More history

Organized crime of the 1920's was exemplified by the Al Capone gang in Chicago, and the Purple Gang and Chesterfield Syndicate in Detroit.

In the 20's, a syndicate would create and work a profitable craps game, or gambling establishment. A syndicate would be associated with the legitimate political authorities of that particular jurisdiction, which would give them more or less a monopoly to operate in the local area. A place wouldn't operate unless they had the permission of the authorities. Nobody would be foolish enough to open an expensive gambling house knowing that the authorities might find it the next day, just to put them out of business, or just to put the bite on them. You just wouldn't do that.

Competing syndicates might divide up the territory. It is a matter of record in Chicago that they even had conferences between the gangsters to divide the territory. When you get into somebody else's territory, then you are in trouble. For example in Chicago, if you wanted to operate a gambling establishment, you first went to the ward committeeman. You would ask to operate a place at such-and-such an address, and the ward committeeman would say, "All right. I will think it over." The ward committeeman would contact the syndicate's representative. The syndicate's representative in this particular area said either "He can go at that address" or "He can't go." If he can go, the syndicate would get 60 percent of the total profits. They put their own man in the place to make certain they got the 60 percent of the profits. All of the protection, everything, was handled by the syndicate.

Mert Wertheimer was the head of the Chesterfield syndicate, concentrating its activities in Macomb County Michigan, near Detroit. It was once politically powerful in Michigan. Mert Wertheimer was by many accounts part of the Purple Gang of Jewish gangsters, so one could assume that the Chesterfield Syndicate operated at least by permission of the Purple Gang.

Mert Wertheimer had been one of America's biggest gamblers. For a time, he was in partnership in Florida with some of the most notorious gangsters of the Nation, including Joe Adonis, alias Joe Doto, Meyer Lansky, Jake Lansky, Vincent (Jimmy Blue Eyes) Alo, and Frank Erickson, of the Frank Costello mob in New York. These men, together with Wertheimer, operated the Colonial Inn, at that time an elaborate gambling place at Hallandale, Fla.

Next to Wertheimer, Lincoln Fitzgerald was the most powerful member of the Chesterfield syndicate. Other members of the syndicate included Lefty Clark, Red Gorman, Mike Brunton, Al Driscoll, and Daniel Sullivan.

The Chesterfield Club gambling house was operated in Chesterfield Township until 1929 by George "Dutch" Weinbrenner, Danny Sullivan and Linc Fitzgerald, who had moved to the Detroit area in the 20's. Eventually Weinbrenner disagreed with Fitzgerald on club operations, and sold his interest to the other two who operated the club until 1946. Though technically illegal, the Chesterfield Club was a full blown casino with numerous slot machines and table games such as craps and 21. Illegal gaming was very popular in many states in the U.S. through the depression era, and was accepted as a fact of life.

I have two of the CC Chesterfield Club blue $20's next to me as sI write this. When I hold them in my hand I can almost feel who all could have held them. They almost radiate with history.