◆ SpookStack

(Tribune photo) waiting gtimpss of Capone on his way to the United States district attorney's office for questioning ing kidnaping for rensom, then throats of terture and death. He de et himself a bodyguard a New York for the pur- waa abut J9LG. ght beck a 2Dyearcld raed Johony Torrio whom wh ap one of the elder he Five Polnta gang BoA Wat ne vas pifan. . . He had ty. business sagacity, al imagination. He Pha Ane nie af antl Morgan Collins, Chicago pofice commission from, 1923 to i927... cont. And he was front, And he was... On Torrio's arrival th. Chicage, Cotosimo’s persecution eessed — at least temporartiy, Torrico lived by the gun. It was his professfon. When shortly after Als arrival three Black Handers demanded that Colo- simo meet them with §25,000 under an Archer svanus viaduct, Tarrio sent four men to the apot with sawed-off shotguns. When the Black Hand leader approachen the dark touring car, ashing, “ Where ie our package?” he middenly found him- self looking down a 12-gauge muz- zie. For the Black Handers it was soared. Torrio, the business man, shrewdly teft the retall business to othere and began to expand a vast , Wholesale business which rapidly took on the proportions of a eouth side monopoly, To operate an industry big enough: te satiety Torric’s ambition would require able Heutenanta and a pol- icy of ruthlessness toward all oppo- sition, Who could Torre get to . belp him? Torrlo was an exper} enced manager, and he thought the problem over carefully—then picked ric knew that al Capone was big and strong and quick in action, that he was intelligent, that he drank litte, that he could be amooth on occasion, and that he waa a natural leader of man. “How would you Uke §25,000 2 — year eald Torrin to Canons one year, TOR 2 Gapens one evening in the rear of a 224 street dance hall, “and to be my partner in the beer and booze business? We'll split the Uquor profits fifty. Sity, What do you say?” age “O. EK, Johnny,” grunted ble AL The deal was on, Capone stepped into his new position with con- Adencve and alacrity. Soon he began to make hig mark. Man jearned to fear and respect him. . He never prkod a map wo do anything that he couldn't or wouldn't do himselz. . He could be as tough as a mad ele- Phant one moment and as playful asa puppy the next. The collection of assorted crooks and criminals that he and Torrico were able to eniist from all over the city quickly took on = measure of discipline under his drill sergeant brand of leadership. His remarkable fisir for organizing bufit un a machine admirabiy suited to the tagk pet for it. The drivers, sharpshooters, spies, watehmen, lawyers, and others on the pay roll knew what was expect: ed of them. and they did it. Few ever deserted cr turned traitor. Thee nat ante masnrated tals bare aga nt oe “The worried man in moat carey would a thas to consider, In which. = cam. the O'Donnelis would grant ‘him a twenty-four-hour stay, at the | ead of which, # he was stl stub born, they would emphasize their argument with Asis or revolver sot further. ' - An exception we Jacob Gets, who weld, “I uy my beer from Capone _y Torri, . aoe Tm satisfiod _ arith 1." : ‘Swen Bris could ‘net change Jake's | “paid, for his burly frame was a ttle too muck for ODonneii’s two . drummers, who get bounced elabe- .wately obt Jake's Boor. Bo three “Woanell brothers, with OPConnoe, “Meeghan,: ahd Bucher, “extted t-~ Get neighborhood saloon at ZLBd Weat Sist sirect eartf in the eve —_ hosp! with gs fractured skull god lay at the point of death for weeks. After thelr argument with Gels that eve ning the aroused ODonnells invad- od Ave other recalcitrant deer seil- ere, administering various treat- ments, and then repaired te Joseph Klepke's geloon at S258 South Ling coln street, a sort of headquarters, to partake of refreshments, it was while ther were relaxtng in Klepka’s place that five men en- -tered and the leader, brandishing his .28, roared: “Suck up your hands or TH blew you to hell" The O'Donnells scattered for ihe doort and were pursued closely to the street, where, shooting wildly at ‘their attackers, they made their eacape-~all except Jerry O'Connor, who lay dead on the sidewalk, shot through the heart. In the official records Jerry O'Con- nore death is indexed as the first killing of the bootleg war. It was followed ten days Jater, Sept. 17, by the murders of his agsociaies, Mee- ghan and Bucher. The repercussions of the O’Bon- nell purge, however, would have* been enough te worry A commander of lesser stature, The late William E. Dever, then six months fn office as mayor, Was so shocked by the kiitings that he revoked the licenses of 2,000 “soft drink parlors,” gun moned Chief of Police Collins to hie office, and assumed personal charge of the situaiion. His official staie ment said: . “The police will follow this case to & Bnish as they do all others This guerrilla war between hijack- ers, rum runners, and illecit beer peddlers can and will be crushed,” It was a brave utterance—but it was vest @qually futlle. There were to be # more kiings similar =k to th a O'Connor iy the fall of 192 38 in 1924, 46 in 1935, end 64 in 152%, Me Dever's last year in office, six pil were fo be aequitie? save one-—Sam Vin. vhs ¢huse the ac- caston Of a coroner's inquest to dis- patch John Minatti wlth a 45-cali- ber automatic. Hs explanation