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Great St. Valentine's Day Massacre reported in a Chicago newspaper...



Item # 655809

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February 15, 1929

CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE, February 15, 1929  Next day report on the famous St.Valentine's Day Massacre reported in this famous Chicago newspaper.
The bold, banner headline announces: "SLAY DOCTOR IN MASSACRE" which refers to one of the seven dead, Dr. 
Reinhardt H. Schwimmer, who, as the ftpg. report notes: "...Had no criminal record but was known as the companion of hoodlums & was said to have boasted recently that he was in the alky racket & could have any one 'taken for a ride.' " An interesting localized headline which would not be found in any newspaper outside of Chicago.
The two subheads: "Official Probe Booze Deals In Gang Shooting" and "Inquest Today in Seven Deaths". The report carries over to take much of pages 2 and 3, again such extensive coverage not to be found outside of Chicago.
There is considerable detail on the event, with short bios of each of the seven killed. Page 3 has a nice photo/illustration headed: "How Moran Gang Was Wiped Out" with explanatory text beneath. 
Other column heads on pages 2 & 3 include: "Bullet Widows Weep, But They Refuse To Talk" "Prosecutors Quiz Them In Vain for Clews" "Public War on Gangs of Chicago Is Asked by Manufacturers" "38 Slain in Four Years of Inter-Gang Warfare" "Public Records Tell Lies of Gang Slain Gangsters".
But the best feature of this issue is the terrific back page which is completely filled with photos and captions. All 16 photos relate to the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and they include photos of 6 of the 7 killed (Dr. Schwimmer not included), a full-figure photo of Bugs Moran: "...a leader without followers"; a photo of: "Rival Gang Chief, Al Capone, foe of Moran..."; a photo/illustration of: "How the Victims of the Gangland Massacre Fell Before Fusillade" and more. Again, such an array of photos would not be found outside of a Chicago newspaper. This was local news to the readership.
Certainly a cornerstone issue for any collector of the Probibition-era gangsters. 
This issue is complete with all 42 pages and is the "rag edition" printed on very high quality newsprint meant for institutional holdings. In great condition as such with a minor repair at the bottom, blank margin of the front leaf.

As a bit of background, Wikipedia notes: "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was the murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park garage on the morning of Valentine's Day where they were made to line up against a wall and shot by four unknown assailants. The incident resulted from the struggle between the Irish North Siders and their Italian South Side rivals, led by Al Capone, to control organized crime in the city during Prohibition. Though the perpetrators have not been conclusively identified, former members of the Egan's Rats gang, working for Capone, are suspected of a significant role as are members of the Chicago Police Department who are said to have had personal revenge as their motive following the killing of a police officer's son."

Category: The 20th Century