Read The Purple Gang: Organized Crime in Detroit, 1910-1945 for Free Online Page A

not
run from confrontation. Dipisa selected Reid as an extortion target
because if Reid could be made to give in to Dipisa's extortion
demands his reputation would be repaired, other blind pig operators
would pay.
    The
confrontation between Dipisa and Reid began in August of 1926. One
hot afternoon, three men from the Dipisa mob entered Reid's blind pig
and announced that Mike Dipisa wanted a cut of the profits. They
dared Reid to do something about it.
    Reid
threw the men out. Furious, he contacted some of his friends from
Egan's Rats Mob, a gang that still held great power in St. Louis, and
had nothing to fear in Detroit.
    Reid
specifically called in Fred "killer" Burke, a professional
bank robber; and Milford Jones, a professional killer. Six gunmen
arrived, maintained a low profile, and began watching Mike Dipisa.
The first confrontation took place shortly thereafter.
    Reid
and his gunmen were cruising the streets in Reid's big touring car,
visiting Dipisa's favorite blind pigs, restaurants and gambling
houses. When the gunmen finally spotted Dipisa in a high-powered
roadster they started shooting. Two police officers walking a beat
saw a dozen shots fired while the cars raced side by side. Amazingly,
nobody was wounded. As the cars disappeared around the corner the
patrolmen commandeered a taxi and raced after the gangsters. Dipisa's
car was forced to the curb and searched but by then no guns were
found.
    All
three denied they fired. Dipisa, true to the underworld code of
silence, said they'd been attacked for no reason. He appeared shaken
by the savagery of the attack. It had all been too much for Mike
Dipisa.
    When
a second attack followed, he finally sent peace envoys to Johnny
Reid. A temporary truce was called and a meeting arranged. Dipisa
denied that he sent men to strong arm Reid, and claimed there had
been a misunderstanding.
    In
the ultimate act of gangland cowardice, Dipisa told Reid that the
gunmen were not his men. According to underworld informers, he denied
involvement with his own friends to save himself. The next day their
bodies were found in some weeds.
    Reid
had driven a hard bargain. He would only agree to a truce if Dipisa
would produce the men he claimed were responsible, so that Reid could
dispense his own justice. One of the men had gone into hiding, but
the other two were given up and lured to Reid's blind pig.
    When
police arrived on the scene one had lived just long enough to tell
police that they'd been shot by Johnny Reid. When Reid denied any
knowledge and police found no evidence, he was released. Feeling
vindicated, Reid allowed Dipisa an uneasy truce.
    But
if Reid was enjoying Mike Dipisa's discomfort, it was to be
short-lived. Early one morning in December of 1926, Reid pulled into
the parking lot of his apartment building and as he came to a stop, a
gunman with a sawed-off shotgun stepped out of the shadows and fired.
The force of the shot in the back of Reid's head threw his body into
the windshield, killing him instantly.
    The
murder was reported when a passerby noticed blood on the running
board. The killer was nowhere to be found. More importantly, in the
eyes of the Purple Gang, their most valuable distributor was gone
with the death of Johnny Reid, and someone had to pay.
    The
rumor that Mike Dipisa had hired a Chicago gunman for the execution
spurred the gang on. The identity of the gunman was learned and
Reid's murder avenged. It sent a valuable message about how even
distant connections to the gang were protected to the death.
    The
Purple Gang was now allied with the cream of Egan's
Rats mob. Reid had brought in Fred Burke, Milford Jones, and other
Egan's Rats to freelance as executioners for Detroit gangs. In his
death, his Rats friends shared a cause with his Purple friends that
put them into business together.
    The
Purple Gang became twice as powerful as any other Detroit gang with
Egan's rats by their side. Mike Dipisa was feeling powerful too. He
had the last word in his