Excerpts From The Poison Of Money ™

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Of all the sports, , John Torrence chose playing golf as a way of unwinding. The sport is often described as therapeutic and a great reliever of stress. In addition, he was a great fan of the outdoors and golf brought him closer to nature. 

But, the serenity of golf is often interrupted by the extreme competitiveness of the rich and powerful. Losing can agitate not only humans, but also interrupt the peaceful chirping of the birds.

In Torrence’s world, this supposedly calm, gentleman's game was somehow turned upside down. Playing with Capone resembled more of a day at the circus than a round of golf.

Bang! Bang! 

Aunt Tina was a lovable person and she was almost always in a terrific mood. But, she also had her quirks. She had an almost abnormal love of money and a passion for material things. Joseph once saw her ironing money on an ironing board. 

Yes, he had found that hysterical, too! He had searched for a possible reason. Did she really love money that much to offer it that level of care? Joseph had pondered briefly. 

Aunt Tina was also a little bit of a hoarder; she hated throwing anything away and had consequently become the official keeper of all the family archives. It was a good thing as her brothers had little interest in this.

Did Aunt Tina even realize how she couldn’t smooth the effects of THE POISON OF MONEY? 

Joseph had never heard of this guy, Torrio, but he remembered a scene from "The Godfather" where the Capo had been shot outside his apartment. The similarities were startling. Wow! Is this the real-life Godfather? Joseph wondered.

And, more importantly, why is this clipping hidden in my father's night table drawer? Joseph was stumped. His father’s impatient voice brought him back to earth. "Did you find my book?" inquired Nicolino, a tad impatiently.

 "Oh, yeah. Coming!" Joseph replied distractedly.

Joseph hastened to the kitchen with the book in one hand and the newspaper clipping in the other. Nicolino put out his hand. His gaze dropped to Joseph's left hand. Time stopped for a moment. Nicolino's face paled.  He immediately eyed his wife warily. Joseph watched the exchange with interest. 

"What’s the matter, Dad? 

What’s this newspaper clipping I found in your night table?" Joseph thrust the newspaper sheet at him. 

Nicolino, with his gaze still trained on his wife, did not answer or make a move to take it. 

His wife sighed in resignation, "Well, you might as well tell him. He is old enough." 

"Tell me what?” Joseph interjected, now totally confused.

Little did young Joseph know that his perception of the world was about to be turned upside down… 

Joseph searched for his uncle’s obituary and found this interesting article.

"Johnny Torrio suffered a heart attack on April 16, 1957, while sitting in a barber’s chair ." He died a few hours later. By that time, he had become so obscure that his death went virtually unnoticed by the press until his will was probated three weeks later."

Joseph read the article in total disbelief. A $200,000 estate for a guy whose organization was raking in over $100 million a year?

 He shook his head vigorously. It does not take a mathematician to figure out that something is terribly wrong here. 

The figures do not add up. 

Joseph repeated this phrase in his head countless times. He stared into space. The million-dollar question burned in his inquiring mind. Where did Torrio's money end up? The young man rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Joseph had a new and exciting mission.

Had someone with an abnormal love of money already been down this road?

The sins of the flesh were running rampant, yet Torrio remained a loyal husband.  

Although Torrio was a man who ran countless brothels, and he had now entered an era where women were going through dramatic change, he still could not be seduced. It was no easy feat to remain faithful in the face of the 20s "Flapper." 

A new, liberated, "legitimate" woman had emerged and waved temptation in Torrio's face, yet he still remained true and "unflappable" to the “Flapper.”  

Again, he preferred to spend his evenings with his wife whom he adored.   

Torrio’s undying loyalty extended from his business life to his personal life.  

Torrio was a "family man!" While the rest of the world engaged in a "Sexplosion," even the Flappers couldn't push his buttons...