Hymie Weiss

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Henry Earl J. Wojciechowski "Hymie The Pole", Earl J.Weiss

Hymie "the Polack", Perfume burglar.

Son of Walenty S. Wojciechowski known as "William Weiss" and Mary Bruszkiewicz known as "Mary Weiss"

Earl was the brother of Bernard,Frederick, Joseph and Violet. Earl had two other siblings, one whom died during infancy and another named Joseph, who passed away at age 13.

Earl Weiss begins his career as an auto pirate. May 1919, after two stolen cars are found at 128 North Cicero, Weiss is caught along with James Fleming and Alfred Marlowe arriving in a third stolen car. At 317 North Avers, police come across the bandits possessions.They find tools to dismantle car chassis, license plates and car parts galore.

Weiss then hooks up with Dean O'Banion and along with Chares "The Ox" Reiser, to try their hand at safeblowing. O'Banion considers it a thrill seeking hobby and is always willing to learn a new trade. All three along with Moran (under one of his various aliases Morrissey).are caught trying to blow one up in 1921.The charges are later dismissed. By this time, Earl has the earned the knickname "The perfume burglar", after knocking some perfume bottles during a robbery that left him smelling of the french stuff.

Here are some of Weiss' indiscretions;

October 20,1922 Earl Weiss and George Nolan (Moran) are chased by policeman Fred Tosch and arrested on jewelry holdups.

January 20,1924 Weiss is implicated with O'Banion for the Lasalle Theater shooting of bootlegger Davey Miller. O'Banion shoots Miller for snubbing O'Banion pal Yankee Schwartz. All charges are later dismissed and Miller survives.

Often arrested ,Weiss gets caught hijacking booze with O'Banion and Dapper Dan McCarthy (January 24,1924 at Indiana avenue and 21st street )

He cannot appear in federal court because at this time he gets his appendix removed and obtains a doctor's note stating that he won't live for 5 months, yet police arrest him in a car at Congress and Maplewood ave. He is with two others (Arthur Barrett ,Ernest Applequist) and is caught carrying a loaded .45 colt automatic, along with a sheriff's badge.

Weiss is also arrested for voting fraud in which waves a gun and bogus ballots are stuffed for their preferred candidate. During a raid at his Rienzi hotel suite, he threatens a United States Marshal with a shotgun.

Hymie's brother Fred

Earl was so hotheaded that on the evening of June 24,1920, his brother Fred Weiss, who had returned from France after his military service felt Earl's wrath first hand.That evening, he made a comment to Earl about him not serving his country. Earl whipped out his gun and shot his 24 year old brother. Earl's family tried to cover up the incident ,even Fred pleaded the doctor not to tell the police. All claimed it was an accident. Hymie later picked up by police said that the gun was under a pillow and somehow discharged. Years after Earl's death, Fred admitted to reporters that Earl did in fact shoot him over the military comment.

Weiss' star really shines as one of a Northside Capone rival. Many historians claim Earl Weiss is supposedly to have invented the term "Let's take him for a one way ride" in which an opponent was lured into the front seat of a car driven to the outskirts ,shot behind the head and dumped by the side of the road.The first victim's name was Steve"Big Steve" Wisniewski a fellow bootlegger hijacker who encroached on the O'Banion's booze and territory one too many.(This act was later purported to Terry Druggan, who was probably the real culprit in Wisniewski's death.) Also no proof of Weiss muttering those words "Take him for a ride" although it makes good copy.

Earl "Hymie" Weiss framed photos, bio and signature.

(Mario Gomes collection)

Often branded as a hothead,Ironically ,it was Weiss who oftened urged Dean O'Banion to cool it with the racial slurs towards the other rival Italian mobs, thus avoiding bigger problems. Earl's death certificate states him being born in Chicago,Illinois.His father is William Weiss from Buffalo,New York. His mother's name is listed unknown from Buffalo New York. His age is listed at about 28, true birth year 1898. (He is single, but occaisionally frequents a girlfriend in Montreal,Canada by the name of Josephine Simard, whom he met while visiting Montreal on a bootleg deal).

Charles Dean O'Banion. Hymie's pal

O'Banion and Earl remain good friends and grow to become Al Capone's fiercest opponents even though Capone's army out number the Northsiders.This not to say that the Northside gang is puny, no far from it.They total in the hundred with affiliates and sympathizers who hate the behemoth (Al's nickname by Northboys) and Italian gangs who spread their whorehouses around town.The Northsiders oppose whorehouses as their leaders are staunch churchgoers with the Headquarters situated right across the street from The Holy Name Cathederal where Dean O'Banion was once an altar boy. Hymie Weiss also attends church regularly and carries a rosary along with his Colt Automatic.

Josephine Simard, Hymie's girlfriend whom he met in Montreal,Canada.

Schofield's after O'Banion's murder

On November 10,1924 Dean O'Banion is slain by Capone's killer twins Alberto Anselmi and John Scalisi. Hymie is totally devastated. Upon hearing the news that O'Banion is dead, Weiss sinks to the floor in the bathroom and begins sobbing uncontrollably.

His best friend and pal is no more.Once he pulls it together, Hymie will go all out to get back to those responsable. He searches for revenge wherever he can find it. It first arises when it is learned that John Torrio put the hit out on O'Banion.

Hymie,Moran and Drucci find Torrio on January 1925 coming home form a shopping spree.They run to Torrio who ducks as Moran and Hymie shoot into Torrio with automatics and a shotgun. He is hit several times, but miraculously lives thanks to Moran's automatic being empty. (He had placed it to his temple,but it clicked empty)! Torrio is terribly shaken and hands everything over to Capone and hightails it out to Italy after serving a year in Jail. Capone is next up with many attempts at his car without him in it.This prompts Al to purchase one of many famous armoured vehicles.The Northsiders find one of Al Capone's drivers (Barton) and torture him to death,burning him repeatedly with cigarettes and dumping his body in a cistern.He is killed because he did not reveal the big guy's routine. Drucci and Weiss have a gunfight with Capone men in broad daylight in front of the Standard Oil building ,but no one is killed. Hymie plans a on the spot attack against Capone in Cicero September 1926, eight car loads of Northsiders drive past Capone's headquarters.They let loose with a first volley of blanks from a machinegun to make any Capone gangsters appear, but none show up as Capone himself is thrown to the ground by his bodyguard Frank Rio.The real shooting begins and about a 1,000 rounds are poured in the Hawthorne Hotel. (Blanks being used were questioned by many historians.It's quite possible that they shot the thompson machine gun in the air to make the hotel occupants come out).

The Towne once known as the Hawthorne Inn target of of Hymie's machinegun caravan it later became known as the Western Hotel before becoming the Towne .

It burnt down in the 70's

Hawthorne smoke shop token.

(Courtesy of Mr. Frank Magallon)

A Capone gunsel by the name of Louis Barko who was one of the gumen shooting it out with Drucci and Weiss in front of the Standard Oil Building is hit along with an innocent women who received broken glass in her eye.(Capone pays for the hotel damages and woman's medical bills).Capone tries his hand at peace talks inviting Weiss and Drucci for peace at a conference.Capone is not there and represented by Tony Lombardo.Capone phones in.This leads most to believe that Weiss most certainly has the ability to unnerve Capone with the look, so much so that Capone decides to keep the hell away from him.

Weiss's fierce look creeped Capone

Weiss would agree to peace talks if Capone would hand over Anselmi and Scalisi for the death of his beloved friend O'Banion.Lombardo phones Capone, but Capone states he wouldn't do that to a yellow dog.Weiss storms out of the room.

Capone decides that Hymie must be killed before he decides to kill Capone.

In June of 1926, Weiss petitions the dry agents who raided his Rienzi hotel suite.They had raided his room for liquor housed there.Over 40 quarts of Champagne, two one gallon canisters of Whiskey and other various amounts of brand name liquors. Weiss was upset that the agents also took his silk shirts and silk socks.This to him had nothing to do with booze. In the raid they also uncover various weapons.

1 West Superior st. another Capone killer's lair.

Capone's main gunners setup shop next to Schofield's

Capone gunmen set up shop at 740 North State st. next to Schofield's flower shop, Weiss's headquarters and earlier scene of O'Banion's murder.Other gunmen rent a room at 1 Superior street. Weeks pass and finally on October 11,1926 at 4:00 pm Weiss and company emerge from a car next to Holy Name Cathederal.As they proceed to cross the street machinegun opens fire and rakes the sidewalks and church blocks as Hymie is pelted with .45 ACP rounds.He drops to the ground and is hit by a total of ten bullets.He is alive and is rushed to Henrotin hospital where he dies enroute saying nothing.Patrick Murray, a gangster allied with Weiss is struck by 7 shots and dies where he fell in front of Schofield's. W.W.O'Brien lawyer accompanying Weiss was hit in the arm,side and abdomen and was able to walk to a doctor eight doors away. Benjamin Jacobs ,a O'Brien hired investigator and Sam Peller, who was a Weiss chauffeur and bodyguard, are both hit. Jacobs is hit in the foot and Peller is struck in the abdomen. Pellar, who is next to Weiss, freaked upon hearing the gunfire erupt. In the frenzy, he whips out his gun and accidently fires a shot into Weiss. Both Jacobs and Pellar make a run to a doctor's office a block away. The thompson machine gun jams on the 39th bullet which is lodged in the barrel. The killers escape through the back way and toss the thompson in a back yard.

Commissioner John Stege observing shotgun and shells found in golf bag in a room on west superior street.This is a trade mark of Capone gangsters.

Samuel "Golfbag" Hunt

Capone gangster who always carried his shotgun in a golfbag even when golfing.May have very well been one of the participants in Weiss hit.

View of scene after Weiss shooting.

Same view today of above photo.

Holy Name Cathederal cornerstone chipped by bullets

The machine gun holes where cleverly covered up by the granite stairs later added by the church officials to conceal the gangland hit on Hymie Weiss.

Please note top of photo there is a hole. People often mistake this for a bullet hole for which it is not.

It was a hole used for a plaque once placed there.

Gun that killed Weiss. A Thompson Colt 1921 A model with a hundred round drum.

The drum was more than half full when the gun jammed.(approximately 39 rounds were fired). The whole hundred rounds wasn't really needed, as the killers nonetheless managed to kill their intended targets and wound a few of the Weiss entourage with their expert markmanship.

The gun was tossed onto a doghouse roof in an alley. The serial numbers had been filed or ground off, but ballistics expert Calvin Goddard managed to raise the serial numbers with acid and revealed the numbers 4656.

This gun was sold by Von Longerke sporting goods.

On August 22,1938, six hundred guns and various weapons were melted in the Anderson Brothers Brass factory. (1390 Fulton street).

Coroner Frank J. Walsh was witness and supervised the meltdown of the Chicago gangster weapons. Among the famous weapons melted down were two thompson machine guns. One was used to kill George"Red" Barker and the other was the weapon used to kill Earl "Hymie" Weiss and Patrick Murray.

Ironically enough, the metal from these murder weapons were made into plaques handed out to Public Heroes in the community.

( Special thanks and gratitude to Thompson machine gun expert Chuck Schauer. His help on the thompson subject helped this site immensely and is to me without a doubt, a godsend ).

Hymie Weiss display. Photos and .45 slug fired by Calvin Goddard through Thompson machinegun that killed Weiss.

(Mario Gomes collection)

Close up of slug fired through Weiss murder weapon.

(Mario Gomes collection)

Under side of Weiss test bullet with markings T3 or T33

(Mario Gomes collection)

Weapons,suspects and victims list with mention of Goddard having gun and bullets.

(Mario Gomes collection)

Two victims of the shooting

Bottom:Patrick Murray

Patrick Murray was no direct relation to robber James Murray. This was discounted recently by a relative.They became brothers in law by marrying sisters. they just happen to have the same last names, which lead most people to believe that they were brothers.

W.W. O'Brien being carried off to the hospital.

Diagram in Tribune of the hit on Hymie and co.

Weiss bodyguard Sam Pellar

The corner stone inscription of Holy Name Cathederal was also hit by bullets.Weiss was found to be carrying jurors names in his pockets for a trial involving Joe Saltis. On his person he was found to be carrying $5,919 in cash and checks along with his personal bible.

The Sbarbaro funeral home on 708 North Wells is paid $1650 of Weiss' estate for his funeral.

His funeral was a fairly decent one, 200 family and friends, but way smaller than O'Banion's. His close friends, the likes of George Moran,Vincent Drucci, Julian Kaufman, Frank Gusenberg ,Sam Finkelstein and others were all there to send him off.

Even Marty Guilfoyle, who had knocked off Pete Gentleman at the old 2222 South Wabash was there in attendance.

For the grieving Weiss family, all the photographers and newspapermen were banned from the services. Massenet's "Elegie" was playing in the background which brought more than few mourners to tears.

The flowers in Sbarbaros were overflowing.Streamers falling from gates ajar and golden letters reading"Uncle Raymond" "Uncle Joe and the family" "Our Pal"and "Our Brother".In another wreath a clock with the hour hand stopped at 4:00pm, this when Hymie got his.

Ten Cars of flowers led the way for the hearse containing Hymie's remains.

The funeral procession made it's way on Wells and through the loop at 25 miles an hour.

other family member and friend's of the departed had added unusual decorations to their vehicles. Political signs of various cadidates for various judge positions.

He was laid out in grand gangster fashion and placed in the public vault in Mt. Carmel until the family erected a mausoleum close to his pal Dean O'Banion.

In 1927, the Weiss family had a short lived battle with Weiss' grilfriend Josephine Simard. She had claimed right to his estate as being his wife. She claimed that she and Weiss had eloped in Florida. No proof ever came of this and she dropped her case. The family and Simard had thought that a safety deposit box contained large amounts of cash and bonds.They were opened by court order and were found to contain nothing of value. The total of Hymie's estate came to $10,601.78

The total amount included a $2,000 Lincoln Fleetwood Limousine Cleopatra motor serial #30779 and body # 7-9759.

and one wrist watch valued at $150

Violet Monahan (Hymie's sister), remembered her brother every year, with an in memoriam placed in the newspaper on his assassination date. Josephine Simard returned to Montreal, Quebec, where she lived up to the late 1980's.

During his short life,Hymie Weiss had been suffering of severe migraines due to a brain disorder many years before he died.This led many to believe that he knew that he wasn't going to live to be very old, either by this disease or gangland guns.

There was a story that a truck driver once told Weiss that his life must be grand.(Girls, money etc...). Weiss was supposed to have replied " You know what, I would trade my life with yours in a heartbeat.You don't know it, but you have it better than I do."

The disease that afflicted him was arterial cancer, which often lead Weiss to have severe migraines and fainting spells. Many times he would be in the upstairs office of O'Banion's flower shop lying down on a couch.

Holy Name Cathederal today.

The spot today where Hymie lay dying before being transported to Henrotin Hospital.

Plugged bullet hole from that famous hit on Hymie Weiss.

Earl "Hymie Weiss the only Northsider Capone really feared.

Hymie's relative Bob Koznecki and I in front of Hymie's mausoleum.

Inside the mausoleum.

Earl J.Weiss entombment.

Earl "Hymie" Weiss' personal prayer book

Among some of Hymie's treasured possessions, is this 100 year old personal prayer book.

I have deacidifide the pages and applied cellugel to the covers to prevent further red rot.

Front cover of the Key Of Heaven published in 1907.

(Mario Gomes collection)

Hymie Weiss' signature and address

(Mario Gomes collection)

Two Saintly paper cards in booklet.

(Mario Gomes collection)

How fitting what is written in the back. Hymie must have seen it's significance, and in the end knew the consequences.

(Mario Gomes collection)

Special thanks goes to Sue and Bob Koznecki. My many thanks to Pete Leiser and Karen Jones for their permission on some photos taken from the magazine X-marks the spot .It was her grandad Hal Andrews, who made the magazine and which without, alot of this history would be lost.

In the summer of 2007, Weiss' relatives undertook replacing the near collapsing ceiling in the Weiss mausoleum in Mt. Carmel cemetary. Seeing as it's somewhat of a tourist attraction and a part of Chicago's history, Bob Koznecki decided to fix the ceiling before it could collapse hurting someone or probably damaging the final resting places of the Weiss family. The marble was sagging after 80 years of freezing cold winters and scorching hot summers. Scaffolding inside the cramped mausoleum was built by Bob and Brian for safety and then the ceiling was carefully disassembled. A spanking brand new ceiling was installed. Since it no longer figured in holding the new ceiling and after pestering Bob, I acquired the brass rosette that was holding part of the old ceiling up.

Some of the salvaged marble pieces from the ceiling was kept by Bob Koznecki, Hymie's relative. It will probably sold as momentoes at some point to help upkeep Hymie's mausoleum. Instead of just throwing it away, I urged Bob to hold on to it thus giving the possibilty of some gangster buffs a chance at owning some at a later date and at the same time to help cover the renovation costs of the new ceiling.

Brass Rosette from Hymie weiss Mausoleum.

(Mario Gomes collection. Special thanks to Bob Koznecki)

Bob Koznecki holding Rosette

Inside view of mausoleum on top of scaffolding. Note rosette dangling from roof.

Numbers on parts of the mausoleum were made by constructors for easy reassembly at cemetary for Hymie's new home.

Long brass rod that attached to rosette and kept ceiling up for 80 years.

Rosette inside mausoleum holding up old and warped marble ceiling

Bob slowly and carefully chipping away around scaffolding.

Bob's friend Brian (left) and Bob removing a slab of the old and faultering marble ceiling.