by Fughedaboutit » Thu Jun 01, 2017 5:23 am
Villain wrote: ↑Wed May 31, 2017 3:26 pm
Fughedaboutit wrote: ↑Wed May 31, 2017 10:54 am
I like this Gus Alex already
I just read a story where they tried to run surveillance on him discreetly, but he made them within half a block...so they decide to question him and try to block him in and he tells the cops
"you better get that car out of my way before I ram it, and if you try to put me under arrest I will sue the police department for false arrest"
So they let the guy go and within no time his attorney called the police commissioner and said "either arrest my client, or stop this harassment. But be very careful about arresting him you better have a good case or else we will sue you for false arrest"
Hilarious stuff.
Here's one between Humphreys and one unknown individual regarding Alex's mental state:
HUMPHREYS: Listen, did Gussie (Alex) go away?
UNKNOWN: Yeah.
HUMPHREYS: He bothers me, you know? There’s something real wrong with that kid.
UNKNOWN: He’ll be all right.
HUMPHREYS: I was just talking to him and he gets hot right away, you know? The kid is worst off then we think he is. He is trying to put up a front.
UNKNOWN: Well, uh, you be patient, and have little more confidence, because, uh… you see we talked to doctors. It takes anywhere from six to nine months for that shit to get out of your system. Take that time in California. He says… the main thing he’s got to do is relax.
HUMPHREYS: Yeah, but we had those things before, you know? The only thing you can’t throw anything at them.
UNKOWN: …so I told him, go away for a while, and relax. So he comes back, and takes whatever they throw at him. Mooney (Giancana), see?
HUMPHREYS: Well, he fights everybody. See, everybody has the same thing, only we have it all day long, all the time. He can’t take it. It’s rough for those younger guys. I tell them for fucks sake, you guys don’t even know what it is.
Another one between Humphreys and Frank Ferraro, one time capo of the First Ward and alleged underboss, regarding Swiss bank accounts:
HUMPHREYS: They’d say where did you get all the money to buy this? Well, I made it over there, right?
FERRARO: Well, you have to prove it, though.
HUMPHREYS: No, you don’t have to prove it. Why do you have to prove anything in Europe? It’s none of their business in Europe, as long as you made it in Europe, and you are a resident of Europe.
FERRARO: So, go over there and…
HUMPHREYS: Get a residence, get a house. You establish yourself as a resident, for over a year.
FERRARO: Then come back here say, with a hundred thousand dollars, and…
HUMPHREYS: Yeah, but you leave the money over there, you write a check here for the Swiss bank. After you’ve been there for a year. They ask you, where did you get this money, you never had it, you say, well, I made it over there. Who did you bank it with, that’s none of your business. I’m a resident over there. So they’re dead.
FERRARO: So, come over here with half a million show money, huh?
HUMPHREYS: Sure can, after a while. You don’t even have to have half a million, you don’t have to have the money over here, you have it there all the time. You write a check out there. That’s what the movie stars tell me. We’ll have to get the Greek (Gus Alex), and tell him to rent a house.
FERRARO: You gotta buy one, don’t you?
HUMPHREYS: No, rent it. What’s the difference? He can buy it, let’s say he buys it, and he stays there for over a year, then he comes back in. He can come back anytime. The same day. You go back and forth. He’s been away all this time, he might just as well have been in Switzerland, establish himself, isn’t that right?
FERRARO: Sure.
One short convo between Buddy Jacobson, John D'Arco and Pat Marcy (made guy) regarding Alex's more stable approach to things:
JACOBSON: You can’t argue with these guys, John! I told you what he (Giancana) told Pete Fosco. Fosco wanted to quit and he (Giancana) said, why you fat f*ck! You quit and I’ll hit you in the head! These are funny guys. Same thing with Frank Annunzio. He (Giancana) said tell him to quit, if not he’ll be picked up off the pavement.
MARCY: They’re all alike. You talk to Moe (Giancana), you talk to Teets (Battaglia), you talk to Marshall (Caifano), they’re all alike. These f*cks all got a one track mind, John, you can’t reason with these guys. The only guy that you can, that is half way sharp is Gus (Alex). But he’s strictly organization, no sh*t about it.
And another one between Humphreys and Ferraro regarding some conflicts within the crime family:
FERRARO: Yeah. Listen Teet’s (Sam Battaglia) outfit is really in an uproar. Moe (Sam Giancana) was telling me. I said, couldn’t you get them together? He said, no.
HUMPHREYS: They fighting each other?
FERRARO: Well there was…Marshall (Caifano) and Phil Alderisio…I told Moe…
HUMPHREYS: We’ll have to call them in…
FERRARO: …I said to Moe, I said, this happened last week. You should’ve taken care of that the same day.
HUMPHREYS: …they have to put the law down there. You can’t fuck up your own guys. You have to get it right there. Say, what is this? Get together. We don’t allow anything like that.
FERRARO: That’s right.
HUMPHREYS: …we’ll decide the policy, not you guys.
FERRARO: That’s right.
HUMPHREYS: If there’s any dispute, you come to us. That’s what we’re here for.
FERRARO: They almost came to blows.
HUMPHREYS: There’s only one boss and that’s you guys, and you’ve got to say, listen, this is it. I don’t want to hear… you guys shake hands and go out of here as friends.
FERRARO: Find out who the wrong guy is, tell him you’re wrong, and that’s it. Now shake hands.
HUMPHREYS: That’s right. We don’t want to hear anymore of this, and don’t want to hear about you being sore at each other. You just say, this is it and they can tell by looking in your eyes, no more monkey business, you don’t have to be rough. Give them the rules, and that’s the way we want it. That was bound to happen, because you see, you get these guys a free hand, they’re rooting, then they get out, and they get more, and they think they’re big shots. I remember how it used to be in the old days, with us, when Al (Capone) used to run us guys all over. We trusted each other, see?
FERRARO: Yeah.
HUMPHREYS: With three or four guys together, you maybe don’t respect the clique, so they say, so what, and they go ahead and do it anyhow.
FERRARO: This is all one clique.
HUMPHREYS: I know it is.
FERRARO: I said, geez Moe, what the hell did you wait for so long?
HUMPHREYS: That’s the worst thing he can do. He must demand discipline. You have to tell them, they aren’t the musclemen, and if it needs muscle, we’ll do it, and if we want it done, we’ll tell the…not you guys.
FERRARO: I’m gonna find out if he cleared it with Teets. We’ve got no whole story.
HUMPHREYS: Teets turned it in, it got out of control on him.
FERRARO: Must have, sure.
HUMPHREYS: That’s happened a lot of times. This is where you show your…
FERRARO: Authority?
HUMPHREYS: Discipline.
FERRARO: Yeah, discipline.
On July 2, 1962 the feds recorded a conversation between Sam Giancana and Chuckie Nicoletti that occurred in one of Giancana’s meeting spots. The conversation was mostly about placing pinball and similar coin machines and also about the purchase of a new establishment in Melrose Park. During this time Nicoletti maintained large coin machine operations and was also interested in expanding his investments. One method of channelization of this cash was into a building housing by the name of “Come Back” Liquor Store in Melrose Park. Nicoletti knew that this store had the largest liquor distribution in that area. The “jars” that are mentioned in the conversation were commonly known as a gambling operation which by that time was outlawed by the government whereby the costumer for a price from 25 cents to 1 dollar pulled a paper chances out of a jar with prizes ranging from 1 to 25 dollars.
Nicoletti: How much would you wanta give him?
Giancana: Well see what it is.
Nicoletti: Well it aint goin’ to be that much Moe. Here’s the way you gotta look at it. They all have about 100 spots over there.
Giancana: They’ll have more than that if they cover everything. They’ll cover the whole country with all legit stuff.
Nicoletti: Well you figure, lets see, 30, 60, 90, well youll have about 120 spots.
Giancana: All together?
Nicoletti: Yeah, except my spot, of course, all I have is about 35 spots. But I’d rather be in there by myself anyway. At least if I go with these jars there, you know what I mean, where they cant go in other towns ill be in better shape. Just so that this guy, I mean I wanted you to get ahold of him, he don’t go around knocking everybody. We all gotta work underneath the bar anyway. Well Sam don’t tell him to come and talk to me just tell him to go ahead because if he has to come and talk to me he gets all shook up. Well, its better if we wind it up with something because I talked to Hy (Larner) already. I got six of them in the store and ive set them up see. And im gonna get another six next weekend. So I just pick about five or six good spots and go with them. And than if theres anything left over I can just give them something a little bit just to keep them quiet.
Giancana: Yeah, Who the mayor?
Nicoletti: Yeah
Giancana: What makes you think that?
Nicoletti: Well we’ll take it off the…
Giancana: Well we are taking care of him
Nicoletti: Yeah, I know ya have. I know you been taking care of him but there aint been nothing coming in. Aint nothing coming in now, but this thing here, lets see, ive got 35 spots open. We gotta pay $5,00 rental on each machine.
Giancana: Than you gotta take in $10,00
Nicoletti: No, we gotta take in $20,00 to wind it up with $5,00
Giancana: Well five for the machine and five for the storekeeper so theres $20,00 a machine
Nicoletti: Ten to the storekeeper and five on the rental and then there’ll be five left over on the machine. But this stuff we aint gonna make nothing, its all amusement stuff. Im trying to work out a…(conversation interrupted by Dominic “Butch” Blasi)
Giancana: (yells) who did you say is coming in?
Blasi: Between two and three. He left word.
Giancana: All right.
Blasi: So he figured he was downtown anyhow
Giancana: Did you call?
Blasi: Yeah
Giancana: Whata you want with him?
Giancana: (disgusted voice) The more I tell ya not to have anybody call here, the more you have ‘em call
Blasi: I didn’t have him call here Sam. I just called over there
(Blasi leaves)
Nicoletti: So anyway like I said, I got two spots that im going with slots. The two spots and that’s about six bits a week between the two of ‘em. So now im putting pool tables up and shuffle alleys. Pool tables you cant put many of them up. The other ones a five ball. It’s a kid game. If you come into a place and give the man $5,00 rental on the machine it aint gonna make much. Its just to keep the place covered.
Giancana: Well if other people cant put that stuff out there must be something there
Nicoletti: I realize that Moe because if they got half of it and say they give the salon keeper 10 and if they wind it up with 10 they’ll wind it up with the lemon. See what I mean? But they’ll never go into Melrose Park because them guys wont take ‘em. But they are looking for stuff like im putting in shuffle alleys and pool tables in there but I cant get that many in
Giancana: Why coudnt you get the machines in and take the meter off?
Nicoletti: Well we tried once before and we covered the meters
Giancana: What if you take it off?
Nicoletti: Take the meter off altogether?
Giancana: Yeah
Nicoletti: Well we could’ve done that too. At least than we could take the bartender’s word, half a load is better than none. But what he told me, this is true, ill show you what we pay there in a year. All of these guys are all looking for money. You know how much money I owe in that town? They keep asking me wheres my money. So I tell ‘em wait ill go over and take it out of the bank (laughs). I paid out almost $11,000 in that time alone. Theres one guy Harlow’s, he owes $2,000, the guy said whata you gonna do and I said if you’re game enough we’ll put the machines back in there. Ill see if I can get ahold of this other guy to hold still and try to get your money back. He said im not gonna run away but what can I do
Giancana: Well how come he owes $2,000?
Nicoletti: He had four machines in there
Giancana: Oh, they assessed him
Nicoletti: Yeah, they just brought the bill up there. If they had brought the bill in the night before we’d gave the money. Every spot you gotta take off takes so much money. So you couldn’t just take it off unless they had already pay for it and now I must still owe it there right now, I got to be busy at home because I gotta keep track of it. So I must owe another couple of $2,000 at least. Now they expect to get it from the soft stuff, so how you gonna get it from the soft stuff?
Giancana: Well you gotta take off the whole register off
Nicoletti: You mean take the meters off?
Giancana: Yeah, it’ll be a legit machine than
Nicoletti: That’s right and let ‘em go, just take the bartenders word. What the hell is the difference? He’s not gonna cheat ya. Half of it is his annual
Giancana: We’ll charge the bartenders $15,00 or $20,00 a week for the machine. So whatever he makes he keeps.
Nicoletti: Well we could’ve done that too, on the good spots you could say here give me so much a week
Giancana: That’s right
Nicoletti: I don’t know but as far as this here, if I can go with the jars I can make, I talked to Hy (Larner) and he told me but I don’t know what kind’ve a deal we’re gonna work out on the jars
Giancana: You mean you have to pay Hy for the jars?
Nicoletti: Yeah, enough to make a living because there’s no pay out of this stuff, lets face it. Moe the most I can have in that town is 35 at most if I wasn’t paying. But even if I was paying rental on the machines, right, but even if you pay rental on the machine and he gives you half it’s a moral victory because you wind up with about $250 bucks at the end of the month. And then you gotta form your own company, like I had to tell ‘em and I said who am I running these machines from. To begin with they’ll want to know but I don’t have to answer them. But this guy’s a weak sister, this Swede, you know it? (referring to Mayor Carson of Melrose Park) He grabs the envelope and that’s it. They can sneak underneath the bar because them guys all want that stuff. But that’s what I wanted to see you about. We just gotta do the best we know how. But there’s a business out there that I want to show you that I want to get in. I gotta get both feet on the ground, I don’t know whether im going or coming. I wanted to get in with Sharky (Frank Eulo, former 42 gang member) but here’s the set up, here’s the deal I wanta show ya. That other joint I been out for a year, there’s no money in there. Im selling the lot, we had half and half on the lot. My half of the lot.
Giancana: Whats the business?
Nicoletti: This is a liquor store that Comes Back Liquors in Melrose Park. The whole building there. It’s a half a block long. The guy wants $125,000 for it, for the building. He got a mortgage of $56,000, he wants to transfer the mortgage over and form a corporation. Actually what he wants is $75,000 cash. He’ll show $50,000 and take the other $25,000 under the table. This is his price that he’s asking how but I know he’ll come down lower. He’s got now, this store is $550,000 a month rental.
Giancana: Where’s this store at? Is that across the street of the police station?
Nicoletti: No, its right on Lake Street but right outside of Broadway. That whole half of block there just before you hit the Blue Moon.
Giancana: Oh, yeah.
Nicoletti: Well here it is, now his store gets $550,000 a month rental. The restaurant is $275,000. The apartments, in other words, you get 1160 dollars a month rent. He’s got $13,902.00 a year coming in. Now the thing with this guy here is what we can do with him and the business shows it and besides its cheap, hes gotta bar in there too and he gets $25,000 net.
Giancana: You mean that’s what he tells ya?
Nicoletti: Ya. That’s right but it wont do any good to look at his books besides hes cheating and I know hes gotta cheat there to make any money. Hes taking $100 a day over the bar and hes routing $50,000 a day out of that. The thing is hes willing to take this here and split the other five years across and well see if we can get him to carry the mortgage on thouse other five years on the balance of the money. This mortgage will be transferred, see, and you pay $8,000 a year on that. Now on that mortgage well have to carry the mortgage and if I cant get it mortgaged I figure it’ll run about $15,000 a year. So in other words it’ll be $23,000 a year plus 2400 in tax, will make it about $25,000. But the business clears $25,000 net which pays for your building. Everything else is profit.
Giancana: In other word the business’ll carry it?
Nicoletti: The business will carry this here end. Not including the $14,000 for the rent.
Giancana: How much stock has he got?
Nicoletti: He’s got roughly about $35,000 in stock, I was down in his basement. This is just a rough figure but we can go out and knock him down some more. The business and the licence is about $35,000.
Giancana: Yeah I know
Nicoletti: The stock, I know he got deals on ‘em so I know he aint gonna sell ‘em dollar for dollar. His store opens up at 9 to 12, the bar and liquor store. Of course that’s the biggest liquor store out there. In Melrose Park.
Giancana: Well theres two of ‘em on Broadway there, isn’t there?
Nicoletti: Well one of ‘em is closed and the other one is about to. You mean Joey O’Brien’s place?(Joey Aiuppa’s place)
Giancana: Yeah
Nicoletti: Its closed up, they’re down. And the other guy’s getting down too. He’s doing a little business there.
Giancana: Whats happening there?
Nicoletti: Well this guy is knocking ‘em all out. Hes working on volume and hes got better prices. They cant compete with this guy. What im gonna do, I got some money and the rest of the money im gonna get off of Sharky (Eulo). I figure this way we’ll go over there see and start looking into it and see what we can do with this guy. Hes got three apartments there that bring in $335,000 and it’s a half a block long and you got a parking lot. I mean, what the hell, I gotta do something. And I talked to Sharky and he said whatever you got in the balance ill give it to ya.
Giancana: How you gonna show for the money?
Nicoletti: I got a regular legit guy who’ll I’ll have him take my end of the part , I’ll just form a corporation and put it under his name, that’s all.
Giancana: Can he show for the money?
Nicoletti: Yeah, hes got an insurance business hes had it for 13 years. Not only that but we’re gonna put some under the table so there wont be that much to show. I imagine he could cover that. Than I hear another thing here that this juke deal was out for sale in Elmwood Park, this Borolio, you know this Borolio? I don’t know if that guy wants to sell, maybe its just rumours, I know that’s a hell of a spot.
Giancana: In Elmwood Park?
Nicoletti: Yeah. But I don’t know if the guy wants to sell it. I talked to Elmer last night to find out because hes got about 50 stops out there.
Giancana: I don’t think its for sale.
Nicoletti: That’s what I heard but than I asked Elmer and Elmer said I don’t think so. He didn’t say nothing to me.
Giancana: You mean Elmer Conti? ( Conti is the Mayor of Elmwood Park)
Nicoletti: Yeah
Giancana: Well go ahead. If you see your way clear, go ahead. I wish you lotta luck.
Nicoletti: Thank you. Whata you want me to do with these cards? How am i gonna tell this guy Hy, how am I gonna work that? Whats he gonna do, how we gonna work it?
Giancana: Well we’ll see what happends.
Nicoletti: Well im gonna hold the money until the end of the month.
Giancana: Yeah, hold on to the money.
(both leave)
And in the end, "wise words" by Humphreys:
HUMPHREYS: The danger in the spot is, putting too much confidence in the operators. Frankie is the one that does that. I talked to him the other day. He only gives the operators five a month. I said, Frankie, you’ll never get by that way. You’ll have to give them money. You want people on your side, you’ll have to give them something. So I said, you oughta give those girls 100 dollars for Christmas present, and he said ok, I think I will. That’s up to him. That’s up to him. You cant give them too much, but if you give them 20 dollars a month see, that’s cheap for you to protect yourself. What’s the use of kidding. But then if you get an important call, than you gotta get off your ass, and go out and call. You, because any conversation goes out on the telephone, now, Sam, say you should talk to me, than I’d know you right away. Just say “Hi”, or what is it. I’ll see you over a Jake the Plumber with a bum name, and that’s all the conversation. Now they’d have to figure out that conversation. All right, the next time you call, you say “Hi”, you understand, they don’t know who the hell it is, do they? They don’t know, but then they may get your voice, after a while, see. You have to give them credit for something. Of course, the government is famous for breaking down codes. That’s nothing for them to break down codes. If you use a code on them, in a little while, they’ll work it out. But it may take them some time. Now take… he’s a lazy fuck. He’s out in Cicero. He says, this guy was over today, and says this and says that, or George did this or that, and then he’s putting the finger right on you, see? Because he’s lazy, and didn’t come down. All he has to say, is I want to see you, where can I see you? All he has to say, is the Tailor’s. Everybody knows about the tailor. At one time we used have one, two, and three, and four, and we’d change, back and forth. But that was among ourselves. I’d defy them to find out where we was at, unless they’d follow, say, number four, then they’d break it down, but then we’d change our numbers every month, and Mooney (Giancana) would come to me, and say, now this month is going to be such and such, you know, se we’d change the numbers, Gussie (Gus Alex) and I would, and Frank (Ferraro) and Mooney and Joe (Joe Batters a.k.a. Tony Accardo).
Excellent, thanks
[quote=Villain post_id=52220 time=1496269602 user_id=88]
[quote=Fughedaboutit post_id=52194 time=1496253296 user_id=5205]
I like this Gus Alex already
I just read a story where they tried to run surveillance on him discreetly, but he made them within half a block...so they decide to question him and try to block him in and he tells the cops
"you better get that car out of my way before I ram it, and if you try to put me under arrest I will sue the police department for false arrest"
So they let the guy go and within no time his attorney called the police commissioner and said "either arrest my client, or stop this harassment. But be very careful about arresting him you better have a good case or else we will sue you for false arrest"
Hilarious stuff.
[/quote]
[b]Here's one between Humphreys and one unknown individual regarding Alex's mental state:
[/b]
[i]HUMPHREYS: Listen, did Gussie (Alex) go away?
UNKNOWN: Yeah.
HUMPHREYS: He bothers me, you know? There’s something real wrong with that kid.
UNKNOWN: He’ll be all right.
HUMPHREYS: I was just talking to him and he gets hot right away, you know? The kid is worst off then we think he is. He is trying to put up a front.
UNKNOWN: Well, uh, you be patient, and have little more confidence, because, uh… you see we talked to doctors. It takes anywhere from six to nine months for that shit to get out of your system. Take that time in California. He says… the main thing he’s got to do is relax.
HUMPHREYS: Yeah, but we had those things before, you know? The only thing you can’t throw anything at them.
UNKOWN: …so I told him, go away for a while, and relax. So he comes back, and takes whatever they throw at him. Mooney (Giancana), see?
HUMPHREYS: Well, he fights everybody. See, everybody has the same thing, only we have it all day long, all the time. He can’t take it. It’s rough for those younger guys. I tell them for fucks sake, you guys don’t even know what it is.[/i]
[b]Another one between Humphreys and Frank Ferraro, one time capo of the First Ward and alleged underboss, regarding Swiss bank accounts:[/b]
[i]HUMPHREYS: They’d say where did you get all the money to buy this? Well, I made it over there, right?
FERRARO: Well, you have to prove it, though.
HUMPHREYS: No, you don’t have to prove it. Why do you have to prove anything in Europe? It’s none of their business in Europe, as long as you made it in Europe, and you are a resident of Europe.
FERRARO: So, go over there and…
HUMPHREYS: Get a residence, get a house. You establish yourself as a resident, for over a year.
FERRARO: Then come back here say, with a hundred thousand dollars, and…
HUMPHREYS: Yeah, but you leave the money over there, you write a check here for the Swiss bank. After you’ve been there for a year. They ask you, where did you get this money, you never had it, you say, well, I made it over there. Who did you bank it with, that’s none of your business. I’m a resident over there. So they’re dead.
FERRARO: So, come over here with half a million show money, huh?
HUMPHREYS: Sure can, after a while. You don’t even have to have half a million, you don’t have to have the money over here, you have it there all the time. You write a check out there. That’s what the movie stars tell me. We’ll have to get the Greek (Gus Alex), and tell him to rent a house.
FERRARO: You gotta buy one, don’t you?
HUMPHREYS: No, rent it. What’s the difference? He can buy it, let’s say he buys it, and he stays there for over a year, then he comes back in. He can come back anytime. The same day. You go back and forth. He’s been away all this time, he might just as well have been in Switzerland, establish himself, isn’t that right?
FERRARO: Sure.
[/i]
[b]One short convo between Buddy Jacobson, John D'Arco and Pat Marcy (made guy) regarding Alex's more stable approach to things:[/b]
[i]JACOBSON: You can’t argue with these guys, John! I told you what he (Giancana) told Pete Fosco. Fosco wanted to quit and he (Giancana) said, why you fat f*ck! You quit and I’ll hit you in the head! These are funny guys. Same thing with Frank Annunzio. He (Giancana) said tell him to quit, if not he’ll be picked up off the pavement.
MARCY: They’re all alike. You talk to Moe (Giancana), you talk to Teets (Battaglia), you talk to Marshall (Caifano), they’re all alike. These f*cks all got a one track mind, John, you can’t reason with these guys. The only guy that you can, that is half way sharp is Gus (Alex). But he’s strictly organization, no sh*t about it.[/i]
[b]And another one between Humphreys and Ferraro regarding some conflicts within the crime family:[/b]
[i]FERRARO: Yeah. Listen Teet’s (Sam Battaglia) outfit is really in an uproar. Moe (Sam Giancana) was telling me. I said, couldn’t you get them together? He said, no.
HUMPHREYS: They fighting each other?
FERRARO: Well there was…Marshall (Caifano) and Phil Alderisio…I told Moe…
HUMPHREYS: We’ll have to call them in…
FERRARO: …I said to Moe, I said, this happened last week. You should’ve taken care of that the same day.
HUMPHREYS: …they have to put the law down there. You can’t fuck up your own guys. You have to get it right there. Say, what is this? Get together. We don’t allow anything like that.
FERRARO: That’s right.
HUMPHREYS: …we’ll decide the policy, not you guys.
FERRARO: That’s right.
HUMPHREYS: If there’s any dispute, you come to us. That’s what we’re here for.
FERRARO: They almost came to blows.
HUMPHREYS: There’s only one boss and that’s you guys, and you’ve got to say, listen, this is it. I don’t want to hear… you guys shake hands and go out of here as friends.
FERRARO: Find out who the wrong guy is, tell him you’re wrong, and that’s it. Now shake hands.
HUMPHREYS: That’s right. We don’t want to hear anymore of this, and don’t want to hear about you being sore at each other. You just say, this is it and they can tell by looking in your eyes, no more monkey business, you don’t have to be rough. Give them the rules, and that’s the way we want it. That was bound to happen, because you see, you get these guys a free hand, they’re rooting, then they get out, and they get more, and they think they’re big shots. I remember how it used to be in the old days, with us, when Al (Capone) used to run us guys all over. We trusted each other, see?
FERRARO: Yeah.
HUMPHREYS: With three or four guys together, you maybe don’t respect the clique, so they say, so what, and they go ahead and do it anyhow.
FERRARO: This is all one clique.
HUMPHREYS: I know it is.
FERRARO: I said, geez Moe, what the hell did you wait for so long?
HUMPHREYS: That’s the worst thing he can do. He must demand discipline. You have to tell them, they aren’t the musclemen, and if it needs muscle, we’ll do it, and if we want it done, we’ll tell the…not you guys.
FERRARO: I’m gonna find out if he cleared it with Teets. We’ve got no whole story.
HUMPHREYS: Teets turned it in, it got out of control on him.
FERRARO: Must have, sure.
HUMPHREYS: That’s happened a lot of times. This is where you show your…
FERRARO: Authority?
HUMPHREYS: Discipline.
FERRARO: Yeah, discipline.[/i]
[b]On July 2, 1962 the feds recorded a conversation between Sam Giancana and Chuckie Nicoletti that occurred in one of Giancana’s meeting spots. The conversation was mostly about placing pinball and similar coin machines and also about the purchase of a new establishment in Melrose Park. During this time Nicoletti maintained large coin machine operations and was also interested in expanding his investments. One method of channelization of this cash was into a building housing by the name of “Come Back” Liquor Store in Melrose Park. Nicoletti knew that this store had the largest liquor distribution in that area. The “jars” that are mentioned in the conversation were commonly known as a gambling operation which by that time was outlawed by the government whereby the costumer for a price from 25 cents to 1 dollar pulled a paper chances out of a jar with prizes ranging from 1 to 25 dollars.[/b]
[i]Nicoletti: How much would you wanta give him?
Giancana: Well see what it is.
Nicoletti: Well it aint goin’ to be that much Moe. Here’s the way you gotta look at it. They all have about 100 spots over there.
Giancana: They’ll have more than that if they cover everything. They’ll cover the whole country with all legit stuff.
Nicoletti: Well you figure, lets see, 30, 60, 90, well youll have about 120 spots.
Giancana: All together?
Nicoletti: Yeah, except my spot, of course, all I have is about 35 spots. But I’d rather be in there by myself anyway. At least if I go with these jars there, you know what I mean, where they cant go in other towns ill be in better shape. Just so that this guy, I mean I wanted you to get ahold of him, he don’t go around knocking everybody. We all gotta work underneath the bar anyway. Well Sam don’t tell him to come and talk to me just tell him to go ahead because if he has to come and talk to me he gets all shook up. Well, its better if we wind it up with something because I talked to Hy (Larner) already. I got six of them in the store and ive set them up see. And im gonna get another six next weekend. So I just pick about five or six good spots and go with them. And than if theres anything left over I can just give them something a little bit just to keep them quiet.
Giancana: Yeah, Who the mayor?
Nicoletti: Yeah
Giancana: What makes you think that?
Nicoletti: Well we’ll take it off the…
Giancana: Well we are taking care of him
Nicoletti: Yeah, I know ya have. I know you been taking care of him but there aint been nothing coming in. Aint nothing coming in now, but this thing here, lets see, ive got 35 spots open. We gotta pay $5,00 rental on each machine.
Giancana: Than you gotta take in $10,00
Nicoletti: No, we gotta take in $20,00 to wind it up with $5,00
Giancana: Well five for the machine and five for the storekeeper so theres $20,00 a machine
Nicoletti: Ten to the storekeeper and five on the rental and then there’ll be five left over on the machine. But this stuff we aint gonna make nothing, its all amusement stuff. Im trying to work out a…(conversation interrupted by Dominic “Butch” Blasi)
Giancana: (yells) who did you say is coming in?
Blasi: Between two and three. He left word.
Giancana: All right.
Blasi: So he figured he was downtown anyhow
Giancana: Did you call?
Blasi: Yeah
Giancana: Whata you want with him?
Giancana: (disgusted voice) The more I tell ya not to have anybody call here, the more you have ‘em call
Blasi: I didn’t have him call here Sam. I just called over there
(Blasi leaves)
Nicoletti: So anyway like I said, I got two spots that im going with slots. The two spots and that’s about six bits a week between the two of ‘em. So now im putting pool tables up and shuffle alleys. Pool tables you cant put many of them up. The other ones a five ball. It’s a kid game. If you come into a place and give the man $5,00 rental on the machine it aint gonna make much. Its just to keep the place covered.
Giancana: Well if other people cant put that stuff out there must be something there
Nicoletti: I realize that Moe because if they got half of it and say they give the salon keeper 10 and if they wind it up with 10 they’ll wind it up with the lemon. See what I mean? But they’ll never go into Melrose Park because them guys wont take ‘em. But they are looking for stuff like im putting in shuffle alleys and pool tables in there but I cant get that many in
Giancana: Why coudnt you get the machines in and take the meter off?
Nicoletti: Well we tried once before and we covered the meters
Giancana: What if you take it off?
Nicoletti: Take the meter off altogether?
Giancana: Yeah
Nicoletti: Well we could’ve done that too. At least than we could take the bartender’s word, half a load is better than none. But what he told me, this is true, ill show you what we pay there in a year. All of these guys are all looking for money. You know how much money I owe in that town? They keep asking me wheres my money. So I tell ‘em wait ill go over and take it out of the bank (laughs). I paid out almost $11,000 in that time alone. Theres one guy Harlow’s, he owes $2,000, the guy said whata you gonna do and I said if you’re game enough we’ll put the machines back in there. Ill see if I can get ahold of this other guy to hold still and try to get your money back. He said im not gonna run away but what can I do
Giancana: Well how come he owes $2,000?
Nicoletti: He had four machines in there
Giancana: Oh, they assessed him
Nicoletti: Yeah, they just brought the bill up there. If they had brought the bill in the night before we’d gave the money. Every spot you gotta take off takes so much money. So you couldn’t just take it off unless they had already pay for it and now I must still owe it there right now, I got to be busy at home because I gotta keep track of it. So I must owe another couple of $2,000 at least. Now they expect to get it from the soft stuff, so how you gonna get it from the soft stuff?
Giancana: Well you gotta take off the whole register off
Nicoletti: You mean take the meters off?
Giancana: Yeah, it’ll be a legit machine than
Nicoletti: That’s right and let ‘em go, just take the bartenders word. What the hell is the difference? He’s not gonna cheat ya. Half of it is his annual
Giancana: We’ll charge the bartenders $15,00 or $20,00 a week for the machine. So whatever he makes he keeps.
Nicoletti: Well we could’ve done that too, on the good spots you could say here give me so much a week
Giancana: That’s right
Nicoletti: I don’t know but as far as this here, if I can go with the jars I can make, I talked to Hy (Larner) and he told me but I don’t know what kind’ve a deal we’re gonna work out on the jars
Giancana: You mean you have to pay Hy for the jars?
Nicoletti: Yeah, enough to make a living because there’s no pay out of this stuff, lets face it. Moe the most I can have in that town is 35 at most if I wasn’t paying. But even if I was paying rental on the machines, right, but even if you pay rental on the machine and he gives you half it’s a moral victory because you wind up with about $250 bucks at the end of the month. And then you gotta form your own company, like I had to tell ‘em and I said who am I running these machines from. To begin with they’ll want to know but I don’t have to answer them. But this guy’s a weak sister, this Swede, you know it? (referring to Mayor Carson of Melrose Park) He grabs the envelope and that’s it. They can sneak underneath the bar because them guys all want that stuff. But that’s what I wanted to see you about. We just gotta do the best we know how. But there’s a business out there that I want to show you that I want to get in. I gotta get both feet on the ground, I don’t know whether im going or coming. I wanted to get in with Sharky (Frank Eulo, former 42 gang member) but here’s the set up, here’s the deal I wanta show ya. That other joint I been out for a year, there’s no money in there. Im selling the lot, we had half and half on the lot. My half of the lot.
Giancana: Whats the business?
Nicoletti: This is a liquor store that Comes Back Liquors in Melrose Park. The whole building there. It’s a half a block long. The guy wants $125,000 for it, for the building. He got a mortgage of $56,000, he wants to transfer the mortgage over and form a corporation. Actually what he wants is $75,000 cash. He’ll show $50,000 and take the other $25,000 under the table. This is his price that he’s asking how but I know he’ll come down lower. He’s got now, this store is $550,000 a month rental.
Giancana: Where’s this store at? Is that across the street of the police station?
Nicoletti: No, its right on Lake Street but right outside of Broadway. That whole half of block there just before you hit the Blue Moon.
Giancana: Oh, yeah.
Nicoletti: Well here it is, now his store gets $550,000 a month rental. The restaurant is $275,000. The apartments, in other words, you get 1160 dollars a month rent. He’s got $13,902.00 a year coming in. Now the thing with this guy here is what we can do with him and the business shows it and besides its cheap, hes gotta bar in there too and he gets $25,000 net.
Giancana: You mean that’s what he tells ya?
Nicoletti: Ya. That’s right but it wont do any good to look at his books besides hes cheating and I know hes gotta cheat there to make any money. Hes taking $100 a day over the bar and hes routing $50,000 a day out of that. The thing is hes willing to take this here and split the other five years across and well see if we can get him to carry the mortgage on thouse other five years on the balance of the money. This mortgage will be transferred, see, and you pay $8,000 a year on that. Now on that mortgage well have to carry the mortgage and if I cant get it mortgaged I figure it’ll run about $15,000 a year. So in other words it’ll be $23,000 a year plus 2400 in tax, will make it about $25,000. But the business clears $25,000 net which pays for your building. Everything else is profit.
Giancana: In other word the business’ll carry it?
Nicoletti: The business will carry this here end. Not including the $14,000 for the rent.
Giancana: How much stock has he got?
Nicoletti: He’s got roughly about $35,000 in stock, I was down in his basement. This is just a rough figure but we can go out and knock him down some more. The business and the licence is about $35,000.
Giancana: Yeah I know
Nicoletti: The stock, I know he got deals on ‘em so I know he aint gonna sell ‘em dollar for dollar. His store opens up at 9 to 12, the bar and liquor store. Of course that’s the biggest liquor store out there. In Melrose Park.
Giancana: Well theres two of ‘em on Broadway there, isn’t there?
Nicoletti: Well one of ‘em is closed and the other one is about to. You mean Joey O’Brien’s place?(Joey Aiuppa’s place)
Giancana: Yeah
Nicoletti: Its closed up, they’re down. And the other guy’s getting down too. He’s doing a little business there.
Giancana: Whats happening there?
Nicoletti: Well this guy is knocking ‘em all out. Hes working on volume and hes got better prices. They cant compete with this guy. What im gonna do, I got some money and the rest of the money im gonna get off of Sharky (Eulo). I figure this way we’ll go over there see and start looking into it and see what we can do with this guy. Hes got three apartments there that bring in $335,000 and it’s a half a block long and you got a parking lot. I mean, what the hell, I gotta do something. And I talked to Sharky and he said whatever you got in the balance ill give it to ya.
Giancana: How you gonna show for the money?
Nicoletti: I got a regular legit guy who’ll I’ll have him take my end of the part , I’ll just form a corporation and put it under his name, that’s all.
Giancana: Can he show for the money?
Nicoletti: Yeah, hes got an insurance business hes had it for 13 years. Not only that but we’re gonna put some under the table so there wont be that much to show. I imagine he could cover that. Than I hear another thing here that this juke deal was out for sale in Elmwood Park, this Borolio, you know this Borolio? I don’t know if that guy wants to sell, maybe its just rumours, I know that’s a hell of a spot.
Giancana: In Elmwood Park?
Nicoletti: Yeah. But I don’t know if the guy wants to sell it. I talked to Elmer last night to find out because hes got about 50 stops out there.
Giancana: I don’t think its for sale.
Nicoletti: That’s what I heard but than I asked Elmer and Elmer said I don’t think so. He didn’t say nothing to me.
Giancana: You mean Elmer Conti? ( Conti is the Mayor of Elmwood Park)
Nicoletti: Yeah
Giancana: Well go ahead. If you see your way clear, go ahead. I wish you lotta luck.
Nicoletti: Thank you. Whata you want me to do with these cards? How am i gonna tell this guy Hy, how am I gonna work that? Whats he gonna do, how we gonna work it?
Giancana: Well we’ll see what happends.
Nicoletti: Well im gonna hold the money until the end of the month.
Giancana: Yeah, hold on to the money.
(both leave)[/i]
[b]And in the end, "wise words" by Humphreys:[/b]
[i]HUMPHREYS: The danger in the spot is, putting too much confidence in the operators. Frankie is the one that does that. I talked to him the other day. He only gives the operators five a month. I said, Frankie, you’ll never get by that way. You’ll have to give them money. You want people on your side, you’ll have to give them something. So I said, you oughta give those girls 100 dollars for Christmas present, and he said ok, I think I will. That’s up to him. That’s up to him. You cant give them too much, but if you give them 20 dollars a month see, that’s cheap for you to protect yourself. What’s the use of kidding. But then if you get an important call, than you gotta get off your ass, and go out and call. You, because any conversation goes out on the telephone, now, Sam, say you should talk to me, than I’d know you right away. Just say “Hi”, or what is it. I’ll see you over a Jake the Plumber with a bum name, and that’s all the conversation. Now they’d have to figure out that conversation. All right, the next time you call, you say “Hi”, you understand, they don’t know who the hell it is, do they? They don’t know, but then they may get your voice, after a while, see. You have to give them credit for something. Of course, the government is famous for breaking down codes. That’s nothing for them to break down codes. If you use a code on them, in a little while, they’ll work it out. But it may take them some time. Now take… he’s a lazy fuck. He’s out in Cicero. He says, this guy was over today, and says this and says that, or George did this or that, and then he’s putting the finger right on you, see? Because he’s lazy, and didn’t come down. All he has to say, is I want to see you, where can I see you? All he has to say, is the Tailor’s. Everybody knows about the tailor. At one time we used have one, two, and three, and four, and we’d change, back and forth. But that was among ourselves. I’d defy them to find out where we was at, unless they’d follow, say, number four, then they’d break it down, but then we’d change our numbers every month, and Mooney (Giancana) would come to me, and say, now this month is going to be such and such, you know, se we’d change the numbers, Gussie (Gus Alex) and I would, and Frank (Ferraro) and Mooney and Joe (Joe Batters a.k.a. Tony Accardo).
[/i]
[/quote]
Excellent, thanks