Some of the story is in City Unique by Bill Weintraub, though it differs slightly from the story I was told by my father and his friends, one being Al Palmer who was involved, and Walter Turner whose car was commandeered. After Louis shot Davis, who was now in the saddle having largely eliminated the old gang hierarchy, the remnants of which had ordered the hit by Louis, who was in Detroit at the time of the contract, he could make no contact with his employers for the payoff after he had done the deed.
 
He headed to a bar called Slitkins and Slotkins, in what later became the American Bar opposite the old Provincial Bus Terminal on Dorchester. There he met Al Palmer, who knew him of old and found him panicky as he could not get paid off and disappear as I had planned. Al called my father at the Herald who had news of the shooting and heard that the police were interested in shooting him while escaping rather than have an investigation and trial which might well produce evidence of rampant police and judicial corruption at the time. Davis was the edgeman, the man who knew who to payoff and when and as such felt he had all the power of the Jewish gang to make it function, which was largely a gambling business, centred on barbot. He had staged a coup, killed or chased other old leaders out of town and they had hired Louis to kill him and restore them to power. But it took Louis too long to get from Detroit and by the time he arrived, Harry Davis was in the saddle. Not knowing of this turn of events Louis shot Harry as instructed.
 
My father told Al to get Louis out of Slitkins and Slotkins as it was only minutes before the police would check out the place it being a popular hangout for the fight game and the gambling crowd. Al first took Louis to his sister's place on Durocher, then called Aylmer, in what is now the McGill Ghetto or Milton Park. But my father thought it best to move him to the Herald on Lagauchitiere near Chinatown. Borrowing Walter Turner's car my father went to Aylmer, told Al to get lost so the cops wouldn't get to him. People at Slitkins and Slotkins told them Louis was talking to Al Palmer. While Dad got Louis to the Herald ahead of the cops, as soon has he had him into his office, word came that the police were entering the building.
 
My father stuffed Louis under his desk when Captain Fitzpatrick, chief of detectives, came in and demanded that he be surrendered. My father famously said: "I am not in the habit of keeping criminals under my desk", which was true of course. The cops then chased through the building often leaving the editorial unguarded and my dad had all the girls come in and look busy and when the coast was clear in editorial, they moved Louis into the women's john. When ever a cop was about to enter into the john one of the girls would sweep in majestically and shoo him away. It worked. Girls had powers then they no longer have.
 
The imperative was to hold on to him beyond midnight. Had they surrendered him sooner the Gazette would have got the story. So they interviewed and wrote up the story, took pictures and when the Gazette deadline had safelty passed, they surrendered Louis to the police  still searching the building keystone cops style. he was photographed in cuffs and a couple of guys from the paper followed him down to No 1, which is still Montreal Police Headquarters across from City Hall, so he couldn't be shot while escaping.
 
And that's the story I have been told.
   

Christy McCormick (Mr.) 1/F, Flat C, Axeford Villa, No. 3 Sand Street, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Mobile: (852) 6022 2729 Landline: (852) 2855 0052
 

> To: MediainMontreal@yahoogroups.com
> From: orangefoxca@...
> Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 13:13:30 +0000
> Subject: [MediainMontreal] Via Coolopolis: Montreal's Top 10 gangland murders: # 10 Harry Davis
>
> http://coolopolis.blogspot.com/2011/10/montreals-top-10-gangland-murders-10.html
>
> The killing of Harry Davis wasn't the first gangland slaying in this city. That distinction would go to a killing Davis ordered, that of informant Charles Feigenbaum on Esplanade across from Fletcher's Field in 1934, as his info had landed Davis into a 14 year sentence for morphine smuggling. Davis was also whipped with a dozen lashes. When Davis, a Romanian immigrant, got out, he became the king of the city's postwar gambling trade. The reign ended Thursday July 25, 1946 when Louis Bercowitz entered his gaming room at 1244 Stanley and filled Davis with bullets after a brief but frustrating conversation. Irving Ellis and a few others brought Davis to hospital but it was too late. Louis Bercowitz had pulled the trigger because he was irritated that Davis had forbidden him from opening his own gambling joint, a point Davis made by torching his joint on Mansfield. Bercowitz went to the Herald and surrendered to Ted McCormick, as he feared giving himself into the police, suggesting that they were all on the take. He was sentenced to 15 years and moved to Mexico.
>
>
>
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