Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1951-11-23


the war years to go into business
for himself as a candy wholesaler
and manufacturer. The Eatsum
company which he bought had not
been in business long enough, I'M
der OPA regulations, to hae any
appreciable sugar quota.
Then he met William Giglia,
smart operator, and Frank Liorsi,
an ex-conict. The paid had ac-
quired jelly factory with a sguar
quota Of 100000 pouonds a year
AS Lubben told us, all he could
think was that "14 100000 pounds
would make me as big as Hershey"
Soon the operator and the ex-
convict were his partners in Eat
sum. and then came the inexorable
finale: Lubben was out and they
were in.
Livors, the 47-year-old ex-con-
vict, was an admitted friend of
such underworld characters as
Frank Costello, Willie Morctti, and
others. He had been arrested, &C
cording to his own recollection, at
least 10 times, including twice on
homicide charges. His only convic-
ton, however, was a tWo-year SEN
tence for narcotics peddling.
Could Dlvorsi. we asked. think
of any legitimate business he ever
was in before he went to Jail? 81
can't think of any legitimate bust
ness he suddenly replied In l945,
LivOrsi teamed up with smooth-talk-
ing William CYCLIC. then 30 years old.
They acquired Tavern Fruit Juice,
jelly manufacturing business.
With the company came the pre-
cious sugar quota.
Lubben made a deal to transfer
so per cent interest in his COM
pany to CYCLIC and Livorsi: the sale
price was around $4,000, but Lub
ben claimed his new partners ac-
tuallv paid nothing until they had
drawn out enough profits to effect
paper" liquidation of the pur-
chase price. In exchange for half
of his business, Lubben said. his
new partners were to see that /
got some sugar" But. he mourn
fully related. he "never got so much
sugar that you could sweeten your
coffee with"
Lubben was no angel. He con-
fessed that he set up arrangements
for buying corn syrup by making
under-the-ta black market pay
ments to farmers and selling it on
the same basis. Everything was
done for cash and in five months
of 1915. more than $500, 900 in cash
was received from these transac-
tions, Lubben testified
The money was kept in "a little
green cash box" hidden in "a panel
in back of the bar in the wall" of
Giglio's office. 1.-THE last time |
knew about il there was $4,000 in
there"
But Lubben, after about nine
months, lost both his nerve and
his taste for the fantastic deal He
had a harder time getting away
from CYCLIC & Co. than Br-er Rab-
bit had with the Tar Baby The
business at that time, according to
Lubben's figures disputed by Gig
lio) was worth S940.000
Lubben claimed he took back the
lease on the plant and machinery
he originally had in the Bronx and
turned everything else over to the
CYCLIC group. with the understanding
that they would pay my income tax
for the nine months in which was
a partner" "In fact" said Lub-
ben, they later on charged me
back, about s23 because some
raisins had in. the warehouse
shrunk little bit"
Senator Tobcy asked Lubben If
he had not had "a sense of appre-
hension and fear that if you did
not play ball and do what they said.
they might do physical harm to
your"
Il did, yes, | did" Lubben fer
vcntly replied THAT was the rca,
son | wanted to get away from
them" He had counted, he went
on, on receiving half of the money
in the cash box But waen he asked
CYCLIC about it. Lubben testified,
CYCLIC coldly told him, "You know
we had OPA trouble"
Il said" Luhbcn continued. Il
don't know anything about it, but
certainly you had not sl40.0o0
worth"
I'm that Office that day were
Frank Livorsi. John Ormonte and
a couple of other people. looked
around there, and CYCLIC said, You
are not going to get my money