◆ SpookStack

on the morning of February 14, ? and, after kindly and smilingly posing for photograpi. chey departed. Where was George “Bugs” Moran on the day his gallant Heutenants were put on the spot? And how did it happen that George himself failed to show up at 2122 North Clark street in response to the invitation that it would be to his: advantage as a truck load of hi-jacked liquor would be offered for sale, All these questions were asked on every hand before the bodies of his men had been removed from the blood and grease on the cement floor. Well, there was nothing exciting about the answer when it finally came, several months later. Sitting in the office of Commissioner Stege the man who held the throne once occupied by Dion O’ Banion and“Little Hymie” Weiss, said very plainly that he was at home at the time, suffering with a light touch of the “flu.” This looked bad for those roman- ticists who had argued that “Bugs” act- ing on a hunch, had remained away from the spot at the last minute, and that, as a matter of fact he was one of the hundreds who packed the narrow street in front of the garage When the perio- rated bodies of his men were discovered. Moran left Chicago a few days later for Canada and did not return for sev- era) months. One day he suddenly ap- peared at the detective bureau, pro- tected by his lawyer. “Bugs” is very self-conscious and nervous when in this institution, but he had obviously care- fully prepared himself for the ordeal of saying yes and no. It may be inter- esting to record that, when asked con- cerning his relations with Pete and Frank Gusenberg and all the other vic- tims,Moran replied: “* I didn’t have nothing to do with those guys. I wasn’t WMT Ltaet 4 ever in that gar in my life; it looked too much like the floral shop to me. A day or so later Joe Aiello also appeared at the bureau concerning a little matter of murders—the murder of Lolardo particularly. “Chief, two years ago de Chief O’Connor, he tell me to get out of town,” aaid Joe, “and I go, efen though I never do nothing wrong. Chief, I like your Chicago. I wanta live here and be a respectable man in my bakery.” Before Joe left, he denied ever having met anyone by the name of Moran. One thing is certain. The police did not particularly grieve over the passing of the Gusenbergs, Pete and Frank. hese boys had been raising hell in Chicago fof many years, and while news of their violent deaths did not exactly inspire rousing cheers, the remarks made several days after the massacre by Chief of Detectives John Egan concerning the average life of the gangster may not be interpreted as coming from a saddened heart. “The average life of the Chicago gangster,” said Detective Egan, “is about 30 to 31 years, and that rate Pete who was about 36, had lived five or six years beyond his allotted time. Frank Gusenberg who was 38 years old, was about seven or eight years over-due at the morgue. They must have been mighty careful of themselves to last as long as they did. Chief Egan said that Clark, being 32, was a year or two late, while Al Weinshank had his coming to him for the past four or five years. Johnny May, said Chief Egan, was bumped off right on schedule, and Adam Hyer who was only 29, got cheated out of a year, (Upper photograph) Dominck Aiello, minor member of the Morth fide gang. (Lower photograph) The last public appear- ance of Dominck Aiello.