Harry Keywell, was a convicted member of Detroit's infamous Purple Gang

Purple Gang

Purple Gang can refer to:*The Purple Gang, Jewish American bootleggers and hijackers in the 1920s*The Purple Gang , British rock band active intermittently since the 1960s*East Harlem Purple Gang, Italian American gang of drug dealers and hitmen...

, which terrorized the city of Detroit during Prohibition

Prohibition

Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...

. Chicago Police questioned him about the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre

St. Valentine's Day massacre

The Saint Valentine's Day massacre is the name given to the 1929 murder of 7 mob associates as part of a prohibition era conflict between two powerful criminal gangs in Chicago: the South Side Italian gang led by Al Capone and the North Side Irish gang led by Bugs Moran. Former members of the...

 in February 1929, on the suspicion that Keywell acted as a lookout

Lookout

A lookout or look-out is a person on a ship in charge of the observation of the sea for hazards, other ships, land, etc. Lookouts report anything they see and or hear. When reporting contacts, lookouts give information such as, bearing of the object, which way the object is headed, target angles...

 for the killers, however Harry had a cast-iron alibi

Alibi

Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...

 for the day.

After his arrest for involvement in the Collingwood Manor Massacre

Collingwood Manor Massacre

The Collingwood Manor Massacre, is the name that was given to a notorious hit put out on three Chicago gunmen by the notorious Purple Gang. This unfortunate event happened on September 16, 1931. The men were killed after betraying their trust with members of the gang. The Purple Gang's name rang on...

 on September 16, 1931, Keywell was sentenced to life in prison at Marquette

Marquette, Michigan

Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

 and was eventually parole

Parole

Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...

d at the age of 54 on October 21, 1965. He had a spotless prison record for 34 years before his life sentence was commuted. Because of the involvement of his brother, Phil Keywell, he was released early for good behavior

Good conduct time

Good conduct time, good time credit, or time off for good behavior is a sentence reduction given to prisoners who maintain good behavior while imprisoned. Good time can be forfeited if a prisoner is determined to have committed disciplinary infractions and/or crimes while incarcerated.Under U.S...

.

Harry married Sarah Keywell (nee

NEE

NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...

 Gold), and lived out his days as a productive member of society and family man, until his death of Alzheimer's disease in August 1997.