My Dad was born in April 1907. He was in his 20’s in the 30’s. He used to hang out in the bars and pool halls in downtown Kenosha and occasionally would wander up to Madison. I mean, what else was there to do in the 1930’s?
One
place he used to frequent, and I’m only guessing here, was probably the Plaza
Tavern in Madison, Wisconsin and the guy behind the bar was named Frank “Moon”
Molinaro a person famous enough to be listed with the Wisconsin Historical
Society. My dad knew him, was friends with him, hung out with him. I’m not sure
If you’re a Happy Days fan then you know the name Al Molinaro (Big Al), one of
Frank’s sons. A small country this is.
Let’s move
on to Chicago. Remember, this is the time of Al Capone, Prohibition, and Tommy
Guns. When my dad wasn’t hanging out in Kenosha or Madison, he’d wandered down
to Cicero or Chicago and hung out with or knew a guy named “Three Fingered”
Jack White. Never heard of the guy? He was said to only have three fingers and
when he wore gloves would stuff the empty two with cotton.
He had
quite the stellar career. To start with, he was one of Al Capone’s boys. From
his first trip to Joliet Penitentiary in 1919 until he was gunned down in his
apartment on January 23rd, 1934, he was in and out of jail. Some
even claim that William “three fingered Jack” White was behind the St.
Valentine’s Day massacre, but there is little proof of this.
So with all this
going on in his life, when did my dad have time to hang out with him? Your
guess is as good as mine. It’s just a family story.
Till next time.
Pretty cool Mark!
ReplyDeletePretty cool Mark!
ReplyDeleteBeing as I'm from Chicago, I'm at liberty to say that my dad (as a young man) was around shortly after John Dillinger was gunned down by The FBI in front of the Biograph Theater. Those thrilling days of yesteryear.
ReplyDeleteI have always enjoyed those stories of Chicago's mob figures. It was also a big part of Americas history.
ReplyDeleteJeez, you guys are O-L-D! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story! I don't know why your Dad hung out with these guys but especially when you're younger even being on the periphery of interesting characters is exciting though most of us have the filters that keep us from getting too close.
But that's what makes great family stories. Thanks for sharing it.