Boxing Legend Rocky Graziano with Milwaukee & Chicago Mobsters

MILWAUKEE, Wi. May 9, 1950: One month after the Milwaukee Arena (now known as UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena) formally opened its doors, the venue hosted its first sporting event. It was a middleweight fight between ex-champ Rocky Graziano and Vinnie Cidone. With more than 12,000 looking on, Graziano scored a technical knockout in the fourth round after being down in the 2nd. The bout was stopped due to a cut over Cidone's eye. You can see the bandage over Cidone’s eye in the 2nd photo with the Chicago mobsters. Graziano is center with a long sleeve pull-over shirt in both pictures. 

Chico’s Bar-B-Q (the Milwaukee restaurant they are at) was owned by Frank LaGalbo, well known by police and the FBI as an active mobster. After the fight, the dinner was in celebration of Rocky Graziano’s victory.

The first photo contains many of the Milwaukee mob guys and the second is with members of the Chicago Outfit. In 1954, Frank LaGalbo (Chico’s), along with John DiTrapani and Jack Enea plotted to seize control of the Milwaukee mob from Giovani (John) Alioto. The rebellion was quelled with the murders of the other two. LaGalbo survived by transferring from the Milwaukee crew to a Chicago crew. He was able to continue residing in Milwaukee under protection of the Outfit. However, LaGalbo continued to live in fear of his life. He owned a cottage on the river near Peshtigo and had his place surrounded by electric fencing, a guard dog and floodlights. Later on he would never use the front entrance to his restaurant in Milwaukee and always come in and out through the rear in an alley.

In the first photo, the man standing in the back row, second from left is the Milwaukee pediatrician (Dr. Joseph Vaccaro) that used to make house calls to our home when I was a kid during the 1950’s! I remember him well with his jet black hair, big black doctor’s bag and what seemed to me huge needles to stick me with!  He was a very friendly guy, but I didn’t like seeing him. I can’t believe I recognized him while I examined that photo in a Milwaukee mob book a few years ago. Vaccaro obtained his medical degree in 1940 and started his practice. He then married the daughter of a high ranking Milwaukee mobster (Pasquale Migliaccio), who is standing next to Vaccaro on his right.

Interesting fact from Wikipedia: In 1946, Rocky Graziano was suspended for a time by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) for failure to report a bribe attempt.

Note: I wasn’t born until 1952, which was the year that Rocky Graziano retired from boxing. I never paid attention to professional boxing until Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman came along. While doing research, I found that Graziano wrote an autobiography called Somebody Up There Likes Me in 1955 that was adapted into a movie in 1956. It starred Paul Newman and I think it was only his second movie. Filmed in black and white, the film received very good reviews and is still available on Prime to rent or buy. We watched it last night and I’d give it a thumbs up. Sal Mineo had a major role as well as bit parts with Steve McQueen and George C. Scott and Patty Duke. She writes in her memoir: “My first job I was an extra in Somebody Up There Likes Me, which starred Paul Newman. My brother was also an extra, he was in charge of me. I just did what my brother told me to do and it was exciting — all of this equipment and people all around!” It’s a pretty entertaining movie!

More at this link: https://dbridgerhot.blogspot.com/2012/11/married-to-daughter-of-milwaukee-mob.html

Breaking News - JFK Documents and Crime Boss Carlos Marcello

Updated: 3/21/2025

Newly "discovered" FBI documents reportedly contained information on Carlos Marcello, the New Orleans mob boss, concerning the John F. Kennedy assassination.

In Milwaukee, Papa John Alioto ran the Milwaukee Mob from 1952 until 1961 when he handed the reins over to his son-in-law Frank Balistrieri.

Papa John had two sons, one named Joe, who had a fatal heart attack at a young age, only being in his 40's in 1963. Joe had a son (Papa John's grandson) named John. Born in 1949, John J. Alioto became a lawyer after college. He was a former Assistant State's Attorney for Cook County, Illinois, who then went on to private law practice. According to Tim Shanahan in his book, (Running With The Champ), at one point in the late 1970’s John had only one client. That client just happened to be the godfather of the New Orleans mafia, Carlos Marcello. It was around that time (1978), there was an ongoing investigation of Marcello who was suspected in the possible mob planning of John F. Kennedy’s assassination! Marcello went to prison in the early 1980’s, convicted of other unrelated charges. After more than six years behind bars, his conviction was overturned and he was released in 1989, and died in 1993. I can find no record of how long John worked as Marcello's attorney. Afterwords, Lawyer John Alioto had a notable, extensive career until he passed away in 2006 at the age of 56, living in Illinois.

From an initial “report” published by Glen Beck on 3/21/2025, it was found in some documents a report about a former CIA associate that fled to a friends house in New Jersey after JFK was killed and claimed he was afraid for his life and that a clique of CIA agents did the murder. This was actually old news that had previously been reported and followed up on by the FBI. The man reportedly had some psychiatric issues and no corroborating evidence was discovered.

I feel it was much more likely that the mafia was somehow involved, but the question is, to what extent? In a book written by Charles Brandt, a man by the name of Frank Sheeran confessed to killing Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa in 1975. The author spent years interviewing and documenting a thorough and well researched (2004,2006 and 2016) book called “I Heard You Paint Houses”. I highly recommend the latest edition as a great read. Brandt consulted with Sheeran right up to his death in 2003. In the book Sheeran had claimed he transported rifles from Brooklyn to Florida in 1963 for the killing of John F. Kennedy.

Working on this, more to come!

Related posts:
https://mafiahistorymilwaukee.blogspot.com/2022/04/great-italian-food-to-die-for-aliotos.html

John Balistrieri Death

John Balistrieri, son of late Milwaukee organized crime boss Frank Balistrieri, dies at 75

Link:

News Story

John once owned this beautiful 1948 Cadilac Limo.

It's now in the Gilroy Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI

Link:

John's Obituary

The Beef That Didn't Moo - Wisconsin Ties to the New York Mob!

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Tummy Ache Merchants linked to the Bonanno Mob Family of New York!

Updated April, 2023: This is almost an unbelievable story from the 1960's and enough to turn your stomach! If you've ever had any sympathy for the American Mafia and their way of life, consider this great American meat scandal from the early 60’s.

Wisconsin is home to a huge dairy industry. One of the problems dairy farmers have always had, is what to do with old, sick and sometimes already dead cows, known in the trade as “downers” (because they literally drop down in the fields).Mink ranchers need a constant supply of low grade meat, as minks are carnivorous and if not kept well fed, will start to eat each other. This is not good for the mink rancher's bottom line, and that meshes perfectly with the dairy farmer’s problem. Wherever there are a large number of dairy farms in an area, there tend to be mink ranches. And with a lot of mink ranches, you have businesses specializing in processing “downers” for mink food.

If you’ve never been to a rendering plant (I have), it’s a nasty place where dead cattle, horses and other animals (as well as mink carcasses after skinning) are processed (stink and stench with millions, if not billions of flies!). These animals can be used in any number of ways, being turned into soap, animal feed or pet food, as well as raw, boned, meat for carnivores like mink or zoo animals. The New York Mob boys back east, with their control and influence over the meatpacking industry also found a use for this “stinger” meat. They “arranged” for processors on the east coast to buy it and grind up with good beef to mix in with their sausages, hamburgers and processed meats!

In 1964, a federal meat inspector walked into a meat warehouse in Ohio and almost keeled over from the smell! He opened a box of meat and handled it, later saying that he couldn’t get the smell off his hands for two weeks. The meat was traced to a plant in Wisconsin that was licensed to process animal food for mink ranches and zoos.

Problem was, not only were they selling their product to local mink farmers, but also to Charles Anselmo, who was an associate of one of New York’s notorious Mafia families, the Bonannos. Mr. Anselmo was then re-selling this “product” to mob controlled meat processing companies back east. Anselmo knew - as the Wisconsin processor(s) must have known, that they were feeding people, not minks. The meat was being held over in warehouses en route east, often treated with formaldehyde to get rid of the stench and discoloration, then repackaged for human use. Formaldehyde is the chemical that morticians use to preserve human bodies, also used as an insecticide, fungicide and general disinfectant. Eating can make you sick, but, toxicologists say, it won’t kill you in small doses - unless you have a heart condition, in which case it can kill you! The Mob certainly wouldn't forgo a lucrative business just because a few people have heart conditions.

Detectives located one of the Wisconsin dealers by grabbing a truck driver (Joseph Hasenberg of Jim Falls, Wi) who hauled the meat east from Wisconsin. The driver was offered a deal if he would help collect evidence against the mink food supplier, Orland “Buster” Lea of Alma Center, Wi, who had a firm called Lea Brothers and was secretary treasurer of the LaCrosse Rendering Corp. Thomas C. Barr, 49, of Cameron, Wis., owner of the Tom Ban Meat Ranch hauled meat for Lea.

Apparently, Buster Lea first started a relationship with the Outfit underworld during prohibition years by selling sugar beets from his farm to Al Capone and associates in Chicago. They were in need of agricultural products to produce beer and liquor to quench the unending thirst of the public for booze. Buster owned several businesses and had trucking connections to get his vegetables to northern Illinois. During the decades after prohibition ended, it could be assumed the old contacts from Chicago led to other business opportunities through New York mob fellows.

Hasenberg, the trucker, earned his escape from prosecution by steering Lea into several tacit admissions, while wearing a wire. Lea knew that the meat was going to New Jersey and that the deals were handled with haste, surreptition and cash. There were no bills of lading and he knew that higher than standard trucking rates were charged. Lea admitted to having met Charles Anselmo (associate of the New York Bonanno crime family), bringing him sixty animal skins from Wisconsin as a present because Anselmo had said he wanted a fur coat for his wife.

Where's the beef?

The other major supplier for “stinger” meat was Dominick Gerace of Utica, NY, where in a surprise raid at his business turned up horse meat, sub-par beef and counterfeit U.S. Department of Agriculture stamps.

Whatever “dirty” meat came into New York was mixed in with good meat and sold to not only supermarkets, but other customers including the New York City school system, state hospitals and prisons, the Army, the Air Force, restaurants and hotels. In fact, if you happened to attend the New York World's Fair in 1964 and bought a hamburger or cheeseburger, you just may have sampled their product! What’s really disgusting is that several meat company executives were getting increasingly concerned about getting caught with horse meat in their products. Diseased beef, which might cause serious illness or even kill people, was a nuisance they could handle. But horse meat would capture the public’s attention, and bad publicity could kill the business. Nat Lokietz, an executive of the Merkel Co, overheard in a wiretap, was trying to persuade Charles Anselmo not to send any more horse meat. Anselmo would not be specific to the question of whether the next shipment contained horse. In frustration, Lokietz finally posed the question this way: “Does it moo?” “Well”, said Anselmo, “some of it moos and some of it don’t moo”.

Another disturbing side to this story, due to legal maneuvering, New York corruption and mob influence, most of those convicted in this scandal literally got a slap on the wrist with very minimal sentences and probation. Most of these criminals were right back in the same industry within a year or two. “Buster” Lea and Thomas Barr pleaded guilty with Lea being sentenced to six months, serving five. Barr served one month and both stayed on probation for two years. Both remained in their respective businesses. Three federal meat inspectors were also indicted. Not one of them was convicted, although it sure seems to me, the evidence against them was overwhelming! The book goes into great detail of what evidence was obtained and how the indictments came down.

The kingpin of the operation, Charles Anselmo (Bonanno mob associate) received an 18 month sentence, of which he served four and a half months! Never mind that he risked mass poisoning for profit. He was scarcely out of prison before he had set up a new meat brokerage in the Fourteenth Street market called the Kaylo Trading Company. Ahh, the sweet life of a New York Mobster! What are you going to think about the next time you have a bite of fresh kielbasa? Next in this series, stay tuned: The Mob in the Wisconsin cheese business!

Credit to and recommended read:
Vicious Circles by Jonathan Kwitny A very good book, written in the late 1970’s that goes into much more detail than what is posted here, well researched with a wealth of information, over 400 pages and a very fascinating read.

Other of my related Mafia posts links:

The Beef That Didn't Moo - Wisconsin Ties to the Mob
Tales of the Milwaukee Mob and Two Cigarette Men!
Married to the Daughter of a Milwaukee Mob Boss-Our Pediatrician!
The Milwaukee Queen Bee of Organized Crime
Tale of a Failed Milwaukee Mob Hit!
Lieutenant Uhura (of the Starship "Enterprise") - close encounters with the Chicago and Milwaukee Mob!Part Two: The Milwaukee Mob and Lieutenant Uhura (Star Trek)

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Great Italian Food to "Die" For - Alioto's

Updated 4/30/2022: The title of this article is written in jest as Alioto's Restaurant on Hwy 100 and Burleigh is an excellent restaurant that we visited for the first, ever, time last week in Wauwatosa. This will be a regular stop for us in the Milwaukee area in the future. We had superb breaded veal cutlet, spaghetti, lasagna and fantastic Italian and garlic bread. There is a lot of interesting "connected" history with the Aliotos. The restaurant has been in the same family for three generations at three successive locations. The original place was founded in 1923 by Giovanni “Papa John” Alioto in the old Milwaukee 3rd Ward. Most Italian immigrants settled that area in the early 1900’s. A bit of fascinating history follows:

“Papa John” emigrated from Santa Flavia, Palermo, Sicily in 1904. Born in 1888, he opened Alioto’s Garden restaurant in Milwaukee at the age of 35. He relocated the business to downtown Milwaukee during World War II and, from there, he and his sons Joseph and Angelo moved to Wauwatosa when the property was needed as part of the First Wisconsin project around 1950. A massive fire destroyed the current place in 1981 but they rebuilt and are still in business today. The restaurant is huge with a classic 1970’s style supper club ambiance. There is a separate full service bar room where you can relax before ordering or have an after dinner cocktail or two.

First, another food review: We’ve been back a second time in the past couple weeks. After seeing great reviews of their Friday night fish fry's, we discovered that they were available any time. I ordered the Sicilian Steak and LuAnn the fish fry. I tasted her fish and the Cod was some of the best I’ve ever eaten, delicious! The breaded steak was grilled and sauteed with green pepper, onions and mushrooms. It was fantastic, although I used a steak knife, my medium cooked steak could have been cut with a fork. A side dish of pasta with amazing sauce made an outstanding meal. Everything we’ve had so far has been great, with reasonable prices and very attentive service. We had a couple glasses of the house red wine which was also excellent. With real tablecloth and linen napkins, the atmosphere is great and we can’t wait to get back there.

Now, as Paul Harvey used to say, is “The Rest of the Story”: You have to dig pretty deep for information as “Papa John” Alioto kept a very low profile, and was careful, shunning publicity for good reason. He was deeply connected to the Milwaukee Mafia and actually was the Milwaukee godfather from 1952 until 1961, when he handed over the reins to his son-in-law Frank Balistrieri. Frank married one of Papa John’s daughters (Nina) in the late 1950’s.

In 1952, the then current Milwaukee mob boss was Sam Ferrara. He and Frank Balistrieri got into a “beef” which had to be settled by the Chicago Outfit. The “Outfit” sided with Balistrieri, ordering Ferrara to step down and installing “Papa John” Alioto as the new Milwaukee leader. Ferrara was a “short timer” boss who was only in charge for about four years (1948 to 1952). The FBI and other law enforcement were never able to arrest or convict Alioto, but there is no doubt that he ran the mob through the rest of the 1950's into the 60's. The mafia's relationship with organized labor grew quickly under the leadership of "Papa John".

The early Santa Flavia Alioto family had a quite fascinating history. There were seven boys and one girl that emigrated in the early 1900’s. The girl never made it and I can’t find any info on why. Several siblings went west to California. "Papa John’s" brother Mariano “Mario” ended up in San Francisco and was shot and killed by the Black Hand in 1917. He had gotten married a few months before to Angelina Ingrassia, whose father had been assassinated by the same Mafia forerunner gang the year before in 1916. Mariano and "Papa John" had a nephew, Joseph Alioto, who eventually became the mayor of San Francisco from 1968 to 1975. The San Francisco Alioto Family History website claims that after the brutal Black Hand slayings the west coast Aliotos permanently severed all ties to the mafia going forward, but, who knows? I have not researched Mafia history in that part of the country.

Restaurant Chain of Succession: Papa John died in 1972 at the age of 84. After Papa John’s two sons (Angelo and Joe) came back from the war in the 1940's, they got involved with running the business along with a sister Frances. Son Joe died of a sudden heart attack in 1963 at the age of 41, leaving Angelo in charge until his death in 2011. Afterwards Angelo’s daughter Catherine (Kiki) and her husband Tom Warren took the reins until Kiki unfortunately passed away in 2016, leaving Tom managing the restaurant today.

Frank Balistrieri Tried to Muscle In?: Thanks to Gavin Schmitt’s research and his FBI file documents, an informant reported in 1964 that Frank Balistrieri and father-in-law Papa John Alioto were at odds over Frank’s treatment of Alioto's daughter. It was also reported that Frank wanted in on the restaurant after the sudden death of Joe the preceding year.

Interesting note: Papa John's son (who had the fatal heart attack) Joe, had a son John. He became a lawyer after college. He was a former Assistant State's Attorney for Cook County, Illinois, who then went on to private law practice. According to Tim Shanahan in his book, (Running With The Champ), at one point in the late 1970’s John had  only one client. That client just happened to be the godfather of the New Orleans mafia, Carlos Marcello. It was around that time (1978), there was an ongoing investigation of Marcello who was suspected in the possible mob planning of John F. Kennedy’s assassination! Marcello went to prison in the early 1980’s, convicted of other unrelated charges. After more than six years behind bars, his conviction was overturned and he was released in 1989, and died in 1993. Lawyer John Alioto had a notable, extensive career as an attorney until he passed away in 2006 at the age of 56, living in Illinois.

 

Whatever the past history of Alioto’s Restaurant, this incredible nearly 100 year old family business survives and has extremely good food. We look forward to trying some of the other great looking entrees in the future!

Sally Papia Comment

The following comment submitted this week by an anonymous contributor concerning my Sally Papia - A life lived on the edge post. Great insight and my response follows:

"I dealt with Sally and Candy Papia when I was in Milwaukee in the mid 1980s. No details, of course, but I dated Candy for a few months, staying at her house in Brookfield for days, and not knowing they were the Mafia. Then, suddenly the honeymoon was over and they tried to blackmail and extort me for money, threatening to tell my boss at the time. I even met Sally in the back of her restaurant, where she continued to threaten me. I was a foreign student and did not have a penny. Sally claimed that I had gotten Candy pregnant and they wanted me to pay thousands of dollars for an abortion. They finally relented as I did not have any money, after they told my boss of my affair with Candy. He didn't care and didn't want to get involved. Two things: I am glad they died the way they did, and I realized that the Mafia people are ruthless but very very stupid. You give a picture of them that is nostalgic of criminals, just like Hollywood does."

Mr. Anonymous, thank you for your insight and comments. You are referring to a post that contained an article written by a former long time investigative reporter, Bill Janz, of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. I believe he was attempting to tell her side of the story as “she” saw it, I think he was quite honest in the article about their relationship/friendship and stated so.

I also have another post about her “The Milwaukee Queen Bee of Organized Crime” that is much more critical of her extraordinary life. Your insight is very valuable in presenting a more complete picture of what Sally and her daughter were really about. A story of a criminal mother, who married a criminal Chicago Mob guy with a spoiled, narcissistic daughter. I have no sympathy for criminals in the least and thank you very much for your comments. Feel free to elaborate on your experiences, I would be happy to publish more of it if you wish.

https://mafiahistorymilwaukee.blogspot.com/2014/03/sally-papia-life-lived-on-egde.html

https://mafiahistorymilwaukee.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-milwaukee-queen-bee-of-organized.html

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Comments on "The Mad Bomber" Frank Balistrieri

The following two very interesting comments were submitted this week by an anonymous contributor concerning my Tales of the Milwaukee Mob and Two Cigarette Men post. Great first person accounts of him meeting Frank Balistrieri on a couple of occasions way back in the 1970's. There are so many great comments I have received at the end of this very popular post that are interesting facts and not well known. There is a link to the original post after his comments. Many thanks to all the people contributing great information!

Comment received, July 24, 2021:
After a divorce, I lived in the Antlers Hotel next to Centre Stage. There was a pool hall in the hotel where I spent a lot of time playing pool. I saw plenty of well-dressed men frequent the pool hall just to talk with whoever was running it. There was a parking lot on the other side of the hotel with a White Castle on the corner. I became friends with the parking lot owner's son who ran it. Centre Stage customers would get their parking validated to park there for a dinner show. Once I went with my friend to go collect the validated receipts. Frank's big Caddy was always parked in front of Centre Stage with a parking ticket under the wiper. My friend said Frank always put the ticket there himself. We went upstairs and were let into the room where Frank was. Frank asked my friend, "Who's that?" because he usually came alone. My friend said my name and I quickly (too quickly) went to shake his hand. Another guy in a suit went to reach for something under his coat, Frank gave him a look and he relaxed but he refused the handshake with a wave. We met a lot of celebrities that came to perform at Centre Stage and parked in the lot. Tom Poston being the friendliest and funniest. Just a distant memory and I thought I'd share my brush with Mafia greatness. Good stuff on your page!

Comment received, July 26, 2021:
I wrote the above brush with Frank . . .

Several months later after I had moved from the hotel, the lead guitar player, steel guitar player in my Country band and I along with our dates, attended a dinner show featuring Johnny Rodriquez. As we were finishing our dinner, Frank approached the table and said, "Aren't you Dave's friend?". I said, "Yes". He said, "Welcome" and quickly walked away without a chance for further interaction or to introduce my friends. Came time to pay and I was told that our entire evening was 'comped' so the waitress smiled and said, "Can I get you all another cocktail or some desserts?" I didn't want to 'look a gift horse in the mouth' and quickly declined. I never got another opportunity to thank him but I did mail a Thank You card to Centre Stage c/o Mr Frank Balistrieri with a hand-written note thanking him for his generosity.

Link to the original post: https://mafiahistorymilwaukee.blogspot.com/2013/08/tales-of-milwaukee-mob-and-two.html 

Gangster's paradise

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Article thanks to Nan Bialek and gmtoday.com. Links provided:

During the 1930s, Waukesha County, WI was a favorite hangout for Chicago gangsters

September 3, 2011  It seems you can’t swing a Tommy gun in Wisconsin and not point to a place that wasn’t frequented by some of the most notorious gangsters Chicago ever produced — Baby Face Nelson, Bugs Moran, John Dillinger and Al Capone.

The deep woods of northern Wisconsin had many well-known gangster getaways during Prohibition, says Chad Lewis, author of "The Wisconsin Road Guide to Gangster Hot Spots," and southeastern Wisconsin has its share of legends and lore as well. Those who actually saw the wise guys are quickly slipping away into history themselves, Lewis notes, but many of the encounters have not been forgotten. There are plenty of stories, for example, of gangsters pulling into a service station, buying $1 worth of gas and giving the attendant a $20 tip.

"Money meant nothing to these guys, because when they ran out of money they just went out and got more," Lewis says. "It’s almost as if they were the celebrities of the day."

Local historian Stephen Hauser of Elm Grove agrees. In the 1930s, when the country was deep into the Great Depression, a bit of gangster cash was just the thing for keeping yaps shut. In those days, when what is now Elm Grove and Brookfield were unincorporated and the area was dominated by farms, bootleggers would sometimes rent space in farmers’ barns to distill liquor.

"They paid very generously, probably better than they even needed to," Hauser notes. There are stories about a farmer’s child needing an operation, for example, and a gangster pulling a stack of cash from his wallet and handing it to the farmer for the hospital bill. "Gangsters were often seen in a positive light by many rural people."

Relatively rural, wooded areas in southeastern Wisconsin were perfect settings for halfway houses for gangsters on their way "up north" from Chicago and back again.

In those days, Bluemound Road was untamed, Hauser says. Because there were no local police departments in the area, it was patrolled by county sheriff’s deputies, some of whom took payoffs to turn a blind eye to houses of ill repute and speakeasies. Some deputies were eventually convicted of corruption and served jail time, he adds.

"Al Capone had a home right off Bluemound Road," Hauser says. The street now known as Capone Court was his driveway, and "nobody arrived unexpectedly at Al Capone’s house." A watchtower was built for a lookout post, and Capone kept a well-fed flock of Canadian geese on the property. If federal agents tried to surprise Capone, the geese would make enough noise to warn him. A tunnel led from the house to the garage so the gangster could make a quick getaway without being seen.

Federal revenue agents did manage to enter the home once when Capone was away and smash the still he operated on the property, Hauser says.

Capone also owned part interest in a greyhound racetrack that once stood just west of what now is Brookfield Square, Hauser says, and trained the dogs at the Mound Kennel Club across the street from the track.

In what is now Bishop’s Woods, a little shack off Elm Grove Road was used as a meeting place for gangster confabs. On occasion, Hauser says, their cars would get stuck in the muck, and an auto repairman just down the road would get a phone call and be asked to bring his tow truck. When he arrived, the gangsters told him to stay in the cab and look straight ahead. As soon as the gangsters hooked the car up for the tow, and he hauled it back on the main road, the repairman would be rewarded with a wad of cash.

When it was time for a break from the stress of dodging the law and rival gangs, some mobsters headed for Lake Country.

"These guys liked lakes," Hauser says. "They loved to put on the old dungarees and flannel shirts and go fishing."

So, Lake Country resorts and speakeasies, from Pewaukee Lake west to Okauchee and Oconomowoc lakes, also became gangster hangouts. Lewis says they would arrive at the lakeside resorts in pinstripe suits and shiny black Packards and try to blend in as tourists.

That tactic didn’t work for Jack Zuta, a Capone bookkeeper who defected to George "Bugs" Moran’s gang. Zuta, who knew that Capone did not take kindly to disloyalty, tried to hide out under the name "J.H. Goodman" at the Lake View Resort on Upper Lake Nemahbin in the town of Summit. Suspecting that a hit squad was on the way, Zuta was overheard making a frantic phone call from an Oconomowoc drug store, pleading for bodyguards to escort him back to Chicago.

Legend has it the hit squad sent to take care of Zuta was staying at a Lake Nagawicka resort, and lawmen at the time suspected them of robbing a Hartland bank to the tune of $100,000.

Just around sunset on Aug. 1, 1930, Zuta was pumping coins into a player piano in the ballroom of the Lake View Resort, according to the history section of the city of Waukesha’s Web site. A five-man assassination squad filed in through the back door, aimed their guns at Zuta, opened fire in full view of horrified hotel guests, turned and left the building. According to a Time Magazine account published on Aug. 11, 1930, the piano played the song Zuta chose just before the guns began blazing — "Good for You, Bad for Me."

This story ran in the September 2011 issue of: