◆ SpookStack

mila Jook, “ Why.tm a + innlices man Tm @ second. a0 ad furniture dealer.” This was im 1923, after the pork- ced Capone already was weli the road to success. How was he le io fix the witnesses so purely at he could walk into the hands tha police a few waeks later with- + the slightest fear of taking the p? What was biz background? hat sort of training qualified this ' an to win out over al] others In e frenzied ecramble to contro! the 0,000,000-a-year bootleg liquor bual- ‘6 Which started with the advent prohibition in a city that was ve-to-one wet? What factors aped the career of this extraordi- wey being who i a different age ié environment might have been s ‘ussolini or @ Napoleon? He was a sleek, solidly built bey Le ceeget wn tc things quickly in ‘hool and was a help to his moth- * He Nved near the corner of roadway and éilushing avenue, rooklyn, N. Y., in an Italian tene- ent and was known to the boys as id, con of Capone the barber, who ad recently migrated to America rom Nantes rom Napieg. TR While stiJl in the fourth grade Al uit school to help his parents in heir struggle for existence in the lums, Only ten then, his funetion vas to bring home firewood or any ther useful gupplies he could col- ect. He seemed affable and soft- poken except to ihe few whe knew lim in anger. He was smooth as a dancer and ‘requented a hall then known as he Broadway Casino, He also be- ‘ame one of the beat pool players n the Greenpoint section of Brook- yn. He was never afraid of a fight and could hold his own against the west of them. At the age of twenty-one he had never been arrested. But he was too cloze to the gang life te be im- mune for long. The world in which his associates moved was a world mostiy of opportunism, a word in which cops were one’s natural ene- mies and anyone carrying money or valuables one’s natura) prey. It happened one evening when Al was listening to a political rally. A fellow from hia favorlte poolroom came up. “Tiley, AI!” he sakl “You gotta cume betu to the joint right away. We need you, A poo) shark came in a couple of hours ago an' has been cleanin’ uz out, Altogether STL Catitise fail we owe the guy about eight nun dacd cules inet ia, we did when I left. He's atuck-up as hell, but we eh. you ovil4 take him. You gotta hurry, though, Al.” Capone hurried to the spot, The boyo were overjoyed to see him, for they knew he never drank and that g0, as.he was due —geewes naterntip——_-—- "Eventful at being lett in this hu- Inttigting position and demanded that Al remain, but Al put on hig - coat and smooth gray hat, Without a word the stranger pulled & long-bladed knife from hie pocket, opened It, and gave Al to understand he'd play poot or else! Al did not healtate one second, His right shot out to the man’s chin with all bis 200 pounds behind ft. The man dropped and lay motion- less. Al ran for home. . Twenty minutes later a misin- formed friend from the poolroom arrived to tell him that his jute op- ponent was dead. There was excite ment anf weeping in the Capone home. But Al thought of his tough cousing in the Five Points gang in lower Manhattan at the other end of the Williamsburg bridge. The Five Points gang was then consid- ered the best training schoo) for hoodluma in the country. Sprejy . the Five Pojnts boys would know what Al ought to do. They did. They assured him he had better get out of town immedi- ately. They said they could help him to the extent of trying to get a former captain in the gang, one Johnny Torric, to look out for him when he got to Chicago. Torrio had gone there to be assoclated with “Big Jim" Colosimo, a politi- elan and vice overlord of a section in the southern part of Chicago's First ward. Al Capone took their advice. He came to Chicago in his beat new suit, and, sure enough, Johnny Tor- rio fixed him up. Torrio got a job for the oversized boy from Brooklyn as watcher for a house of prostitu- tion in Burnham. While young Capone watched du- tifully at his post in Burnham, with hia neat sear (said to have been re- ceived in a Brooklyn saloon) for his chevron, Big Jim Colosimo was en- joying the lucrative fruits of his political success in the 22d street district. Big Jim had come to Chi- cago in the nineties and got himself a job as water bey on a railroad section gang. His next job, pushing a broom through the streets of the First ward, gave the ambitious youth much better soclal opportu- nities. With broom jin hand he met such colorful personages as Alds. Michael (Hink# Dink) Kenna and “Bathhouse John" Coughlin, and jt was a natural development for Jim to shift from broom-awinging to vyoteawinging, He rose to promi- nence in the street sweepers’ union and organized his fellow whitewin, {nto a social and athletic club whic! could deliver as a unit at election time end was as bridle-wise as a riding-school nag. “Some day I'm golng to run this ward,” Colosimo once said to a fel- Caurlrocm ecisa ot tool of Sens Visal For the murder \ shoms. ‘The stran- -_ Krusger, Vinel, Deputy Sherif William Gallagher, He meant it, and shortly sold tis - broom fer a fob in a eefé,- He al- reaéy was learning how te turn his triendahips with “ Bathhouse John” and “Hinky Dink” into a goiden- egg-laying goose, and In chert order het owned hin own poolroom. A year or two fater saw young Jim a pre cinct captain with various privileges appertaining to the old levee district located within the boundaries of tha ward and bisected by the sightiife whoopee spots of 22d street. From poolroom proprietor he-became honkytonk owner, then partner in I—Joe Howard ..ssssseesecess 2—Dion O'Baniom, ...ecccceees ee oe 3—Thomas Duffy... é—James J. Doherty. . ELWilliine, TI Mae. rptttees 6—Earl Hymie Weilas....++,-- 7—John Costenare,.... S3—Santo Celebron............ 9—Antonlo Torchio.......... . ea bt pee 10—Frank Hitchcock... 15—Joseph Cagiando .,....-..> 16—Joseph Fasso.......... sane i7—“ Diamond Joe” Esposito, * 7 {standing May 7, 1923 Nev. 10, 1924 Oet. 1L, 1926 Jan. 7, 1927 Jan. 7, 1927 May 25, 1927 July 27, 1927 Aug. 11, 1927 Aaer Tf TOO Mg. £4 Sept. 24, 1927 Jan. 18, 1928 Jan. 18, 1928 Jan, 18, 1928 March 21, 1928 April 23, 1928 wee GIT Fa, MecSwiggin. . (assistant state's attorney) = Frew, Lab to dah iy -” Vinci's attorney, tam name “certain red-light enterprises. omkig ~ finally Big Fim of hie own Os mo's café at 718 South Wad avenue, Eventually Big Jim became thes acknowledzed bess of the south side - underworld, and his revenue came : ‘not only from the resorts he himself but also in the form of trib- * ute from ajl other illegal resorts in 3 the district. But wealth brought with it vi comfert and complications. Jim was victimized by the Amerigan 3 Mafia. He received letters threaten- + 3 Because he tried hijack contemptible braggart Because he ran the nort war on the south side It the Sicilians!” April 27, 1926 Because Capone suspec' April 27, 1826 Hl 27, 1926 Because he happened t Because he was O’Eal and out to get Capone. ee Because they were pla a conspiracy trial. Because he was a New ae en Because he was a boot wanted to put out of tI saldernnin een etanipneaneneanar Because they were impt ae it Because he was importe See ee a Because they were hija: Because he didn’t want ee Because he tried to org Capone, and also becat guard who did the jobs such a gesture of loyal 19—Francesco Uale........ eres | ouly 1, 1928 Because he dovbie-croi (Frank Yale) tunning manager. 20—Frank Gusenberg..........| Feb, 14, 1929 Because they were in ¢ 21—Pete Gusenberg,..........] Feb, 14, 1929 Valentine's day when M—John May .......ccscecenee Feb. 14, 1929 desperate altempt to w 23—Al Weinshank.........0... Feb, 14, 1929 . . M4—mJames Clark ..ccccceeeaaes Feb. 14, 1929 rs M—Adam Heyer...,.......2005 Feb. 14, 1929 SARS 2%—Dr, Schwimmer,,....... vee} Feb. 14, 1929 a a ee gi—Albert Anselmi............| May 8, 1929 Because Guinta, as pre 2B—John Scalise... ccs cae enee May 8, 1929 treacherously planning 29—Joseph Guinta (Juno)..... May &, 1929 by Angelmi and Scalise. B2Q—Tack Zut@.scscvssssessnace Bi—Joe Alello ...ccssccseneceee be F MALT DPIC MULLS wate 13--Samuel Vaiente........... 14—Harry Fuller... ccasecuacs June 24, 1929 Feb. 1, 1830 Aug. 1, 1930 Oct. 23, 1930 —_———_— Because he welched on ee Because he was a prof and a paid newspaper / a , Because he was a spy ‘ ell Because he was a dang Bugs Moran.