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f “] invite the slayers of my pal to . it out with me,” cried Louie. “They can name any y.ace, even State and Madison Streets.” Louie who was, as you might infer from this, quite a loud noise, was discovered a few weeks later in the Mid- night Frolics’ Cafe by Captain Stege of the Detective Bureau. Louie was in his cups and somewhat louder than usual so you can estimate just how loud he must have been. At any rate Captain Stege went up to him and slapped his face. Let us rush to add however that despite this humiliation which he took without any retaliating gesture, Louie was really a tough guy. He was smart enough to know how- ever, that it just wasn’t his play to slap back. EDDIE TANCL yy BITES THE Sawdust The flowers on O’Banion’s grave had hardly withered and dropped away from their tinsel frames when another picturesque tough boy of the underworld bit the sawdust. He was Eddie Tancl, a native son of Cicero whose place of refreshment, the Hawthorne Inn was highiy popular with his Bohemian countrymen. They assembled in droves there to lift a few and to hear thick-necked Edward discourse authoritatively on the refined pro- fession of prize-fighting in which he, in his salad days, had been engaged with moderate success. The Hawthrone Inn dispensed more beer probably than any fifty of the 150 other thirst clinics in Cicero which was why the O'Donnell boys lay awake nights thinking up ways in which Eddie could be induced to become a stop on their beer-runners’ rounds. Eddie however had reluctantly signed up with Johnny and Al, both of whom he regarded with hatred and as tyrants in his own realm. But Johnny and Al had told Edward that he could either buy their stuff or else and so he bought, “Klondike” O'Donnell, leader of the horde had been quite successful in pushing himself into the preserves of Al and Torrio during the political depression in Gangland, a fact largely ascribable to the talents of the toughs who called him boss. Most of them, like “Klondike” himself, had been Jabor racketeers before prohibition, and weren't exactly foreigners to Rough Stuff. Some of “Klondike’s” boys who were healthy and feeling well at this particular period included his brothers Myles and Bernard, Fur Sammons, James Doherty, Thomas Duffy, Mike Quirk Johnny Barry and “Rags” McCue. Also, most o these boys are now departed this vale of tears but my, my, what hel] they raised before leaving. All of them were tough, but William “Klondike” was tough encugh to hold the leadership, although there were times when he had to demonstrate the fact in grisly emphatic ways. There was the sad case of “Rags” McCue who had worked long and faithfully “Klondike” hustling beer out in the warm Cicero country where a machine gun buliet might have found him any minute. When “Rags” wasn't working he liked to plaster himself with whisky in evil places. Once, on a bender, he found himself with about $1,600 in collections which he had not yet turned over to “Klondike.” After the party, which was of several days length, “Rags” reported for work, broke but hostile. He “had “spilled” the grand, but what of it? William sew his duty quite plainly. “Rags” must be punished, just as a lesson to his fellow tribesmen. And so “Klondike” whaled in and when he had finished “Rags” was bleeding and help- less. Both arms were broken. Several days later “Rags” appeared at headquartea with his arms in casts. The sight touched William and James Doherty so deeply that they inveigled him into an automobile and took him for a ride and “Rags” never came back. Nice fellows. Four of his henchmen finally became so tough that “Klondike” had to dispose of them in the usual way as we shail see in due time. At this period however he had them pretty well under his thumb, “Klondike” had just about lost patience with Eddie Tancl. The tubby little Bohemian wouldn’t listen to reason, threats, pineapples, or gunpowder. One night as William la awake trying to find an idea which would bring Eddie around, two of his prized henchmen, James J. Doherty and Myles O’Donnell, dropped into the Hawthorne Inn for a beer. Eddie greeted them affably enough and motioned them to a table ‘which, from his vantage point behind the bar, he could cover with a sharp and alert eye. After about two hours and twelve or fifteen “shells” of the amber fiuid, plus several “shots” of whisky, their voices had developed from quiet, gentlemanly, well-modulated tenes into what we shall describe as rather loud noise. Eddie, himself, eatching the gala spirit and not altogether without a little glow induced by the small ones he had been having with the customers all evening, came over and sat down with Jimmy and Myles. Well, there were a few more drinks, compliments of Eddie, when the conversation drifted into plain shop talk. Jimmy and Myles insisted on deploring the fact that Eddie was getting his stuff from the “grease ball” meaning Mr. Capone or Mr. Torrio. Maybe Eddie tried politely to change the conversation for they sat there for a long time; but the old subject would return, and, just as the bleak country was growing into rugged outline against a tinted sky, the Sabbath day at Cicero was heralded by a succession of revolver shots. If you had been strolling down the street that morning at that time you would presently have seen two young men, rushing out from the Hawthorne Inn, cursing and brandishing smoking revolvers, and, 3 few seconds later you would have beheld another individual as he staggered determinedly out of that door. You would have watched Eddie Tancl, more dead than alive, trying to over-take those men, and, horrified you would have watched the little ex-prize fighter’s steps grow slower and slower until fin- ally they would move no more—even for a guy ss tough as Eddie Tanc). All of Eddie’s shots however did not go awry. A few minutes after it was all over Mr. O'Donnel] discovered to his intense surprise that several slugs of lead were imbedded in his tough person, and he was forced to hold long and serious sessions with a surgeon, for many months to come. The murder of Eddie Tancl was good news to Johnny and Al, although the crude method hy which he was dis- patched probably illicited contemptuous sniffs from them. Pia . Bal - mat ee! ota 127) Ka wthorne Siscka Shop