Laserfiche WebLink
916 Main Street <br />Hartronft Associates, pc <br />Historic Structure Assessment <br />October 10, 2023 <br />The Louisville Times February 5, 1953 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection <br />Next, the Denver Poston Feb. 5, 1953 reported in a front page story that a federal grand jury <br />would be studying the Smaldones' involvement in a rigged barbuit table that had been <br />discovered in a pool hall on North Federal. In a related story, the Post reported that the Bug <br />Dust Pool Hall had been closed down and padlocked due to gaming equipment having been <br />found there. The gaming equipment consisted of "a pool table with the surface covered tightly <br />with canvas." The article mentioned that the District Attorney in Greeley had information that <br />the Smaldones were using the Bug Dust as one of the locations in floating barbuit games. And in <br />the same issue, the Post gave a description of the game of barbuit for readers unfamiliar with it, <br />describing it as a game played with two dice and an unlimited number of gamblers. Certain <br />combinations of the numbers of the dice are winners, and certain combinations are losers. The <br />article noted, "You can win — or lose — a lot of money in a few seconds." <br />More news and developments about illegal activity at the Bug Dust Pool Hall came quickly. A <br />few days later, a large front page headline of the Denver Post (02-08-1953) read: "Police Find 2d <br />Table Rigged by Smaldones": <br />VOL. el. ao. o90 - THE VOICE OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN EMPIRE Xi0va,NIF- <br />THE DENVER POST SUNDAY <br />.S CCNTS NEVV COyN C]is It CI p ltal of ti0 W Ii-SUNDAY,— t19H - 1W P.om <br />Police Find 2d Table <br />Rigged by Smaldonles <br />2.0.6 Denver Post - 1953 <br />According to the Post: <br />Definite proof of rigged electric controls on a dice table in a Louisville, Colo., poolhall <br />used by the ex -convict Smaldone brothers of north Denver ... was uncovered <br />Saturday night by Sheriff Art Everson ... The disclosure that barbuit dice games <br />presided over at Louisville's Bugdust poolhall by Eugene (Checkers) Smaldone and <br />his gang leader brother, Clyde (Flip Flop) Smaldone, have been crooked and "fixed" - <br />possibly for years - exploded like a bombshell in the Colorado underworld.... <br />Smaldone "customers" at the Louisville barbuit "parties" ranged from Denver <br />businessmen to Louisville coal miners and often included gangland figures from <br />other areas." (Denver Post, 02-08-1953) <br />The article went on to report that "batteries concealed under a basement floor powered the <br />controls of the `fixed' table" at the Bug Dust and that "[r]rumors were circulating in Denver <br />Saturday night that several heavy losers among recent Louisville barbuit `customers' of the <br />Smaldones might seek revenge." This headline appeared as the article was continued inside the <br />paper: <br />'sucker Didn't Have a Chance' <br />O <br />,n' Rigged Ta6le at Louisville <br />2.0.7 Denver Post - 1953 <br />Page 12 of 51 <br />