Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1951-11-09

ing was almost 100 per cent COM
plete. Even the then-powerful Frank
Erickson, who had paid $45,OOO for
a three-month bookmaking conces-
sion at Meyer Schine's luxurious
Roney Plaza hotel, came to grief
when he attempted to buck it.
Schine, after he broke off an ar
rangement with SIG and made the
contract WITH Erickson, was visited
by Detective Pat Perdue of the
Miami Beach police. Schine said
that Perdue told him he should not
let the contract go to Erickson.
There was only one flaw in the
S&G's highly efficient operation
1t became so profitable that it
aroused the cupidity of the pros
porous crimesters rom Chicago
who, in the approved manner Of
tered on beautiful Miami Beach,
soaking up the sun on their daily
walks from hotel to horse parler.
Then, as our Committee recon-
structed the story, the ubiquitous
and sinister partnership of Guzik
& Accardo entered the picture. 1t is
the Committees contention that
Guzik g. Accardo acting for til e
Chicago Capone Syndicate, dis
patched Harry Russell, a Chicago
gambler to SIG early in 1919.
UNDERSTANDABLE devoted to their
S26,000,00O business, the SIG part
ners didn't want to be "muscled."
They declined. The Chicago interests
were disappointed but gentlemanly
about it. Nothing crude TRANSFERRED.
Their Mr.. Russell simply began
building up a syndicate of his own.
and bookies at number of plush
hotels. dominated by the Chicago
mob. flocked over to Russell.
Next, Governor Warren's crime
investigator, w. o. Cros by, ap-
peared. Here things get a little
complicated: His friend, RUSSELL
Crosby conceded to us, started feed
ing h m information on various
books that he might raid, and Cros-
by started raiding them. All were
places operated by S&G bookies.
Finally came the crusher: SIG
was buying its wire service from
the local distributor of the same
Continental Press that already had
undergone the experience of being
squeezed by Guzik and Accardo
This service was abruptly shut Off
leaving SIG paralyzed.
Ii just about 10 days, the SIG
partners took another look at Harry
Russell and decided they had been
wrong. They decided to recapitalize
their business-t though they admit
ted to us that they really did not
need any capital-and to let Russell
have one-sixth interest. The price
they asked for this one-sixth in
terest in a business that had crossed
S26,O00,000 the previous year was
$4,000.
At the same time Mr.. Russell
bought into the SIG for $40, 900, the
SIG boys" happened to buy a
boat named the Clari-Jo. The price
of the Clari-Jo happened to be $780,
900, and the owner of the boat-lots
of condolences here-just happened
to be Tony Accardo.
Accardo, when we had him in
the witness chair later. refused re-
peatedly to answer questions about
it. Finally, however. Senator Wiley
innocently inquired, who baptized
that name, Clari-Jo? Accardo, mo-
mentarily off-guard, replied THAT
is my wife's first name and my
middle name" AS spectators roared
with merriment. hi crestfalen
hcodlum rubbed his Jaw with the
hand that has dove tattooed be-
tween the thumb and rigger-finger.
II fell into that one!" he blurted
Guzik and Accardo's l949 tax re-
turn showed loss of S7252 due to
'S&G Service"
Anyway, the SIG squeeze hit
lemons instead of the jackpot The
combination of the senate commit
tees disclosures and the opposition
of the law-abiding elements in Mi
ami Beach finally generated a heat
that even the powerful SIG syndi-
cate could not cool off Abruptly,
1.-The boys" without consulting their
Chicago associate, Mr.. Russell. de-
cided to 60 out of business
Next Week: Tampa. Wholesale
Murder.
Condensed from the book Crime In