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Overview
This book deals primarily with the Al Capone Era in Chicago. Technically this would cover a six-year, eight-month period of time from when Johnny Torrio was shot by ‘Bugs’ Moran in January 24, 1925 to October 24, 1931 when Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison for income tax evasion. However, the book will go back a bit earlier, when Johnny Torrio first brought Capone to Chicago from New York and follow through on Capone's time in prison, his retirement in Florida, and his death.
Al Capone’s function was to clear the decks and establish supremacy of the Chicago Outfit over the independent gangs in Chicago. He did that in such a spectacular and violent manner that he came to personify what people wanted to believe the gangster era was all about. Al Capone was a larger than life colossus of what the public would like to believe the quintessential gangster boss to be. Capone owns the judges and police and he does what he wants without their interference. What Capone wants is to rule Chicago and this means a death struggle with all the other gangs there. One by one he drives them from the field with machine guns, shotguns, and bombs until only the North Side Gang stands between him and the complete submission of Chicago.
The North Side Gang, however, is not inclined to step aside without a fight and goes toe-to-toe with Capone is a series of gun battles forever enshrined in Hollywood movies. The North Side Gang’s attack culminates in the 10-car Hawthorne Restaurant drive-by, where 1,000 rounds are fired at Capone. He, however, survives the onslaught unscathed and then launches a devastating counter-attack on February 14, 1929 known as the St Valentine’s Day Massacre which breaks the back of the North Side Gang. At long last Capone now rules Chicago but he will do so only for another two-and-a-half years, then will go to prison for the next 11 years. Upon release he will be little more than a vegetable.
Our story begins in 1902, when Colosimo, a protection bagman for the First Ward aldermen ‘Hinky Dink’ Kenna and ‘Bathhouse’ John Coughlin marries Victoria Moresco, a brothel madam. Colosimo moves up from knocking out slow-paying madams with brass knuckles to owning a string of 100 bordellos (one of which he names after his wife), gambling joints, and opium dens. Colosimo likes living the good life and begins spending more and more time entertaining at Colosimo’s Café, his world-class restaurant. Black Handers soon try shaking him down and his wife calls on her cousin Johnny Torrio from Brooklyn for help. Torrio comes to Chicago and rubs out the three Black-Handers and in appreciation is asked by Colosimo to stay and run his bordellos, which he agrees to do. Torrio’s highly efficient management skills allows Colosimo to spend ever more time socializing at his restaurant.
Torrio clearly sees that fortunes are to be made with the passage of Prohibition. Other gangs see it too and are gearing up bootlegging operations, but Colosimo refuses to allow Torrio to get involved. Any Prohibition violations will come under federal law which not only cannot be bought off but will result in stiff jail time. Colosimo really does not need the money anyway, he is making over $50,000 a month from his existing vice operations in the Levee and at this point in his life just prefers not to rock the boat. This does not suit Torrio, however, because he is in crime for the huge money to be made and unlike Colosimo he hasn’t made enough of it yet. When Colosimo marries the angelic 19-year-old church singer Dale Winter and virtually abandons his duties as the leader of his gang, this is the last straw for Torrio. He contacts his old friend from Brooklyn Frankie Yale, and pays him $10,000 to come to Chicago and murder Colosimo. About two weeks after his marriage to Dale Colosimo is found dead in the vestibule of his restaurant
Torrio now runs the Outfit and he focuses on making money, lots of it. He expands prostitution and gambling operations and quickly moves into bootlegging. Torrio is a talker not a fighter and his philosophy is negotiation over gunplay. He is also a brilliant underworld strategist and a highly efficient manager. Torrio organizes the gangs in Chicago is a loose organization for mutual financial benefit. Al Capone now joins Torrio from New York as his protégé to help him run his Chicago operations. Marked for death in New York for killing a White Hand Gang member there, the East Coast has become too hot for Capone and Frankie Yale makes a call to his old friend Torrio in Chicago to get Capone a job there . Capone proves himself brutal and capable, working his way up from a ‘street steerer’ (who propositions men passing by to come in and see the ‘fast’ women inside) to a bouncer, to a bartender, to Torri
Al Capone’s function was to clear the decks and establish supremacy of the Chicago Outfit over the independent gangs in Chicago. He did that in such a spectacular and violent manner that he came to personify what people wanted to believe the gangster era was all about. Al Capone was a larger than life colossus of what the public would like to believe the quintessential gangster boss to be. Capone owns the judges and police and he does what he wants without their interference. What Capone wants is to rule Chicago and this means a death struggle with all the other gangs there. One by one he drives them from the field with machine guns, shotguns, and bombs until only the North Side Gang stands between him and the complete submission of Chicago.
The North Side Gang, however, is not inclined to step aside without a fight and goes toe-to-toe with Capone is a series of gun battles forever enshrined in Hollywood movies. The North Side Gang’s attack culminates in the 10-car Hawthorne Restaurant drive-by, where 1,000 rounds are fired at Capone. He, however, survives the onslaught unscathed and then launches a devastating counter-attack on February 14, 1929 known as the St Valentine’s Day Massacre which breaks the back of the North Side Gang. At long last Capone now rules Chicago but he will do so only for another two-and-a-half years, then will go to prison for the next 11 years. Upon release he will be little more than a vegetable.
Our story begins in 1902, when Colosimo, a protection bagman for the First Ward aldermen ‘Hinky Dink’ Kenna and ‘Bathhouse’ John Coughlin marries Victoria Moresco, a brothel madam. Colosimo moves up from knocking out slow-paying madams with brass knuckles to owning a string of 100 bordellos (one of which he names after his wife), gambling joints, and opium dens. Colosimo likes living the good life and begins spending more and more time entertaining at Colosimo’s Café, his world-class restaurant. Black Handers soon try shaking him down and his wife calls on her cousin Johnny Torrio from Brooklyn for help. Torrio comes to Chicago and rubs out the three Black-Handers and in appreciation is asked by Colosimo to stay and run his bordellos, which he agrees to do. Torrio’s highly efficient management skills allows Colosimo to spend ever more time socializing at his restaurant.
Torrio clearly sees that fortunes are to be made with the passage of Prohibition. Other gangs see it too and are gearing up bootlegging operations, but Colosimo refuses to allow Torrio to get involved. Any Prohibition violations will come under federal law which not only cannot be bought off but will result in stiff jail time. Colosimo really does not need the money anyway, he is making over $50,000 a month from his existing vice operations in the Levee and at this point in his life just prefers not to rock the boat. This does not suit Torrio, however, because he is in crime for the huge money to be made and unlike Colosimo he hasn’t made enough of it yet. When Colosimo marries the angelic 19-year-old church singer Dale Winter and virtually abandons his duties as the leader of his gang, this is the last straw for Torrio. He contacts his old friend from Brooklyn Frankie Yale, and pays him $10,000 to come to Chicago and murder Colosimo. About two weeks after his marriage to Dale Colosimo is found dead in the vestibule of his restaurant
Torrio now runs the Outfit and he focuses on making money, lots of it. He expands prostitution and gambling operations and quickly moves into bootlegging. Torrio is a talker not a fighter and his philosophy is negotiation over gunplay. He is also a brilliant underworld strategist and a highly efficient manager. Torrio organizes the gangs in Chicago is a loose organization for mutual financial benefit. Al Capone now joins Torrio from New York as his protégé to help him run his Chicago operations. Marked for death in New York for killing a White Hand Gang member there, the East Coast has become too hot for Capone and Frankie Yale makes a call to his old friend Torrio in Chicago to get Capone a job there . Capone proves himself brutal and capable, working his way up from a ‘street steerer’ (who propositions men passing by to come in and see the ‘fast’ women inside) to a bouncer, to a bartender, to Torri
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940012966995 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | James Ashley |
| Publication date: | 06/07/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Background in banking, retail sales, and the criminal court system. Enjoy writing e-books, where the reader can have a good afternoon read and learn a few new things he/she did not know before. I like to price my books low enough to give the reader a viable economic choice of either renting a bad movie or reading an interesting book.
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