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

“A Voice from the Grave”: The Memoir of Georgette Winkeler

Traced through the career of one man, it is written in an effort to show the reader how the modern criminal is born—and why. It undertakes to show methods, and above all, motives. In the person of Gus Winkeler, this book will attempt to give the reader an intimate insight of the life of a man who sought to rule by blood, not for the sake of money, but for the power and influence money would give him. With as little offense as possible, this book undertakes to show the wreckandruinheleavesinhiswake,notonlyinthelivesofthosenearest to him, but the lives of those with whom he comes in contact. Without pointing directly to a moral, by a recital of bare facts I hope that the reader may draw some profitable moral conclusions, and at the same time become better acquainted with the ramifications of crime as it exists today. In spite of that, this book is not offered as an expose, although by the mention of certain names, it may appear to be essentially an exposure of a few who still live. The names of some have been written across the pages of crime history . Most have gone the way of all criminals. Others still flourish, and have yet to reap the reward of all those who live by crime. In some respects this book may appear malicious, but not intentionally . In honesty to myself I have been forced to point out some facts that on the surface might appear to be unnecessary. Inanycasethosefactsarerelatedinanefforttofurtherdemonstrate the methods of big business in crime. “A Voice from the Gr ave”: The Memoir of Georgette Winkeler 6 “A Voice from the Grave” 7 I have often alluded to my reactions, believing that in so doing I may more fully reveal to all women, what any women in the same circumstances might feel. The onlydirect messageI feelqualifiedtogiveisdirectlytogirlsand women, who by accident or choice become the wives or companions of criminals. I have made no effort to varnish the facts, for they speak for themselves . Although the subject of this book was my husband, I made no effort to conceal his true character, or present him as a hero. In dealing with organized crime in these pages, I fully realize that I take my life in my hands. But as this book will reveal, it is the fulfillment of a pledge. The book is not offered as a literary work, but as a recital of plain facts by one who knows. Mrs. Gus Winkeler ...