Prof. Ken Bode Remembers a Life with Mob Ties that Ended in Greencastle

June 3, 2005

ken bode crop.jpg June 3, 2005, Greencastle, Ind. - "These were the days when Richard Hauff was known as a Rush Street Rover Boy, suave, handsome, well-dressed, known to run bar tabs in the thousands and squire starlets, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, to mob-owned nightclubs," writes Ken Bode of his late brother-in-law. "He was characterized in Chicago newspapers as a man with longtime ties to organized crime." Bode, Eugene S. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at DePauw University, discusses Chicago's mafia and Hauff's ties to it in today's Indianapolis Star.

"With Richard, it could be money or women," Bode continues. "He had a certain eagerness for both. Richard began life as Hosang Torvan, an Iranian war orphan, adopted and brought to America by a soldier stationed in the Persian Gulf, my future father-in-law. He had an early knack for golf and made his spending money as a caddie at a suburban Chicago country club frequented by local mobsters. They also adopted Richard and made him a front man for their businesses. Still in his 20s, he was the owner -- on paper -- of a major country club, hosting PGA women's tournaments."

The professor and former network news political analyst asserts, "Yes, Richard had mob ties. When he went to prison, his files were labeled 'O.C.' -- organized crime. He sometimes advertised those ties when he came to Greencastle, Ind., where he opened a restaurant called The Black Angus, named after a mob hangout near Chicago. When he was killed in the kitchen of that restaurant, his background began to leak out and local authorities initially suspected a mob hit. But it was not [Joey 'The Clown'] Lombardo or Frank ['The German'] Schweihs. Richard was killed by a jealous husband and disgruntled business partner. bode hardball 2 may 2005.jpg With Richard, you never knew if it was money or broads or both."