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A friend sent me a link to an ebay auction. All I could see was a couple 100 plastic and paper chips in a chip caddy. In a back slot of the caddy there was a yellow chip on top but could not tell the initials or mold. My friend did magic on it and sent me this scan.
Per him: The initials were TJ.
Per Me: Not TJ, 
They are TI.
I sent the auction to David Spragg as I don’t do ebay. I sent for the Mason record. Research came back with another great story on Northern Illinois illegal gambling. The usual suspects like Al Capone but this one threw in Jimmy Hoffa as a little bonus.
Spragg will be coming along with some for sale. Only 17 TI’s in that caddy slot.
Enough of that:
Illinois.
TI
E J Henry
Tumble Inn
Box #214
Mendota IL
5/5/38 – 920 orange, 80 lavender.
TI
The Tumble Inn was located a half mile north of Mendota, just outside the city limits, on what was then called Route 51 but today is IL State Route 251 or US Federal Route 52. I wasn’t able to pinpoint the location exactly but I think it was on the east side of the road, opposite Lake Mendota. Mendota is a town in the far northwestern corner of La Salle County. La Salle County was well known for years as a wide open county with plenty of spots for entertainment and gambling.
William Vogelsang moved to Mendota in 1935 and became the proprietor of the Tumble Inn (not exactly sure when). In 1941 Mendota’s mayor went on a crusade against slot machines in his town. Here’s a snip from the Chicago Tribune which mentions a tavern north of Mendota which I think is referring to the Tumble Inn; also, a pic of the Mayor which I think was taken inside the Tumble Inn.
My note: Are we sure he is pointing to the slot machine? Spragg thinks it looks like he got caught playing it!
In January 1948 the Tumble Inn gets a new proprietor:
A side note:
Tinney’s Silver Congo mentioned above was run by Tinney Cosgrove. Cosgrove operated many places over the years in La Salle County. In addition to the Silver Congo he operated a place called “South Bluff” in Peru.
Last week these chips were sold on eBay by a seller from Peru, IL (not ID’ed in TGT or Hertel):
My note: This should make Dave Hepburn happy as he won that auction and asked for an ID on the BB. I want these chips if and when more turn up.
A year and a half after Kohry took over the Tumble Inn, Vogelsang puts the place up for sale:
For some reason Kohry’s lease was not renewed by Vogelsang:
This chip order was probably for Kohry’s new place:
I need this chip. Cough it up if you have a trader.
A couple of books have been published featuring info about La Salle County’s gambling past:
This one from 2003 (http://www.amazon.com/Capones-Cornfields-Mob-Illinois-Valley/dp/1594570930)
My note: Author asks “What brought Jimmy Hoffa to La Salle County.” My answer: “ To be buried in that cornfield on the front cover.”
This one from 2004 by Ronald Bluemer (the pic on the cover of Kelly & Cawley’s which was in downtown La Salle; Tom Cawley was a major figure in La Salle County gambling; testified before Kefauver):
My note: I have a lot of research on LaSalle and Tom Cawley done by a fellow club member a number of years ago. Will post it someday I also have chips from there.
Bloomer’s contact info:
Bluemer’s book discussed in a 2004 article from the La Salle News Tribune:
Chip from the Rose Bowl mentioned above:
I need this chip. Cough it up if you have a trader.
La Salle County purchasing disproportionate number of gambling stamps in December 1951:
My note: 234 Federal gambling tax stamps in 1951. Geeezzzz. I though Newport had a lot of gambling. They could not hold a candle to La Salle County. I wonder how many still existed after the Estes Kefauver Commission got done with La Salle in 1952. Newport’s 151 illegals survived Kefauver except for The Lookout House thanks to the deal Moe Dalitz made with them. Newport lived on for another 10 years. Their end came in late 1961 thanks to a Cleveland Brown retired quarterback George Ratterman, an illegal operator named Tito Carinski, and a stripper named April Flowers.
It took a US Senate investigation to bring down Northern Illinois illegal gambling.
But:
Only one very pretty lady brought down The Cleveland Syndicate’s 30 year gambling enterprise in Northern Kentucky’s “Sin City.
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