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| February, 1929 |
It
was February 14th 1929.
Now, eighty-four years later, people are still mesmerized by
the events and the stunned by the brutality of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
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| North Clark Street |
What
began as a quiet morning on the North Side of Chicago turned into one of the most atrocious mob hits in gangland history.
It was an incident that would become associated with gang violence and
killings for decades to come.
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| SMC Cartage Garage |
Four
men, posing as police officers conducting a routine raid, entered the SMC
Cartage garage at 2122 North Clark Street. The building was being used to store bootleg liquor.
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| St. Valentine's Day Massacre |
Seven
men were gunned down. Six of them
were part of George “Bugs” Moran’s North Side Irish gang. They had waged a continuous gangland battle against Al Capone for control of the bootleg liquor in the city of
Chicago. At the start of the year,
Moran had one of Al “Scarface” Capone’s South Side Italian gang members
murdered. Capone vowed revenge on
Valentine’s Day.
 |
| George "Bugs" Moran |
Moran
received a call on February 13th that a special shipment of bootleg whiskey would be coming in
the next day, February 14th, to the garage on North Clark. Moran agreed to be there when it
arrived.
The
next morning around 10:00, six of Moran’s men met at the garage to wait for him. They were:
 |
| James Clark |
James
Clark, Moran’s brother-in-law, and second in command.
 |
| Frank Gusenberg |
 |
| Peter Gusenberg |
Frank
Gusenberg and his brother, Peter Gusenberg, both hit men for Moran.
 |
| Adam Heyer |
Adam
Heyer, bookkeeper for the gang.
 |
| Albert Weinshank |
Albert
Weinshank managed several ‘businesses’ for Moran.
 |
| Johnny May |
 |
| Highball |
Johnny
May, the gang’s auto mechanic, was also there working on a vehicle. Johnny had brought his dog, Highball, with
him.
 |
| Ad for Reinhardt Schwimmer |
And,
hanging around, as usual, was local optometrist, Reinhardt Schwimmer. Schwimmer enjoyed the thrill of being
on the fringe of the gang.
As
Moran’s car was approaching the garage, a police car pulled up in front and
four men got out; two were in uniform, two were not. Moran thought it was a raid and directed his driver to keep going. It wasn't until later in the day when he heard of the killings that he realized it had been a set up for him.
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| Guns Used in Killings |
 |
| Aftermath |
The
“police” entered the garage and lined the seven men up against a wall. They then pulled out Thompson sub-machine guns and opened
fire. Over 70 rounds of ammunition were fired. All of Moran’s men were killed,
along with Schwimmer. Only the dog
survived.
 |
| Crowd Watches |
Shortly
afterwards, the landlady of the adjoining building sent a boarder next door to
see why the dog was barking and howling.
After discovering the murders, the police were summoned.
 |
| Police Remove Bodies |
Chicago
police were stunned at the carnage.
Six men were dead, each sprayed with 15 to 30 bullets from the Tommy
guns. The seventh, Frank Gusenberg,
was still alive. He was rushed to
a local hospital, but his injuries were too severe to survive. Although he was questioned about who
had shot him, Gusenberg replied, “Nobody shot me.”
 |
| Al Capone |
 |
| Bugs Moran |
When
Moran was told about the killings, he immediately fingered Capon as ordering
the hit. When the media questioned
Capone, he responded, "The only
man who kills like that is Bugs Moran".
The
public was shocked by the cold-blooded brutality of the murders. Chicago
gangster, Al Capone was the prime suspect in the murders. But Capone could not be linked to the
killings. He had an air-tight alibi - he was in Miami at the
time.
 |
| Jack McGurn |
Police
arrested several men suspected of being gunmen, but only one was directly connected to Capone. “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn was a member
of Capone’s Outfit and said to be the mastermind behind the massacre. He supposedly hired gang members from
outside of Chicago, so that none would be recognized, if there were survivors.
Those believed to be the triggermen were Albert Anselmi, Fred Burke, John
Scalise, and Joseph Lolordo.
 |
| John Scalise & Al Anselmi |
 |
| Fred Burke |
Jack
McGurn also had a provable alibi. Fred
Burke was arrested, but before he could be tried, he was charged with killing a police officer and sentenced
to life in prison. John Scalise
and Albert Anselmi were found dead on a back road in Indiana two months after the shootings.
 |
| Capone's Mug Shot |
Although
the St Valentine’s Day Massacre did end the North side gang’s control of the
city, it also began Capone’s downfall.
The public felt that Capone had gone too far. Once public sentiment turned against him, the police were
able to step in and declare him “Public Enemy Number 1.”
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| 2122 Clark Street, Today |
In
the end, no one was ever tried or convicted for the murders. The garage was
torn down in 1967. Forty-six years after the demolition of the garage, tourists
still stop by the site, now an empty lot – and
remember that bloody Valentine's Day.
~
Joy
The
public was shocked by the cold-blooded brutality of the murders. Chicago
gangster, Al Capone was the prime suspect in the murders. But Capone could not be linked to the
killings. He had an air-tight alibi - he was in Miami at the
time. 
In
the end, no one was ever tried or convicted for the murders. The garage was
torn down in 1967. Forty-six years after the demolition of the garage, tourists
still stop by the site, now an empty lot – and
remember that bloody Valentine's Day.
