no
special reason why the Yankees let him go
except that ne didn't get along with little
Miller Higgins, their manager at tina time.
1u that didn't explain why the other seven
clubs passed him up. And then Mr.. Barrow
me the argument that he thought was
the clihcher.
1--WE had him watched for three years. he
said. 'Thereswas nothing to those stories
Then why did you have him watched?'
| asked Mr.. B. You don't usually put a
on your people. do you?"
Mr.. B. didn't have a very good answer
for that.
II seemed to me that Durocher was In very
lad company when he associated with Raft
and when I really got to work about the
turn of the year | found that one of our
most prominent baseball men was really no
better than a ~gangster himself if there is
anything in the old saying about birds Of a
He had met Bugs Siegel at Rats
place near Hollywood and some Of the other
Of Mr.. Raft were men listed in
the books Of the F.B.1., The Treasury agencies
and most good police departments. Their own
parents might not know them by name, in
cidentally. for four out of five of them change
their names and it is worth mention that
they prefer Irish names. such as Kane and
Collins. Martin and Barry. I have heard that
Durocher has broken with Raft now and, in
a manner Of speaking, reformed. although I
10 not know in what other respect he needed
'eform. He just kept bad company. l don't
that he will swear Oft swearing or
,eckling umpires. His friend Raft had some
very undesirable friends: joe Adonis. for in
and little Augie and Lcngie Zwillman,
t Newark.
Unfortunately for Raft. some Of the gutter
,nipes who cover the saloon beat and never
ring in any news bit write free advertising
bout some of the dirtiest criminals out o.
prison, took up for him. They took up for
Raft and Buggy Siegel and so did several
ado acts and commentators. Why would
be defending Raft?
That made me inquisitive and sometimes
when 1 get really inauisitive I found in
e~resting things. I never did find out why
hese types defended Rat, and just surmise
hat they have a great deal in common, but
bet myself something that the turn would
ONE pretty soon which would dramatic and
prove my contention that a lot OF ostenslble
lewspapermen, covering the sewers under by
ines and some of them syricated, were just
underworld press agents. AND a few OF the
ado people, too.
NJ M, ~ e...-J D.---- C:.-a1 4,r~,
Up shot in the head and in the development
# the scenario we are about to learn what
practical, realistic underworld this new I'M
o. the amusement business is.
Last winter. Frank Hogan, our district at
orney. raised a fuss about re- cketeering and
akery in the prizefight business and you
would have thought he had stolen a watch,
he publicity he got. Four-flusher. scandal
publicity-seeker. But he proved up
tx and then just casually a story comes out
me day that all this time Joe Gould. who
Used to manage Jimmy Praddock. the old
champion, had ben cutting in
N the earnings of Joe Louis under a trick
which is a very questionable state
affairs any way you look at it. 1t is the
more so when you consider that Joe Gould.
'ot an army commission during the war and
vas convicted by a court-martial Of con-
to defraud the government in a racket
1t Camp Shanks, N. Y.
Then came the shocking announcement that
lucky Luciano, deported to Italy after serv-
ng part Of a long time in the state of New
York cor prostituting women, had reappeared
n Havana and was actually an unsung hero
II our war and due for a medal of honor
'ome day: That rumor actually got into print
and onto the air as news. when it was sheer
underworld propaganda for the head Of a
rang of narcotics smugglers. 1t finally was
raced to a well-known New York personality
named Connie zimmerman, who insisted that
was really a swell kid and the victim
Of a bum rap. At the time in Havana, Luciano
was negotiating to start with
slegel. who had achieved recognition as the
foremost American dealer in narcotics, and
akN11f tho aAaa tina Era-1. C:aa4.a 4Ia