Al Capone and His American Boys: Memoirs of a Mobster's Wife

9 Flight from St. Louis

A few days later Gus ventured out to the barber shop and during his absence Lou McConroy, Red Honacker and several others came to the house. LearningthatGuswasgonetheyaskedifIhadasharpbutcherknife. “Sure,” I said, inviting them in. “Go on back in the kitchen and help yourself.” As they filed through the sitting room I noticed they carried a large satchel.Iheardthemtalkinginthekitchenforatime,thentheyreturned to the sitting room, told me goodbye, then left. When Gus came back I told him the boys had been there. “What did they want?” he inquired suspiciously. “A butcher knife,” I replied laughing, “can you imagine that?” Gus jumped out of his chair and ran to the kitchen. I heard him swearing and followed. On the kitchen table was the satchel, slit across the side. “Put on your coat while I wrap this thing up,” Gus ordered as he gathered some old newspapers. “We’ve got to get it out of here. Board a street car and take it as far away as possible. Ditch it someplace—it may cost me another jail term.” Gus’ anger and anxiety frightened me, and I knew automatically the bag had contained loot of some kind, and was a clue that the boys had deliberately passed on to Gus. By the time I got out the door with the package under my arm I was a bundle of nerves and sick with apprehension. I imagined that I was the Flight from St. Louis 9 45 46 al capone and his american boys focus of all eyes, and as a matter of fact did not know if the police were trailing me. As I got to the street I broke into a cold sweat of fear. In spite of my coattheperspirationtrickledoutofmyhairandrandownmyback.Iwas so weak with fright my knees wobbled under my coat. I stopped at the corner to wait for a street car which I never thought would appear. I considered abandoning the satchel then and there, but second thought told me that it was too close to our home. When the car arrived I could hardly climb aboard. I felt that my newspaper-wrapped package was as transparent as cellophane. After riding a couple of blocks I signaled for a stop, got up and started down the aisle, leaving the package in the seat. I got to the door, it was opened, and I was just drawing a deep breath to omit a sigh of relief when I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard the words, “Just a moment lady.” I nearly fainted. An old lady sitting across the aisle had noticed me. I mumbled incoherent thanks and stumbled from the car, still possessor of the package. AsIstarteddownthestreetmyfleshprickled.Iwalkedonaimlessly, losing all sense of time and direction. The sudden shout of “extra” by a newsboy I was passing gave me such a start I nearly collapsed. Eventually I found myself on a narrow side street. I pretended to be waiting for a cab and set the package at my feet. I would venture a little distance away, then return. Each excursion took me further. At last I continued walking, and when I turned the first corner I ran until I was exhausted. When I reached home I was ill. The newspapers of date October 20, 1925, told me the rest of the story. Four masked bandits had held up and robbed Orville H. Stewart, assistant secretary of William R. Warner and Company, at Fourth and Spruce Streets in broad daylight, escaping with a satchel containing a $6,000 payroll. The robbery was never solved. Thefollowingtwoyearswereanightmare.Thepolicestillwerelooking for Gus in connection with the Louisville robbery, and knew he was in the city although they couldn’t find him. We moved from place to place, hardly ever going out during the day. Flight from St. Louis 47 On May 2, 1927, we were invited to dinner at the home of Red Honacker . Shortly after we arrived, Harry Bostleman and William F. Davis, ex-convicts, and a third gangster I knew only as “Little Jackie,” came to the house and asked to talk to Gus and Red. We heard them whispering in a back room. My suspicions were aroused by their apparent excitement, and when Gus came out with them and said he was leaving for a few minutes I knew something had happened. I smelled burning paper when they opened the door. They all hurried out but thirty minutes later Gus and Honacker returned...