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Capone gangsters buried...
Capone gangsters buried...
Item # 691040
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May 12, 1929
CHICAGO SUNDAY TRIBUNE, May 12, 1929
* John Scalise - Albert Anselmi - Joseph Giunta
* Chicago outfit hitmen - Al "Scarface" Capone
* Revenge for the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre ?
* Best title to be had - very rare as such
The top of page 5 has a one column heading: "TWO SEIZED AS GANGLAND CHIEF GOES TO GRAVE" with subhead and photo. (see) When it comes to gangsters, organized crime, and the nefarious activities born out of the Prohibition and Great Depression eras, no city is more in the forefront of our minds than Chicago - and what better newspaper can be found than the Chicago Tribune, self-proclaimed to be "The World's Greatest Newspaper".
Complete 1st section only with 28 pages, this is the "rag edition" printed on very high quality newsprint meant for institutional holdings. In great condition as such.
wikipedia notes: John Scalise was an Italian-American organized crime figure of the early 20th century and, with partner Albert Anselmi, was one of the Chicago Outfit's most successful hitmen in Prohibition-era Chicago.
In the early morning hours of May 8, 1929, the bodies of Scalise, Anselmi and Giunta were discovered on a lonely road near Hammond, Indiana. All three had been severely beaten and shot to death. One of Scalise’s gunshot wounds had torn off the pinky finger of his left hand. The coroner said that he had never seen such disfigured bodies. It was initially suspected that the North Side Gang had killed the trio in retaliation for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. However, this theory was discounted a few days later when informants stated that the three men were lured to a banquet with their Sicilian friends and, while trying to break up a quarrel that was being staged for their benefit, were themselves attacked and killed. Scalise’s body was shipped back to Castelvetrano, Sicily for burial.
Years later, a more popular story emerged that Al Capone had discovered that Scalise, Anselmi, and Giunta were conspiring with rival mobster Joe Aiello to betray him. Capone bodyguard Frankie Rio was credited with uncovering the plan, which his boss initially refused to believe. During a charade concocted for their benefit, Capone staged an argument with Rio in front of Scalise and Anselmi and then slapped his bodyguard, who ran from the room. Both killers tracked Frankie Rio down and offered to bring him in on their plans with Giunta and Aiello. After confirmation of the treachery, an elaborate ruse was developed to get rid of the plotters. At the climax of a dinner thrown in their honor, Capone produced a baseball bat and beat the three men within an inch of their lives, before two or three gunmen stepped in to finish the job.
Category: The 20th Century