Reader Ad Slot
Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.
Al Capone — Part 8
Page 29
29 / 70
a em
uented display of
fireworks rom
Gangland any day.
It came on May 26.
Angelo Genna, out-
standing of the six
Genna brothers, was
tha Brot tn din
bit ioe Led c
Angelo who had
built up an “alky”
business on the
West Side in Little
Italy, enjoyed pro-
tection from the
police, particularly
from the police of
the Maxwell Sta-
tion in his district.
He had once staged
a great party in a
loop hotel attended
by State’s Attorney
Rebert E. Crowe
and four of his de-
tectives. Other pub-
lic officials had at-
tended, including a
judge of the superior court. Crowe made the principal
address to the sleek Italian gangsters, many of whom are
now dead. Sticky with wealth, and power the Gennas were
a ghastly mob at the time O’Banion and his boys began
to push them around, and they strengthened their ties
with Capone as well as smuggling a number of their
countrymen into Chicago purely for killing purposes. An-
gelo had married a daughter of a prominent Italian and,
foolishly enough, had established her in a beautiful apart-
ment far up north on Sheridan road. Angelo was
driving from this apartment westward over Ogden Avenue
in his long powerful “sport” model automobile on May
26 when an automobile containing four men darted along
side his machine and deposited a dozen or more slugs
into his bedy, killing him instantly. Angelo was given a
great funeral, greater even than O’Banion had been given.
More flowers, more politicians, costlier casket. Jt may
have been that the remaining Gennas wanted to impress
“Little Hymie.” If so, the gesture was futile,
Anthony Genna the “fiz” for the
Q@enna brothers.
“Little Hymie” continued his forays inte the Genna
country around Taylor Street, determined to wipe out the
entire mob. Illustrative of his courage and recklessness a
police squad came upon him and George “Bugs” Moran
one evening as they strolled nonchalantly down Taylor
street. “What are you birds doin’ here?” asked one of
the friendly officers; “don’t you think its pretty hot over
here for you?” <A volley of oaths greeted the query.
“Hell no,” declared Moran, “I wish one of these ‘wops’
would show himself. I’m nuts to blow off some grease-
ball’s head.”
Weil, the next Genna to die
was Mike, most ferecious of
them all which is saying a Tot.
He departed this life on June
13, 1925, just eighteen days
after Angelo became defunct.
Along with the two masters of
murder, Scalice and Anselmi,
Mike was touring about his
domain looking for “Little
Hymie” and Moran who were
reported in the neighborhood.
Somewhere, the spot has never
been marked, there was an en-
counter in which, apparently,
the North Side men got the
worst of it. At any rate Mike
and his murderers sped on at
a terrific pace, thinking that
they were being pursued when,
as a matter of fact, Hymie and
“Bugs” retired to their own
Death Corner in Chicago—Milton and Oak Streets. At
‘
1
automobile. But the .ost ferocious of ali the Gennas
raced on at crazy speed, The pavements were wet and
slippery for there had been a sudden downpour early that
morning. As their automobile shot down Western Avenue
at Forty-Seventh Street, Mike was recognized by Detective
Michael J. Conway, who, with two other officers, sat in a
parked automobile, They pursued the automobile, with
gong sounding and horn rearing. At 59th Street, a truck
turned directly into the path of the on-coming Genna
automobile, now going faster than ever, and there was a
terrific screeching of brakes as Mike attempted to avert
a collision and death. His automobile swerved around like
a top and then skidded into a concrete lamp post, com-
pletely wrecking the machine. At this moment the police
drew up. “What’s the big idea,” demanded Officer dison,
leaping out of the automobile, “didn’t you hear our gong?”
For answer there was a roar from the revolver of Scalice
and Anselmi, and the top of Officer Olson’s head was blown
off, and an aged mother who was deaf and four young
brothers were left to mourn him.
Almost before
the officers could
draw their revolv-
ers there was a
second blast and
Officer Walsh died;
a third blast and
Officer Conway,
terribly wounded,
fell to the pave-
ment. Sealice and
Anselmi began to
run down the street
which by this time
was filled with hor-
ror-stricken people.
Mike Genna fled
in a different di-
rection across a va-
cant lot.
Officer Sweeny
selected the Genna
to pursue, and
across the lot he
went, firing his re-
volver every few
paces. Sweeny was
gaming on the sav-
age mia when
suddenly Mike
turned in his tracks, took careful aim and pulled the
trigger. Fortunately for Sweeny the cartridge did not
explode, and Mike turned to resume his flight. Sweeny now
stopped and took aim, and a bullet tore into Genna’s leg,
severing an artery. Genna, bleeding to death, continued to
run, leaving a trail of blood behind him. He jumped over
a fence and rushed for the doorway of a basement into
which he disappeared. In the meantime unexpected help
had come in the person of
Officer Rickett who had been
passing on a street car and
had seen the running battle.
Both officers dashed into the
basement, Mike lay in the
darkness of a corner. More
dead than alive he raised his
Weapon, pointed it at the men
and again pulled the trigger.
There was an explosion this
time but the man was dying
and his aim had been unsteady
and ‘the bullet went wild.
Death had Mike Genna in his
cold grip by the time two am-
bulance attendants arrived
with a stretcher to bear the
wounded bootlegger off to a
hospital. As they laid gentle
hands on him, Mike again
brought himself te conscious-
Pete Genna, one of the two living
Genus brothers. He isn't in Chicago
however, for he was chased ont of
town by “Kittle Hymie”" -Welns.
preserves, possibly with a least fifteen gangsters have been put on the “spot” at ness. With a great and last
wounded henchman in their this corner. effort, Mike raised his leg and
[33]
aA
5
*
Reveal the original PDF page, then click a word to highlight the OCR text.
Community corrections
No user corrections yet.
Comments
No comments on this document yet.
Bottom Reader Ad Slot
Bottom Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.
Continue Exploring
Reader
Topic
Agency Collection
Explore This Archive Cluster
Broad Topic Hub
Topic Hub
bureau
Related subtopics
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic