◆ SpookStack

While small armies of newspaper reporters, movie-tone representa- tives and other chron- iclers of the merrie tayles of the day camped outside the prison from which Capone was to be released in March, the Big Fellow contrived with the aid of the prison authorities to slip away unobserved. There was a great hue and cry all over the land. What had hap- pened to the king of the underworld? Had the gangsters bumped him _off—yet? Where was he hiding? Certainly he couldn’t remain undis- covered for very long. The Big Fellow was too big. Would he return to Chicago? The authorities hadn’t asked him about that Valentine day affair yet? “He’s not in Chi- cago, nor will he be,” said Deputy Commissioner of (Upper photograph) Gangland's most famous widow, Mrs. Florence O’Berta, married the “Dingbat" after the murder ing will never be known unless the Big Fellow can find. time enough some day between his Miami court appearances to dic- tate his memoirs. These undoubtedly would make excellent reading and would probably reveal the Big Fellow as much less of an ogre and bugaboo than he is generally re- garded. The Big Fellow might turn out to be not quite so big, and maybe others you never heard of would grow and grow in- to the craziest propor- tions you could imagine. Certainly the Big Fellow frowns on a big casualty list in the ordinary course of operation, and who can say that at the fam- ous truce and party he did not insist that there be only one or two bomb- ings per week, or one killing per gang every thirty days? Also that these measures be taken Police John Stege. “I’ve given orders to arrest him on sight and throw him in the can. If he comes here there won’t of her firet husband, Rig Tim Murphy. How she mourns the passing of the “Dingbat."” (Lower) The blonde Alibi of Jack McGurn. Louise Bolfe was arrested in a room in the Btevens Hotel with Jack McGurn, believed to have operated one of the machine gang which mowed down seven North Side gangsters in the Valentine Day Massacre. when all other less vio- lent ones, had failed? Business is business, whether grocer or boot- be a moment’s peace for him, and he knows it.”” Four days pass. “Hello, chief, what have you got on me?” well, well, I'll be damned, if it isn’t the Big Fellow himself, right here in Chicago, sitting in the office of Mr. Stege. With him were a couple of lawyers, a group of politicians but no visible body guard. After a time the Commissioner permitted the re- porters and photographers to pour in. The Big Fellow sat and smocked a cigar while they plied him with questions, most of which elicited merely a cold look from him. Commissioner Stege accompanied Capone to the office of the United States district attorney where the same questions were asked by the Big Fellow, and apparently, received the same re- sponse as from Mr. Stege, for the Big Fellow went free. The reporters tried, but failed apparently to keep up with him, for he disappeared. A few days later it was reported that King Ca- pone’s return to Chicago had been principally to effect lasting peace in the half-world, and that every mob- ster of importance in the city includ- ing the Moran-Aiello mob, had been represented at a famous banquet and truce, where again pacts were made and agreements effected. Exactly what transpired at this famous meet- Rertanrant at 2222 South Wabash Avenne, once & saloon and brothel owned by Alphone Capone. (59) legger and King Al is no grocer. At any. rate the representatives who attended the Big Fellow’s banquet went away with some new ideas in their heads, and a slogan on their lips, ALL FOR AL, AND AL FOR ALL. Within a few days the Big Fellow had disappeared again to turn up finally in his palatial home in Miami, Florida, where he has remained to this writing. Much of his time is spent resisting the authorities in their indefatigible attempts to bring about his retirement from the community. For months Gangland was more quiet than it had ever been and then, over on the North Side came rumors of dissention in the Moran ranks. Teddy Newberry, first lieutenant of Moran in charge of the bourbon brigade, became embroiled in a squabble over profits. Teddy com- plained that he wasn’t being “cut” in according to his deserts, and “Bugs” was unable to effect a settlement. One fine summer day Teddy told Moran to go to hell, and a few days later Teddy discovered an attempt was being made to kill him in his apartment on Pine Grove on the North Side. A few days later Benny Bennett a tough boy just out of New York received @ telephone call, sup- posedly from a spokesman for “Bugs” to meet him at a certain place, and