The Morville Lounge, a brothel and illegal gambling operation in Concordia Parish during the 1960s, was the eventual downfall of Sheriff Noah Cross. The lounge was in a small building that had once been a country store. As the operation grew, a new wing was added with extra rooms.
J. D. Richardson owned the lounge and made a deal with Curt Hewitt to manage the operation. Hewitt, along with pimps and prostitutes, was part of a network connected to the Carlos Marcello mob in New Orleans.
Cross was paid kickbacks every week for protection. His most notorious deputy, Frank DeLaughter, collected the payoffs for the sheriff. Both law officers were Klan members.
FBI agents John Pfeiffer and Ted Gardner helped launch the first federal investigation into the lounge in 1966. Pfeiffer would see the investigation through to the end when Cross, DeLaughter, Richardson and numerous pimps and prostitutes were convicted. As a result, both Cross and DeLaughter served time in federal prison in the 1970s. Both were forbidden to return to work in law enforcement and neither as convicted felons could carry a weapon.
Hundreds were interviewed by the FBI during the investigation, including bankers, dignitaries, prostitutes, cab drivers, hunters, politicians and local residents.
Despite having been convicted in the case, Concordia voters re-elected Cross by 2,100 votes in 1971 to his eighth term as sheriff while his appeals moved through court. Once the court denied his appeal in 1972, he was sent to prison where he served one year of a six-year sentence. He died a short time after his release.
Sheriff Noah Cross was administered his oath of office to a six term as Concordia Parish’s top law enforcement officer in 1972 even though he had previously been found guilty of two counts of perjury and one count of jury tampering. The charges stemmed from his involvement in the operation of a house of prostitution and gambling located along the Mississippi River 14 miles south of Vidalia. The manager of the Morville Lounge paid Cross a cash kickback every week for protection. After his appeals failed in court, Cross stepped down as sheriff and was sent to federal prison. He died a short time after his release, having served only a year of his term. (Photo courtesy Concordia Sentinel)FBI Agent John Pfeiffer investigated the Morville Lounge for years. As a result of his multi-year probe, both the sheriff and a notorious deputy in Concordia Parish were convicted in the early 1970s. (Photo courtesy the Concordia Sentinel)Ted Gardner, shown in his Marine uniform a short time before joining the FBI, along with FBI Agent John Pfeiffer, stumbled upon the Morville Lounge in early 1966 while working another case – searching for White Knights leader Sam Bowers. They were surprised to see prostitutes and a house full of gamblers mixing openly in the gambling hall. Soon a federal investigation was launched that eventually took down the sheriff and his most notorious deputy. (Photo courtesy Gardner family)Big Frank DeLaughter was convicted in the 1970s for racketeering in connection with the operation of the Morville Lounge and for police brutality. As Sheriff Noah Cross’s most notorious deputy, DeLaughter was known as “Big Frank DeLaw” in the Black community. He served as an officer for the United Klans of America in Ferriday. (Photo courtesy the Concordia Sentinel)Curt Hewitt was one of several convicted for racketeering in the operation of the Morville Lounge in Concordia Parish. Hewitt paid pimps to deliver him prostitutes, particularly from the Shreveport and Lake Charles areas. During the lounge’s operation during the mid-1960s, Hewitt stuffed cash in a white envelope marked for “The Man” (Noah Cross) to compensate him for protecting the lounge. Deputy Frank DeLaughter picked up the money and delivered it to Cross. (Photo courtesy the Concordia Sentinel)
