"Have you got this fellow Capone yet? I want that man in jail."
- President Herbert Hoover
- President Herbert Hoover
Bloodshed With Every SipWhile Prohibition resulted in the illegal selling and transportation of alcohol, it also resulted in many deaths and led to the rise of organized crime in Chicago. During the 1920's, death by alcohol was very common. If the alcohol itself did not cause a person’s death, it was not unlikely that a person died either fighting over possession of alcohol or during an illegal sell gone wrong. Mike Byzeck, age 41, was found dead on his kitchen floor on January 23, 1925. It is reported that Byzeck had been drinking illegal Moonshine and died immediately from alcohol poisoning. Although his death was unfortunate, others were not so lucky. Many of the time when a man was found dead because of Moonshine, it was typically because he had been shot or stabbed to death during a fight over the illegal alcohol. Soon we see a pattern of hit-and-runs and drive-by shootings as men are shot while sitting in their cars, stabbed in dark alleys and murdered in front of their homes by unknown men.Although these murders were surprising and shocking, most of them were not random. Many times these murders connected back to forms of organized crime such gangsters. The majority of victims reported in police cases either owed money to a gang or they themselves were a part of a group of gangsters fighting over territory or alcohol hijacking. On July 31, 1929, Thomas McNicholas, a 37 year old gangster was shot during a fight with another gangster, James Shupe. The two men had been gunning for each other because of alcohol hijacking. [1]
War BombingDespite this great number of loss, gangs still managed to thrive. Many gangs recruited law-abiding citizens who in return received high salaried positions such as minor gunmen or lower positioned gangsters. These gunmen and other gangsters specialized in different fields of violence. Typically this list consisted of slugging, shooting, window smashing, and bombing followed by a quick flee to the getaway car. Gangsters also had a hand in a lot of the illegal gambling that went on throughout the city. It wasn’t long before gangsters began mixing one of their methods of violence with the practice of gambling.
Gambling war bombing. Bombs were used by gangsters during fights over territory, to intimidate witnesses, to embarrass the police, and to expose the participation of public officials in gambling graft. These bombings often went unpunished. Gang members were often never convicted of any of the bombings due to the fact that many witnesses to these bombings were terrorized or suddenly disappeared if they ever decided to testify against any gang members. With lawyers being paid off and witnesses always changing their testimonies, gangsters were free to roam the streets. Many citizens lived in constant fear with little to no protection from the law. [4] |
Beer Wars There were ten gangs present in the Chicago area during prohibition: The Bugs Moran gang, the Touhy gang, the Guilfoyle gang, the Maddox “Circus” gang, the Klondike O’Donnell gang, the Druggan Lake gang, the Saltis-McErlane gang, the Ralph Sheldon gang and the Spike O’Donnell gang. When prohibition first passed, many brewery owners sought to get rid of their companies immediately. Many ended up selling their companies to gangsters who continued to run these factories despite the fact that the selling and production of alcohol was now illegal.[2] However, it wasn't long before a fight over control of the sale of beer broke out and a beer war was at hand. This Beer war between the gangs started when the Spike O’Donnells tried to invade the territory of the Saltis-McErlane gang. For four years, gangsters murdered each other over the control of the booze and beer business. At the end of the wars, two hundred fifteen gangsters were murdered, however, only a handful of arrests had been made during this period of war. [3]
RacketeeringGambling war bombing was not the only violent activity gangs practiced. Head bosses of gangs also added racketeering to their resume of thug qualifications. Racketeering is the practice of exploiting a business association through the use of violence for personal benefits. Racketeers were the bosses of these so called legitimate businesses. Most of the time, racketeers were gunmen who forced themselves upon unions as their leader. They would do this by throwing a few bricks into windows, and then killing or injuring those in charge of the business or union. The racketeer would then organize a group of small businessmen and would impose fines, oversee prices, take control of employee hours of work, and ultimately, profit from the business. [5]
Overall, thugs controlled the city. They had a hand in businesses, illegal selling and production of alcohol and played a major role in many organized crimes and murders. |
[1]"Prohibition and Temperance (1920-1933)" Homicide in Chicago 1870-1930. Northwestern University School of Law http://homicide.northwestern.edu/about/
[2]Wigmore, John H. and Lashly, Arthur V., The Rule of the Underworld, The Illinois Crime Survey: Part Three, Chicago, Illinois association for criminal justice in cooperation with the Chicago crime commission, ©1929 http://homicide.northwestern.edu/docs_fk/homicide/ICS/ICS.20.pdf
[3]Wigmore, John H. and Lashly, Arthur V., The Beer Wars, The Illinois Crime Survey: Part Three, Chicago, Illinois association for criminal justice in cooperation with the Chicago crime commission, ©1929 http://homicide.northwestern.edu/docs_fk/homicide/ICS/ICS.21.pdf
[4]Wigmore, John H. and Lashly, Arthur V., Terrorization by Bombs, The Illinois Crime Survey: Part Three, Chicago, Illinois association for criminal justice in cooperation with the Chicago crime commission, ©1929 http://homicide.northwestern.edu/docs_fk/homicide/ICS/ICS.22.pdf
[5]Wigmore, John H. and Lashly, Arthur V., Racketeering, The Illinois Crime Survey: Part Three, Chicago, Illinois association for criminal justice in cooperation with the Chicago crime commission, ©1929 http://homicide.northwestern.edu/docs_fk/homicide/ICS/ICS.23.pdf
[2]Wigmore, John H. and Lashly, Arthur V., The Rule of the Underworld, The Illinois Crime Survey: Part Three, Chicago, Illinois association for criminal justice in cooperation with the Chicago crime commission, ©1929 http://homicide.northwestern.edu/docs_fk/homicide/ICS/ICS.20.pdf
[3]Wigmore, John H. and Lashly, Arthur V., The Beer Wars, The Illinois Crime Survey: Part Three, Chicago, Illinois association for criminal justice in cooperation with the Chicago crime commission, ©1929 http://homicide.northwestern.edu/docs_fk/homicide/ICS/ICS.21.pdf
[4]Wigmore, John H. and Lashly, Arthur V., Terrorization by Bombs, The Illinois Crime Survey: Part Three, Chicago, Illinois association for criminal justice in cooperation with the Chicago crime commission, ©1929 http://homicide.northwestern.edu/docs_fk/homicide/ICS/ICS.22.pdf
[5]Wigmore, John H. and Lashly, Arthur V., Racketeering, The Illinois Crime Survey: Part Three, Chicago, Illinois association for criminal justice in cooperation with the Chicago crime commission, ©1929 http://homicide.northwestern.edu/docs_fk/homicide/ICS/ICS.23.pdf