Flashback Friday – Playing your cards right

Davis Romine

 I’ve been watching Prohibition, a three-part, five-and-a-half-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns, on PBS. It is a fascinating look at U.S. history.

I was reminded of story my father, Davis Romine, told. He was a young man on a train going home to South Bend, Indiana sometime in the late 1920s. A fellow walked down the isle in the coach car and spotted him. He leaned over and asked Davis if he played cards. Davis nodded yes, but said nothing.

The fellow came back through the car a bit later and told Davis to get up and follow him. Davis did not want to go with this tough looking guy. The fellow said, "My boss wants for you to play cards." He was menacing and Davis was sort of scared. He followed the fellow to a private room and was told to sit down and play cards.

Al Capone's mug shot

The guy in the room was Al Capone. My father was nervous but he played. He did not win. He was glad to get off the train in South Bend.