The Purples were known for stabbing people in the back. That sounds bad, but there is a good reason why we did this. We started as a very small group and since we did not have a lot of numbers nor much firepower, we had to be stealthy.
We came to power by stalking and preying on other gangsters—specifically Buster Weintraub and the other leaders of the Sugar House Gang. We had to get these people when they were alone and unguarded. Oftentimes, that was when they went to the movies. Abie the Agent was particularly adept at taking a long blade and quietly working it through the back of a movie theater seat. For the final thrust, he sometimes waited for a big laugh line in the movie. Abie also snuck up on people whilst they were alone taking a piss in a public john. He taped padding to the bottom of his shoes. You never knew he was coming until suddenly, a heartfelt surprise.
In 1930, movie theaters in Detroit started attaching metal plates to the back of all the seats—as if we were going to start stabbing everybody who went to the movies! We only did it to the Sugars because they deserved it, after what they did to me. When you learn what they did to me, I think you will agree that the ones who departed whilst having a laugh at the movies actually got off easy, especially compared to those who were eaten by the babies.
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Click below to explore more of the Purples’ world:
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Arthur Nix • Elvis Presley • Good old Detroit • Harry Riley • Henry Ford • Mazel tough • Rachel and the Palmer Raids • Saying bad things? • Speakeasy queen • The babies • Why purple? • WWJBD? • Buy the book
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Back to HOME: This is the hideaway of The Purples
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