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k

Abe Bernstein of Detroit's Purple Gang.

live.
"She gave me $3 tied in a
handkerchief. It was all the
money she had. But it was
enough to get me out of town.
She saved me."
In 1932 Jack Guzik went to
prison for evading income
taxes. While there, he corre-
sponded regularly with his
family. Books and articles
portray Guzik as an immoral
and unsavory character. The
letters show another side to
the man, that of a dutiful son
and a loving and concerned
father and grandfather.
Guzik married at age 20
and had a son and a daugh-
ter. His daughter was mar-
ried and had two children by
1932.
The family never forgot a
holiday, Jewish or secular,
birthday or anniversary.
Their letters express great
affection for each other.
The Guzik family corre-
spondence notwithstanding,
once most families discovered
that a relative was in the
rackets they experienced
humiliation and anger.
When Harry and Irving
Kushner of Detroit's Purple
Gang received life sentences
for murder, their younger
brother was a student in a

Hebrew day school. Their
trial caused a sensation in
the city's Jewish community.
One afternoon, as the
younger Kushner was sitting
in class, his teacher began to
shout at him. Your family is
bringing shame on the Jewish
people."
The youngster jumped up
and ran out of class. He never
returned to Hebrew school. In
adulthood, he changed his
name and became a success-
ful attorney and a federal
judge.

It was difficult to
"know everyone
was talking about
my family."

Sam was another Purple
gangster who had been con-
victed of murder and received
a life sentence. His sister
Sarah remembers the shock
and shame the family suf-
fered. "My mother and father
sat around the table at night
whispering about my brother
so we children wouldn't hear
what they were saying. When
I found out about my brother

from kids at school, I was
traumatized. I couldn't be-
lieve it, I wouldn't believe it."
She remembers how diffi-
cult it was for her to go to
school and face "all the stares
and know that everyone was
talking about my family."
For years, Sarah refused to
believe that her brother was a
killer. She decided to devote
herself to proving him inno-
cent. Later, when she was a
student at Wayne University
in Detroit, she dated a law
student who wanted to marry
her. Sarah agreed, but made
him promise that he would
help to free her brother. He
kept his word.
After 35 years, Sarah's
efforts were rewarded and
her brother was paroled. She
and her family drove up to
Jackson State Prison to bring
him home. When he came
out, she could hardly contain
her joy.
As they walked to the car,
her brother took Sarah aside.
"I want you to know how
much I appreciate what
you've done for me," he said.
"But I have to tell you. I was
guilty."
Sarah never fully recov-
ered from the shock of this
revelation. ❑