Show gang cleaners clean up detroit after two years of profitable activity purple gang Is to retire detroit in the matter of cleaning and dyeing detroit Is far in advance of chicago and perhaps every other metropolitan area in country AI capone the chicago caballer ca aller and ex brooklyn gangster bought an inter est in a wholesale cleaning and dyeing plant and several press services considered the implications news of a national complexion but in detroit the purple gang the name was not originally eupha has been cleaning and dyeing the city tor two years and now Is ready to retire eleen alleged mem ber and a wealthy wholesale cleaner in tact now await trial in the recorder s court on charges ot extortion detroit appears to be approaching the end of a cycle which chicago Is just embarking and which Is actually unknown in many other large cities how they stifle rivals the purple gang kept no book but the police records credit them with the following methods of in cresong the area of their influence and stifling competition two murders of rebel wholesale esele cleaners and dyers ten bombings and of plants and retail branches causing property damage of 50 one hundred stench bombings caus ing losses estimated at from to thefts of clothing from retail stores and delhery trucks valued at fifty storefront store front windows broken damage many of the members of the gang were employed in downtown gambling establishments as cappers lookouts and retainers two years ago however the police received so many complaints from the wives and mothers of those who lost their pay envelopes regularly in these magnetic establishments that they were closed and the purple gang found itself literally in the street soon after this the wholesale clean ere and dyers attempted to organize in order to discipline the retailers who in irresponsible fashion had been transferring their business from one wholesaler to another to avoid paying any at this point the purple gang declared itself in first as retainers tor the organized group and later a masters several wholesale plants col lapsed as the owners recently have admitted under the strain of the in creasing weekly payments they were forced to make for the pi of the gang but the number of those who sought protection increased steadily there vas a in the membership after simuel SIg nian u wholesale cleaner djs called from a party in the adal son hotel by several gentlemen who curried automatics in the pockets of their evening clothes and used them on sigman half an hour later he was found dead in a secluded street in the outskirts murder leads to probe early this year one samuel attempted to open a cleaning and dyeing plant without protection one morning two months later he was found slumped over the wheel of his automobile his body riddled alth bul lets then followed the present charges against the purple gang and charles jacoby vice president of the jacoby french cleaners and dyers in the largest cleaning and dyeing plant in detroit the headquarters of the purple gang a moving and trucking ofhie as raided and police found sawed off shotguns machine guns and am sufficient for several hours continuous firing the gang now Is at liberty awaiting trial on bond that total close to a quarter of a million dollars and the city hopes to be truly cleaned up |