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MY AL CAPONE MUSEUM | F.A.Q.'S | Al Capone's Personal Telephone | Al Capone's Personal Straw Boater | Al Capone Framed Signature | Al Capone's light fixtures | Al Capone's Silver Tray | SVD Massacre bullet fragments | Interesting items retrieved from Al Capone's Lexington office suite and hallway | Alton Hotel Relics | 7244 Prairie Avenue | 93 Palm Avenue | 93 Palm Avenue Part 2 | 93 Palm Avenue Part 3 | 93 Palm Avenue Part 4 | New 93 Palm Avenue home | New Palm Avenue home Part 2 | Artifacts from 93 Palm Avenue | The Capone era Cicero, Illinois | The Four Deuces (2222 South Wabash) | Al Capone's Bathroom Tile From The Lexington Hotel | Inside The Lexington Hotel | Geraldo's Capone Vault Grand Opening | Lexington's Destruction | X Marks the Spot magazine | Capone Magazines and Booklets | Capone Videos | Capone Books | Knick Knacks | Capone's Chicago | Chicago photos | Capone Documents | Capone Photographs | Capone Photographs 2 | Capone Photographs 3 | My History channel Shoot | Gravesites | Gravesites 2 | Capone at the Ballpark | Al Capone's Funeral | The St. Valentine's Day Massacre | The Massacre Pt.2 | Massacre Victim's Stats. | Massacre News blurbs | Some Theories on the Valentine Massacre | Discounted Valentine Massacre theories | Valentine Killers? | The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Wall bricks | The St. Valentine Massacre guns today | The Infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre forensic evidence | The Adonis Social Club Incident | When, Where and How did they die? | Mugshots | Gangster facts and side stories | The Obituaries | Gangster talk | Gangster Molls | William Hale Thompson | Gangland Armourers | The Chicago Typewriter | Gangster Hitspots | Mae Capone | Louise Rolfe | Alberto Anselmi and Giovanni Scalise | Frank Parker | William Niemoth | Jack Guzik | Samuel "Golf bag"Hunt | Jake Lingle | Frankie Yale | Samoots Ammatuna | Jack Zuta | Leo Vincent Brothers | Edward David Vogel | Johnny Torrio | Joe E. Lewis | Rocco DeGrazia | Machine Gun Jack McGurn | Willie Heeney | James "Fur" Sammons | Jack "Three fingered" White | George "Red" Barker | Anthony "Tough Tony" Capezio | Frank Nitti | Dean Charles O'Banion | Samuel Morton | George Clarence Moran | Hymie Weiss | Vincent "The Schemer" Drucci | Fred "Killer" Burke | Fred Goetz | Joe Aiello | Edward "Spike" O'Donnell | The Genna brothers | Angelo La Mantia | Frank Rio | Ragtime Joe Howard | Hinky Dink and Bathouse John | Sol Van Praag | Theodore "The Greek" Anton | Joseph P. Bergl | Daniel "Danny" Stanton | Edward Tancl | Al Capone's tax trial and downfall | Al in Jail | Mario Gomes | Bill Helmer | Chriss Lyon | Rose Keefe | Daniel Waugh | John J. Binder | Allan R.May | Rick Mattix | Robert Gallo as Al Capone | Mr. Joe Walters | Gangster articles | Newspapers of the day | Newspapers part Two | Newspapers Part Three | Newspapers Part Four | The Green Mill | Colosimo's | Alcatraz | Alcatraz Part 2 | Al Capone goes to Baltimore | Gangster sites today | Gangster Sites part 2 | Dead Gangsters | Origins of the Scars | Collecting Al Capone? | The truth about Al Capone's signature | Al Capone and other Gangster related books | In Memoriam | Links | Contact Me
THE MASSACRE PART 2
A crime that was never solved. As far as Al not having anything to do with it? Look at it this way, a person couldn't pass gas in mid 1920's Chicago without Al having knowledge of it. Al had paid eyes and ears all over the city by paying lookouts in shop keepers, shoeshine boys and newspaper stand owners. Also, you would need to explain Al's wise move of being interrogated by Florida officials at the exact time the massacre was going down. Records show that Guzik was calling Al in Florida from The Congress hotel shortly before, and after the massacre went down.
Capone had most certainly condoned it. I'm sure he had no hand in the planning because this was a botched up hit and Capone was well known for his efficient meticulous hits, such as the one perpetrated on Hymie Weiss. After the massacre Al must have thought to himself "If you want something done right, then just do it yourself."
The massacre planning was probably handled by McGurn and the Circus gang. The hitmen were most probably renegade gunsels for hire from St.Louis. (Fred "Killer"Burke, Gus Winkeler, Bob Carey etc....). The Massacre did not only signal the end for Moran as force in Chicago, but it also ironically brought the wheels of justice rolling on Capone. After mountains of information, some evidence, several death threats and hundreds of leads and crackpot letters, the massacre was never solved. Coroner Herman Bundesen finally ended his inquest into the seven murders on November 16,1931. On this date, the Coroner's jury returns a verdict stating that the two Gusenberg's and five others found at the North Clark street garage came to their deaths "At the hands of a person or persons, unknown." To this day, it still intrigues detectives and amateur history buffs. Then why with the all proven evidence, was no one ever brought to justice for this crime? Several points.
Corruption! Corruption!
Death threats and also the fact that Fred "Killer" had conveniently killed a policeman in St. Joseph, thus avoiding his extradition to Chicago for charge of killing the seven Moran boys at 2122 North Clark street. By this time, most did not care if the crime was ever solved, because after all, even some of the police were happy to see some of those gangsters drop dead.
October 15,1931, Tribune story of Capone bodyguard Philip D'Andrea visiting Fred "Killer" Burke in Marquette prison.
Why would a known Capone gangster visit killer Burke in prison if he had nothing to do with the massacre or the Capone gang?
Some of the following photos and words were scanned from True Detective Magazine (March-April,1931).
Re-enactment by Coroner's Jury
Coroner Herman Bundesen interviewing some of the massacre victim's relatives.
Top; Lucy Powell (John May's sister) next to her is James May (John's brother).
Bottom; Howard Heyer son of slain Moran gangster Adam Heyer,Next and last with glasses is Maurice Weinshank, uncle of Albert Weinshank, slain Moran Gangster. (Chicago Daily News Feb.16,1929).
(Mario Gomes collection)
Actual photo of Maurice Weinshank being questioned by Harry Dicthburne and Herman Bundesen.
Maurice said he knew nothing of Albert Weinshank being associated with gangsters.
Mrs. Jeanette Landesman who heard shots next door.
Jack McGurn suspected.
McGurn's Blonde beautiful alibi.
First photo (A) massacre garage (B) lookout building
Second photo shows lookout building today
North Clark on the 15 of February
Highball the Alsatian that survived the massacre.
(Photo Courtesy of Mr. Bill Helmer)
Read photographer Russell V. Hamm's typed account of the massacre photographing session here by clicking on the word "Letter" below.
Hamm was working for the Tribune and he, along with his buddies Anthony Berardi (Chicago American), John"Hack" Miller, Jun Fujita (Chicago Daily News) who were from other newspapers, took the same photos of the building and massacre scene. Most were taken by Hamm who jumped on the truck and was handed the others cameras. He also tells of what happened to the dog.
The garage where one of the hitmen's cadillac was found. It was situated next to the Circus cafe. The Cadillac caught fire while one of Capone's henchmen was torch cutting it. Second photo shows what North Wood street garage looks like today.
Clothes left behind with burnt out Cadillac used in transporting hitmen.
Two views of hit cars found later, one burnt and one bombed.
The Cadillac was found near the massacre scene in a garage and the other Peerless was found in Maywood, Illinois.
Bullets and buckshot removed from victims' bodies.Top photo is a death threat sent to Coroner Herman Bundesen telling him to stop the investigation or else!
Taken from Peter Von Frantzius' catalog. Any person could obtain police looking equipment to fool anyone.
(Mario Gomes Collection)
Bullets found with Fred Burke and bullets removed from massacre victim's bodies matched ballistics tests when fired through the Thompsons that were also found in BuRke's posession.The bullets had special "S" stamps ( limited run by the U.S. Cartridge company).
(Photo Courtesy of Mr. Bill Helmer)
Newpaper account of threats to coroner Bundesen.
Mrs. Josephine Schwimmer after identifying her massacred optometrist son who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
A couple of months after the massacre, Capone is called to an organized meeting in Atlantic City.
(The New York Evening journal January 1930).
(newspaper clipping from the Mario Gomes collection).
Al Capone (Center) makes an appearance in Atlantic city hosted by fellow gangster Enoch Johnson (second from right). Capone is at the Atlantic City sitdown and is forced by other gang leaders in attendance to make amends for the bad press and heat the Chicago massacre has brought upon the thriving gang operations in Chicago and other parts. Capone agrees to take a powder in a Philadelphia movie theatre on an arranged gun toting charge, and spends up to a year in jail for the heat to die down. Originally taken in Atlantic City, (note the distinctive wood slats of the boardwalk as compared below) in May of 1929, this photo later surfaced in two consecutive editions in 1930, the first one with Enoch Johnson's appearance purposely missing to give readers a guess at who the mystery gangster was.
Read the story about the Atlantic city conference here
Much hoopla has been raised over the years by the stuffy mafia academic types out there, the ones who constantly knock down others people's work, just to advance their own agenda, whether it be websites or books. They question the provenance of this photo. They seem hellbent on it not being real as to keep their theory of who was actually at the Atlantic city meeting, or as if there was any Atlantic City meeting at all.
Was it nationwide with all the gang heads there? Or was it simply a Chicago thing?
My opinion is that he photo is real and was taken in 1929, but that it only showed up incognito a year later. Al Capone was there to get away from the heat in Chicago and was attending a meeting. He was probably told by other heads there that the violence shown by the massacre in Chicago was getting totally out of hand. There would be certain retribution by the gang or Government, if something is not done now. He was to take a fall, which would be arranged in Philadelphia.
Why didn't all the major newspapers run it back then?
Depends who took the shot and when it saw the light of day.
Which newspaper photographer in his right mind would like to feel the immediate wrath of all these gangsters by showing this photo, and claiming crime connections to it? Remember Hal Andrews and X Marks the Spot magazine? He was smart enough to print his mag incognito, as this was done for fear of being killed. I was questioned by a stuffy know it all, as to how did I assume this was the Atlantic city boardwalk in the said photo?
It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to compare the wood slats in the photos below. Some of these mightier than all of us claim the photo is faked.
I don't think photoshop was invented in the late twenties or thirties. But seriously, what would be the exact purpose of faking this particular shot anyway? Especially back then?
The photo has appeared in two 1930 editions of the New York Evening Journal, was mentioned in a 1941 Newspaper (SEE BELOW) with Nucky Johnson himself stating he was taken in a photo with Al Capone in Atlantic city, and it was shown in the Chicago Crime Commission's excellent "Friend or Foe" book . It was finally shown in whole, for the first time in Biography magazine. The original photo is out there somewhere and owned by someone (I was told that much by a librarian in the past) so whomever feels like doing the research is welcomed to go ahead. I personally won't because to me, it simply is what it is, a meeting in Atlantic city. You can be the judge.
Out of Enoch Johnson's mouth, August 2,1941, reference story of the Atlantic city photo in the North Adams Transcript, North Adams, Massachusetts.
In the May 2001 issue of Biography magazine, the original black and white photo resurfaced and was reprinted for a bio on Al Capone and Chicago. (Badfella: The Life and Crimes of Al Capone).
(Shot taken from Biography magazine to demonstrate real photo. The photo spread is two pages, which is why there is a crease at the end of photo where staples are situated).
Atlantic city boardwalk postcard circa 1900
(Mario Gomes collection).
Atlantic City boardwalk early 1900 showing the distinctive wood slats.
You be the judge.
(See also Al in Jail)
Albert "Gorilla"Weinshank
James(Kachellak) Clark
Adam(John Snyder) Heyer
Frank "Hock" Gusenberg
John May (Mechanic, ex-safecracker )
Peter "Goosey" Gusenberg
The 2122 North Clark Building
1929 1930
In this 1930 photo at right, 53 rows of new bricks along with two windows was added atop 2122 North Clark by the new owner of the building. This allowed for more storage on the second floor. The aproximate estimation of the total of new bricks added to the building was over 7500.
Right after the massacre, the 2122 North Clark building was temporarily boarded up. It was then owned in 1930 by Frank C. Brusky, who owned a trucking firm bearing his name and was now using 2122 North Clark as his location (Brusky Overland Movers). He had come across a secret trap door in the corrugated ceiling of the first floor that was exactly over the spot were the Moran gangsters were slain. It lead to a concrete chamber that was 35 ft long by 4 ft wide and 13 ft high. This secret passage way stood along the second floor wall and was undetected from the first floor below with it's flush trap door in the celing. Funnels, a stool and an alcohol hydrometer were found in this secret location. Also found were an attached block and tackle system tied to the chamber ceiling with a crate. The crate could perfectly hold a 5 gallon container of alcohol .The owner had called police who investigated the premises again. They had first thought that this secret chamber may have been a torture chamber for rival gangsters, but Police Captain Thomas Condon concluded that it was merely an alcohol cache.
By 1935, the building at 2122 North Clark was now occupied by Red Ball Movers inc. They were a moving company who also did telephone directory pick up and exchange when the year was up.
In 1936, the building became the place of business for the Anaconda Van Lines, owned by Samuel J. McArthur.
In 1949, Charles and Alma Werner took over the building as a removing, packing, shipping and storage facility.
They will stay there a total of 18 years before they will vacate. During this time, Mrs. Alma Werner will become annoyed at how many times people, especially foreign visitors, will come in and ask to see the infamous wall. Depending on her mood, Mrs. Werner will either turn them away or comply to their wishes. Some visitors are aggressive and some are polite. She reminds them that the brick wall was covered over with plaster to hide it's infamous past. She once stated how she wished she and her husband had never bought the building. The Chicago Urban Renewal will purchase the property from the Werners and they will move out during the last week of October 1967. The city will sell the massacre wall section to the highest bidder and demolish the remains of the building. The property will be turned into a home for the elderly which can be found there today.
The infamous 2122 North Clark massacre wall circa 1949.
This part was where the Moran boys were lined up against. In this photo you can see that it was plastered over by the Werners to dissuade curiosity seekers.
SEE MASSACRE BRICKS
Close up of the Werner Storage storefront at 2122 North Clark Street
(Photo taken in 1955).
Side view of building mid 1950's
2122 North Clark Street in the Early 60's
(Photo courtesy of Bill Helmer)
2122 North Clark in 1973.
(Photo Courtesy of Mark Kennedy)
Grass area near old folks home is 2122 North Clark Street Today.
(Courtesy of Bill Helmer)
First Posted February 2001