Gangsters had Rules, Though
Gangsters seeking safe haven in St. Paul were bound by three firmly enforced rules. First, when they came to town they had to “check in.” Second, they had to pay a portion of any income (including illicit income) to the police department. Third, they were free to come and go as they pleased, but they were not to commit a crime in St. Paul. They could go to other cities to do their deeds.
These rules were strictly enforced. As author and St. Paul historian Paul Maccabee says, “If you were caught snatching jewelry from around the neck of a woman on the streets of St. Paul, the police didn’t arrest you but took you up to O’Connor’s office where they beat the crap out of you and you limped out. And you thought twice about snatching a necklace in St. Paul.”
