Fred Di Giovanni

My Al Capone Museum | home

Fred Di Giovanni

Dago Fredda, Freddie, Freddy, Cowboy.

Fred Di Giovanni was born on October 28, 1896. He was the son of Michiele (Michael) Di Giovanni and Francesca (Frances) Zumbano.

Fred had two sisters, one his elder named Angelina, and the youngest named Minnie, both of whom later married the Panico brothers. Little is known as to what happened to Fred's dad Michael. He may have passed in 1899, or may have deserted the family. His mother Frances, remarried a man named Carlo Pignatario, who was a barber by profession. This may have probably lead to Fred rebelling and becoming a criminal.

In 1910, after leaving home, and while Fred was in his teens, he began working as an operator for a cutlery factory. He found the monotonous work dull, and began burglarizing on the side for excitement and fast money. He wasn't very successful at it, and ended up doing prison time for his misdeeds. These various crimes sent him at the Pontiac Reformatory, Illinois once in 1914, and another time in 1917. He will later be transferred in 1918 to the Illinois State Prison. As with many other criminals, it's in the prison system where friends and connections are made. These are later used once back into the outside world. In 1914, Fred is sent to the Pontiac Reformatory after getting caught with accomplice Leonardo Tortorello breaking into a haberdashery, and attempting to steal $345 worth of overcoats. Di Giovanni and Tortorello are both found guilty of burglary and sent to the Pontiac Reformatory.

July 4, 1916, Fred Di Giovanni, and an accomplice named Rocco Vallo, lay in wait for victim Carlo Bozzi, a 34 year old Italian shoe shiner. As he approaches, the thugs pull him into courtyard at 2100 Macallister (Lexington Avenue) where he is physically assaulted, and robbed. Carlo fights back in vain as Di Giovanni pulls a gun and shoots him point blank killing him. Police catch up with Di Giovanni and Vallo who are promptly arrested for murder. They are held for inquest by the Coroner on July 17, 1916. Di Giovanni is the only one found guilty, and charges against Rocco Vallo are nolle prossed on January 24, 1917. Di Giovanni is sent back to Pontiac and later is transferred to the Illinois State prison in Will County Joliet.While there, Di Giovanni finds himself doing time with the likes of James Sammons and Frank McErlane. While at all institutions, Di Giovanni proves to be a very violent inmate. He gets constantly into fights with other convicts and he even attacks guards.

At the time, Di Giovanni is 5' and 4 1/2" in height and weighs 150 lbs. He has deep blue eyes and dark chestnut hair. He has a 4th grade education and is Catholic. He has a deflection of the left eye, a mole on his face, and a small scar near his mouth and chin.

In 1918, Di Giovanni, and inmate Thomas Rowan savagely beat and attempt to kill Joliet guard Beau B. Buel. They hit him with a hammer and stab him repeatedly with a putty knife. Officer Buel will be hospitalized and eventually survive his attack.

Fred Di Giovanni gets a life sentence for the attempted manslaughter.

A small sample of Di Giovanni's misdeeds while incarcerated.

After being on good behavior for several years , he will be finally paroled on February 11, 1926. He had the backing of Aniello Renzi, who owned a financiing business on W. Taylor street. He was offered a job of $100 a month. This was of course just a ruse to get him out on parole earlier as he never did go work there.

This famous photo finds him in September 1931, behind Al Capone, and smiling next to Jack McGurn at Comiskey Park.

Fred must have been successful in his climbing the criminal ladder while in prison because he is later photographed at various occasions with none other than Al Capone, and his other torpedoes. In these photographs, we see a smiling, almost laughing Fred Di Giovanni at Hot Springs Arkansas dated 1926. He may have come across this through connections with his girlfriend's family. Her family name was Pacelli, and while she was not directly connected to William Pacelli the adlerman, there may have been some distant Pacelli bloodline that got him closer to the Capone outfit.

Close up (1926 and 1931).

Interestingly, William V. Pacelli the alderman was related to Daniel Serritella. Both their families and most all Pacellis in Chicago originally hailed from Ricigliano, Provincia di Salerno, Campania, Italy. Both Serritella and Pacelli were really close to Al Capone, and were constantly in his inner circle at the Lexington Hotel. Anyone who wanted an audience with Al Capone had to go through either men for a meeting with the big shot.

Al Capone with Fred Di Giovanni in Hot Springs, Arkansas, April 1926.

(Diane Patricia Capone family photo)

On October 12, 1927, Fred Di Giovanni will marry Charlotte Pacelli in a civil ceremony officiated by the Reverend Manlio Ciufoletti.

The marriage license had been signed by Robert M. Sweitzer on September 6, 1927.

The newly married will move to the upstairs of 5242 Crystal. The home is owned by James Galante, a driver for a Chicago Newspaper.

Di Giovanni will use the cover of being a salesman for the Belmonte bros tailoring shop at 37 S. Wabash.

After Chicago Tribune reporter Alfred 'Jake' Lingle's killing, this same shop will be found mentioned in Lingle's effects in a payment and payoff list. By then, his nickname is now 'Cowboy' which is in no part connected to the Western term for it. It is used more to describe him as an independant risk taker who ignores the rules.

Mole and left eye deflection.

About a little over a month later, Al Capone would be sent away for good and the throne for king of Chicago would be up for grabs. This caused chaos amongst Capone's friends and foes alike because everyone wanted to grab the now vacant gold sceptre that had just slipped away from Capone's hands. Many switched sides, others decided to pounce. One such gang was Roger Touhy's gang. They acted while Caponeites pondered if they should vie for the top role of Chicago's underworld king or just wait to find out who the big boss was.

The Touhy's knew this, and began eliminating everyone aiming for Capone's job.

On the night of June 16, 1932, Fred Di Giovanni goes to the Dells Roadhouse in Morton Grove for an evening of fun and entertainment. The place has over 300 guests that evening, eating, drinking, dancing and gambling. Di Giovanni at the same time is scouting out the place. Some say he was the gambling guard there for the Capone outfit in order to protect and collect the percentage of gambling proceeds, some say he has aligned himself with George 'Red' Barker, who is vying for Capone's seat. Di Giovanni may have just been out to have fun because he was unarmed and accompanied by Marjorie Bruce, and her brother. Was Marjorie Bruce Di Giovanni's mistress? It's unknown, but after Di Giovanni is killed, newspapers printed that they both are living at an 40 East Oak Street address. It is mentioned that Di Giovanni had left his wife Charlotte Pacelli for the red haired Miss Bruce.

A day later, on the 17th of June, George 'Red' Barker, who is aspiring to Capone's throne, will be in turn machine gunned to death on a street.

While at first thought to be part of Nitto's elemination campaign, it may have just been the Touhy gang's rampage for retribution (Matt Kolb murder), and domination of territory.

The Dells was connected to gangsters from it's first opening around 1918, to it's unceremonious closing in 1934. Kidnappings, robberies, shootings and bombings were the norm during it's existence. It's permanent and final closing was done by gangsters with fire.

During the night's festivities, three men with guns enter the Dells raising hell taking $15,000 from the gambling proceeds. They recognize and walk up to Di Giovanni. He also recognizes one of the men, and witnesses nearby say that Di Giovanni tells one of the men "Now Bill, Do you know what you are doing?" At the same moment that he is speaking, Di Giovanni puts his hand on the man's weapon, as if to disarm him. The man immediately knocks Di Giovanni to the ground by striking him with his weapon, while the two other walk up and all fire shots into Di Giovanni with one hitting Marjorie Bruce in the thigh. Di Giovanni is struck by bullets to his spleen, left lung, and left kidney. While Di Giovanni is writhing in pain on the ground, his attackers kick and punch him repeatedly. There were reports that Miss Bruce's brother went to the pay phone after the meleeto call Capone gangster Louis Romano. Bystanders within earshot said they heard the man on the phone tell Romano "No, It wasn't the cops!" This probably means Romano was questioning if it were police or gangsters that got Di Giovanni. At any rate, the investigation, and follow up inquest was badly performed. The coroner was livid toward the police department for such slipshod work done in the investigation. When help arrives, Di Giovanni and Miss Bruce are both taken to St. Francis Hospital where there is no hope for Di Giovanni's recovery. Miss Bruce was at first reported near death, but she will recover. She is so terrorized that the gangsters will come back for her in order to finish the job. She demands that authorities provide her with round the clock police protection. They balk at the notion knowing the gangsters just came for Di Giovanni. She takes matters into her own hands, and once out of the hospital, takes off to South America where she will become a missionary. She also marries the love of her life, a fellow American Missionary also in South America.

Touhy gangster Leroy Marschalk

He was one of the gangsters that pulled the trigger on Di Giovanni. He will shoot it out with police before being arrested.

He will get away from being prosecuted for Di Giovanni's death due to shoddy work by the authorities.

Touhy gangster William 'Willie' Sharkey.

He may have been the 'Bill' Di Giovanni spoke to before getting shot. Sharkey will also get away from any murder charge in the Di Giovanni murder. He, along with Touhy, and other gang members, will be arrested later for connection in the kidnappings of Wiliam Hamm and Jake 'The Barber' Factor. They are eventually found not guilty and on December 1, 1931, just before being officially released, Sharkey will hang himself in his holding cell with his necktie. He had gotten unknown written death threats sent to him at the jail stating that he was going to be killed as soon as he stepped outside. Petrified, He just decided to end it all.

(St. Paul police mugshot)

From violent beginnings to a violent end, Fred Di Giovanni will die from his gunshot wounds at the hospital. At his inquest, his wife told the coroner that he was a tailor for the Belmonte Bros, but that he was out of work at the time. He never really did any work for them, and was really representing himself to others as a salesman for the business. This was more of a cover, as was done by most gangsters. She also said that Di Giovanni had been very fond of gambling, which could also mean he had a big gambling problem.

His body was sent to an undertaker Joseph Sylvester Schaefer in Evanston. The viewing was held at 1528 W. Harrison in Chicago. This is the house where his sisters and mother lived at the time. A funeral mass was held at Our Lady of Pompeii church, and from there, he is buried alone at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. A short graveside prayer is recited by Reverend Gagnola. His wife Charlotte Pacelli Di Giovanni will pass away in 1981. She is entombed across at Queen of Heaven cemetery.

Di Giovanni's obituary that appeared in the Chicago Tribune and in the Chicago Daily News.

Fred Di Giovanni's monument at Mt. Carmel Cemetery.

(Photo by kind courtesy of Margaret Regan)

Charlotte will love Fred to her very last breath. She passes away in 1981.

(Photo by kind courtesy of Margaret Regan)

My many thanks to my good buddy author Allan May, Senior Archivist Jim Ladd, retired Police officer, Private Investigator Don Corbett, author Avi Bash, and Ray Johnson at www.historycop.com

This web page would have not seen the light of day without their immense help!

If you have any photos for sale of Fred Di Giovanni or his wife Charlotte Pacelli Di Giovanni, then please send me an email.

They were married in Chicago, Illinois on October 12,1927.

Charlotte Pacelli Di Giovanni died in 1981.

alcaponemuseum@gmail.com

INFO WANTED!

The whereabouts of old Chicago Police mugshots binders

1913-1917

Your help is needed!

I'm currently looking for the repository of the old Chicago Police mugshots dated from 1913-1917.

After almost a year, I have exhausted every avenue and contacts. The most popular answer was try The Chicago Historical Museum. They have Chicago Police mugshots from that era. Wrong! I paid to send someone there who went through them! Very disppointing! The mugshots folder they have there are very sparse and some in there are not even Chicago criminals.

Friends tried to get info from retired Chicago police officers,

but they either have no clue or don't want to help.

The specific mugshot I'm looking for is Fred Di Giovanni arrested in 1913-1914, for burglary / theft, and again, in 1916-1917, for manslaughter.

Does anybody know where all these old Police mughots binders have gone, and whom to contact in order to get a copy made of this individual's mugshot?

I will gladly pay you for your efforts.

Please send any pertinent info to alcaponemuseum@gmail.com

This individual Fred Di Giovanni also went to Pontiac reformatory, and was later sent to the Illinois State prison in Joiliet, Will County. I wrote to the Illinois State Archives for any mugshots, but I have only been getting the run around, being sent from department to another department with no results! They only have his prisoner file but with no photos for any of the inmates that were there. One states they do not have any, and the other just sends me back to the previous place. Very frustrating! This is odd since Leopold and Loeb had mughsots in their files for Illinois State prison (Joliet). Getty images has a copy, so there were definitely originals somewhere at one time!

Were they all trashed?

This is why your input and expertise would be appreciated! If you are employed by the Chicago Police Dept. or work in the archives, work at The Illinois State Archives, and know where all the mugshots for prisoners are during the era of 1913-1926, or have connection to these archives by knowing someone who works there who can check, then please email me on how to get in touch with these persons or entities. If you are an ex- policeman or just a collector, and happen to have a mugshot binder from that era (1913-1917) with Di Giovanni in there, then please contact me. I will gladly pay you for a copy and your privacy will be respected.

Thank-you for your cooperation!

Mario Gomes


	My Al Capone Museum \| home MY AL CAPONE MUSEUM \| Myalcaponemuseum Reviews \| The Capone News \| FAQ's \| Mario Gomes \| Al Capone's Gold Service \| Al Capone's Tableware \| Al Capone Shot Glass \| Al Capone's Personal Silver Locket \| Al Capone's Personal Dress Shirt \| Al Capone's Personal Telephone \| Al Capone's Elephant \| Al Capone's Flatware \| Al Capone's Etched Glasses \| Al Capone's Personal Cuckoo Clock \| Al Capone Framed Signature \| Al Capone's Silver Tray \| Al Capone's light fixtures \| Al Capone's Personal Straw Boater? \| Ralph Capone's Personal Items \| Hymie Weiss Personal Prayer Book \| John D. Torrio's Personal items \| Louis "Two Gun" Alterie signed photo \| SVD Massacre bullet fragments \| Interesting items retrieved from Al Capone's Lexington office suite \| Alton Hotel Relics \| Al Capone Wax Figure \| 7244 Prairie Avenue \| 93 Palm Avenue \| 93 Palm Avenue Part 2 \| 93 Palm Avenue Part 3 \| 93 Palm Avenue Part 4 \| Renovated 93 Palm Avenue home \| Renovated Palm Avenue home Part 2 \| The Sad Demise Of Al Capone's Estate \| Artifacts from 93 Palm Avenue \| The Capone era Cicero, Illinois \| The Harvard Inn \| The Four Deuces (2222 South Wabash) \| The Hawthorne Hotel \| The Metropole Hotel \| The Lexington Hotel \| Al Capone's Bathroom Tile From 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 \| Can you identify the people with Al Capone? \| Capone's Chicago \| Chicago photos \| Capone Documents \| Capone Photographs \| Capone Photographs 2 \| Capone Photographs 3 \| My History channel Shoot \| Gravesites \| Gravesites 2 \| Al Capone; The Early Years \| Al Capone's Sister Gets Married \| Al Capone Speaks On Film! \| Al Capone's CPD Mugshot \| Al Capone and Friends: \| FDR and Al Capone's Cadillac; Truth or Myth? \| Al Capone in Hot Springs \| Al Capone and Miami \| Al Capone goes to Atlantic City \| Al Capone Goes to Cuba \| The Real Al Capone Quotes \| The Al Capone Interview \| Al Capone and Cigars \| Capone at the Ballpark \| Al Capone in Wisconsin \| Al Capone's Death and 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? \| Gangster facts and side stories \| The Obituaries \| Gangster talk \| Gangster Fashion \| Gangster Molls \| William Hale Thompson \| Gangland Armourers \| The Chicago Typewriter \| Gangster Hitspots \| Mae Capone \| Louise Rolfe \| Charles and Rocco Fischetti \| Fred Di Giovanni \| 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 \| John D. 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 Nitto \| 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 \| Edward O'Hare: the man and the myth \| 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 \| Louis & Elliott Wisbrod \| Eliot Ness \| Al Capone's tax trial and downfall \| Al in Jail \| 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 \| The Famous Capone Soup Kitchen \| Origins of the Scars \| Al Capone Myths \| Collecting Al Capone? \| The truth about Al Capone's signature \| Al Capone Books \| Fred Pasley's Al Capone book \| Other Al Capone related Books \| In Memoriam \| Contact Me \| Capone/ Gangster Collectibles for Sale \| The best Al Capone Bobblehead! \| INFO WANTED \| UNDER CONSTRUCTION Fred Di Giovanni Dago Fredda, Freddie, Freddy, Cowboy. Fred Di Giovanni was born on October 28, 1896. He was the son of Michiele (Michael) Di Giovanni and Francesca (Frances) Zumbano. Fred had two sisters, one his elder named Angelina, and the youngest named Minnie, both of whom later married the Panico brothers. Little is known as to what happened to Fred's dad Michael. He may have passed in 1899, or may have deserted the family. His mother Frances, remarried a man named Carlo Pignatario, who was a barber by profession. This may have probably lead to Fred rebelling and becoming a criminal. In 1910, after leaving home, and while Fred was in his teens, he began working as an operator for a cutlery factory. He found the monotonous work dull, and began burglarizing on the side for excitement and fast money. He wasn't very successful at it, and ended up doing prison time for his misdeeds. These various crimes sent him at the Pontiac Reformatory, Illinois once in 1914, and another time in 1917. He will later be transferred in 1918 to the Illinois State Prison. As with many other criminals, it's in the prison system where friends and connections are made. These are later used once back into the outside world. In 1914, Fred is sent to the Pontiac Reformatory after getting caught with accomplice Leonardo Tortorello breaking into a haberdashery, and attempting to steal $345 worth of overcoats. Di Giovanni and Tortorello are both found guilty of burglary and sent to the Pontiac Reformatory. July 4, 1916, Fred Di Giovanni, and an accomplice named Rocco Vallo, lay in wait for victim Carlo Bozzi, a 34 year old Italian shoe shiner. As he approaches, the thugs pull him into courtyard at 2100 Macallister (Lexington Avenue) where he is physically assaulted, and robbed. Carlo fights back in vain as Di Giovanni pulls a gun and shoots him point blank killing him. Police catch up with Di Giovanni and Vallo who are promptly arrested for murder. They are held for inquest by the Coroner on July 17, 1916. Di Giovanni is the only one found guilty, and charges against Rocco Vallo are nolle prossed on January 24, 1917. Di Giovanni is sent back to Pontiac and later is transferred to the Illinois State prison in Will County Joliet.While there, Di Giovanni finds himself doing time with the likes of James Sammons and Frank McErlane. While at all institutions, Di Giovanni proves to be a very violent inmate. He gets constantly into fights with other convicts and he even attacks guards. At the time, Di Giovanni is 5' and 4 1/2" in height and weighs 150 lbs. He has deep blue eyes and dark chestnut hair. He has a 4th grade education and is Catholic. He has a deflection of the left eye, a mole on his face, and a small scar near his mouth and chin. In 1918, Di Giovanni, and inmate Thomas Rowan savagely beat and attempt to kill Joliet guard Beau B. Buel. They hit him with a hammer and stab him repeatedly with a putty knife. Officer Buel will be hospitalized and eventually survive his attack. Fred Di Giovanni gets a life sentence for the attempted manslaughter. A small sample of Di Giovanni's misdeeds while incarcerated. After being on good behavior for several years , he will be finally paroled on February 11, 1926. He had the backing of Aniello Renzi, who owned a financiing business on W. Taylor street. He was offered a job of $100 a month. This was of course just a ruse to get him out on parole earlier as he never did go work there. This famous photo finds him in September 1931, behind Al Capone, and smiling next to Jack McGurn at Comiskey Park. Fred must have been successful in his climbing the criminal ladder while in prison because he is later photographed at various occasions with none other than Al Capone, and his other torpedoes. In these photographs, we see a smiling, almost laughing Fred Di Giovanni at Hot Springs Arkansas dated 1926. He may have come across this through connections with his girlfriend's family. Her family name was Pacelli, and while she was not directly connected to William Pacelli the adlerman, there may have been some distant Pacelli bloodline that got him closer to the Capone outfit. Close up (1926 and 1931). Interestingly, William V. Pacelli the alderman was related to Daniel Serritella. Both their families and most all Pacellis in Chicago originally hailed from Ricigliano, Provincia di Salerno, Campania, Italy. Both Serritella and Pacelli were really close to Al Capone, and were constantly in his inner circle at the Lexington Hotel. Anyone who wanted an audience with Al Capone had to go through either men for a meeting with the big shot. Al Capone with Fred Di Giovanni in Hot Springs, Arkansas, April 1926. (Diane Patricia Capone family photo) On October 12, 1927, Fred Di Giovanni will marry Charlotte Pacelli in a civil ceremony officiated by the Reverend Manlio Ciufoletti. The marriage license had been signed by Robert M. Sweitzer on September 6, 1927. The newly married will move to the upstairs of 5242 Crystal. The home is owned by James Galante, a driver for a Chicago Newspaper. Di Giovanni will use the cover of being a salesman for the Belmonte bros tailoring shop at 37 S. Wabash. After Chicago Tribune reporter Alfred 'Jake' Lingle's killing, this same shop will be found mentioned in Lingle's effects in a payment and payoff list. By then, his nickname is now 'Cowboy' which is in no part connected to the Western term for it. It is used more to describe him as an independant risk taker who ignores the rules. Mole and left eye deflection. About a little over a month later, Al Capone would be sent away for good and the throne for king of Chicago would be up for grabs. This caused chaos amongst Capone's friends and foes alike because everyone wanted to grab the now vacant gold sceptre that had just slipped away from Capone's hands. Many switched sides, others decided to pounce. One such gang was Roger Touhy's gang. They acted while Caponeites pondered if they should vie for the top role of Chicago's underworld king or just wait to find out who the big boss was. The Touhy's knew this, and began eliminating everyone aiming for Capone's job. On the night of June 16, 1932, Fred Di Giovanni goes to the Dells Roadhouse in Morton Grove for an evening of fun and entertainment. The place has over 300 guests that evening, eating, drinking, dancing and gambling. Di Giovanni at the same time is scouting out the place. Some say he was the gambling guard there for the Capone outfit in order to protect and collect the percentage of gambling proceeds, some say he has aligned himself with George 'Red' Barker, who is vying for Capone's seat. Di Giovanni may have just been out to have fun because he was unarmed and accompanied by Marjorie Bruce, and her brother. Was Marjorie Bruce Di Giovanni's mistress? It's unknown, but after Di Giovanni is killed, newspapers printed that they both are living at an 40 East Oak Street address. It is mentioned that Di Giovanni had left his wife Charlotte Pacelli for the red haired Miss Bruce. A day later, on the 17th of June, George 'Red' Barker, who is aspiring to Capone's throne, will be in turn machine gunned to death on a street. While at first thought to be part of Nitto's elemination campaign, it may have just been the Touhy gang's rampage for retribution (Matt Kolb murder), and domination of territory. The Dells was connected to gangsters from it's first opening around 1918, to it's unceremonious closing in 1934. Kidnappings, robberies, shootings and bombings were the norm during it's existence. It's permanent and final closing was done by gangsters with fire. During the night's festivities, three men with guns enter the Dells raising hell taking $15,000 from the gambling proceeds. They recognize and walk up to Di Giovanni. He also recognizes one of the men, and witnesses nearby say that Di Giovanni tells one of the men "Now Bill, Do you know what you are doing?" At the same moment that he is speaking, Di Giovanni puts his hand on the man's weapon, as if to disarm him. The man immediately knocks Di Giovanni to the ground by striking him with his weapon, while the two other walk up and all fire shots into Di Giovanni with one hitting Marjorie Bruce in the thigh. Di Giovanni is struck by bullets to his spleen, left lung, and left kidney. While Di Giovanni is writhing in pain on the ground, his attackers kick and punch him repeatedly. There were reports that Miss Bruce's brother went to the pay phone after the meleeto call Capone gangster Louis Romano. Bystanders within earshot said they heard the man on the phone tell Romano "No, It wasn't the cops!" This probably means Romano was questioning if it were police or gangsters that got Di Giovanni. At any rate, the investigation, and follow up inquest was badly performed. The coroner was livid toward the police department for such slipshod work done in the investigation. When help arrives, Di Giovanni and Miss Bruce are both taken to St. Francis Hospital where there is no hope for Di Giovanni's recovery. Miss Bruce was at first reported near death, but she will recover. She is so terrorized that the gangsters will come back for her in order to finish the job. She demands that authorities provide her with round the clock police protection. They balk at the notion knowing the gangsters just came for Di Giovanni. She takes matters into her own hands, and once out of the hospital, takes off to South America where she will become a missionary. She also marries the love of her life, a fellow American Missionary also in South America. Touhy gangster Leroy Marschalk He was one of the gangsters that pulled the trigger on Di Giovanni. He will shoot it out with police before being arrested. He will get away from being prosecuted for Di Giovanni's death due to shoddy work by the authorities. Touhy gangster William 'Willie' Sharkey. He may have been the 'Bill' Di Giovanni spoke to before getting shot. Sharkey will also get away from any murder charge in the Di Giovanni murder. He, along with Touhy, and other gang members, will be arrested later for connection in the kidnappings of Wiliam Hamm and Jake 'The Barber' Factor. They are eventually found not guilty and on December 1, 1931, just before being officially released, Sharkey will hang himself in his holding cell with his necktie. He had gotten unknown written death threats sent to him at the jail stating that he was going to be killed as soon as he stepped outside. Petrified, He just decided to end it all. (St. Paul police mugshot) From violent beginnings to a violent end, Fred Di Giovanni will die from his gunshot wounds at the hospital. At his inquest, his wife told the coroner that he was a tailor for the Belmonte Bros, but that he was out of work at the time. He never really did any work for them, and was really representing himself to others as a salesman for the business. This was more of a cover, as was done by most gangsters. She also said that Di Giovanni had been very fond of gambling, which could also mean he had a big gambling problem. His body was sent to an undertaker Joseph Sylvester Schaefer in Evanston. The viewing was held at 1528 W. Harrison in Chicago. This is the house where his sisters and mother lived at the time. A funeral mass was held at Our Lady of Pompeii church, and from there, he is buried alone at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. A short graveside prayer is recited by Reverend Gagnola. His wife Charlotte Pacelli Di Giovanni will pass away in 1981. She is entombed across at Queen of Heaven cemetery. Di Giovanni's obituary that appeared in the Chicago Tribune and in the Chicago Daily News. Fred Di Giovanni's monument at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. (Photo by kind courtesy of Margaret Regan) Charlotte will love Fred to her very last breath. She passes away in 1981. (Photo by kind courtesy of Margaret Regan) My many thanks to my good buddy author Allan May, Senior Archivist Jim Ladd, retired Police officer, Private Investigator Don Corbett, author Avi Bash, and Ray Johnson at www.historycop.com This web page would have not seen the light of day without their immense help! If you have any photos for sale of Fred Di Giovanni or his wife Charlotte Pacelli Di Giovanni, then please send me an email. They were married in Chicago, Illinois on October 12,1927. Charlotte Pacelli Di Giovanni died in 1981. alcaponemuseum@gmail.com INFO WANTED! The whereabouts of old Chicago Police mugshots binders 1913-1917 Your help is needed! I'm currently looking for the repository of the old Chicago Police mugshots dated from 1913-1917. After almost a year, I have exhausted every avenue and contacts. The most popular answer was try The Chicago Historical Museum. They have Chicago Police mugshots from that era. Wrong! I paid to send someone there who went through them! Very disppointing! The mugshots folder they have there are very sparse and some in there are not even Chicago criminals. Friends tried to get info from retired Chicago police officers, but they either have no clue or don't want to help. The specific mugshot I'm looking for is Fred Di Giovanni arrested in 1913-1914, for burglary / theft, and again, in 1916-1917, for manslaughter. Does anybody know where all these old Police mughots binders have gone, and whom to contact in order to get a copy made of this individual's mugshot? I will gladly pay you for your efforts. Please send any pertinent info to alcaponemuseum@gmail.com This individual Fred Di Giovanni also went to Pontiac reformatory, and was later sent to the Illinois State prison in Joiliet, Will County. I wrote to the Illinois State Archives for any mugshots, but I have only been getting the run around, being sent from department to another department with no results! They only have his prisoner file but with no photos for any of the inmates that were there. One states they do not have any, and the other just sends me back to the previous place. Very frustrating! This is odd since Leopold and Loeb had mughsots in their files for Illinois State prison (Joliet). Getty images has a copy, so there were definitely originals somewhere at one time! Were they all trashed? This is why your input and expertise would be appreciated! If you are employed by the Chicago Police Dept. or work in the archives, work at The Illinois State Archives, and know where all the mugshots for prisoners are during the era of 1913-1926, or have connection to these archives by knowing someone who works there who can check, then please email me on how to get in touch with these persons or entities. If you are an ex- policeman or just a collector, and happen to have a mugshot binder from that era (1913-1917) with Di Giovanni in there, then please contact me. I will gladly pay you for a copy and your privacy will be respected. Thank-you for your cooperation! Mario Gomes