Detroit Vengeance

Sixty-year-old Joe Rivetts, owned a saloon in Wyandotte, Michigan. His town is in the region known as "Down River" because it is south of Detroit along the Detroit River. After years of running his business independently, in the summer of 1931 Detroit mobster Joe Evola came calling and demanded that Rivetts start taking his beer from him. Rivetts refused. Shortly thereafter, hoodlums came and wrecked the place. Rivetts fixed the joint up and reopened.

The reopening was followed with more demands and threats by Evola. Rivetts ignored them leading the Detroit mobster to pay another visit on October 15 with another man, while Rivetts was working behind the bar. Witnesses stated that Evola was cursing Rivetts and then jumped over the bar. As Evola was clamoring over the bar, Rivetts pulled out a pistol and shot him once in the chest, piercing a lung. the Detroit mobster was removed from the tavern and taken to the hospital where he expired a few days later.

Rivetts was arrested for the shooting but let go after it was determined that he acted in self defense. The case brought to much attention to Rivetts who closed his place.

On this evening back in 1931, Rivetts sat at the bar in another saloon reading the paper. Charles Tear, the owner of the place, was tending bar. Another bartender, John Pelletier was also sitting at the bar when at approximately 8:05 three men walked in. One pulled out a shotgun from under his coat and the other two pulled out pistols. Rivetts noticed them first and made a dash for the rear door. A blast from the shot gun took off half his face. He was down. Tear tried to make his way from behind the bar but another shotgun blast removed the top of his head. The guys with the pistols took care of Pelletier. For some reason, another bar tender who was in the room wasn't shot. After the three men were killed the gunmen shot up the bar some and then took off.

 Joe Rivetts                     Charles Tear