On January 6, 2011 I posted “Illegal Of The Day Kentucky 10.” It told the story of EN Wood hub mold chips “ENW.” They were sent to Midland, Texas, 1935-36 and The Hub Bar & Cafe in Owensville, KY, 1939.

My “Friend Of The Hobby” made this statement in his research.

“In any event, I haven’t been able to locate Wood in either Midland or Owensboro (still checking Midland).”
You can refresh your memory on the hub mold “ENW” chips by clicking here.

http://www.thechipboard.com/index.cgi/page/1/md/read/id/1074408/sbj/illegal-of-the-day-kentucky-10/

After that post Club member Gary Fitzgerald emailed me a scan of an “ENW” Harp mold chip his son had found at a flea market in KY. Taylor records showed it was delivered to EN Woods, Paramount Club, Centralia, IL. Woods had an “S” on it but I had a hunch it was the same guy. I just received one of the chips in the mail. The research on this chip turned up information on EN Wood we could not find the 1st time around.

I now feel we have enough info to attribute the Hub mold “ENW” Midland, Texas, 1935-36 orders to the Derby Tavern in Midland. I will update the Kentucky 10 post.

IMO the Hub mold “ENW” was actually used at the Derby Tavern in Midland, TX 1935-36 then reordered for the Hub Bar & Café in Owensboro, KY 1939.

A certified 2 state Illegal.

Enough of that:

Illinois:

EN Wood settles down in one city for a long stay, another bootlegger that moved into Illegal gambling. Note that one of his bootlegging arrests was 3 years after prohibition ended. It was still cheaper to make it than buy it and pay the new Federal tax.

Paramount Club
EN Wood
Highway 51
Centralia, IL
Chips in 1940.

Re-enter my Friend Of The Hobby”

The harp mold record card helped get the ball rolling on this one.

Elvin N. Wood, born in Oklahoma in 1902; parents natives of Kentucky who moved to OK a few years before Elvin’s birth; Elvin died at Centralia, IL in 1994, age 92.

Sometime in the late 1920’s Elvin got in trouble and did time in the Federal Pen in Georgia. Don’t know what he did, but my guess would be a violation of prohibition laws.

In the early 30’s he’s in Midland, TX where he gets in trouble again:
13dec1934:
abilenemorningnew13dec19342

In the article, one of the people arrested with Ervin is Sam Roberts. Sam Roberts operated
a place in Midland called the Derby Tavern. In the mid-late 1930’s Ervin’s older brother Lee Roy Wood
was a bartender at the place. So it’s possible that the chips may have been used at the Derby Tavern.
Perhaps further research could confirm this.

My note: EN Wood and Roberts arrested Dec 1934. Erwin and Roberts were bootlegging. Roberts owned the Derby Tavern more than likely selling the moonshine. Ervin’s brother worked there. ENW Hub chips ordered in 1935. I can’t be 100% sure but I really like the attribution.

April 1935:
BigSpringDailyHeraldBigSpringTexasThursdayApril200419354

My note: Notice in above article they say EN Wood but he is married to Mrs. Woods. I think they needed to hire a proof reader.

I never came across any references to Elvin in Owensboro. If he was there, he wouldn’t have been there very long since we know from the chip order cards he’s in Midland as late as Nov.1936 and is in Centralia by Dec.1940.

My note: Four years is plenty of time. We know for sure he made the 3rd order of the hub molds in July 1939 for Owensboro.

And now the Illinois part of the story.

Paramount Club postcard:

pic from 1940:
life10june1940

In 1950 the Paramount Club was a subscriber to the race wire through Chicago’s Midwest News Service, which was a subscriber to Continental Press Service.

In April 1953 EN Wood and his partner C.A. Johnson are described as former owners:

11april1953ad1

11april19531

Less than a year later in Jan.1954 (pretty sure Mildred is Elvin’s wife):

MtVernonRegisterNewsMtVernonIllinoisFridayJanuary2219541

My note: Wait a minute!!! I thought EN Wood sold out of the Paramount Club the year before this article. Looks like he let a new manager and the wife take the rap.

History repeats itself in 1965 (I bet they had good insurance):
MtVernonRegisterNewsMtVernonIllinoisSaturdayJanuary19653

My note: Looks like EN Wood was prone to being robbed. He was also well traveled as he operated Illegal joints in 3 different states.

The internet is amazing. We just tracked someone from birth in 1902 through death in 1994. Three states of illegal gambling, bootlegging, and twice he was robbed by thugs. The only thing we didn’t get was what he had for dinner March 4, 1954. I wonder what someone will be digging up and posting about some of us, someday?

Personally I hope they wait till I’m dead before they start digging on me.

Chips and history! What could be better in “OUR” world?