St. Valentine's Day Massacre, February 14, 1929

(From Student Resource Center Gold, a Gale online database that includes ReadSpeaker text-to-speech techonlogy)

Gang Rivalry in Chicago

By early 1929 Al Capone had neutralized most of his major underworld enemies in Chicago. But one gang operating on the North Side, led by George "Bugs" Moran, continued to defy him, and Capone resolved to liquidate all its leadership, especially Moran. Through informants Capone knew that Moran's gang congregated regularly in a garage on North Clark Street to await the arrival of their liquor-truck convoys and that one such shipment was due to arrive at 10:30 A.M. on 14 February 1929. Capone ordered his main "enforcer," Fred "Killer" Burke, to prepare a "surprise" for Moran and company.

Gangsters Disguised as Policemen

It was decided that three gunmen would gain access to the garage by disguising themselves as Chicago police officers conducting a routine raid. Through cash payoffs Capone procured a police car and several police uniforms. Since the intended victims already knew most of the Capone mob, members of the "Purple Gang" of Detroit were hired to pose as the policemen. When these men entered the garage, they encountered seven men: Albert Kashellek (Moran's brother-in-law), Adam Heyer (reputed to be the bookkeeper for the gang), John May and Reinhart Schwimmer (both minor gang figures), Pete and Frank Gusenberg (Moran's most dangerous gunmen), and Albert Weinshank (a speakeasy operator who bore a striking physical resemblance to Moran).

Mistaking Weinshank for Moran, who was having coffee in a diner three blocks away, the bogus policemen ordered all seven to raise their hands and stand spread-eagle against the back wall. At that point Burke and a companion quietly entered the garage, and the hit team opened fire on the hapless men with three machine guns, a shotgun, and a .45-caliber revolver. Within thirty seconds the seven lay dead on the floor while their killers drove away, without hindrance, in the police car. None of the guilty parties, including Capone and Burke, were ever prosecuted for their roles in the "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre."