Gang Warfare was present throughout the streets of Chicago in the 1920s. Al Capone tried to eliminate his rivals in the bootlegging business by killing them. The violence came to a climax when men dressed as policemen shot seven men associated with the Irish gangster, George Moran, one of Al Capone's enemies on February 14, 1929. Even though Al Capone never claimed responsibility for the murder, it was inferred at that time that it had some connections to do with him. This event was crucial as it marked the end of any significant opposition to Capone's operation in Chicago. It was also, however, considered to be his downfall. After this event, he was published and viewed as the most infamous gangster and public enemy number 1. This, not only placed a huge red flag on his name but also made the Federal government investigate him and try to bring him down. Soon after Capone failed to show at court, he was arrested and sentenced to prison for carrying concealed weapons. Capone served 9 months in prison and was ultimately released for good behavior. In February 1931, he was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt. While he was in jail, the Federal government began digging his tax reviews. He was later found guilty of tax evasion and was sentenced to another 11 years in jail, first in Atlanta, then in Alcatraz. After he was released in 1939, he died of cardiac arrest in his Florida home in 1947.
Sources:http://www.history.com/topics/saint-valentines-day-massacre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine%27s_Day_Massacre
It is interesting that Al Capone's success is the very thing that brought him down. He proved himself to be the most powerful gangster in Chicago through destroying his main opposition, in the form of George Moran. However, by doing so he became more powerful than the government would allow him to be, which led to his eventual arrests.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article on one of the most famous events of the Prohibition era. As Reese said, its quite ironic how Al Capone's power gain was eventually his downfall as he eventually became too much of a threat for the government to ignore. Perhaps this is a great historical example of how sometimes more is not necessarily more.
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