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Pe] "Oe by Abe (“Kid Twist”) Reles, after turning state's witness to save his own skin, killed himself by jumping from a window of the Half Moon Hotel in Coney Island in 1941, LEPKE (continued) old. Lepke is extremely fond of the boy and carries his photograph inside the back cover of his diamond-studded platinum watch. Mrs. - Buchalter likes night clubs and gaiety, but her husband preferred” . quict—a book or a magazine, an occasional game of golf, sometimes a bit of pinochle, He never drank to excess. He liked Miami and be- fore the war occasionally went abroad. All through the Prohibition era, when the blustery beer barons were whooping things up and Setting their names in the public prints, Lepke kept building his rackets apace but shrank from the limelight. When he was brought in for the Little Augie murder he was booked as Louis Buckhaus and newspapers referred to him by that name for the next five or six years. Comparatively few, even in New York City, knew he was one of the so-called Big Five of New York's underworld. There was Sinister magic in the name Lepke only among his shivering victims and among the disloyal in his cabiner. Lepke had figured out, soon after he put his pec theories into practice, that ‘‘Where there are no wi tnesses, there are no indice” ments."’ When investigations threatened he Sent possible witnesses far out of the jurisdiction and supplied them with funds. If they came back they were “hit.” a The police were aware of Lepke's dark power, but since he neither did his own killing nor took part in mayhem and slugging expedi- tions but merely delegated them to thi proper departments in his organization, the detectives could never pin a charge against him. One day in June 1933 he and “Trigger Mike’’ Coppola were arrested in a handsome flat on the thirteenth floor of a rather snooty apart- ment house in East 68th Street. Detectives searching the place found closets crammed with expensive but conservative clothes, a rather elaborate collection of golf equipment but no weapons. There were ‘ho guns because Lepke has always been careful to move without one. The only charge the police could make against The Judge was va- gtancy, but he had $800 in cash in his pockets and the charge was thin. They turned him loose on court order. ; Dutch got fit by Bug and Piggy - Early.in his major ventures, Lepke had established close business telatiqnship with Lucky Luciaso. They loaned gunmen to one ~*~ another, When Lucky decided, for-example, thar Dutch Schultz was - ca “getting to be a nuisance, he borrawed some of Lepke's guns to. |, NY liquidate Dutch. Charlie (‘The Bug’’) Workman, Mendy Weiss and -s. 4 man named Piggy did the job. Piggy, incidentally, -went cold on _ the assignment at the last minute, bue The Bug put a gun to him and Duith and three of his aides died in an East Park Sereet tavern the "Bight of Oct. 23, 1935 at 1030 p.m. The Bug gat Wie Dutchman, * ‘but Mendy Weiss claimed-this hit. Lepke cotdi y. warmed both to stop i fp Darling about it. They did, right away. - i &- Nothing bothered “Jadge"’ Lpuie until Gove nor Lehman ap- “pointed Thomas Dewey in 1935 40 uproot New Yorke Giey-cackecs ducsakeiezes This nove gave wirtrah Jakeana LEPRE 4 WAH laugh av arst. ‘That boy scout,” they said. ‘He'll get somewhere like a duck hitched to a post.” Mr. Dewey set Lepke, Gurrah Jake’ and Lucky Luciano at the top of his list. He started digging scared and reluctant witnesses from among the hordes who were enslaved by -, Lepke in the industrial rackets. Lepke got nervous. Gurrah Jake was * for Dewey’s assassination, but Lepke knew what would happen even if it could be done. “We'll have the whole world around our cars, hesied gloomily. ““That's-no good.” hee 1337, Leoke and Guttetr Jake were indicted in the Federal Court in Manhatran for violation of the antitrust laws in connection with theic racketeering int the rabbit fur-dressing industry and for CONTINUED ON PAGE 22