◆ SpookStack

iS metropolitan dailies. With the typical weapons of their ilk, they attacked the poultry, fur, artichoke and clothing industries. Brutality, violence, intimidation and vandalism were their stock in trade as they moved in on flourishing businesses. Lead pipes, stench bombs, bullets and strong-. armed bandits were the tools they: used. It was soon obvious that it was far less painful to give the outlaws their “cut than to defy them. One New York man, sitting quietly at home, . was approached by a stranger carrying a folded newspaper. Not _ a@ word was spoken as the intruder took from the newspaper a bottle of acid which he dashed into the face of the innocent . victim, leaving him seriously burned and scarred for life. The. owner of a business in New Jersey learned the ways of. the racketeers when his plant was bombed. Buchalter's hirelings, . armed with iron pipes wrapped in newspapers and with guns, staged a daring attack on the headquarters of a union while a meeting. was in progress. Another enemy of the rackets was found ina - ditch in Detroit, tied securely in a jackknife position. Once established as a kingpin of this vicious empire, | Louis Buchalter found it convenient and undoubtedly much safer © to retire behind the scenes. He became one of the wealthiest of men; living in sumptuous luxury and directing his reign of terror from afar. Although arrested on many occasions, he seemed to be immune to punishment. Finally, however, towards the end of 1936, authorities started to close in. In November of that year he was convicted, with Shapiro, for violation of the Federal antitrust laws. The following August, Buchalter and Shapiro were indicted, with 14 others, by a grand jury of New York City for conspiracy to extort money from clothing manufacturers. With a long list of other charges about to be leveled against him, Buchalter decided to go into hiding. He dropped out of sight, but while continuing the tremendous investigations necessary to bring him to justice, authorities directed their attention to his henchmen. Federal and local grand juries began studying in detail the methods and records of the racketeers. Buchalter's underworld associates were being forced to appear in court. Big shot mobsters in various parts of the United States were summoned to appear before grand juries. In short, "the heat was on." ‘The hocdlums facing the grand juries realized that the whole illegitimate empire was crumbling, with Buchaiter apiavently about to squirm out from under it. New York authorities, however, had not forgotten him. They issued a $25,000 reward for him, dead or alive. The investigation of the FBI to locate Buchalter was intensified, and the pressure fron the underworld for Buchalter's appearance mounted. Finally, in August, 1939, Buchalter found that he could no longer hide, and he was forced to give himself up to the FBI. inane? “pero ~ 2a