◆ SpookStack

THEME fora “COMIC == OPERA Let us now regale ourselves with a performance of Chicago’s most famous municipal comic opera, otherwise Known as the Cook County jail sentence of Terry Druggan and Frankie Lake. It will be remembered that Terry and Frankie had been assigned to the custedy for one year of Sheriff Peter B. Hoffman by Federal Judge James Wilker- son. Well, they have, at this time, been serving that sentence for several months. How are the merry alchemists who made a million dollars or more over there in the old Valley District bearing up under this affliction? Are they languishing in cells, wondering if the long dull hours will ever pass? Are they trying to endure the terrible monotony of existence by scrubbing the long marble corridors and offices of this municipal] institution? Don't be silly! Terry and Frankie have been granted special privileges by Sheriff Hoffman and his warden, Mr. Wesley Westbrook, It is true that they must undergo the nuisance of answering roll call every morning, but from then on their time is their own and they may come and go as often as they please. Everything was plenty dandy for these princely inseparables until Mr. Druggan, who always had a hasty temper anyway, made one of the gravest errors in his career. Mr, Druggan smacked a newspaper reporter on the nose for making a wise-crack about these privileges, and the newspaper reporter hit him right back with a newspaper article which precipitated & great big investigation in which Sheriff Peter B. Hoff- man was probed and pryed, and pryed and probed and the prying and probing was done by none other than Federal Judge James Wilkerson. When Chicago was first informed of these “special privileges,” Sheriff Peter B. Hoffman went out and bought himself a false-face of indignation and surprise. And then, publicly and on page one, he fired Mr. Westbrook, his old friend and warden. So grieved was Mr. Westbrook that, in Judge Wilkerson’s courtroom, he broke down and toid all, which was plenty. The theme song of his testimony was a waltz to the effect that “the sheriff is to blame.” According to Mr. Westbrook the Sheriff wae greatly exercised over the fact that poor Terry and Frankie had to serve a jail sentence at all and he set out, therefore, to make it as easy as possible for them. Special passes at first were issued to friends of the two liquor lords and the jail was an open house to them most of the time. The ex-warden said that Sheriff Hoffman sent word to him that Terry was to be permitted to transact his business while in jail. Other prisoners were not permitted to transact business of course, but, according to the Sheriff, Terry was a fine fellow and lots of men worse than he were running loose around town. “How did you do it?” asked attorneys when Terry and Frankie were put on the stand. “It was easy,” testi- fied Frankie, “we paid for it and we paid plenty.” When Frankie said this Judge Wilkerson ordere Mr, Westbrook, Hans Thompson, former jail guard who the arrest of — also had been fired, and Henry Foerst, who was secretary | to the Warden. It was to these officials, said Frankie, that much money was paid and often. Thompson, sitting in the courtroom at the time, readily confirmed Frankie’s story. “Everybody else got his and I got mine,” he said naively. Frankie went on in greater detail. He said that he and Druggan paid $2,000 a month (a3 for quarters in the jain hospital which are more desirable warterg than the ordinary cell. The beer barons placed $1,000 in an envelope on the l¢th and the last days of each month and left the envelope in a certain room. Then they walked out. “Once I peeked,” testified Frankie, “and I saw Warden Westbrook come in and help himaelf to the dough.” Frankie said that each and every privilege cost them plenty. He said that he paid $100 for permission to attend the funeral of his sister; that it cost him $1,000 to get out of jail for eed béhavior” several months before his sentence expired. : Terry and Frankie insisted that neither of them had ever paid any money personally to Sheriff Hoffman, but their gallant gesture didn’t mean a thing. Judge Wilkerson regarded the hospitality of Sheriff Hoffman ss being in comptempt of court and in a crisp way of his he consigned Sheriff Hoffman to a jail cell for thirty days—without privilepes. The sentence seemed a light one, but it was a sentence of death to Mr. Hoffman as a politician. He entered the jail cell in due time and he has not been heard of around this town since. — Messrs, Druggan and Lake on the other hand sallied forth from the courtroom to freedom and increased riches. Although the production of beer on a Vast scale as had been practiced in the old days had become an uncertain and perilous business, they had already made enough money to enable them to live in luxury. But, once a racketeer always a racketeer, and Terry and Frankie were presently trying to find outlet for their vast talents in the gambling racket. Terry who had acquired himself a beautiful estate in the North Suburbs amused himself with a stable of horses. In June, 1927, betting in Illinois was virtually legalized in a statute approving the pari-mutual. In July Mr. Druggan attracted some attention to himself by rushing inte court seeking injunctions against several! race tracks, Terry charged a conspiracy to monopolize racing in violation of the Interstate Commerce Law in the shipping of race horses, but by the time the petition came up for argument the racing season was over and the matter was dropped. Terry’s move was one of the many incidents which presaged the great gambling war, of which you shall presently hear. Except for this mad rush for the protec- tion of the law—-a pronounced characteristic of the true gangster—Mr. Druggan and Mr, Lake were comparatively quiet after their sensational appearance as comic opera stars. The business of manufacturing beer had pretty well petered out. But Terry and Frankie should worry! Ags we have seen they had jumped into the business at the begin- ning. By the time the “heat” from the law was settling over the town, these princely inseparables had made enough money to cause the government to attack them from another angle. Consequently, they are now worrying about the income tax men, and are now facing trial for income tax violations. Terry and Frankie will go down in the records as the Damon and Pythias of Gangiand but st this writing, alas, alas, trouble had come between them, and they are se mad at each other that they do not speak on the atreet. A red-headed mama, it is said, had brought the inseparables to a parting of the ways. This was revealed recently when Captain William F. Waugh asked leave of Federal Judge Wilkerson to with- draw as counsel for Frankie Lake in the income tax troubles. The Judge appeared surprised. “Oh, they’re not the good friends they used to be,” explained Captain Waugh. - Frankie pulled what Terry regarded as an unforgivable offense to their long friendship when he was arrested at a tea dance in company with the aforementioned red-headed mama. Frankie carried the customary gat. “If you haven't got any more sense than to put yourself in the coppers’ way, inviting arrest and causing al! of this bum publicity for both of us, we're all through. You might just as well get a soap box and dare the cops to pick you up. Lake ia now in Detroit, doing well in the ice business. a"