Purple Gang

The Purple Gang was a notorious criminal syndicate of bootleggers and racketeers that dominated Detroit during the Prohibition era.

• Origins: The gang started as a group of young, predominantly Jewish street kids in Detroit's Paradise Valley neighborhood.
• Prohibition Era: They grew rich and powerful by smuggling Canadian liquor across the Detroit River.
• Violence: They were infamous for brutal tactics, racketeering, and hundreds of gangland murders before collapsing in the 1930s due to internal warfare and law enforcement pressure.

• The Oil Boom: In the late 1920s and 1930s, mid-Michigan's oil discoveries offered a perfect method to launder dirty mob money into legal investments.
• Hangouts: Gangsters frequently visited Clare, Michigan, using local landmarks like the historic Doherty Hotel as a base for entertainment and high-stakes gambling.
• The Local Syndicate: Attorney Isaiah Leebove and associates built sprawling properties like the Tobacco Ranch to host underworld figures and oil barons.

• The Conflict: Attorney Isaiah Leebove and business partner Jack Livingston co-founded Mammoth Producing and Refining, but bitter legal and personal disputes fractured their relationship.
• The Fatal Encounter: On May 14, 1938, Livingston confronted Leebove while he was dining with his wife and Sam Garfield in the taproom of the Doherty Hotel in Clare.
• The Shooting: Livingston pulled a pistol and shot Leebove dead at the table, then calmly surrendered to the hotel clerk and waited for police arrival.
• The Verdict: During the high-profile trial, Livingston claimed temporary insanity brought on by Leebove's financial betrayals, resulting in an acquittal that shocked the local community.

• Underworld Connections: Sam Garfield was a Detroit-raised Purple Gang lieutenant and close ally of mobster Meyer Lansky.
• Life in Clare: Garfield moved to the small town of Clare, living there quietly as a businessman for 50 years.
• Money Laundering: He used local oil investments through corporations like Mammoth Petroleum to clean illegal cash for major American mobsters.
• Community Benefactor: Despite his criminal ties, Garfield was a well-liked local citizen who generously funded civic projects and supported the local community library, which later tied his name to the local public library history.