◆ SpookStack

Here is the car in which Johnny Torrio lowed and fired upon by George got busier than ever, and on Januar sine with a chauffeur at the wheel. and Hymie, instructed their chau not a Negro, to make for the “ darted crazily in and out of t a position to “let him have it” come cognizant of their presence He kept well in front until his aut in front of his little bungalow at 701 blocks from Chicago’s aristocratic So Johnny jumped from the ear, liter out after him. But the sava before he had taken a dozen were fired. George Moran, afrai himself on the running board The killers, believing that Torrico wa at top speed, taking a corner on two wheels, But Little Johnny Torrio was not dead. As his hysterical wife bent over his prostrate body, he opened his eyes and moaned for a doctor. When one came Johnny again brought himself to consciousness Jong enough to whisper that the wounds be cauterized. Little Johnny thought of everything. Half-dead and in agony he could remember that the balls of lead which burned rubbed with garlic themselves might m lead and garlic would. “Cauterize it! Cauterize it!” everytime he could bring himself marginal of consciousness, and, all t the ambulance to the Jackson Park H attendants heard this order again an And, as they took him in the hos stretcher, Little Johnny had another roving again that he could think of The idea this time was that he be and far removed from a fire escape. Later he insisted that his ve increased. And it was. in his body might have been and that, though the bullets not kill him, the poison fro room away from a window, own body guard ge * and Mrs. Torrio rode “Bugs” Moran, Little BHymie”’ Ww. 'y 24, 1925, just twelve ”* Moran who wer y Torrio and Boul Mich in This was swee in an effort to get into but Johnny, who had » Was trying to escape, mobile finally drew up 1 Clyde Avenue, a few uth Shore Country Club, ally dragging his wife cngsters were upon him steps. A dozen shots or more d he might miss, and, as the car si he leapt out and, with a gun in each hand, poured lead at the underworld lord. Torrio fell to the cement walk. Taffic As they were being fol- eise and Schemer Orucci, The newspapers blazed with the story of the attempted assassination. The police came to Johnny's bedside with questiona and so did representa- tives from the office of the “State's attorney. “Who did it,” they asked, wasting good breath, for Johnny, coward though he was at heart, would not violate law No. 1} in Gangland’s code, namely that you must never squawk to a policeman. But they persisted with the question- ing. “Don’t you know who they were,” asked John Sbarbaro, an assistant state's attorney. “Oh, hell,” replied Johnny in exasperation, “Of course 1 know. I'll tell you later.” But he never did. Neither could Attorney Sbharbaro Pry any information from Capone nor from Mrs. Torrio, “Why should I tell,” replied Mrs. Torrico “It wouldn’t do any good.” Mra. Torrio knew her Chi- cago. The amiable Al who stood out in the corridor of the hospital room parrying questions with reporters found it more difficult to repress him- self, and once, his emotions bubbled over. “The gang did it, the gang did it,” cried Al impulsively and then, as if to kick himself, snapped his mouth shut. When reporters pressed him after this, he too said “I'll tell you later.” And he did, but in a curi- ous Way as we shall see, A small boy who had witnessed the shooting of Torrio was shown a picture, taken at the funeral of O'Banion, and he pointed out George “Bugs” Oran as one of the assassins. George, along with other gangsters, was gathered in and again identified by the boy who picked him out from a group of men. Eventually oran was released on $5,000 bonds (small change to Gangland) and nothing came of the case. “Little Hymie” had failed to get the “grease-ball” but his attempt had not been in vain. Though he had not killed Torrio, he had killed Torrio’s career. What's more he had caused the complexion of Signor Torrio to turn e ha a definite yellow, H. had enough, quite enough. When his wounds had healed, Torrio left the hospital by a side entrance, A vast body guard engulfed him. Torrio had thought of a way by which he could keep clear of any more attacks from “Little Hymie” Weiss, Torrio thought of everything. This time he thought it would be fine if he could go to jail and let the law rotect him. You will Well, there was a Federal “rap” awaiting Johnny on that, and he had decided that it would be useless and wonderful not to contest it further. Indeed, he induced the authorities to let him begin serving his year's sentence on February ' @eangland's favorite aking Parlor Prosperous re. 7, instead of February 27, the date set by the government originally. And so Little Johnny crept into a jail cell and he “selected” a jail as far away from Chicago as possible. It was in Waukegan, Illinois. The doors of his cell slam shut and we shall see him no more. Johnny Torrio, the boy who had been known on the old east side of New York as “Terrible Johnny” was terrible no longer, He had had enough. What kind of a life did Johnny Jead in the Waukegan ccil? He asked and received an “inside” room, and he contrived to lay himself down at night in such a position as to make him inaccessible to the naked eye (and the garlic bullet from the outside). At the end of his sen- tence, ten months later, he dropped completely out of sight and nothing has been heard in Chicago of him since. One rumor has it that he ig somewhere in New Jersey, another that he is in Italy. Our guess is that he is in Italy. It is farther away from Chicago's Gangland. QU