Collingwood Manor Massacre

Collingwood Manor Massacre
Location Collingwood Manor Apartments 1740 Collingwood Avenue
Detroit, Michigan
Date September 16, 1931
Target Joseph “Nigger Joe” Lebowitz
Attack type
 Massacre
Deaths Joseph “Nigger Joe” Lebowitz
Herman “Hymie” Paul
Isadore “Izzy the Rat” Sutker
Perpetrators The Purple Gang

The Collingwood Manor Massacre, is the name that was given to a notorious hit put out on three Chicago gunmen by the notorious Purple Gang. This unfortunate event happened on September 16, 1931. The men were killed after betraying their trust with members of the gang. The Purple Gang's name rang on Detroit's streets and they also ruled the underworld. No one would cross them for they feared for their lives as well as their families lives. The gang had a reputation as killers and they weren't afraid to keep that status. As seen in this event, the gang was willing to do anything to keep their reputation and their territory.

Series Of Events

Gambling, the local wire service, drug distribution, bootlegging, certain trade unions, as well as the extortion rackets were all operated by the Purple Gang. The year was 1927 and the Purple Gang was on top of their game running Detroit's underworld. When Three Chicago gunmen by the names of Joseph “Nigger Joe” Lebowitz, Herman “Hymie” Paul, and Isadore “Izzy the Rat” Sutker, fled to Detroit, the Purple Gang’s status was put to the test. The men shook down Chicago speakeasy operators for protection money. What the three men didn’t know was that the victims were under Al Capone's syndicate for purchasing liquor from his suppliers. After finding out about this Capone gave the men an ultimatum. They could either leave Chicago willingly or in a box. Willingly the men fled to Detroit.

After arriving in the city the men soon became affiliated with a smaller faction of the Purple Gang called the “Little Jewish Navy”. They would use member owned speedboats to run liquor from Canada to Detroit. Trust would soon be lost between the men and the Purple Gang. Lebowitz, Paul, and Sutker hijacked members of the gang and preyed on other local gang members disregarding their territories. Trying to establish themselves as an independent power, they became known as the “Third Avenue Terrors”. Trying to take over Detroit’s underworld mainly controlled by the Purple Gang was going to be a hard task and one that the Gang was not going to let happen easily.

The Massacre

After failing to pay back past due debts to the Purple Gang, Ray Bernstein one of the founders of the gang, developed a plan to kill Joseph “Nigger Joe” Lebowitz, Herman “Hymie” Paul, and Isadore “Izzy the Rat” Sutker. Bernstein would use Sol Levine as an unknown accomplice to the crime. Levine was a good friend of both groups. The plan started off by buying an apartment at the Collingwood Manor Apartments. Bernstein then convinced Levine that the Purples decided to let Lebowitz, Paul, and Sutker be their agents in the liquor business. A meeting was then set up to meet up with Levine and the other men for a later date.

The meeting was called on September 16, 1931, Levine and the men met up at 1740 Collingwood Avenue. After engaging in quick conversation, Bernstein left to go start the getaway car. He waited for the sound of backfiring and honking the horn to cue the men left in the apartment to carry out the plan. Fleisher stood to his feet pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and shot Joseph “Nigger Joe” Lebowitz at point blank range. Irving Milberg and Harry Keywell jumped up and began to shoot. This is not the only major massacre that Keywell was a part of; he also took part in the St. Valentines Day Massacre along with other Purple Gang members. Keywell emptied his revolver into Isadore “Izzy the Rat” Sutker, and Milberg emptied his into Herman “Hymie” Paul. While all this was happening, Sol Levine watched helplessly as the men scrambled to save their lives.

The Aftermath

After the crime Bernstein, Keywell, Milberg and Fleisher fled the scene. One eyewitness to the whole scene that had taken place, was Sol Levine. The police took him into their headquarters and after long interrogation, Levine finally confessed to seeing the murders take place and confessing who did it. The guns used in the crime serial numbers were scratched off and thrown in paint trying to rid any evidence back to the members of the Purple Gang. A ballistics test was taken shortly after that proved that the guns were indeed the weapons used in the murders of Joseph “Nigger Joe” Lebowitz, Herman “Hymie” Paul, and Isadore “Izzy the Rat" Sutker. After the confession, an anonymous call was received by the detectives office. The message stated " Two of the men you want for the Collingwood Murder are at 2649 Calvert. They will be out of town within the hour". Heavily armed the police went to the location which was owned by Charles Aurbach, an underworld consultant and Purple Gang member. Ray Bernstein and Harry Keywell were arrested in their pajamas. While preparing to skip town, Irving Milberg was arrested the following night.

The Trial

The Pretrial examination for the Collingwood Manor Massacre began on September 30, 1931. Sol Levine appeared at the pretrial frightened to testify against the men. Levine pointed to Raymond Bernstein, Harry Keywell, Irving Milberg and Harry Fleisher as the men who killed Joseph “Nigger Joe” Lebowitz, Herman “Hymie” Paul, and Isadore “Izzy the Rat” Sutker. During his Testimony, Levine focused solely on the prosecutor not once looking at the accused men. On the contrary, Levine, Bernstein, Keywell, Milberg, and Fleisher focused mainly on Levine, glaring at him during the trial. On October 2, 1931, the men were arraigned before Judge Donald Van Zile after a motion for dismissal on Levines' claim was denied. An order was issued for the men to be held without bond.

Testimony for the case began on November 2, 1931. Levine began his account of what happened on the day of the massacre. Ten detectives heavily guarded him as he testified for he feared he would be killed while testifying. Witness after witness went to the stand and testified against the gang members, claiming to have seen them run from the building after hearing gunshots. After an hour and 37 minutes, the jury returned with the verdict, finding the men guilty of the charge of first degree murder. The members of the Purple Gang were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They were sent to Marquette prison. Chief of detectives James E. McCarty made a statement to the press saying " This conviction is the greatest accomplishment in years. Not only does it break the back of the Purple Gang but it serves notice on other mobs that murder doesn't go anymore in Detroit". This was the beginning of the end for the notorious Purple Gang.

See also

References

1. Kavieff, Paul R. "Collingwood Manor Massacre-The Era of Decline." The Purple Gang: Organized Crime in Detroit, 1910-1945. New York: Barricade, 2000. 109-43. Print. ISBN 978-0-7385-5238-5

2. Kavieff, Paul R. "The Collingwood Manor Massacre." Detroit's Infamous Purple Gang. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2008. 65-78. Print. ISBN 1-56980-147-9

External links

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