◆ SpookStack

{ from time to time. In Octobe 923, he was fined for iNegally manipulating a brewery transfer, and the strain was too much on hig over-taxed nerves. Incidentally it was in this period that Mr. Joe Stenson, aforementioned, was shocked te find his name and address published on page one of the newspapers. The harassed Torrio began now to show definite signs of weakening. Instead of remaining on the job at this period as he had planned, he decided to take a vacation. And, for the next six months he was out of the city. Part of his vacation was spent in Europe and in Italy, the place of his birth. In Italy he purchased a great villa for his mother. . He returned in March. This period marks the date of his decline, just as it marks the beginning of the rise to power of his lieutenant, Al Capone. As Torrio had grown superior to Colosimo, so had Capone grown superior to Torrio. It is extremely doubtful that Torrio would have bothered to return to Chicago if he had known what awaited him. The beer war was about te begin. Blood was to be poured into the beer. The shooting that can still be heard round the world was to break out in the Beer War, The “heat” in Chicago during those days of cold March, 1924, was intense for all gentlemen of the gat and the machine gun. When Johnny came slinking home there were no processions or celebrations in honor of the event. Matters in the Torrio-Capone camp were too grave for any display. Newspapers were smoking with propaganda against their rule. “The man with the gat” must go, they cried; Chicago must wrench itself free from the grip of crime. The attitude of Mayor Dever was conducive to a cleanup. His chief of police, Morgan A, Collins, was a fear- less man of the highest integrity. He was anathema to Torrio, whose strongest point of political contact was in the state’s attorney’s office. Immediately after his return to Chicago Torrio sum- moned his adherents to a meeting place in the Metropole Hotel on South Michigan Boulevard, where the most im- portant matter discussed was that of holding their own in Cicero whither Torrico had moved headquarters some- time earlier by comparatively peaceful methods. Cicero, & western suburb, soon found itself completely over-run by the underworld element. Torrio made it the base of his gambling and beer-running intereat, and the town leaped into national fame as one of the toughest spote on earth. Ingress into Cicero had not been entirely without diffi- culty however, for now they encountered the West Side O'Donnells, also Valley boys with Terry Druggan and Frankie Lake, who looked with envious eyes upon this territory. The squabbles between the Torrio-Capone and West Side O'’Donnells were of comparative unimportance however until late in 1925 when William McSwiggin, an assistant state’s attorney was murdered one evening when spending an evening with the O’Ponnells. But there were frequent disturbances, splitting of skulls, bombing of speakeasies, and general trouble over customers. Another obstacle in the path of Torrio was Eddie Tanci, a native ef Cicero, who dabbled in the illicit liquor traffic and was the proprietor of a cabaret in Cicero. Eddie regarded the advance of the O’Donnells and the Capone-Torrio outfit with hostile eyes, and he was to die for his unfriendliness a few months later. . On the eve of the Cicero election a second meeting of the Torrio-Capone gangmen was held, this time in the Four Deuces Saloon, 2222 South Wabash, owned by Capone. Every-ready Al etepped forward with the request that the business of swinging the election be placed in his capable hands. And it was. The election became a riot, the day was saved for Gangland, but A) lost his kid brother Frank Capone, in the smoke of a pistol battle with the police. The particular bullet which ended young Capone’s career 4 came from a % 30n owned and wielded by Sergeant . William Cusiack, of the Chicago Police force. (10] Gangland mourned the passing of Al’s brother the next day, instead of celebrating their technical victory at the polls. Torrio with others important in the high councils of his organization visited at Capone's home. Every one of the 123 saloons in Cicero locked its doors by order of his majesty, Johnny, and it was the dryest day in the history of the town, before or after prohibition. The slaying of Capone together with the hell raised generally during the election, inspired another cyclone of words from the public officials, particularly from State's Attorney Robert E. Crowe. Inquests and investigations tripped up as usual. Alphonse himself testified at the inquest, but after some curious sign language between him and Charles Frischetti, companion of Frank at the time of his death, Alphonse suddenly suffered a loss of memory, Despite this technical victory, Torrico found conditions in his realm growing increasingly unpleasant. A month after the election another one of his breweries was knocked off and, surprisingly and significantly enough, this time jt was done by Chief of Police Morgan Collins and Captain Matthew Zimmer. The brewery was the Sieben Brewery on the North Side. The police attack on it was one of the most beautifully executed jobs which ever a gangster looked upon with dismay. Nobody except the leaders, Collins and Zimmer, knew what was going to happen, hence there was no tip-off. With their uniformed men wondering where and what, Chief Collings and Captain Zimmer led them after midnight to the big brewery where they swooped down on men guarding thirteen truckloads of beer, ready to be convoyed through the streets. The convoy, composed of gang leaders, was arriving in auto- mobiles, and, a8 each automobile deposited itg cargo of gangsters, the Police gathered them up. It was a at aggregation and made a swell “who’s who” of Gangland All the big shots were there. King Torrio, Dion O’Banion, “Three-Gun” Louie Alterie, Hymie Weiss and others. State’s Attorney Robert E. Crowe was the logical public official to receive this prize, but, significantly enough Chief Collins delivered it instead to United States Attorney Olsen, a great pain in the neck to all gentlemen of the underworld. When asked why, this ace of policemen, responded vagely that ... Attorney Olsen had promised prompt codperation, and despite the fact that it was a police raid, pure and simple, the government was to do the prosecuting. A curious thing about gangsters is that they never venture out of doors without first “heeling” themselves with plenty of money. Angelo Genna, whose gaudy career, was to end in a few months, was “heeled” to the extent of Merreant William Cnsiack, of the Central Police Station, one of the ontstanding foes of gangsters. Sergeant Cusiack fought in the battle of Gicero and won a great victory by eliminating Frank Capone from this life. f