First Blood

Gangs have divided Chicago in 2-- the northside is run by the Bertshce mob, the southside by the Viale brothers, Augie & Vito. The line of demarcation being Madison Street. At the news office, Jake Lingle phones in a story to the front desk: gang war has erupted on the near northside, 2 hoods with machine guns smashed the liquor supply at Bertsche's Club Chapeau, in retaliation for Bertsche's mob raiding a Viale warehouse. Jake Lingle gets shot in the back at the subway station. The public turns out by the thousands for his funeral. It was the first time in history that a newspaperman was killed by the mob. Publicly, Augie Viale says Bertsche killed him; Bertsche says Viale did. The newspaper puts up a $25,000 reward for the capture of the killer. Former hood Bill Hagen meets with Ness. He says he'll give Ness information about the booze racket, if Ness finds out who killed Jake Lingle and tells him first, so he can get the reward money. Ness reminds him the Lingle killing is not a federal matter. Later, Ness meets with D. A. Beecher Asbury; he tells Ness the truth. Dead, Jake Lingle is a martyr, a rallying point for the public to demand reform; but alive, Lingle was pocketing 50 grand a year by being a broker-- through him, the mob bought protection from the police. Bill Hagen, who used to be a big-time bootlegger from St. Louis, meets with Barney Bertsche, and gets a job with his mob. Barney Bertsche trusts him. Hagen tips off Ness about one of Bertsche's stills, at a farmhouse 9 miles outside of town. Ness grills all the crooks there, and finds out that a Patty O'Day, who used to drive a truck for Bertsche, supplied the gun for the Lingle killing-- Ness relates this info to Hagen. Over the next few weeks, Hagen tips Ness off 5 more times. Bertsche figures these raids are just bad luck; Jack Zuta tells him Hagen is a stoolie. They set a trap: they give Hagen false info about a still. Hagen calls Ness, tells him there's a cooker on Columbus Drive. If Ness raids it, Hagen is exposed. But it's a residential neighborhood; Ness doesn't smell alcky, so he calls off the raid. Jack Zuta is in big trouble for accusing Hagen of being a stoolie; also cause he had his henchman knock off Lingle-- that's 2 strikes against him. He grabs money from Hagen's safe and tries to make a run for it. Hagen catches him; he lets him go, but without the dough. Jack Zuta goes on the lam. Late one night, Bertsche meets Viale, and to end the gang war, they play blackjack games of death-- everyone time one loses, he has to agree to let the other one knock off a gang member of his. Viale loses Anselmi and Scalice, Bertsche loses Joe Aiello and Jack Zuta-- later, all 4 die in a hail of machine gun bullets. Ness finds out that Bill Hagen is not just a bounty hunter; his wife left him, and took along their young son, because she hated his life of crime. Hagen figures with the reward money, earned legitimately, he can start a new life, and get his wife and son back. Hagen finds out Bertsche is smuggling in 5,000 cases of Canadian booze, which cost him 225 grand, and he can sell for 750 grand. Bertsche offers to make Hagen a partner; Hagen could make 300 grand a year, but he decides to go straight. Later, Hagen tips off Ness in exchange for the name of Zuta's hood that killed Lingle: Leo Brothers. Armed with a gun, Hagen goes to Leo's place and gets him, and collects the $25,000 reward. Ness muses at the irony of it: Lingle was a guy who looked good on the outside, but the center was rotten; Bill Hagen looked bad on the outside, but he only wanted to go legit and get his wife and son back. (synopsis by: kdh) --------------------------------- [facts: in real life, Alfred "Jake" Lingle was a police reporter for the Chicago Tribune. He was shot in 1930, at the age of 39. ]