February 14, 1929:
The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre occurs.
During Prohibition, George “Bugs” Moran’s North Side Gang was fighting for control of bootleg liquor distribution in Chicago with South Side mobster Al Capone. Dressed as policemen, hit men working for Capone marched seven members of the North Side Gang into a garage, made them face the wall, and riddled them with bullets from Thompson sub-machine guns. When police arrived on the scene, they found Frank Gusenberg alive, but bleeding from fourteen bullet wounds. When asked who had shot him, Gusenberg replied, “No one shot me,” and died shortly thereafter. The executions sparked public outrage about mob violence and helped boost Chicago’s reputation during this period as a gangland and bootlegging haven. No one was ever charged with the crime.
Taken From: This Day in History by Jim Daley; Copyright 2019; Publications International, LTD
Whipped Owl 