Chicago Mafia Essay, Research Paper

Nick Rutherford

Mrs. Lay

English 105

Context Paper

Mafia

The early days of the Mob and there Italian hertiage, came to the United States areound the 1890s. Most of the Mob was located and running their businesses out of New York. New York was be3ggining to become small since there were so many “families’ trying to run the city. So in 1931 a phase coined together by Lucky Luciana and Meyer lansky was started in Chicago.

Chicago’s first real Mobster was a man by the name of James ‘Big Jim’ Colosimo. Colosimo ran many whorehouses in Chicago, and took a cut of 60% on each one. Colosimo had a right hand man by the name of John Torrio. John Torrio was a business man at heart and realized the vast potentioal that he could make of the bootlegging of booze. torrio constantly tried to convince Colosimo of the profit that could be made off of illegal alcohol. After so many no’s, Torrio went and recruited a man by the name of Alfonse Capone, bettter know as ‘Al Capone’ or ‘Scarface’. Capone was a man who liked to fix things the ‘quick way’ and soon became Torrio’s body guard, chauffeur, and right hand man. With the help of Capone, Torrio made his move on Colomiso, and on May 20th, 1920 Jim Colosimo was shot while eating in his caf?. With everyone else gone, Torrio simply took over the organazation and if anyone had a problem they would be referred to Mr. Capone to discuss matters. After five years on top, the situation got a little hot for Torrio, he was blasted by a shotgun and four bullets. Torrio fought off death, and then at the age of 43, and with 30 million dollars in his pocket said “it’s all yours Al, I retire.”

At the age of 26 Al Capone became the leader of the largest criminal organazation in America and had over one thousand employees. Those would include most of the police force, judges, alderman, attourneys, mayors, governors, congressman, and the Union boss from Teamsters. Capone ruled his organazation with an iron fist and eventually suceeded in takingout all of his enimies. the most famous of all these incidents would be the St. Valentines Day Massacure. During this time as boss he made more than 60 million dollars from the bootlegging industry. Al Capone was finnally caught in 1931 for tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in jail, and got out after 8, due to his poor health. He retired ti his mansion in Flordia were he spent the rest of his life, until he passed away from syphilis in 1947.

Frank ‘the Enforcer’ Nitti took over for capone and the Mob went back to being low profile. Nitti had a run-in with a guy by the name of Ted Newberry. Newberry had the new mayor on his payroll and convinced Mayor Cermak to put Nitti on trial for shooting Police Sargent Lang during a scuffle. During the trail the jusry was convinced that Lang shot himself so he could look like the hero. Trail was a hung jury, Nitti walked away free and Poloice Sergent Lang got fired. Three weeks after the trial Newberry was ‘clipped’. He was blown away with shotguns and 45s on Lake Shore Drive and his body was burried in a field on Indiana. During Nitti’s time as boss he had the police force and politicians under his hand. Mayor Ed Kelly was put in his position by the mob, in 1934. Kelly was re-elected to the next term and this time it looked as if everyone voted for him, it is estimated almost 250,000 votes were faked. In 1936, he won again and it looked as if he took 4 votes for everyone the opposition had.

In 1946, the Mobsters found a new way to racket money. Frank Costellio and Meyer Lunicana sent Bugsy Seigal to Las Vegas to open up the Flamingo hotel and casino. There scam was to ’skim’ the house befor the offical count was taken at the end of the night. After such success within the business the mob oped up the Riveria, the Dessert Inn, and the Royal Nevada. These ’skims’ were very, very successful, so successful that some pulled off $400,000 in a month.

Within the last fifteen years the mobs activity has slowed to a near hault. Nearly 12 bosses and under bosses have been arrested and put on trial. Although this has taken its poll on the mobs acticity, the mob is still in Chicago and making awonderful living from the gambling rackets of Chicago.

Thesis: So in 1931 a phase coined by Lucky Lucuana and Meyer Lansky was started in Chicago.

Source: Internet Site