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ThE DETROLY NEWS, ra - November 28, 1937. . wea, - Bullets Write Garg’ S Long Overdue Obituary Mob’s Final Chapter Featured. by One Who! Was Called More a Hooligan Than * Hoodlum by Authorities | : By JOHN M. CARLISLE | The slaying of Harry Millman last week wrote in 4. dlaze of gunfire the long overdue obituary of tne Purple Gang, after le years of bloody notoriety, Milman was ine gang’s jas surviving torpcdo and his death was the end of the gang, according to Henry W. Piel, chief of detectives, and Inspector Paul . Wercel, head of the nomicide squad, Millman had stalked throuzh the underworld for sever years with a chip on his shoulder, rye whisky on his breath, and 2 robust eagerness to be s tough guy. | . . More hooligan than heod'ura, Millman secant an “uiider world husti ier, willing to meke a dollar by anye—oaoro nh a means other than working. He dieai ‘TAD hwte ene: ; as many a Purple sunman ‘had cied Their papple said hey were@ oli color.” A Jewish truis peddigr, before kim. It is an intere.ting paase ol the! pattierch of his neignoorhcod, chook. decline of the ganz, which thre ugs is head sadly one day after a ce- the vears inciuced some of the! caereue raid on his fruit stand. ' . eountry’s most ruthless GAAESLCRS, | “They're tainted, those boys,” he . that iis last tough guy was consid- | told @ policeman, “Their characters’ + ered by police merely as “a teugh are discoiored, they're purple. They'll , punk.” ‘ : come toa bad end.” . The Furple mcb had ils offginj He was @ prophet. The raime in 1919. A group of young rulls-ts| stuck ana the Purple Gang stuck. roamed Jfastings street as pelty , : : ere thieves, annoying mere : youths rolled Ge unks. fruit. Thes-rTGke into store Waylaid pedestis.i5 late at nigh. * te oro, a a Goth i 5. (ard a pOtuly packer at the Hastera} They stole | Market, ving Shaka was 15 and s. Tacyla iailor’s helper. Ray Bitnsicin was $16, and @ coupie of vears later’ WAS; runnins errands for Gc: Murphy, ; the gambler. ’ ‘ Abe Axter was 17, iddie Fletcher o 16 and tr 7 io be a prize fighter: ; vd Maa | Phillip Keyw ‘ell: ‘was 18, a: oF Was 9, ; - In their careers cao ae all the phasss-—~i&?he . $ tory. | be found: gang’s his- FHF 26 ~/G a i fact usta a “Tough F Pun Ars pe La GE already wir RISE AXD FALL or F MCE | Pletch then Shorty Axler and A IGbCLL again Bernstein, He Irving Mibers-s represer.t four period rise: and Tali. jially Miliman as a unit through gamblers’ money in 1928 19 proteco & sraup: of gamtiers from belng c1.ahen Goan by a St. Lows moo o7 exiortionists pers. Axler and Fietener Hot saots iu the un: derworld by then, : Axler Was saturnine. moody and auick on the trigger of « macht quick on the trigger o7 machiie gun, Fletcher was his pal. -Flete er Was & second-rate pus who becafie ® fifth-rate fight sccnager aid finally a first-rate gunman. For 10 years these homicide :wins, in- separate cven in eath, were. feared in the undery . They stazed Detrcite trst me- chine gin execution in Apri, 1021, when they mowed down three gan - Sters auiside their l-agings in the Nilafleres Apartmen: at an¥rine streel cast, By 1926 the pang Was a. ils Litas Its .nembers killed a polccm an, ; anc Fred W. Frahm, now Superi:.- fendent of pace, Yeluciantiy ad- mitted the policeman Bac tried to aa, shike down blind pics owned by. the gang. A GLITTER BATTLE t S0ye soar, ihe Later, in tha Bang’s growth !was cheeved by cleaners and ay ers’ war. Il was a hitler gang figh. There were daily slayings of cleaners, fires, dynanit- ings, stench bombings, thefts dnd sluggings. ° There was and extortion. te y Keywell and. au 1 is of ine Tu0b's © The gang actually was- organized | j i | i 206 Alex- | | oe The police finaly stopned the tar’ ana 13 Purples were <: conspiring to extort rioney from Henzy snorr was 2 ycars old tien} wholesale cleaners and cyte, They beat the case in court. arsed with : ' Meanwhile, the Oakiawd Suger! House had became tho Fnane.al: Lulwark of the eang. On Caklang’ évenue, near Owen ami dulprook avenues, pe gang hac Owl Dros+ Merous alc numerous. TOW: the mob’s finuncisl gents and besi- ness head. In those «, 3 & Yount fellow named Fleisher, i.'cr to be- come its: MORh_winionss juuiler, Was content to be a driver fer 146 Warc- house The SUBEi Ouse sold cos surmar