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MUSIC "BOOTLEGGER KING"
>>One of Spokane's most notorious bootleggers was an
Italian immigrant named Albert Commellini. After immigrating
from Italy in 1904 at the age of 13, he worked for the railroad,
eventually moving west to Spokane.
>>Spokane was just where the train stopped.
There was a big Italian community here in Spokane.
>>Albert quickly established himself in Spokane,
earning a reputation as a successful entrepreneur. One of
his many businesses included an Italian importing company in the
Trent Alley district. His sister Leeda, famous for her
chicken cacciatore, ran the lunch counter.
>>He had 10 to 15 trucks, that he delivered supplies to these
different stores and picked up from the railroad cars
and did all the things that he did with the Importing Company.
>>During Prohibition, Commellini's trucks
delivered more than Italian food.
One prohibition era police officer recalled,
"Albert Commellini was the kingpin here. He had a big
"Cadillac and would drive the streets all night long.
"He used to tell the commissioner
"which cops he wanted on the beat."
>>When the shipments came in, often times
the Police would capture those shipments and bring them into
the Police Station. Grandpa was the one that would get the call
that the liquor was there and he would be able to go down into
the Police station and drive the vehicle out with no problem,
and that liquor was distributed through the Spokane area.
>>Commellini also supplied the necessary
raw ingredients to local Moonshiners.
He'd buy sugar by the truckload. When asked what he did
with all that sugar, he replied, "I make good pies."
Albert Commellini was arrested numerous times, even twice
in one day, but showed an uncanny ability
to avoid most of the consequences.
Once, though a jury convicted him, a judge
"took the case under advisement and
"dismissed the charge four months later."
Fines for bootlegging were generally small,
usually a mere $100. Considered just a cost of doing business.
>>In two days you could make five to ten times that that
amount. That's, a lot of money. It's just like any business.
You know, supply and demand,
and it was a big supply, and a big demand.
>>For six years Commellini owned the exclusive Ambassador Club,
one of Spokane's most extravagant nightclubs.
>>It was very beautiful inside, a lot of tarrazo flooring.
They had a full band there in full dress.
>>It had a dance floor, a movie theater and
15 private dining rooms.
>>It was out of the way. There was people that could
go in, and there's people that couldn't go in.
And, it had to do with who you were and if you
were part of the what they called the "good cops" or
"bad cops," so it certainly was exclusive.
>>At one time, Al Capone's brother,
Frankie, visited Spokane and considered buying
the Ambassador. The deal fell through. Less than a year later
the club burned to the ground in a suspicious fire.
"Somebody did Albert wrong", a family member later said.
Commellini, rallied after the fire and
bought a chicken ranch off Dartford road
and built a roadhouse restaurant on the site.
He named it "Commellini Junction" and convinced the
county bus service to put in a stop.
>>There used to be a sign up there that said "Commellini Junction,
"World's Smallest Town, all under one light meter."
>>Once Leeda started cooking, the restaurant became
popular serving great Italian food. Today, the Seghetti
family, descendants of Albert's, still own and operate
Commellini's for special events and Leeda's famous Italian
dishes. Renamed Commellini Estates, the historic landmark
provides a unique venue for all types of special events. Rumors
of tunnels, secret meetings and hidden bootleg liquor still
linger around Commellini Junction, but no one's talking.
With fond hearts the Seghetti's salute the memory of
Albert Commellini and his colorful storied life
on both sides of the law.