Philip Van Cise, author of "Fighting the Underworld," wrote, "In those days the gold-brick artist flourished and every circus carried its quota of pickpockets, shell-game experts, and other grafters. When they came to town, all called at Blonger's office to get permission to operate, and one of his men would be on the job to get his fair share of the cut." Van Cise goes on to detail the various scams Blonger's gang was involved in which included an early race wire service, and an operation which sounds like the one used in the movie, "The Sting."
In 1904, Adolph W. Duff became Blonger's second-in-command. "Kid Duffy" had been a member of several gangs in Colorado and was known as a "pickpocket, hop-head, and gambler." He was also married to his niece. Building his reputation in Colorado Springs, in 1902 Duff was charged along with seven others, including the captain of Detectives, with trying to bribe a witness in a con-game case to leave the state. The case was never tried, but both the detective captain and the Chief of Police were fired.
Duff was arrested twice, once in 1897 and again in 1903, on "bunco" charges. Both times he was convicted and given a suspended sentence after he promised to leave town, which he did - for a short time. In 1904, he was convicted of running a policy wheel and later pleaded guilty to a charge of gambling. After a 30-day sentence and a $700 fine he left Colorado Springs and joined Blonger.
Together their wealth and power increased and they invested their profits in local real estate. In 1916, during a gang social outing, an argument erupted and gang member, Frank Turner, was killed by Christopher Wilson, another member. As police tried to put together a case, gang members and witnesses quickly left the state. Wilson eventually returned to stand trial in January 1920. Wilson pleaded guilty to manslaughter and, but through Blonger's connections, received only a one day sentence. Blonger had saved Wilson's life, but made him leave the state.
In 1922 charges were brought against Blonger, Duff and 18 others for their gang activities. In a sensational trial, the prosecutors presented evidence over a six-week period only to have the defense rest without calling a single witness. The jury spent over 100 hours deliberating before a verdict was reached. Blonger and Duff were each sentenced from 7 to 10 years, the remaining defendants received shorter terms or fines. Blonger died five months after entering prison. While out on bond pending another court case, Duff committed suicide.
In 1923, organized crime in Denver was changing from old west dominance to a different evil that was sweeping across the country. Benjamin Stapleton was elected mayor with the support of the Ku Klux Klan. Much of the Klan's appeal in the 1920s was due to its promise to restore law, order and morality to America. To repay political debts, Stapleton allowed Klansmen to be hired as police officers, including the Chief of Police, William Candlish. The new chief quickly abused his powers and intimidated political opponents and labor leaders in the city, imposing his own brand of morality.
By April 1925, Stapleton had had enough of Candlish's performance and secretly deputized 125 members of the local American Legion to carry out a series of raids. The raiders rounded up 200 bootleggers, gamblers, and prostitutes and uncovered a network of corruption controlled by Candlish's handpicked Klan vice squad. Candlish was fired along with twelve other Klan affiliated policemen.
The Klan problem in Colorado was statewide. Most of Colorado's 200 prohibition agents were members of the Klan. Led by R. N. Mason, the Exalted Cyclops of the Trinidad Klan, raiding parties went on random searches for bootleg stills and liquor. The majority of these raids were directed at operations run by Italians, Jews, Blacks, and other anti-Klan groups.
Italian organized crime in the state first surfaced in southern Colorado and was headed by brothers Pete and Sam Carlino of Pueblo. Pete Carlino had earned the nickname "the Al Capone of southern Colorado." By late 1930, the brothers felt they were strong enough to expand their bootlegging empire and take control of the Denver area. Joe Roma, the boss of the city, agreed to a sit down with the brothers in an effort to head off a gang war. On January 24, 1931, Roma sponsored a meeting of 30 of Colorado's top bootleggers. The police department was informed of the meeting, which was being held in the city's Italian district, and sent a raiding party. Unfortunately the meeting was interrupted before a compromise was agreed upon, and the police, unwittingly, ignited a gang war.