It was February 14th, 1929 on the Northside of Chicago during the height of Prohibition, when the production, distribution, possession, and consumption of alcohol was banned in the United States. In large cities like Chicago, it is no surprise there were various rival gang-run bootlegging and speakeasy operations in place that consisted of not only bootlegging but also illegal trades of gambling and prostitution. The most relevant gangs at this time were Five Points organized by Italian mobster Alphonse “Al” Capone and the North Side Mob run by an Irish gangster, George “Bugs” Moran.
Typically February 14th is celebrated through love and appreciation, but not this February 14th…
Early that day, four men –two dressed as uniformed Chicago Police officers holding revolvers and two dressed in suits armed with Thompson submachine guns– walked down Clark Street, busting into the commonly known car garage and headquarters of Bugs Moran at 2122 N Clark. There was no time for Moran’s men to act before their guns were taken, and they were lined up facing forwards against a wall.
After catching all seven of Moran’s members off guard, the four men proceeded to gun them down, execution-style, in cold blood. Moments later, the two dressed in suits were escorted out of the garage at gunpoint by the two dressed as police officers. It is recorded that between the two men with the submachine guns, an estimated 70 rounds were fired, killing six out of the seven men instantly. Five of the men were actually working for Moran, while two were associates. The victims included Adam Heyer, Pete Gusenberg, John May, James Clark, and Albert Weinshank. Frank Gusenberg, the seventh victim, died at the hospital hours after the massacre after sustaining 14 gunshot wounds. Even when Frank was questioned at the hospital about who had committed the crimes he stayed true to the code of silence, with his dying words being “Nobody shot me”.
While this massacre remains a legally unsolved mystery, it is generally accepted to place the blame on Al Capone as responsible for ordering the hit despite being in his Florida home during the time of the massacre. This event even dubbed Capone with the nickname “Public Enemy No. 1”. Additionally, it is believed that the entire Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre was organized with the intention of assassinating Bugs Moran himself and not just his men. Luckily for him (and unluckily for Capone), Moran decided to stay out of the scene when he started to see police cars flood the area. Apparently, the four men mistook Moran for one of the other men entering the headquarters before Moran was actually able to enter, which set the whole plan into motion prematurely. When asked about the situation, Moran responded “Only Capone kills like that.”
Although Capone was never convicted for these crimes, he was arrested and convicted on weapons charges in May 1929, serving only nine months in prison before being arrested for a second time on charges of contempt in 1931. He served six additional months in Cook County Jail, where the police were further investigating him for tax evasion. In June 1931, Al Capone was finally indicted for evasion of federal taxes, where he was sentenced to 11 years in prison, first serving time in Atlanta, but was then moved to Alcatraz.
Al Capone was released from Alcatraz 10 years after the massacre and passed away in his Florida home in 1947.
Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, my middle school teachers often made time to cover the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre when discussing crime in major cities, and it always provided me with a lot of curiosity and interest. Knowing about the massacre encourages a whole new lens to view the day of February 14th and hopefully, it provides you with some curiosity and interest as well.