The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-11-16

activity was concerned, and many
of the gambling casinos run by out
of-state hoodlurns were shut down.
Let rs begin with the story Of
Walter Clark, sheriff since 1898 of
neighboring Broward County, Of
which prosperous Fort Lauderdale
is the seat In Sheriff Clark's baili-
wick, there were three notorious
gambling joints. Among the out-of-
state racketeers said to be associat-
ed with them-as well as in Miami
casinos - were tn e infamous Joe
Adonis, the brothers Meyer and
Jake Lansky, Vincent Jimmy Blue
Eyes, Alo, and bookmaker Frank
Erickson (since inprisonedD, all Of
New York City and New Jersey;
and, from Detroit. Joe Massei and
William G. Bischoff, alias Lefty
Clark.
] asked Clark why he violated his
oath Of office by. ever letting them
operate. He gave the brazen reply:
II was elected on the liberal tick
ct, and the people want 1t and they
enjoy it."
Clark went on to reveal he had
been well acquainted with gambler
Jake Lansky for IL or is years and
that Lansky among others, "con-
tributes to the campaign"
We queried Sheriff Clark about
his various investments. He men
toned q good number, but one
which he did not name was a one
quarter interest In the Broward
Novelty Co. The company, as the
committee noted in q report to the
senate, operates an Illegal bolita
"a Cuban numbers lottery and
slot machine business.
/ taxed Sheriff Clark with his
failure to tell us about the novelty
company business when we exam
ined him the first time. His reply
was, II never thought about it at
the time"
In Miami (Dade c unty), we
looked into the activities Of James
A. (Smiling Jimmy Sullivan, a
former traffic policeman who had
been sheriff since January, 1945.
The voluble Jimmy, who wasn't
smiling much toward the end Of his
examination, admitted that his as
sets jumped from 50. 500 to approx
mately $4,000 during his five years
in office.
OF Smiling Jimmy's performance
on the witness stand, the committee.
in its report, h q d to conclude:
Much of Sulivan's testimony was
vague and evasive and the COM
mittee does not consider it credi-
ble." The fantastic aftermath, how
ever, was this:
After a grand Jury indicted Sui
Ivan, charging him with neglect
of duty, failing to enforce gambling
laws, and permitting deputies to
accept brides, Governor Fuller War
rem, in October, 1850, suspended him
from office. Early in April, 1851,
however, the indictment having been
dismissed on q technically, tn e
Governor reinstated him-just be-
fore the state senate was scheduled
to take action which observers be-
lieve would have made SuIlivan's
removal permanent.
A tragic sidelight was told US
by George Patton, who, after serving
his country honorably in World War
II, became Miami Beach police
man and later a deputy. He de-
clared he had intended to be an
honest officer but soon learned
that law enforcement didn't always
operate the way thought it did"
Patton said that when he later
became deputy of Sheriff Sullivan,
he collected "close to $500 in
brides over a period Of nine months
for protecting gambling on Miami
Beach. He. was the bag man." or
collector, h. said.
Two other Miami Beach hotels
had special prominence in the op-
erations of mobsters. One was the
Sands hotel operated jointly by Al
fred Chg AID Polizzi, one time
Cleveland mobster and Dave Glass
and Benny Street, both of whom
had convictions in Philadelphia as
horse-book operators. We also
learned from questioning Polizzi that
his good friend. John Angersola.
silently held half of Polizzi's rs per
cent interest in the Sands. Anger
sola, in addition to interests in the
yofford and the Sands, had a piece
still another mob-favored hotel.
Grand.
:, Wy local and state political
of course, were outside
Nrisdiction, but we had a
interest in Governor War
sampaign financing be-
10000 contribution from
ton. the Chicago and
d dog track opera
= associate Of the
Of course, that
'strong friend
,or which