Underworld U.S.A. Page #3

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command divisions.

And lording it over

the syndicate wheels

Is the top brass.

The underworld's

combined chiefs of staff.

Each chief commands

a specific department.

Gela, narcotics.

Gunther, labor.

Smith, prostitution and so on.

They all have substantial

business fronts,

Pay taxes,

Wear respectable suits.

And lording it over

all of them

Is Earl Connors.

Their chief of staff.

Shrewd,

Warm,

Charitable.

An animal.

He arbitrates the disputes

between the syndicate bosses,

Pulls national strings,

And controls gangdom from their

headquarters at national projects.

A building only

A beehive

of concealed activity,

With a legitimate

business facade,

From the basement

to the penthouse

Executive offices.

Now.

The most vicious

increase in vice

Is the teenage

dope addict.

And...

the recruitment

of school girls

Into the ranks

of prostitution.

They're using coffeehouses

and soda shops as fronts.

The underworld is reaching

the young people

Of this country.

Our job...

is to get people

to prosecute.

Ha, ha.

Getting anybody to talk

is tough.

Families of informers

have been...

butchered, burned,

bludgeoned to death.

However,

We have found a man

who is not afraid.

He's called Menken.

He works as a bookkeeper

for national projects,

And he has agreed

to bring me evidence

That Earl Connors

is paying police chief fowler

$5,000 a week bribery

To permit local traffic

in dope and girls.

Connie, we've always

leveled with each other.

I'm washed up.

What are you

talking about?

I've been

on the take.

I've been getting

$5,000 a week

For turning my back on dope

traffic and prostitution.

I'm sorry,

Connie.

I haven't got the stomach

to face your mother.

]

You'll have to.

I'm not gonna

tell her.

I don't know what you did

with all that money,

But you're gonna have to

tell her this yourself.

Those lectures you gave

the rookies every year.

Telling them that the lowest

crook in the world

Is a crooked cop.

]

Why did you do it? Why?

Because they threatened to chop

your mother in a meat grinder

And send the pieces to me

in a basket!

You're alive.

That's all that counts to me.

You and...

mother are alive.

Where are you

taking him?

To the federal building, Connie.

Come on, dad.

Let's go.

Tell mother

Ill be down in a minute.

We'll be waiting downstairs,

Mr. Driscoll.

I wish I had a daughter

with her guts.

You tell your story

to the world, bill,

And a lot of frightened witnesses are

gonna crawl out from under the rocks.

Are you crazy?

Ten minutes before you get me

on the stand, they'll chop her!

I know how they operate.

And so do you.

No, John.

My family's dead

while Im alive.

God forgive me.

Bill!

Devlin.

Who?

Tolly Devlin.

From here on,

When you make

a pick-Up,

Bring the money here,

immediately.

What, after each one?

Yeah.

Can't have our collectors

walking around with a big bundle.

It's always an invite

for lone wolf hijackers.

What are you worried about?

I got Gus with me.

Uh uh. I been makin'

the rounds with you

So the customers

get to know you.

Now you make

your pick-Ups alone.

Devlin, here's

tomorrow's route.

Gus, Mr. Gela's

lookin' for you.

Come on, Ill give you

a cook's tour

Of how the higher echelon

works upstairs.

Hey, what do you got?

A swimmin' pool out there?

Yeah.

On a roof?

Sure.

Well, let's

take a swim.

Nope, it's just

for the big wheels

And underprivileged kids.

Once every week, national

projects turns it over to them.

And every month

there's a swim meet.

Well, Tolly.

Mr. Gela.

I haven't seen you

all week.

Gettin' along okay?

They've been keeping me

on the run, you know.

Hey, that's

a nice suit you got.

Gus's tailor.

Hey...

that, uh... bookkeeper

That dropped out

of circulation.

Menken?

Yeah, Mr. Menken.

Find him.

See you boys.

As I was saying,

the chamber of commerce

Gave us a plaque

for sponsoring youth clubs.

I even acted as lifeguard

for the kids one day.

I liked that.

Menken's gotta be

the man.

He was the only one who paid

the chief every week, personally.

What about

his family?

Not a trace.

I just gave Gus

the assignment.

Send for

the boys.

Ask Smith and Gunther

to come to the pool.

I've been on the phone

To at least nine cities

in the past hour.

About Driscoll?

No, they know

he's my headache.

They're disappointed

in your figures.

I'm stretchin' the rubberband

from coast to coast.

I want to hear it snap.

There are at least 13 million

kids in this country

Between the ages of 10 and 15.

Don't tell me the end

of a needle has a conscience.

Put more field men to work

around the schools.

Mr. Gunther.

The mister

means trouble.

Real trouble.

The coast wants

to know why

You haven't made any headway

with the longshoremen.

Strong arm isn't helping

the teamster situation.

It's the unions themselves.

Locals are kickin' our men

out of office.

Hello, Smith.

Everybody's asking me

about Driscoll.

Think he's got a pipeline

to the girls?

We don't know yet,

but what we do know

Is that you showed

a loss last month.

St. Louis, Chicago,

San Francisco,

All showed drops.

Let's have

another drink.

Think I like sitting on

you like this? I hate it.

But it's gotta

be done.

'Cause we won't stay big

if we lose our grip.

There'll always be

people like Driscoll.

There'll always be

people like us.

As long as we don't have

any record on paper,

As long as we run

national projects,

A legitimate

business operation.

And pay our taxes

on legitimate income...

and donate to charities

and run church bazaars,

We'll win the war.

We always have.

Hello, Jenny.

Remember me?

Boy, this is

a nice bike.

You're Jenny Menken,

aren't you?

Yes. How did you

know my name?

I'm a friend

of your daddy's.

Say, you haven't

seen him today, have you?

No. He went away

on important business.

Mommy says.

Oh. He went away

on business.

Do you know

where he went?

No.

Say, would you like

some gum?

Uh huh.

Go on, take it.

It's all right.

I'm not a stranger.

I'm a friend of your daddy's.

Thank you. Bye bye.

Bye bye.

IYes?

This is Gus.

I couldn't find Mr. Menken.

But his wife and two kids

are living with his cousin.

I just got through talking

with his little girl.

IWell, the only way to keep

Mr. Menken's mouth shut

IIs to teach him a lesson.

Get rid of that kid.

Bye bye, mister.

Jenny!

Jenny!

Aah!

There you are.

Ha, ha!

How 'bout that?

That's for you.

And I got a little somethin'

here for cuddles.

There. Here.

How's that?

Hey, how is

the muffin anyway?

She's gone.

What do you mean,

gone?

Out.

Out where?

Who knows? Why didn't you stop her?

I did try to stop her.

Did you ever try to grab

a handful of dynamite?

She called a while ago and said

she'd call back, and then hung up.

Asked for you.

Why'd she leave?

She got lonely.

Lonely? What do

you mean lonely?

She got a problem,

so she got drunk.

Problem? Everybody's

got a problem.

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