"The 1920s saw gangsters, including Al Capone, Dion O'Banion, Bugs Moran and Tony Accardo battle law enforcement and each other on the streets of Chicago during the Prohibition era. Chicago was the location of the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929, when Al Capone sent men to gun down members of a rival gang, North Side, led by Bugs Moran. Chicago was the first American city to have a homosexual-rights organization. The organization, formed in 1924, was called the Society for Human Rights. It produced the first American publication for homosexuals, ""Friendship and Freedom"". Police and political pressure caused"
"Boston, Providence and of course New York. In Chicago the gang war between the Italian, South Side Gang of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone and the Irish, North Side Gang of Dean O'Banion and George ""Bugs"" Moran had become legendary by the mid-1920s. These two powerful gangs fought for control of the criminal rackets and Prohibition era operations in Chicago and its surrounding areas, in what the media called ""The Beer Wars"". These two dominant gangs influenced other, smaller criminal groups in the Chicago underworld who lined up behind one of the two gangs in the war. The two gangs"
"the 1930s. When Moran left the Chicago underworld new leadership was found and the North Side Gang is still in Chicago and is active. North Side Gang The North Side Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was the dominant Irish-American criminal organization (although a large number of Polish-Americans were members as well) within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early-to-late 1920s and principal rival of the Johnny Torrio–Al Capone organization, later known as the Chicago Outfit. Like many other Chicago-based Prohibition gangs, the North Side Gang originated from the Market Street Gang, one of many street gangs"
"North Side Gang The North Side Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was the dominant Irish-American criminal organization (although a large number of Polish-Americans were members as well) within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early-to-late 1920s and principal rival of the Johnny Torrio–Al Capone organization, later known as the Chicago Outfit. Like many other Chicago-based Prohibition gangs, the North Side Gang originated from the Market Street Gang, one of many street gangs in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. The Market Street Gang was made up of pick pockets, sneak thieves and labor sluggers"
"first divorce stemming from his wife's disapproval of his lifestyle. Prohibition was established in 1920 with the enactment of the 18th Amendment, which banned the distribution of alcoholic beverages, resulting in bootlegging. Among the involved gangs were Dean O'Banion and his mostly Irish group, including Bugs Moran, who became known as the North Side Gang and Al Capone as the leader of the Italian mob on the South Side. These two rivals fought violently, resulting in what is known as ""The Bootleg Battle of the Marne."" The bootlegging operation of Hymie Weiss and Bugs Moran continued to pose a significant"
"Era, competing gang members were fighting over bootlegging operations within the city of Chicago. Members of the Chicago Outfit and the Egan's Rats led by Al Capone attempted to remove all competition from Chicago by eliminating the North Side Gang leader Bugs Moran. The massacre missed Moran, who was not present, but killed seven members of the North Side Gang. The murderers attempted to cover up their crime by posing as police officers, even dressing in police uniforms. Witnesses saw two ""officers"" leaving the scene, which implicated the Chicago police department as the perpetrators of the massacre. High levels of"
"Side of Chicago following the departure of Bugs Moran. However, Capone learned of Aiello's plot in April 1929 and killed all three men. The violent retaliation against Aiello indirectly led him to finally become head of the Unione. During a conference in Atlantic City, numerous mob bosses supported Aiello's promotion with the hopes of restoring order in Chicago, and Capone apparently accepted the decision, at least temporarily. Retired Chicago mob boss Johnny Torrio was said to have mediated a peace agreement among Capone, Aiello and Moran, in which they agreed to end the gang warfare and murders. However, Aiello's accession"
"ambushed and shot to death. The remaining three brothers Jim, Sam, and Peter fled Chicago. Angelo Genna Angelo ""Bloody Angelo"" Genna (February 3, 1898 – May 26, 1925) was a Chicago bootlegger and organized crime leader during the Prohibition era. The leader of his own Sicilian crime family, he was best known for his war with the North Side Gang leader, Charles Dean O'Banion. Genna masterminded the assassination of O'Banion in November 1924. Genna and his brothers then fought the North Side's new leader, George ""Bugs"" Moran. But, almost seven months later, in May 1925, Moran chased Angelo in a"
"most of the North Side Gang, they missed their prime target, Bugs Moran. Moran had pulled up to the garage just as the shooters were entering. Because they were dressed as policemen, Moran assumed it was a raid and fled the area. Peter Gusenberg would be portrayed in two movies about the Prohibition era; Peter Gusenberg Peter Gusenberg a.k.a. """"Goosey"""" (September 22, 1888 – February 14, 1929) and his brother Frank were German-American contract killers and members of Chicago's North Side Gang, the main rival to the Chicago Outfit. Peter Gusenberg participated in an infamous attack on Al Capone during"
"his associates were involved in murders and armed robberies as far east as Brooklyn, New York and Paterson, New Jersey and as far south as Louisville, Kentucky. Among them was the murder of Toledo, Ohio police officer George Zientara following a bank robbery in 1928. In 1928 and early 1929, Al Capone had a conflict with Bugs Moran and his Irish gang from Chicago's Northside. Burke and his associates were lured five members and two associates of the Moran gang to a garage on Clark street in Chicago. Burke and his associates entered the garage, some dressed as police, and"
"Bugs Moran, struck an alliance with Al Capone's rival Joe Aiello. The latter, assisted by the Gusenberg brothers, killed Antonio Lombardo and Pasqualino Lolordo, presidents of the Unione Siciliane. It was as a result of these murders that Capone plotted to eliminate Bugs Moran. On February 14, 1929, members of the North Side gang gathered at a garage behind the offices of S.M.C. Cartage Company. Inside were Pete and Frank Gusenberg, Albert Weinshank, Adam Heyer, James Clark, John May, and Reinhardt Schwimmer (the latter two men not actually gang members). Five men, possibly members of Capone's Gang, possibly outside ""hired"
"Angelo Genna Angelo ""Bloody Angelo"" Genna (February 3, 1898 – May 26, 1925) was a Chicago bootlegger and organized crime leader during the Prohibition era. The leader of his own Sicilian crime family, he was best known for his war with the North Side Gang leader, Charles Dean O'Banion. Genna masterminded the assassination of O'Banion in November 1924. Genna and his brothers then fought the North Side's new leader, George ""Bugs"" Moran. But, almost seven months later, in May 1925, Moran chased Angelo in a high-speed car chase and shot him to death. In June and July, two of Angelo's"
"Chicago's Little Italy. With the passage of Prohibition and the rise of bootlegging in Chicago, Merlo used his position to mediate the frequent territorial disputes between the Chicago bootlegging gangs. These gangs included the predominantly Irish North Side Gang, under boss Dion O'Banion, the Sicilian Genna Brothers gang and the South Side gang, then run by Torrio and Capone. During the early years of Prohibition, Merlo was able to maintain an uneasy peace between these three gangs and the other criminal organizations. Merlo died of cancer on November 8, 1924. He received one of the most spectacular funerals in Chicago"
"themselves bosses of the old Genna brothers territory of Little Italy. The Aiello brothers had an alliance with the Castellammarese Clan boss Salvatore Maranzano and close connection to the North Side Gang. The brothers attempted to murder Al Capone and become the most powerful organization in Chicago. Giuseppe Aiello was murdered in 1930 and Capone took over all Italian organized crime. Genna crime family The Genna crime family, was a Prohibition era crime family in Chicago. From 1921 to 1925, the family was headed by the six Genna brothers, known as the ""Terrible Gennas"". These brothers were Sicilians from the"
"gang war with the rival Chicago Outfit, headed first by Johnny Torrio and then Al Capone. During this warfare, Outfit gunmen had murdered North Side leader O'Banion in his florist shop. When Peter Gusenberg was released from prison in 1926, he rejoined the North Side Gang, now led by Hymie Weiss, in its war against the Outfit. On September 20, 1926, Peter Gusenberg participated in the infamous drive-by shooting on the Hawthorne Hotel, Capone's Cicero, Illinois headquarters. The North Siders riddled the hotel with thousands of bullets. According to many accounts, the second to last car stopped in front of"
"bootlegging in their respective territories. In New York City, Frankie Yale waged war with the Irish American White Hand Gang. In Chicago, Al Capone and his family massacred the North Side Gang, another Irish American outfit. In New York City, by the end of the 1920s, two factions of organized crime had emerged to fight for control of the criminal underworld, one led by Joe Masseria and the other by Salvatore Maranzano. This caused the Castellammarese War, which led to Masseria's murder in 1931. Maranzano then divided New York City into five families. Maranzano, the first leader of the American"
"Moran, shot and wounded Torrio outside his home. Torrio fled to Italy, leaving Al Capone as boss. The North Side Gang took aim at the Genna brothers and on May 27, 1925, Moran chased down Angelo Genna in a high-speed car chase, then shot him to death. On June 13, 1925, Mike Genna was gunned down by police after a shootout with the North Siders. Antonio Genna was shot to death on July 8, 1925 in an ambush. The remaining three brothers Jim, Sam, and Pete fled Chicago. Giuseppe ""Joe"" Aiello and his brothers Salvatore ""Sam"" and Pietro ""Peter"" declared"
"shop on North State Street in 1924. After the murder of O'Banion, each successive leader of the North Siders was also killed, allegedly by various members or associates of the Capone organization. Several factors contributed to the timing of the plan to kill George ""Bugs"" Moran. Earlier in the year, North Sider Frank Gusenberg and his brother Peter unsuccessfully attempted to murder Jack McGurn. The North Side Gang was complicit in the murders of Pasqualino ""Patsy"" Lolordo and Antonio ""The Scourge"" Lombardo. Both had been presidents of the Unione Siciliana, the local Mafia, and close associates of Capone. Moran and"
"prevented incrimination and unnecessary attention from law enforcement. During the Prohibition era, Johnny Torrio competed with other gangsters in Chicago for the bootlegging business. Despite this, Torrio was able to reach a truce with Dean O'Banion, the leader of the Irish North Side Gang. The Chicago Outfit operated in South Chicago while Dean O'Banion operated out of the North Side. Torrio also had allied with the Sicilian Genna crime family that operated out of Little Italy in the city's center. The truce with the North Side fell apart and, on November 10, 1924, Dean O'Banion was killed by Frankie Yale"
"Some speculate that Lolordo wanted to reform the organization like another former chapter leader, Mike Merlo. However, Lolordo did not have sufficient time to do anything. On January 8, 1929, he was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in his home. The ""hit"" (killing) was arranged by George ""Bugs"" Moran, a leader of the North Side Gang and a bitter rival of Capone, as a preface to a planned assassination of Capone. Moran, working in concert with Aiello, was convinced that such a move would remove the bulk of Capone's Mafia protection. Pasqualino Lolordo Pasqualino ""Patsy"" Lolordo (1887 in Ribera"
"Polish-American organized crime Polish-American organized crime has existed in the United States throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Although not as well known as Italian, Irish, Russian or Jewish mafias, the Polish mob has a presence in many urban Polish American communities. During Prohibition, many Polish-American criminal gangs took advantage of the opportunity to make money through the illegal sale of alcohol. In Chicago, Joseph Saltis and Jake Guzik allied themselves with Al Capone's Chicago Outfit. However, fighting Capone was the North Side Gang, which, while mostly Irish-American, had a large Polish presence as well, with leaders Bugs Moran (disputed)"
"were later sold individually, and the remainder are now owned by the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre has been portrayed, referenced, or emulated in the following works: Saint Valentine's Day Massacre The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre is the name given to the 1929 Valentine's Day murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park garage on the morning of Valentine's Day, where they were made to line up against a wall and shot by four unknown assailants. The incident resulted from the struggle between the"
"bomb from an airplane into an ice cream store, in Creve Coeur, Illinois. Sheldon Gang The Sheldon Gang was a Chicago bootlegging gang during the early years of Prohibition known for being the main rivals of the Saltis-McErlane Gang and the Southside O'Donnell Brothers. Formed by Ralph Sheldon in the months following the passage of the Volstead Act, the Sheldon Gang quickly became major liquor suppliers in Chicago's Southwest Side as well as a main supplier to Al Capone. The gang maintained an uneasy truce with the other rival gangs, until 1923, when a brief gang war broke out between"
"and requested a sitdown between the two gangs. However, it failed. Hymie Weiss was murdered three weeks later, and over the next couple of years, the North Side Gang continued to weaken. The North Siders especially wished to kill Jack McGurn, as he was rumored to have been the machine-gunner who killed Weiss. On at least two occasions, the Gusenberg brothers made attempts on his life. Despite receiving several wounds, McGurn survived these attempts. Al Capone had Pasquale ""Patsy"" Lolordo installed as head of the influential fraternal organization Unione Siciliane. By late 1928, the leader of the North Side Gang,"
"early 1930s. The North Side gang never fully recovered its power or former place in Chicago's underworld as the chief rival to Capone's Italian mob. Moran eventually left the area, quitting the gang entirely, though not the lifestyle. After losing his position of power in the mob, he needed support and a source of income. To continue making money, he reverted to his earlier gangster ways of petty crime (such as mail fraud and robbery), by which he previously had made his mark in the underworld scene. On April 30, 1939, Moran was convicted of conspiracy to make and cash"
"held. Moran and Capone both appeared at the meeting along with many other mob bosses. During the conference, Capone complained that ""they were making a shooting gallery of a great business"". He also stated that ""Chicago should be seen as a pie and each gang gets a slice of the pie."" The two gangs agreed to make peace. This peace would last for a while. No killings occurred that were a result of gang war. Vincent Drucci was killed during this time, but it resulted from a brawl with police. Moran now became the sole boss of the North Side"
"killed Saltis gunmen Charlie Hubacek and Frank Koncil several months later March 11, 1927. Joe Saltis soon went to Capone who, in exchange for a large percentage of his profits, would negotiate peace between the two. During the later years of Prohibition the Sheldon Gang was suspected of supplying liquor to Capone rival Bugs Moran's North Side Gang. In the closing days of Prohibition and with the emergence of Charles Luciano's National Crime Syndicate the Sheldon Gang, like most of the remaining bootlegging gangs, were absorbed into the syndicate by 1932. Some time in the 1930s, the Sheldons dropped a"
"East Harlem and Little Italy, the Neapolitan Camorra Family of Coney Island, Brooklyn and the Jewish Gangs of the Lower Eastside, Manhattan and Brownsville, Brooklyn, all dominated crime in their areas. Two other well-known gangs of this era were the mixed American and Irish-American White Hand Gang led by William ""Wild Bill"" Lovett and Richard ""Pegleg"" Lonergan, who warred over control of the Red Hook, Brooklyn waterfront with the Italian Black Hand Gang led by John ""The Fox"" Torrio and his partner Francesco ""Frankie Yale"" Uale. Lovett was killed on November 1, 1923 and his associate Lonergan was killed on"
"Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit (also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the South Side Gang, or The Organization) is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, which dates back to the 1910s. It is part of the American Mafia originating in Chicago's South Side. The Outfit rose to power in the 1920s, under the control of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone and the period was marked by bloody gang wars for control of the distribution of illegal alcohol during Prohibition. Since then, the Outfit has been involved in a wide range of criminal"
"31, 1931, leaving the Italian and Jewish crime bosses in complete control of the Philadelphia underworld, something that seemed to have been planned. In the Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island underworlds, the Italians and Irish first fought for control of gambling operations and then continued their battles over the Prohibition era rackets. Boston's North End Gang was led by Filippo ""Phil"" Buccola, Joseph ""J.L."" Lombardo and Frank ""The Cheeseman"" Cucchiara, who aligned themselves with the Providence Morelli Gang led by Frank ""Bootsy"" Morelli and Ray Patriarca. They were at war with Boston's Gustin Gang led by Frank Wallace and"
"and Gordon to side with Schultz. By the late 1920s, the Chicago underworld had reached a wave of violence that peaked with the February 14, 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre of seven Irish gangsters on the North side of Chicago. There seemed to be no end in sight for the war since violent shootings and murders over the Prohibition rackets were still occurring on a regular basis, the Chicago gangs involved in their own ""Beer Wars"". Even though New York's underworld was in the midst of its own ""Manhattan Beer War"", underworld folklore have a carload of Chicago killers being"
"during 1925 and 1926, Dwyer's former partners were split among Owney ""The Killer"" Madden, the English-born former leader of the Gopher Gang, and Frank Costello against Jack ""Legs"" Diamond, ""Little"" Augie Pisano, Charles ""Vannie"" Higgins and renegade mobster Vincent ""Mad Dog"" Coll. The Westies are an Irish American gang hailing from Hell's Kitchen on the West Side of Manhattan. The most prominent members have included Mickey Spillane, Eddie McGrath, James Coonan, Mickey Featherstone, James McElroy, and Edward Cummiskey. In the Irish/Italian Mob War of the 1970s, the Irish mob saw an increased threat from the Italian Mafia as the Genovese"
"of the Egan's Rats gang, working for Capone, are suspected of a significant role as are members of the Chicago Police Department who are said to have had personal revenge as their motive following the killing of a police officer's son. At 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 14, 1929, seven men were murdered at the garage at 2122 North Clark Street, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago's North Side. They were shot by four men using weapons that included two Thompson submachine guns. Two of the shooters were dressed as uniformed policemen, while the others wore suits, ties, overcoats"