An Al Capone Offer Martha Refused

Al Capone arrived at the Midway Lunch with his usual dozen roses for the owner, Martha Antheunis.

The notorious Chicago bootlegger occasionally traveled to the small town of Mishawaka, Indiana to conduct business. The Midway Lunch, a local watering hole tucked on 4th Street in a predominantly Belgian neighborhood, had been renamed from Martha’s Midway Tavern & Dance Hall to avoid any law enforcement eyes that followed prohibition during the 1920s.

Midway Lunch served chicken for 25 cents and “near” non-alcoholic beer for a nickel. But it was what Martha cooked up in her backyard that drew customers. After checking for strangers or police, Martha would stroll back to her garage, fill a glass with her homemade moonshine, tuck it in her apron, then return inside and serve her regulars.

Capone was no stranger. He was, in the words of Martha’s daughter, Albertina, “nice, friendly, good looking, considerate, and all the nice adjectives.” Whenever he showed up at the Midway, he brought flowers for the owner.

On this day, Capone walked in with a dozen roses – and an offer of a business opportunity.

“Let me sell your hootch in Chicago,” he said. “You could make a lot of money.”

Martha was flattered by the offer. But she knew better... she declined politely.

“I only keep it for the neighbors,” Martha replied. “I want to keep it small, it’s just for my neighbors.”

Later, when Martha relayed Capone’s offer to her husband, Cyriel, the street-wise tavern owner admitted the blunt truth for her refusal.

“There’s no way I’m going to do business with that man,” she said.

Capone would return to the Midway often, always with a dozen roses. Today, Capone’s picture is prominently displayed in the front window shrine that exhibits the rich history of what has become a Mishawaka landmark and a national stopping point for the greatest blues artists in the country.

An offer Capone made that Martha refused was never brought up again.