Happy Illegal Of The Day 2013

David & I bought 6 of the CPI hubs from the BB. One each went to our inner circle of 5 illegal collectors. The 6th chip went to Paul Bender our Jeffersonville, IN expert. The second I saw the Mason card info I recognized the name. I was sure I knew where it was used. Several of the Jeffersonville illegal operators lived in or had chips delivered to Louisville, KY. Irwin Weber was one of them. David agreed with me. Paul spent 2 days at the Jeffersonville library. The criss cross directories were not much help.

Email from Paul Bender

Jeffersonville, IN library was wiped out in the great flood of 1937 along with much of Covington, Newport, and some of Cincinnati. Not any help left there.

My note: My Mother told stories about the great flood of 1937. It all but wiped out Covington up to 5th street. She lived on 4th Street in 1937 and still lived there in 1942 when I was born.

Email from David Spragg:

I am looking on google maps. Court Avenue and Court Street are 2 totally different roads in Jeffersonville. My limited googling comes up with Club Pines, Inc for that address (CPI) which must have become 1-2-3 club the next year (1936).

My note: This turned out to be a false trail, but it did spawn some good info on The Pines hubs and C&S chips. That info will be in a future "Illegal Of The Day" post.

Paul contacted some of the Jeffersonville old timers that have helped him in the past.

Email from Paul Bender:

Yes, the Building was there in 35 and 36 and it had Duck pin bowling. It even had a sign outside with the logo on the 123 street side. So I think you are correct in the attribution of Jeffersonville.
Way to go!

My note: I know many of you will have questions about the great American sport of "Duck Pin Bowling." Here is Paul's short version.

Duck pins were short...about 8" and the ball was the size of a soft ball. Thrown underhanded.[and fast] pin boys often hurt by flying pins.

Many of the baseball players of the day used it to keep in shape. Today there is a cult following of the game.
Go to Wick-o-pedia or whatever it is called.
Paul

Enough of that:

Indiana:

Delivered to:
Irwin Weber
300 S 38th St
Louisville, KY
300 pink, 1500 white
50/50 white and green hotstamps
9/3/35

Used at
123 Club
123 Court St
Jeffersonville, IN.

Enter our "Friend Of The hobby:

I couldn’t find any references to the “Club Pines, Inc.” at that address or anywhere else. Definitely a place called The Pines (“Pines, Inc.” on chips) located north of New Albany, near Jeffersonville, Indiana.

The CPI chips were delivered to Irwin Phillip Weber at his residential address in Louisville, Kentucky. Weber was born at Louisville in 1893 and died there in 1969, age 75. Weber was involved in the cutlery business from the 1910’s to at least the early 1930’s, several of those years in a partnership with his brother Jacob called “Weber Bros.”

Never saw any evidence that he was associated with The Pines, but I couldn’t find much about him.

My note. Besides Paul's trip to 2 libraries he has contact with several of the old timers in Jeffersonville. They confirm the 123 club and Irwin Weber. Despite all of everyone's research on this, we could not come up with what the CPI on the chips stand for. I will take a shot at it.

Three people involved with the gambling. C____P____ and Irwin.

About 8 months after the CPI order the “123 in club” hub chips are delivered to an I. Weber at 123 Court St., Jeffersonville, IN.

Presumably this I. Weber is the Irwin Weber who ordered the CPI hubs. The 100 block of Court Avenue in Jeffersonville was for decades a location known for gambling operations. The only reference to a 123 Club that I could find was from October 1938; 123 Club, Greyhound Club and Turf Club close down:

Here’s a pic of the 100 block of Court Avenue from the late 1940’s showing the addresses---all at one time or another housed gambling rooms and have chips associated with them. At the time of the photo, 123 Court housed the Court Café; Antz was there for decades—pre and post 1937 flood:

snip from a Jeffersonville historical preservation pamphlet from 2012:

My note. In above article, The Antz used 117 chips and Court Cafe was the 123 Club in the 1930's..

Snip of an article from 1946:

ad from 1921:

Gamblers throwing dynamite at Antz in 1942:

My note: Here is a little trip down Court Street in address numbered chips.

117 Court St

119 Court St

121 Court St

123 Court St

125 Court St

then/now view (building which housed Antz is gone):

Chips delivered in 1935, 2 years before the great flood of 1937 all but destroyed the lower end of Jeffersonville including the library and most of the history of Court Street.

Special thanks to Paul Bender and a couple old timers that lived that history.
The following is from the Caron’s directories New Albany, In for 123 Court St: 12-19012 PAB
33-34 Listed as a Vacant building
35-36 Listed as a Vacant building, But was known as the 123 Club With Duck Pin Bowling
37-38 Listed as a Vacant building, But was known as the 123 Club with Duck Pin bowling
39-40 Listed as a Vacant building
41-42 Huff furniture
43-44 Huff furniture
45-46 No book available
47 Banker’s Bar & Cafe
49 Court Café ….Stockhoff, Julius Restaurant
51 Court Café …Stockhoff, Julius [Harold] Restaurant
53 Court Café ….now listed as a Tavern
55 Court Café Tavern
Through
70 Court Café Tavern
71 listed as Vacant Bld. However. I have a photo with it listed as the Court Café.
72 Vacant Bld.
73 Waiz, Robert L. , Realtor
end