The Death Tree

Early November 1931. On West Madison Street, there is a wonderfully diverse neighborhood made up of gypsies of Romanian, Hungarian and Czech descent. The area is flooded with Capone's rotgut, being distributed by Janos Colescu. There are many colorful characters, including the chestnut vendor with his singsong voice: ""Get your red-hot che-e-estnuts, the wind is cold."" When the rotgut leads to a drunken knife-fight that leaves a gypsy dead, the 8-member gypsy Senate, headed by Victor Bartok, with his brother Fedor Bartok, convenes. Eliot Ness shows up to offer his help to end the bootleg booze; they decline his help, saying they will handle matters themselves. At night, they set one of Colescu's booze trucks on fire, and give the warning to his boys Alex and Benno. Colescu decides to retaliate.
November 12, late at night. There is an old, almost dead poplar tree on the street, it is called the Death Tree; the chestnut vendor, under orders from Colescu, puts a sheet of paper with

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