Purple Reign

What remained of the gang known as the Little Jewish Navy (so called because they sailed their boozein from Canada), was sunk on September 16, 1931 in Detroit. The members were former Chicago hoodlums named Isadore Sutker (called Joe in the press), Herman "Hymie" Paul, and Joe Lebovitz. In the mid Twenties they had left Chicago for health reasons and hooked up with some Purple Gang members in their bootlegging enterprise. By 1931 they had opened up a bookmaking operation in the Motor City as well as continuing to bring in booze. Problem was, they didn't respect any of the territories set up by the Purple Gang and other Italian gangsters. 

By the late summer of 1931 it was decided that they had to go. A meeting was set up under the pretense to discuss business. A furnished apartment was rented in the Collingwood Manor apartments at the beginning of September. Nobody moved in. The only trace that somebody was there was can of green paint. Using a mutual friend as an intermediary, Sutker, Paul and Lebovitz, were lured to apartment 211, along with the intermediary. After a few moments one of the Purples left, supposedly to make a phone call, in actuality he went to the alley and started the car. He revved the engine and blew the horn. The signal. At the sound, the remaining three Purples drew their guns and shot down the trio of gangsters in what became known as the Collingwood Massacre.

Being a friend of the Purples, the intermediary was allowed to escape with the gunmen. A decision that cost the murderers over thirty years in prison because he was arrested and his testimony was used to put them away.

Oh, and the green paint, that was there so the gunmen had a place to ditch their guns to obliterate fingerprints.  

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