Mirror Lake County Club

In the 1950s, a popular method of operating a gambling club was to buy or open a club outside any city limits in the County. Law enforcement was lax and more rural than inside the city. In the 1950s, a mob gambler named Edward “Eddie Spitz” Osadchey organized and started theĀ Mirror Lake Golf and Country Club, Inc. This club was located on 45 Highway just west of Parkville, Missouri. The grounds are part of the National Golf Club today. Ā  Ā  PHOTO: WILLIAM OUSELEY

Mob politiciansRetired F.B.I. agent William Ouseley wrote in Mobsters In Our Midst, ” On December 13, 1959, a 25th wedding anniversary partyĀ was held for Nick and Kathrine Civella at the Mirror Lake Country Club . . .” Agent Ouseley goes on to report that 500 to 1,000 guests came and went during the evening. What is important to remember is that this was 2 years after Nick Civella was discovered at the famous Mob meeting in Appalchin, New York. By this time, all of Kansas City and the nation knew the importance of this Mob meeting and Nick’s participation. Nonetheless, in attendance were the following Kansas City politicians; City Council members Tom Gavin and Sal Capra; State Senator Jasper Brancato; ward politicians Alex Presta and Henry McKissick; Jackson County Administrative Judge Hunter Phillips; and Lyman Field, President of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners and long time friend of PresidentĀ Harry Truman.

The Mirror Lake Club created a “liquor pool” in order to circumvent any federal or state liquor laws. The claim was that all members of the club were part of a Ā ‘liquor pool’ of their own alcoholic beverages. Ā The Board of Directors of the Club on June 2, 1953, shortly after its organization, passed a resolution that created a ‘liquor club.’ This was for Club members to join. In substance, that resolution authorized the collection of a single $ 2 fee with which liquor supposedly was to be purchased for the use of members of the Club. The resolution, however, made clear that each member was to ‘pay for each drink served upon the premises of this corporation’ and that the ‘proceeds derived therefrom to be used to replenish stock, mixers, ice, fruit, broken glasses, and for service.’

A subsequent investigation revealed that purchases of liquor were not from any separate ‘liquor pool’ account but that they were made from a general account fund maintained by the Osadchey partnership.

A 1959 investigation revealed they were actually buying the cases of booze from Broadway Liquors. The owners of Broadway Liquors were Marco M. Filardo and Victor J. Vogliardo. “EddieĀ Spitz” was subsequently convicted of a conspiracy to avoid the federal laws on the sale of alcohol.

 

 

6 thoughts on “Mirror Lake County Club”

  1. Great article about Mirror lake. How about an in depth article”S” about THE CUBAN GARDENS. that was a world class restaurant before mirror lake. Heard they had chef’s brought in from France,Italy etc. They would chauffeur you both ways so people could eat, drink ,party, all night long.
    Thank you for your consideration.

    Also need an address to send a donation to help cover expenses

  2. Pingback: ā€˜His history is notoriousā€™: KCQ tracks mafia connections at Northland country club - The New York Mafia

  3. I grew up there as a kid. Iā€™d say this article is right on! Wish I could go back and know what I know now! WOW! Thanks for the memories!

  4. Keith Montague

    Boy, a lot of these names are so familiar to me and I was only 15 at the time! We swam there all the time.

  5. We were on the swim team at Mirror Lake Town Club in the latter half of the 1960’s, my five siblings and I, at the same time we attended St. Patrick’s along with Nick Civella (the nephew of the infamous Nick Civella), the Begulias, Fontanas, Tousas, and other kids whose fathers sometimes had to go away for awhile. Loved Mirror Lake: Playing tag off the 3-meter board, 15 cent cherry cokes, walking through Antioch Shopping Center and Penguin Park to get there, “dining out” at the Smak’s on the way home. Great place for kids!

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