But whose requirements? Until 1924 O ' Banion pistoleers and knuckle-duster bullyboys had kept his North Side domain solidly Democratic. There was a question and answer gag that went around at that time: Q. ``Who'll carry the Forty-second and Forty-third wards?'' A. ``O ' Banion, in his pistol pocket.'' But as November 1924 drew close the Democratic hierarchy was sorely troubled by grapevine reports that O ' Banion was being wooed by the opposition, and was meeting and conferring with important Republicans. To forestall any change of allegiance, the Democrats hastily organised a testimonial banquet for O ' Banion, as public reward for his past services and as a reminder of where his loyalties lay.

The reception was held in a private dining room of the Webster Hotel on Lincoln Park West. It was an interesting fraternisation of ex convicts, union racketeers, ward heelers, sold-out officials, and gunmen. The guest list is in itself a little parable of the state of American civic life at this time. It included the top O ' Banion men and Chief of Detectives Michael Hughes.

When Mayor Dever heard of the banquet he summoned Hughes for an explanation of why he had been dishonouring the police department by consorting with these felons and fixers. Hughes said that he had understood the party was to be in honour of Jerry O ' Connor, the proprieter of a Loop gambling house. ``But when I arrived and recognised a number of notorious characters I had thrown into the detective bureau basement half a dozen times, I knew I had been framed, and withdrew almost at once.''