Chicago Hitters

So I just went down a rabbit hole and refreshed myself on some of the most prolific/notorious hitters from NY. Mainly DeMeo/and the Gemini Lounge crew/Casso/Perisco. I've always heard there is a stark difference between how Chicago vs the East Coast used violence, but did the Outfit have any people/crews that is even remotely comparable to the worst of the worst back east? And what are some of the other big differences in how they operated vs NY? When it comes to Chicago hitters I can't think of many names outside of Mad Sam, Aleman, Spilotro, and Frank the German. Looking forward to hearing your responses, I know there's some well studied Outfit guys on here.

Frank Calabrese
Frank Cullotta
Michael Sarno....still have never found Anthony Zizzo.

Chuck Nicoletti, Marshall Caifano, Fiore Buccieri, Vincent "Saint" Inserro, Sam "RIP" Alex, Alex Ross, Lenny Patrick, Dave Yaras, William Bock and many many many more.

Chicago was allegedly the bloodiest family from the 1920s until the late 80s.

During the 70s they ordered around 100 hits and so if we also include all the decades the number of kills might be tremendous.

I think one poster once posted a convo from Colombo members i think, in which they stated that Chicago allegedly had one non-made guy who killed more people than the whole Colombo family, or something like that.

Just who I was hoping to hear from! It seems Chicago had a fair amount of non italian/made guys doing their wet work for them over the years.

Thats right. The non-Italian group was involved in large number of all the killings, especially the Jewish and Greek groups from the West Side and South Side factions. For example Yaras and Patrick allegedly did a lot of important jobs/kills for the organization.

Dont forget that during those decades the non-Ital group had their own seat and representative on Chicagos round table and so they had their own vote on who was going to be whacked or even on who was going to be the new Chicago boss. They even transferred the hit lists from the top hierarchy to the rest of the capos and non-Ital crew bosses.

Same as the Italian made guys, the non-Ital hitters did all the killings for the organization, meaning they didnt receive any cash but instead they showed loyalty and in return sometimes they received their own territories and specific rackets. For example Alex controlled the Loop and First Ward, or Patrick who controlled Lawndale and also Rogers Park, Ralph Pierce around the south or Francis Curry in Joliet, and if some made or non-made guys from different crews wanted to operate in their areas, first they needed an "ok" from Alex or the other non-Ital district bosses.

......in addition to my last or previous post, heres one example or list of victims allegedly killed by ONLY ONE of all the non-Ital crews aka the Yaras/Patrick crew. This is the time period when the Patrick/Yaras crew literally handed down on a silver platter all West Side ops to the Outfit, in which the duo was closely connected to....

In January 1944, Patrick, Bock and Yaras killed Capone associate, gambling boss and political fixer Ben Zuckerman, also known as "Zookie the Bookie", allegedly as favor for Outfit capo Lawrence Dago Mangano. After Ben's murder the Outfit received complete power in the 24th Ward under the protection of Alderman Jake Arvey.

In August 1944, Dago Mangano was murdered by three hitmen. Story goes there was a conflict between the Fischettis, Accardo VS. Mangano, and so Patrick and Yaras allegedly informed the guys about Manganos activities against the new leadership (since Ricca, Campagna, D'Andrea etc. were in prison at the time) and so that was Mangano's end, who in turn joined his dead companions and allies from the old North Side crew. Some reports say that the three hitmen mightve been the "Three Doms" (Nuccio, Brancato and DiBella from the North Side), while other reports say that it was the Yaras/Patrick/Bock trio, which I personally believe was the truth.

In April 1945, Patrick and Yaras murdered big time West Side bookmaker Willie Tarsch who in turn was previously connected to both the late Zuckerman and also the late Mangano.

James Ragen was old time Capone associate who during the 1940’s controlled the number one racing service, which serviced thousands of bookies between Chicago and Los Angeles. In June 1946 the Yaras/Patrick/Bock trio got into a truck and followed James Ragen's car. They pulled off their shotguns and aimed at Ragen’s vehicle. Two blasts were fired and one tore through Ragen’s upper right arm and shoulder. Ragen was still alive and was in critical condition and remained alive until August, when he died under mysterious conditions or allegedly he was poisoned while in hospital. After Ragen's death, the Outfit controlled his racing wires.

In December 1947, Patrick and Yaras murdered Harry “The Greener” Krotish who in turn was another associate and also big time West Side gambling operator.

In May 1948, lucrative gamblers and robbers George Stathatos and Leo “Little Sneeze” Friedman were also murdered by Patrick, Yaras and Bock.

In June 1948, another West Side associate, gambler and robber Norton Polsky was also killed by Patrick and Yaras.

In March 1950, Patrick's crew member Edward Murphy was also killed by Patrick and Yaras because of territorial problems. Story goes that Murphy was involved in a conflict with Rocco Fischetti and Murray Humphreys aka the Cicero/South Side faction, including with Humphreys brother Jack. After Murphy's murder, there was a sitdown between Patrick and Fischetti, which was chaired by Accardo, and so the conflict was solved.

In 1952 Patrick carried messages from the Outfit leaders to Charles Gross the Republican Committeeman from the 31st Ward. Patrick told Gross “They don’t want you to run for mayor. If you are smart, you won’t run, or you get killed.” In February 1952, Gross was blown away by seven shotgun blasts outside his Kedzie Avenue home by one Outfit hitman, who in turn was allegedly Patrick himself. Other sources say that the killer mightve been Alex.

In May 1952, Patrick and Yaras again killed one of their operators known as David Zatz who in turn was connected to mobsters from around the country and controlled various lucrative operations for the Patrick crew.

In June 1952, one of Patrick's biggest gambling operators Milton Glickman was killed by his crew boss (Patrick) and his associate Harry Kovin.

From what I've read, Harry Aleman was a prolific hitman.

The 26th street Crew headed by Angelo Lapietra which was filled with many guys who made killing their bread and butter. Angelo's reputation was to hang you by a meat hook and torture you to death which usually took 2-3 days.

Frank Calabrese Sr. was his main enforcer and collector.

Mob trusted violent crew

"When Outfit bosses needed someone killed, they called people they trusted," said Whisman, now an agent with the FBI's Kansas City office. "They needed people who couldn't talk on them because they had already killed people. There were several people from the 26th Street Crew who had killed people. They were the logical choice."

Led by street captains such as Angelo "the Hook" LaPietra and John "Johnny Apes" Monteleone, the 26th Street Crew--one of six street crews that investigators say operate as part of the Chicago Outfit--prowled a territory south of the Eisenhower Expressway that included Chinatown's gambling dens and South Side auto chop shops.

The 26th Street Crew--also known as the "Chinatown Crew" or "South Side Crew"--emerged in the 1950s and flourished through the '60s and '70s, collecting a cut of revenues from the area's storage and trucking companies, railroad depots, junkyards and chop shops, or auto yards that dismantle stolen cars. Crew bosses reported to and delivered a percentage of all revenue to Chicago's head mob boss at the time.

Truck hijackings and cartage thefts were common, said Vincent Inserra, who headed the organized crime squad of the Chicago FBI office from the early 1960s to the mid-'70s.

"They were known for bombings," he said. "Not necessarily to kill people. But if they wanted to put fear into the hearts of people, that would do it."

Gambling made the 26th Street Crew big money and established it as a vital spoke in the Outfit wheel, according to court documents and federal agents. Headed by Frank "Skids" Caruso from the late 1950s through the 1970s, the crew set up illegal backroom betting parlors to take wagers on everything from horseraces to Chicago Bears games and doled out "juice loans," where money is lent at extortionate rates.

If a gambler couldn't cover his loss, the crew would offer him a juice loan to pay it back, said Jack O'Rourke, a former FBI agent who monitored the 26th Street Crew for more than 10 years. If he fell behind on juice payments, it meant baseball-bat beatings, torture or death, O'Rourke said.

The 26th Street Crew was also responsible for Chinatown, located just blocks north on Wentworth Avenue.

Using Asian liaisons such as Joe Wing and Ken Eto and their own enforcers, the crew collected a cut of the action from the illegal Fan Tan and Maj Jong games operating behind the neighborhood's storefronts.

When Asian heroin flooded Chicago's Chinatown in the 1970s and '80s, the crew took a piece of profits as well, charging dealers and helping to enforce payments without dealing directly in the drugs, court records show.

Under LaPietra, the crew's boss in the 1980s, the epicenter for the crew became the Old Neighborhood Italian-American Club, at its former location of 26th Street and Princeton Avenue. Crew bosses and enforcers dropping off payments would enter under the "Members Only" sign over the door and discuss dealings or join illicit crap games in the back room.

LaPietra's nickname, "the Hook," came from his reputation for hanging enemies from meat hooks while torturing them to death.

Standing just 5-foot, 5-inches with thick glasses and heavy-lidded eyes, LaPietra was beloved in his neighborhood. He invested in community projects and held a block party every summer.

In addition, during the 50s and 60s the LaPietras were mainly collectors and loan sharks (also involved in narcotics) who belonged to the Buccieri crew and operated around Cicero, Chinatown and the South Side but they belonged to the West Side faction. When by the late 60s or early 70s Gus Alex relinquished almost all of his ops around the Near South and South Side, the Buccieri crew entered the area and when Skids Caruso decided to completely retire in 1976/77, LaPietra became the new Chinatown capo for the Buccieri/Torello crew and inherited all of Caruso's fromer crew members, while Turk Torello (Buccieri's successor back in 1973) was his rep on the Outfits round table until his death in 79. Story goes that after Torellos death, there was some alleged conflict between LaPietra (Chinatown) and Ferriola (Cicero) regarding the late Torello's high position on the Outfit's board of directors. And so LaPietra became the new South Side rep with Ferriola as his capo in Cicero, meaning the power switched from Cicero to Chinatown.Thats why when LaPietra went to jail, Ferriola (Cicero) took his place as rep for the Cicero/South Side faction and Jimmy LaPietra became his new Chinatown capo, or in plane words the Ferriola/Cicero crew was again in charge of the new South Side faction. Also, thats why many investigators at the time wrongfully thought that Ferriola was the new Outfit boss, while the reality was that Carlisi (Aiuppa's protege) was in fact the new boss with DiFronzo (Cerone's protege) as his number two guy or underboss, and Accardo and Alex as their senior advisors.

I believe Johnny Torrio was key in the creation of The Outfit a multi ethnic organization, but also part of Cosa Nostra.

The Chicago Family was working with non Italians before Torrio arrive in Chicago just like other Families were.

Big Jim Colosimo (a Calabrian) was an original in Chicago as I'm sure most of you know. Johnny Torrio and his young minion Al Capone joined Colosimo at the behest and with the support of Downtown Brooklyn's Camorrista. Frankie Yale, Little Augie Pisano, Toddo Dell, etc.

The Sicilians ran a small Mafia Family within the city as well, separate and apart from the Calabrese and Napolitani. For that matter, the "Terrible Gennas" - the Genna brothers were also a force to be reckoned with at the time.

But there were always racketeers and gangsters of other ethnicities. Not only in Chicago, but other cities as well. After much strife and in-fighting and betrayals and killings, it later became a blending of organizations.

Giacomo Colosimo was indeed the big guy it seems he got his last name, like Vito Corleone, when he arrived in NYC he was born in Colosimi, Calabria.

The crucial moment or time period which created the close alliance between the Italians and non-Itals in Chicago was the internal conflict within the city's local Italian Mafia.

The original Irish mob under Mike McDonald and James O'Leary or German mobster Mont Tennes ruled Chicago's underworld and politics during the early and mid 1900's and so they formed a underworld commission (probably the first in Chicago) which included Irish (mostly), German, Jewish, northern Italian and African-American representatives. Jim Colosimo was allegedly also one of the guys on the round table, probably together with Kenna and Coughlin, and he was probably the only southern Italian rep at the time, meaning there wasnt any rep from the Sicilian Mafia which at the time was mostly looked upon as a bunch of extortionists or "Black Hand" gangs.

Even though many bombings occurred at the time, still Colosimo was never directly involved in any of the conflicts but instead he flourished in the prostitution, gambling and protection rackets, under the jurisdiction and also protection of Kenna and Coughlin.

This means that Colosimo came up under two Irish political bosses and did business with all ethnic criminal groups.

I personally dont know if Colosimo or his wife or her brothers had any New York Italian connections, like the Mafia or Camorra, but somebody obviously had for bringing Torrio and Robert Vanella to Chicago. Some researchers showed evidences that there wasnt any blood relation between Torrio and Colosimos wife, meaning the whole story is a possible myth. Although Torrio and Vanella coming to Chicago is a good evidence that someone from the Colosimo group obviously had a New York connection to some criminal group or organization from that area, probably the Frankie Yale crew.

Also, Torrio's arrival is another proof regarding my previous statement that Colosimo allegedly wasnt interested in violence and conflicts because of his high level and multi-ethnic political, gambling and prostitution connections, but by the late 1900's and also during the 1910's the Sicilian Mafia was also rising withing Chicago's underworld and politics and was becoming a force to be reckoned with. And so Colosimo obviously needed protection against his "relatives" with Sicilian blood and allegedly brought Torrio in 1909/10.

So I personally believe that Colosimo was among the first Italian bosses in Chicago who worked with everyone and created a multi-ethnic and unique organization (with the Italians at the top) which later gave birth to the Chicago Outfit which also operated under similar principals.

Frankie Yale and Joe the boss were probably the first two Mafia bosses from New York who recognized that same situation in Chicago and probably thats why they started sending more people, mostly Mainlanders. But those same guys were the ones who later orchastrated the murder of their boss Yale, and so in 1928 Joe the boss made a half-smart move by making Capone a made guy for the Mafia and instantly elevated him to capo.

Masseria explanied to Capone all Mafia rules and gave him the authority to make his own ten guys. Thats when additional Mainlanders like the Fischettis arrived from NY that same year. Masseria also told Capone to eliminate all D'Aquila allies in Chicago and so it was done.

Many of the jobs included non-Italian hitmen and also most of Capones political contacts and protection was overseen again mainly by the non-Itals. In fact Chicagos Italians inherited all political connections from their non-Ital associates.

As I said, Joe the boss made a half-smart move because again or in 1931 he and his fellas were also killed by those same guys in alliance with their young friends on the east coast. For example Vito and Ricca together killed Polaccia.

With the murders of Yale, Lombardo (D'Aquila ally), Aiello (D'Aquila) and Masseria, the former Colosimo/Torrio group or the new Capone/Chicago Outfit made their independence and created their own organization, in their own image under their old rules which included the non-Italian allies, and received a seat on the commission.

Jake Guzik was probably one of the first high level non-Itals who received official position in the Outfit until his death in 1956 and was replaced by Murray Humphreys who also died in 1965 and was replaced by Gus Alex.

There was a line of succession which is the main proof regarding the non-Itals having a official spot on the Outfits board of directors. Later Alex received even higher position next to Accardo, until the late 80s or early 90s.

Interesting history. Thanks.

You mentioned Northern Italian having a seat at that commission, who were they?

You're welcome.

The Gazzolos from Genoa or Genova (North Italy). They had numerous saloons, gambling dens and brothels all over Chicagos West Side and were one of the dominating forces in Chicagos West Side politics and political corruption at the time. They even had their own crew.

Despite whatever "position" and power guys like Jake Guzik, Murray Humphreys, Gus Alex, etc., may have had within the Chicago Syndicate, these were always "unofficial" positions of power. None of them were ever on the same level as the "core" bosses of the Outfit. These men served at the pleasure of a Anthony Accardo, Paul DeLucia, etc.

In many instances they may have had (and did) have actual inducted Mafia soldiers serving under them, assigned to them by the Cosa Nostra hierarchy to further the ultimate goals of the Mafia. A Guzik, Humphreys, Alex, etc., may have even sat on the so-called (unofficial) "board of directors" for that matter. Some of these men were very important and respected hoodlums in their own right. They controlled "the police pad," payoffs to judges, the judiciary, etc. The had solid "connections" that helped grease the Chicago Mob's wheels so to speak. They also could be viewed as "bosses" over certain segments of Chicago.

But make no mistake about it. At the end of the day, there was only one entity that held the ultimate control, and the power of life and death, over Chicago's underworld. Especially after the 1930-early 40s Capone era. And that was the "core" Italian Mafia that oversaw it all.

They were the "nucleus" of it all.

I agree since we're are talking about the US Italian Mafia (not the European) and as I already said, the Italians were at the top of the organization but DONT FORGET that the non-Itals had a OFFICIAL SPOT in the Chicago Outfit (under the Italian top spots), like having the right for their own vote on who was going to be whacked (both made and non-made), or who was going to be the new Cosa Nostra Outfit boss (like when Humphreys was present at the meeting for Giancana), or if they should take care of widows or sons of deceased or imprisoned made or non-made guys or even former Italian bosses (like the example in which Giancana and Alex voted against the help for the Capone family, while Humphreys was all about it because he belonged to the old school). Chicagos non-Itals were involved in the Italian structural changes.

Dont forget this and pls forget the mainstream propaganda like the new operational vs organizational bullshit. They stole this idea from the original Traditional Vs. Modern idea. Chicago belonged to the "modern" or AMERICAN TYPE OF organizations, not the traditional or European ones.

Joe Watts from NY Gambinos never belonged to a LINE OF SUCCESSION, or Rockman from Cleveland. Those guys were powerful BUT never had official spots and so they can be considered as simple associates.

Chicago was different by having a OFFICIAL POSITION for their non-Ital "members".

Again, Chicago was different and thats way far from being a myth.

Thats not exactly true TD. Guys like Guzik, Humphreys, Alex, etc., NEVER had an "official" spot in the Chicago Outfit. They may have been powerful (which they were). They may have even had inducted mafia soldiers assigned to them for various operations (which they did). They may have even sat on an "unofficial" board of directors (for lack of a better term). But they always operated at the pleasure of an Accardo or DeLucia. They were consulted because their opinions were respected. And because guys like them oversaw certain rackets and the police "pad," payoffs to judges and elected officials, their input was needed and helpful to make wise decisions for Chicago's underworld. They may have even been consulted as to who should get whacked or saved.

But at the end of the day, only one person makes the ultimate decision about life and death, and major shifts in racket policy. And thats the "boss" of the Cosa Nostra Family that governs that city. Period!...Any thoughts to the contrary are pure fantasy and wishful thinking on the part of those wishing for it to be true.

Fellas like Guzik, Humpherys and Alex were mob bosses in their own right. Thats a given. But each of them, ultimately, served at the behest and for the betterment of the Mafia.
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And like any smart boss, who heads a large organization, be it legal or illegal, it's only intelligent to consult and get the opinions of the men who head and oversee different departments of that organization. The men who actually are hands-on, before you make your final decision. Whether that be about who to bribe, who to kill, or why a guy should not be killed. But ultimately an Accardo, DeLucia, or whoever led Chicago's Cosa Nostra at that point in time had the final say.

Admittedly, Chicago's underworld was unique by comparison to other cities around the U.S. The level of non-Italians who enjoyed power and were given major responsibilities there is unprecedented. Other cities also had non-Italians as top associates, but Chicago was on another level....To a point! lol. And only to a point.
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And as far as operational vs organizational? Thats complete nonsense made up by people that contemplate why the sky is blue. Lol. It's all BS. I don't pay attention to such gibberish.

So that is Villian he'll go anywhere telling you Gus Alex was apart tof the Mafia Family in Chicago and had a say in LCN matters like who the Boss is.

As I previously stated, I agree with you almost on everything, especially the org vs ops illusion LOL

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Now lets look at the situation like this...I always argued and Im still doing it, that the old Chicago Outfit had two groups,

Yes, the leading group were the Italians since as I already said, we're talking about the US Cosa Nostra here.

Yes, the Italians had their own structure and brotherhood and different types of inductions, and the non-Itals had no business with it.

Yes, the Italians held all top positions (almost since things were different during the 70s and later ill explain it) and had the last word on every important decision, including all policy for the organization.

Yes, the Italians formed more than 90% of the Chicago Outfit.

BUT, again as I already stated that there was also another group which held a seat on the Outfit's board of directors.

Whats a official Mob position?

Chicago's non-Itals had the right to vote. Having the right to vote is just one part of a official position. Im not talking about advised or whatever, Im talking about official vote. I already gave one example regarding Humphreys being present with Ricca, Accardo and Ferraro during Giancanas election for boss in 1956, and ill give you another example from 1965 when Battaglia became the boss. You see there was an issue during Battaglias election for boss since Ricca and Accardo pushed for Cerone to take that position, while Giancana and Alderisio voted for Battaglia, and so everyone waited for the Humphreys/Alex group and their vote. In the end Battaglia got the position.There are many files confirming this besides what those "org vs ops" clowns are saying. Everyone voted, although it seems the boss like Giancana had the last word (mostly formed from all the votes), not Ricca and Accardo.

Next....demotion....during the late 50's or early 60s we have one convo between two Chicago made guys in which they talked about a rumor that Gus Alex was going to be DEMOTED from his position. Now what was that position? It was obviously official.

The non-Itals like Humphreys and Alex acted as mediators almost in every internal conflict that occurred within the Outfit at the time, Being a mediator is a similar position as Italian consigliere which again might be official.

Speaking about treasurer....back in the days, besides being called advisor, Jake Guzik was also often called treasurer especially by mob members or associates. Same thing goes for Humphreys, Ferraro and Alex. And so we have one interesting example in one convo between Humphreys and Alex in which they talked about one of the Outfit's most feared crews at the time aka the Willie Daddono/Daddano crew wanting some credit/juice so they can start some new operation. Humphreys told Alex not to give him much or something like that. So being a treasurer was another "skill" for an Italian consigliere which again was official position but in Chicago's case, again we have a non-Italian.

In 1973, Accardo told all capos that from that point on everyone of them will clear every decision either through Aiuppa or Alex. When Accardo was out of town and Aiuppa was sick, Alex was the only guy who transferred only the important decisions at the time. Another important part for the official position.

When the narcotics subject occurred, Alex and Accardo were against it, Aiuppa was in the middle, while Nicoletti was all about it. This created a conflict between Nicoletti (underboss at the time) and Alex and so in the end, Nicoletti lost the cold war and all made guys and associates were forbidden in getting involved in the dope trade. Thats called setting policy for the organization.

And Ill repeat myself again...the line of succession regarding that same non-Ital position is one of the main evidences regarding the official spot. If it wasnt official, then why Battaglia called for a meeting in 1965 or right after Humphreys death, on who was going to take his position? You get my point right?!

If you already have ten spots, and you give one to another ethnic group, by the end of the day you still control the organization but you have to take their vote into consideration also because more than 50% of your illegal or legal operations and political or business contacts are theirs or depend from them.

And this completely fits with your statement regarding Chicago being on another level to a point. And thats my point too. Lol


(cheers and ill take a small vacation because I can see some of the "ops vs org" fanatics are also here and they are constantly following me. what can i say, im their idol lol)

TD, I hear everything that you've said. And I don't necessarily disagree with your general viewpoints. I think the terminology may be getting in the way between us. Lol.

An "official" position to me, means the following; Capo Famiglia (Boss), Sotto Capo (underboss), Consigliere (Advisor), Capo di decina (Captains), Soldati (soldiers), Associati (formal associates, many of whom will later be formally "inducted" into the ranks of Cosa Nostra)....and then various "associates" of varying rank, importance, and value.

A "consigliere," in its most formal meaning, is not a "treasurer" per se. He is a "counselor" to both the rank-n-file members and the hierarchy alike. A "treasurer," although valuable, is NOT a formal rank. Neither is a TOP associate (no matter who he may be) who is asked his opinion, or is consulted for before certain decisions are made by the boss. He may be valued, even very highly in fact. The racket revenue he and his operations bring in may necessitate involving him in certain decision making processes. But its still NOT official.

And no matter how smart, resourceful, tough, etc., he may be. Or how many connections to the police department or the courts, he may have. He's STILL viewed as an "outsider." ALWAYS remember that! Because THAT is Cosa Nostra!....and by extension, THAT is Cosa Nostra, the Outfit, in Chicago as well.

So, I think, at the end of the day, it's really a matter of semantics and where you wanna place the handle on the pot. Because however we wanna look at it, the Chicago "Outfit" (and the core Mafia Family behind it)....admittedly worked like a charm for over 80 years. They must have been doing something right! Lol

Both of you guys should collab on a Chicago outfit write up. Great info between the two of you.

Thank you Big Tuna. And I think I can speak for both myself and TD when I say, "We appreciate the obvious vote of confidence you place in us by your statement." It's always a pleasure speaking and conversing with nice posters such as yourself, Toodoped, and others on this forum. Grazie!

This turned into such a knowledgeable discussion! I appreciate EVERYONES comments and information.

Thanks Big Tuna and i dont have problem with it lol NY Mafia is a very good researcher too.

+1

Again, +1lol

I agree on everything you said 100%.

In fact, theres one information regarding Ricca and Accardo being concerned or quite worried on whether Ferraro told anything about or explained the Italian brotherhood to Alex. . I dont remember whether the situation occurred after Ferraros death or while he was still alive. Everyone knew that Ferraro and Alex were very close friends since kids and both grew up around Mafia families and other underworld individuals. The same guys who worked for Ferraro, also worked for Alex.

According to one informant, he once asked Alex if he can go any higher in the organization and so according to Alex's own words he allegedly said that he reached the border and couldnt go any higher in the organization because he wasnt Italian and reffered to the Italian brotherhood as "they" and made some type of joke that he was the "King of all Greeks". This again raises the question on what was Alexs status at the time which reached some certain level, but i wont go there lol

So during the following years nothing happened to Alex and in fact by the late 60s he was still present on board meetings according to one file from 1968 i think. This probably means that even though Ricca and Accardo were worried about Alexs knowledge regarding their brotherhood, still it seems they trusted him and continued their close collaboration.

In fact by the early 70s Accardo kept Alex even closer to him and according to another informant, it was very unusual and unique for a non-Ital to receive such trust and high position right next to the top guys. Ralph Pierce (informant) heard a lot stories from Alex regarding the structure of the Italian group and on who was on what position. This means the trust between Alex and the Italians continued.

But again as you alteady stated, Alex wasnt able to receive one of the official Cosa Nostra spots because he wasnt Italian, but I think he still had some type of spot which was backed with trust and loyalty from the top level Italian brotherhood, a tradition that lasted for over 60 years. This is the original evidence regarding the original traditional vs modern theory, meaning Chicago probably belonged to the modern or Americanized group of families.

Non-Italians, regardless of what crew or what city that crew operates in, how much money they make for the borgata, how tough they are, how much "work" they did, or how much they're loved by their Italian counterparts, are completely limited in how far they can advance within that organizational structure called the Mafia or Cosa Nostra. And by extension, how much "ultimate" pull they can exert on the street...Period!

The boss could assign them a top spot as far as control over certain rackets, whole swaths of territory, etc. But, ultimately, regardless of who you wanna mention, they all operate at the "pleasure" of the core Mafia (Italian) hierarchy.

And regardless of who might wanna argue the point, or persuade you to think otherwise, there are NO two ways about it! And thats a fact!

Again, thats right.

Alex wanted to retire from the Outfit since the mid or late 1960s, but he was never allowed by Accardo and the rest of the top level Italians. If he was considered a simple associate or complete outsider, he had the right to retire like other Chicago high level non-Itals did (Eddie Vogel, Hyman Larner, Joe Epstein etc.) but he never received that pleasure.

As you already said, he worked at the pleasure for the Cosa Nostra group and was trusted and needed by them, and so he ended like that until his imprisonment in 1992/93.

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Btw, whats your opinion regarding Chicago not having traditional inductions while the books were closed or maybe even before that?

Also is there a difference between Italian and non-Italian candidate and associate who received a tap on the back and "you are with us", followed by a lavish dinner?

I don't buy into that. At all. Not one iota.

In different cities across the country there have always been slight variations on the theme. But, by and large, (and I'd bet my bottom dollar on it), the Chicago Mob did it the same "traditional" way, as IS the way, of all Cosa Nostra. Especially back in the earlier decades during the mob's heyday.

In later years, after things got watered down, the ceremony might have become less formal and skewed a bit. But back in the day, I am positive that they followed formality.

I think the difference is that (despite what popular theory is), the "core" Chicago "Family" of inducted men was actually very small, and the process was kept under tremendous wraps and truly honored by the secrecy surrounding it. Can you ever imagine a devout mafioso like a Tony Accardo or Paul DeLucia EVER doing it differently? I can't.
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Remember too, that many many (I'll say it once again), many of the Italian racketeers that both the FBI, and even fellow mob figures operating on the streets of Chicago took for granted as "made" guys, were in fact, NOT made. They may have held lofty positions and were in control of others, giving orders like a good fellow. But in truth, they had never actually gone through the process of formal induction.

I'm sure some of them may have been what we call "proposed." Others were just Italian racket guys given authority to act on behalf of the organization (not unlike the non-Italians we were discussing like a Alex, Humphreys, Guzik, etc).

But "outsiders," whether they be cops or crooks, unwittingly afforded them the respect of made guys. Understand what I'm trying to convey?
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Frankly, if you check old FBI files and Chicago hierarchy charts, you'll see that some of them list upwards of 100-150 soldiers. Thats a total fallacy IMO. More likely, the Outfit's total "formal inducted" soldiers never exceeded 40-50 men (if that).

Accardo and DeLucia were no dummies! They kept their "core" very small and tight. Hence, the great secrecy that they enjoyed many years after other families throughout the country were gaining exposure through rats.

In my view, the actual Chicago Mafia was kept small on purpose, but this small hardcore group controlled thousands of allied racketeers and associates of every size, stripe, and shape.

Smart! Smart! Smart!...

Yes I understand what you're saying and i also understand why you dont buy it

BUT, we have info or files from the Giancana and Battaglia eras that new candidates were required to do certain jobs, including murder, and later they were questioned by the Outfits governing board and if needed, the candidates were given additional tasks and later they were only told they were "in". That was it. No traditional ceremony or anything like that.

Butch Blasi (informant, made guy and close associate of both Accardo and Giancana) was allegedly made by old time capo Jimmy Belcastro in 1944/45, who in turn only told Blasi "youre in" or "youre with us", and again that was it. Again, no traditional induction.

Not withstanding that "alleged" data, I don't buy into it. Is it possible that during times of internal strife or heavy FBI presence that Accardo ordered a much shortened ceremony. Of course. But I just don't see it. And it flies in the face of everything I know (we know) to be true.

How bout I throw out a "wild" theory here? Lol. One that I know is gonna throw you and a lot of other people here for a loop.

What if I told you that some of the very guys who "claimed" to their FBI handlers they were "made," actually weren't? And that a few others, although they gave up some info, still kept the details of their "making" as a hallowed secret.

How bout some of these fellows, might have even been told that they were now "in." But in reality, were NOT made members at all. But being outsiders, they really didn't even understand the difference between the two. They were still "green" and completely ignorant to the "real" process and what becoming a made guy consisted of?

This is what I truly believe took place!

I bet that many Chicago Mob aficionados will fall out of their chairs as they read this. Lol.

Im talking about info which was given by made guys/informers, who were confirmed being made by other made informers too.

Also, during those days Giancana and Battaglia made all inductions, not Accardo or Ricca.

According to one wiretapped convo between Genovese capos, there was some high level meeting between east coast and midwest bosses on which everyone talked in Italian while Giancana was making funny faces and was making fun of them because he was completely Americanized. So do you think that Giancana cared about tradition? No way bro. Lol

As for the Outfit having 50 made guys during the 50s and 60s, is completely wrong. Pls dont go there lol

It's possible that the Outfit had more than 40-50 inducted members. But not much more (IMO). You gotta remember something (and this is important). Once you're made, technically, you share in all the spoils of the borgata. So it generally becomes a wise financial decision to keep the core small so the money stays among the key members.

Do NOT think that a 50-member family doesn't have the capacity to exert massive power and influence over thousands of other racketeers, businesses, and rackets. To the contrary, its actually an extremely intelligent move. And Accardo/DeLucia were no dummies.

NYC is different for several reasons. Number one, it's massive in its population. One family simply doesn't cut it here. #2, it was/is the hub of the Mafia in the U.S., and the original landing point for the vast majority of Italians who arrived in America. #3, the level of competition among hoodlums here necessitated the early development of 5 families and another close by in NJ.
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Chicago had no such problems. It is much smaller in population, never had to contend with 4 rival families, and could operate semi-independently as they wished. These facts afforded them the luxury of shaping their "borgata" (not the Outfit per se, but the core Mafia borgata) as they wished.

My views are NOT a slight to the Chicago Mob in any way, shape, or form. Understand that. It's actually a major compliment to their savvy and guile.
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Remember too, that the term Chicago "Outfit" is deceptive in its use. Because although it commonly refers to Chicago's Mafia Family, it is, in my view, NOT the proper terminology to be used at all.

Terms like the Chicago Outfit, the Chicago Syndicate, etc., IMO, more appropriately refer to the "overall" underworld organization which consists of Irish, Jewish, Welsh, Polish, Greek, all the other uninitiated Italians, etc., etc.

The Chicago "Mafia" is completely, unequivocally, a separate - but allied - criminal group. A small, core membership the oversees and governs the overall "Outfit."

PS: If you examine the total rank-n-file membership of nearly every other Family in the U.S., you'll see that nearly all of them hovered around 40-75 members total. At best!

These numbers go to my point, that entire cities were on total lock-down by borgatas that essentially only had small "core" memberships. But hundreds and hundreds of associates.
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I hope that I was able to clarify what I was trying to convey to you here.

One last point, if I may.

Remember that none of us were in the room, nor are we privy to what was discussed or how they brought guys "in." So this is largely conjecture on the part of researchers and others who are trying to glue together little bits and pieces and snippets of information gleaned over the years. Which may, or may not, hold any validity at all.

Because Chicago was admittedly a somewhat unique group, even their daily conduct, rules, and rituals are subject to more interpretation than in some other cities.

Nicely said and again I agree 100%.

In fact I forgot to mention in my previous posts on what you just stated regarding the "Outfit" term, meaning I personally vote for the Chicago "syndicate" term as overall organization with the Italians or Cosa Nostra at the top. When Lenny Patrick (Alex was his boss) became informant during the late 80s or early 90s, he was just one of the few informants who gave exact formation of the CN brotherhood and on who was the real boss and underboss. These guys were obvious part of the organization. Imagine if Alex ever became an informant?! LOL LOL

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Regarding NY and Chicago....NY had/has five families and even though was/is a much bigger city, still Chicago was the second largest city at the time with ONLY ONE boss.

Dont forget that before Capone, there were allegedly TWO Mafia families in Chicago. One was stationed around the North, West and South parts of the city, while the other controlled the Chicago Heights area and almost all souther suburbs, including Joliet and northwest Indiana.

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As for the number of members, I think the Chi family reached its peak during the Giancana era or during the 50s and 60s.

Capone made his own ten guys in 1928 right?! But he also inherited many previously made guys from the old Sicilian Mafia, while others fled the city and joined other families. Also, Capone allegedly didnt stop making guys until his imprisonment in 1932. What about Ricca and Campagna making guys from 1933 until 1942? What about Fischetti from 1944 until 1946, or Accardo making guys from 1947 until 1956? What about Giancana or Battaglia? What about guys who transferred their memberships to Chicago, like Roselli etc?

The guys who were made previously and during the Capone era, and after Capone's reign (with other bosses like Ricca, Fischetti, Accardo, Giancana), most of them were still alive at least until the late 60s or early 70s, which again is a proof that Chicagos peak in membership was probably during the time period I previously mentioned or the 50s and 60s and was probably over 100 made guys.

I think the "smaller and more influential membership" came later.

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I also get the point that we werent in the room when the guys were made but if Rocky Infelice tells an informant during the late 80s that Chicago began making people in the old way, i would rather believe that. Or if few old time informants are saying that Chicago didnt have any tradition during certain time periods, i rather believe them than my own street knowledge lol

Dont get me wrong....90% of the info that we posses depends on their information. How do you know about the CN hierarchy then? Lol you get my point?! Everything that we have about the US Mafia mostly comes from informants, starting from Gentile and all the way to Nick Calabrese etc. Even the young informant Magnafichi (his father was Elmwood Park capo) labelled Alex as "consigliere" but some good researchers say that these guys are known to generalize stuff and im down with that too, but wheres smoke theres also usually fire too...if you get my point?!

Every mob researcher first should look at these stuff/inside info and then create his OWN opinion, but again based mostly (at least 80%) from the previously mentioned inside sources. Every information which comes from a made informant should be taken with a small grain of salt but still thats all we got. Although my own research mostly depends on wiretapped convos which is the real truth.

For example when two Chicago made guys said that they belonged to Alex, the same way Skids Caruso (capo) also belonged to him. Thats the real truth because those guys thought that no one was listening to them lol.

Not to disrupt this, because this is an awesome back and forth you guys are having, but the part about Giancana there at the end made me spit out my coffee. Funny stuff!

its true. Im not quite sure but I think Gyp DeCarlo was one of the Genovese guys who was involved in that same convo. You can find it on the MF site. The only Sicilian tradition which Giancana followed was the anal sex with McGuire and probably Monroe, since during the old days Sicilian women kept their virginity by having only anal intercourse until they were married. So yeah, Giancana was quite "traditional" regarding his own desires He also screw the wives of many made members and nobody moved a finger about it. Giancana was a sexual maniac

Btw...do you see any resemblance between Momo and Solly D?

[/quote]

Im talking about info which was given by made guys/informers, who were confirmed being made by other made informers too.

Also, during those days Giancana and Battaglia made all inductions, not Accardo or Ricca.

According to one wiretapped convo between Genovese capos, there was some high level meeting between east coast and midwest bosses on which everyone talked in Italian while Giancana was making funny faces and was making fun of them because he was completely Americanized. So do you think that Giancana cared about tradition? No way bro. Lol

As for the Outfit having 50 made guys during the 50s and 60s, is completely wrong. Pls dont go there lol[/quote]
Not to disrupt this, because this is an awesome back and forth you guys are having, but the part about Giancana there at the end made me spit out my coffee. Funny stuff![/quote]


its true. Im not quite sure but I think Gyp DeCarlo was one of the Genovese guys who was involved in that same convo. You can find it on the MF site. The only Sicilian tradition which Giancana followed was the anal sex with McGuire and probably Monroe, since during the old days Sicilian women kept their virginity by having only anal intercourse until they were married. So yeah, Giancana was quite "traditional" regarding his own desires He also screw the wives of many made members and nobody moved a finger about it. Giancana was a sexual maniac

Btw...do you see any resemblance between Momo and Solly D?





[/quote]
LOL. Man talk about a guy who gave absolutely zero fucks. He was Gotti before Gotti, only way more intelligent than John. There are some similiarties there though between Solly and Mooney, especially the size of their nose!

Another funny thing about Solly D is that he's very active on facebook. Not sure if you're on there, but if you are he's always sharing photos.

I agree. Momo was "Gotti" before Gotti but yeah he was more smarter in the view of doing business. According to one convo between Philly boss Angelo Bruno and another guy...Bruno said that Giancana worked with everyone, literally, which in fact was the Chicago way.

Btw, I dont have FB but some of you guys can send these two pics to Solly D

Proportionately speaking, NYC's five Boros, and its immediate adjoining suburbs like Nassau/Suffolk and Westchester Counties totaled in the area of 11 million people. And thats not counting right over the bridge to No. Jersey where the Families had some of their crews active, which would probably add at least another 2-3 million people.

So the overall NY Metropolitan area is massive by comparison to the overall Chicago Metropolitan area. These areas also house a much much larger overall Italian population, in general, than does the Chicago metro area. Hence, the reason and need for more than one family popping up there. Then add in the Magaddino Family in Upstate NY. (not to mention Ellis Island is there, which is where most immigrants, Italian or otherwise, landed).

And as you mentioned, when he was made into NY's Masseria Family (which is the Genovese Family), he was made a capodecina and given 10 buttons to hand out. Capone did NOT wantonly keep making guys as you say until his imprisonment in 1932, for the simple reason that he was NOT a boss, only a capo. He had to follow the dictates and rules of the Masseria Family (all mafia families follow commission rules for that matter), which states that "you need to ask permission" before making anyone.

It is only after Masseria and Maranzano are killed, and the "official" Commission was formed around 1931, that he was named a boss. And even then, ALL borgatas throughout the United States were required to "ask" permission to make more men. All families have a "cap" on their membership totals. And Capone/Chicago was no different. Especially him, as a Napolitano, as opposed to a Sicilian. Capone would have known better than that. And certainly Accardo and DeLucia knew better and adhered to the rules accordingly.

As far as succeeding front bosses continually "making" guys? Fischetti, Giancana, Battaglia, etc. Its the same thing. And even when they do make guys, what do you think? They're making em by the dozens? Lol. No way! No how! These are very coveted spots. Given to a small handful of guys at best. Maybe even one or two during various intervals. Which is strategically handed out to those few men needed to help facilitate and keep the machine greased.

So over, even a twenty year period, IMO, were maybe talking maybe 10,15, 20 new soldiers (at best).

Note: Chicago's "Aiello Family" was a small Sicilian Mafia group. I think the Gennas might have been separate from Aiello too for that matter. You had Chicago Heights (but the powers there were blended; Sicilian, Calabrese, etc., and may have been after Capone became the boss). When Capone clipped Aiello for Masseria, most of whatever membership Aiello had fled like thieves in the night. I suspect that very few stayed around and joined up with the Capone "Family."

So, if you start with 10 men in a decina? and over the next 30-40 years you make even another 30-40 more (which is NOT unreasonable). What do ya have? 50+/- soldiers. Thats all. What about the guys during that same time period that got clipped or died or shelved? Lol. We gotta count them too, no?

You wanna add another few dozen (for the sake of this discussion). Go ahead. Thats still a limited "inducted," "official" Cosa Nostra membership.
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I do agree with you that their largest membership (whatever that number really was) would have been earlier on, say during the late 1930s, 1940s, early 1950s period. That dovetails with borgatas throughout the rest of the country. It's also when Cosa Nostra was at its healthiest.

in later decades, I think is when Accardo/DeLucia trimmed down the fat, maintaining a smaller leaner Family.
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And I agree once again when you say that Skids Caruso and other soldiers were "under" a non-Italian. We both agreed on that earlier. But again, make no mistake about that statement (because its deceptive). Caruso and the others owed their ONLY alliegence to their Mafia boss (Accardo/DeLucia). They would have dumped Alex in two seconds flat have they been ordered to do so.

Nice chatting with you TD. But I gotta run out ok. But I'm sure we'll catch up again soon (no doubt). Lol

No problem bro, good luck in whatever your business is and have a nice day.

But i have to answer some of your statements so you can read them after your return.

Snakes is the main guy who keeps records on these stuff but I think that in 1956/57 more than a dozen of guys were made and brought into the organization. I only know about some guys from the Buccieri and Daddono crews but there were much more. During the 60s we have additional guys like Cordovano etc. Lets go back in time even further...as I already said Blasi was made around 1944/45 and i strongly believe he wasnt the onle one, and if we go back to 1939 we can see Giancana being sponsored by Campagna and Nitto, right before Giancana went to jail. Again, I aldo strongly believe that Giancana wasnt the only one because we have Buccieri and Daddono sponsoring other members more than a decade later.

Lets go even further in the past or during the Capone era. Besides making his own ten guys and inheriting already made guys, we have information that guys like Frank LaPorte were also made by Capone. (Accardo was also probably one of them)

Do you think that Capone respected the "Sicilian" rules? If that was the case, then he, Aiello and Toto Loverde were going to rule all Midwest, West Coast and possibly East Coast too lol. Capone was already the main racketeer in Chicago even before he was made into the Mafia.

Capone "respected" the Sicilian rules the same way when previously Diamond Joe Esposito (Mainlander made guy possibly under D'Aquila) who walked around like a King with diamonds and shit...or when years later Accardo bough one of the biggest mansions or when Giancana walked around with famous women. Or letting non-Itals like Humphreys, Alex and Pierce (informant) to have more knowledge regarding the Italian brotherhood than some of the actual low level made guys.

That was Chicagos "respect" towards the Sicilian tradition.

Also, remnants from the Aiello and Genna groups werent the only members who joined the newly formed Capone family, but instead there were numerous members from the old North/West Side group, Chicago Heights group, South Side group and also northwest Indiana.

During the 50s and 60s....over 100 made guys...believe me LOL

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As for "dumping Alex in two seconds flat have they been ordered to do so" you are completely right because the same situation almost happened to Accardo during the early 50s when he was in conflict with the Ricca/Battaglia/Giancana group. Theres one so-called "legend" that during the conflict, one day Giancana or Battaglia or maybe someone else from their crew, allegedly rang on Accardos door and pumped few bullets in the door the moment he/they heard someone walking towards the door from the other side. I think there was also another story in which Accardo was allegedly on a meeting with Giancana and other guys and they all sat in a car and suddenly a bullet almost hit Accardo which allegedly came from a nearby brawl between some man and his wife LoLol. Can you believe that right?! Lol

And so Alex together with Ferraro were the guys who betrayed their former capo Bruno Roti Sr who in turn was in alliance with Accardo against the opposing faction. This was a huge point for Alex in the eyes of Ricca, Giancana and Battaglia. Alex received the information from Pete or Nick Kokenes (dont remember the first name) who in turn belonged to the Accardo/Roti faction at the time but was more closer to his blood relative and so Alex made the right choice lol because he was a corruptor and understood Chicagos undwerworld to the fullest.

Cheers

TD,

I think you and I have beaten this subject to death. Lol. But I'll add my last two cents and then I'm gonna call it a wrap, ok?

#1, I would take with a major grain of salt, any so-called "legend" about Accardo being shot at, set up, his door peppered with shots, etc. I DO NOT believe that for a second. And if that did happen, whoever orchestrated those moves would have gotten themselves whacked out. (regardless of who they might have been). So for me, thats not a legend, it's a fallacy, IMO.

#2, Maybe they had 40 made guys, maybe 50-60, maybe even 100 at their peak as you stated. But regardless of the actual number of members, for me at least, its immaterial to the overall conversation. Because they controlled thousands of guys. Of all stripes and types, both legit and ill-legit. And proportionately speaking, the "made" guys were but a bleep in the overall landscape of the "Chicago Syndicate." Yet, they ruled over it all with an iron fist.

So why get into a pissing contest over BS and minutia? Am I right here, or what?

You could very well be correct in your numerical estimates. I don't personally think so, but who really knows? So I think we can agree to disagree on such trivia.

#3, And lastly, the "Sicilian" tradition I talk about it NOT to be confused with some antiquated, out of date policies. What I talk about IS the heart-n-soul of Cosa Nostra. This is not 2023 we're speaking of, its the 1930s-1980s era. Rules were meant to be followed. Especially back then. So don't think for one minute (not even one single second), despite however "wild" a Sam Giancana or other guys may have been in their personal lives or daily antics, that they "skirted" basic rules. Some did (I'm sure). But they did so at their own potential peril. Believe you me!

Remember, (always), that however powerful you think the Chicago Mob was. They were "originally" an offshoot of New York's Masseria/Luciano/Genovese Family. And that family follows formality, to a T. NYC is also where the original Commission was formed. And Chicago had a seat on that body and maintained very close ties to all the NY borgatas for many decades. Especially their alter-ego, the Luciano/Genovese crew. It wasn't until many decades later that a second, smaller midwest Commission was allowed to be formed that Chicago "chaired."

Chicago and New York were always in lockstep with one another, and Chicago respected Commission rulings and policy making. THATS a fact!
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Anyway, stay well. This was an interesting give-n-take.

Imo, if Ricca had ordered it for some reason (hypothetically speaking of course), he had all the chances to get away with it. Accardo was very powerful, but Ricca still was above him, wasn't he?

Just a minor observation.

Thats right.

Ricca was Capones successor, had more seniority than Accardo and also had more power. Both Ricca and Accardo belonged to the West Side group but Ricca was the real leader with more people behind him. When Ricca was in jail, Accardo and big part of the organization did everything out of fear and loyalty for Riccas early release. Genovese boss Tommy Eboli once said to Ricca that he respected him (Ricca), the same way he respected Vito, or something like that. So yeah Ricca was more powerful and important than Accardo.

The conflict between Ricca and Accardo started because Ricca and the rest of the bosses werent satisfied on how Accardo was leading the organization, mainly because he managed to screw up two of the most lucrative rackets for the Outfit at the time, and above all he and Roti Sr wanted to keep another lucrative racket away from the Ricca/Battaglia group and thats when the war started.

In 1954 two of Accardos associates were killed (Labriola and Weinberg) and a so-called peace delegation arrived from New York which included John Torrio (former Chi boss) and Tony Ricci (former Chicagoan, Genovese member and main messenger between Chi and the Genoveses) and there was a meeting on Chicagos North Side. Accardo and Roti Sr were probably next in line on the hit list and thats why Torrio came so he can make peace between the warring factions.

Regarding Chicagos real "feelings" towards New York....during the early 70s or before Riccas death, there was a meeting between him and Accardo in some restaurant and they were talking about the problems in the Colombo family and one of them stated "Better them then us" and they both agreed on that one. (same as Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show )

I think that statement sums it all up.

I thought I was done with this conversation, but some of the statements you made force me to jump into the water again. Lol
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You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe some parts of that story about the "war" between Ricca and Accardo, ok?

#1, if in fact, there was a rift between the two of them (which is not unreasonable to assume), then IMO it never even got close to what you're describing. Because I don't believe a man like Accardo would have ever accepted such a frontal assault against him without serious repercussions, regardless of who plotted it, Ricca, or otherwise.

#2, I also don't believe that a careful, measured man like Ricca would have been so foolhardy and slipshod to have made, not one, but multiple violent moves against such a dangerous opponent like Accardo, in such an amateurish and "Keystone Cops" kinda way, with weak, half-assed murder attempts.

If, and when, you make a move against an Accardo, you get one bite at the apple. Understand? Not 43 comically inept, weak attempts to kill him. WTF? Lol....Pleeeez fellas. You're talking about a major Outfit power. A guy who's a stone killer himself. No way! No how! Who do you think they were dealing with here, PeeWee Herman?

Note: Aside from all the other ridiculous attempts you mentioned, I tell you this, here and now. If someone, anyone, ever approached MY front door, rang the bell, heard someone (but didn't know who it was) coming toward them and they fired shot bullets through the door? (Like you allege happened at Tony Accardo's own home?)...Where his wife, his children, and his loved ones resided? I doubt that ever happened.

I would make it my business to kill them all...And I wouldn't give a fuck who they were, or who they think they were, Ricca or otherwise! And I'm no Tony Accardo. Do you understand what I'm saying here, or what? This story is patently unbelievable. They could have killed his wife or kids? Ya kidding me right? Only a complete mutt would NOT revenge that type of unthinkable, disrespectful, degenerate move. And Anthony Accardo was no mutt!

Sorry fellas, but I'm not buying what you're trying to sell here!


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Lastly...

And this is your Quote: "Regarding Chicagos real "feelings" towards New York....during the early 70s or before Riccas death, there was a meeting between him and Accardo in some restaurant and they were talking about the problems in the Colombo family and one of them stated, (Quote); "Better them then us" and they both agreed on that one. (same as Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show lol ). I think that statement sums it all up."
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Really? You think this statement REALLY sums up how they think about NY?

I don't.

What was going on with the Colombo Family back then, the continual wars, was a subject on the lips of many wiseguys, not only in Chicago, but among the NY guys and guys all across the country too. It was not an enviable situation for any borgata to find themselves in. (to say the least). So, big deal?

I can even understand them, and picture Accardo and Ricca, making that statement. It makes sense. But what does that single statement have to do with the other four NYC families? The Commission (which is essentially comprised of the NY crews), or the way they feel about them?

I think you fellas are forgetting a few things. Like the fact that the "original" powers that formed the Chicago Syndicate, from Johnny Torrio and Al Capone, and beyond, first emanated out of NYC. And you can think what you like. But in reality, NYC held the ultimate power over ALL Mafia Families in the entire United States, including the Chicago Mob. For upwards of sixty years (six decades) I might add. Beyond that, because Cosa Nostra's hold over the national labor movement weakened, and the mob's hidden ownerships in Las Vegas casinos ended, an agreement was allegedly put in place to allow the remaining families from the midwest to the west coast to fall under a "second" smaller Commission, chaired by Chicago, to oversee whatever interests and settle whatever problems arose among them. There was little mutual interests between them at that point (thats why it was allowed).

Also remember, that the entire "Chicago Mafia Family," by any other name, first headed by Al Capone, was first "seeded" by New York's Masseria (later Luciano-Genovese) Family. Chicago was the "baby brother" of that NY Family. Capone himself was first "initiated" into the Mafia by New York. He was elevated to a "capo" status as we mentioned in an earlier post, and given the privilege of "making" 10 men. End of story.......Even years later, when Chicago was "allowed" to form a separate Family altogether, do you NOT think they were still beholden to NY's Five Families (specifically the Genovese Family) and The National Commission headed/chaired by NY which controls everybody?

Of course they were!....Always!

It might be an inconvenient truth for you guys to swallow. But these are all documented facts fellas!

PS: Johnny Torrio was NOT ex-Chicago as you stated. In reality, he was ex-New York, who was sent out to Chicago to expand the New York Mafia's interests, before later coming back to NY and rejoining the Luciano/Genovese Family membership...Thats another fact.

I tried to keep my cool but now you are being arrogant.

We are not selling anything. Me and fellas are just bringing out facts for which you obviously dont have a clue about.

Lets be real here. You dont know shit about Chicago and so stay away from this thread.

You live day by day and believe in your own fictional ideas lol.

Grow up and make a difference between a fact and fictional ideas (like yours).

Capone created the biggest graveyard for all Sicilian gangsters lol. THATS A FACT Lol He killed them like dogs on daily basis and Ricca continued his job Lol lol lol

Stop answering my posts. Please.

Stick to your "New York is the greatest" idea and the whole world is Sicilian.

Cheers and pls ignore me.

EDIT: AND PLEASE STOP EDITING YOUR OLD POST AND THE NEXT ONE. I ALREADY QUOTED YOUR OLD OFFENSIVE MESSAGE

Well that was completely uncalled for. I only responded to you based upon my personal take on the subject based on the information you presented, and other clear, well documented, historical facts.

Am I, or anyone else here for that matter, obligated to believe what you write simply because you wrote it? Of course not. We are all entitled to read various posts and draw our own conclusions accordingly. That includes you and I and others on this forum.

It was NOT a personal attack against you. So please don't take it as such. ok?? I seem to have struck a very sensitive cord with you. I just don't understand why. Once again I say, my words were not a personal attack aimed at you. It was a friendly chat. So what got you so triggered?

There is no reason to be so offended here.

And I suspect what you may be referring to as "arrogant" was my mentioning of historically proven information about the early development and pioneers of the Chicago Mob. These are NOT my facts. This is well-documented, proven history.
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But regardless. We are all entitled to draw our own conclusions. So I respect your position. And I can only hope that you will extend me the same courtesy.

Enjoy your day TD.

Lets get back to topic about Chicago's hitters. This is for those who are interested in the Chicago Syndicate or at least know something, and also for those who love to read about these stuff and might receive some additional info, not for those who are arrogant or want to destroy threads without any facts or evidences.

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Previously I mentioned Chuckie Nicoletti as one of Chicago's alleged hitters, who was also known as one of the most feared guys within the organization.

Nicoletti's first "hit" occurred at the age of 12 or in February 1929, when he killed his own biological father. In fact, that was the moment when Nicoletti really "made his bones".

One of the most gruesome hits which Nicoletti allegedly was involved in was the murder of William John Granata, a Republican candidate, that occurred in October 1948. Granata was found with his skull split wide open, possibly by a meat cleaver.

In August 1953, Nicoletti and Alderisio completely riddled Tony Ragucci with bullets and later Ragucci's body was found with his head downward in a sewer near 35th St. and Winchester Av. Ragucci's brother somehow managed to identify him by his ring with the initials "AR" since almost his whole body was ravaged by sewer rats.

Another interesting story is that Nicoletti was allegedly eating pasta when the guy's eye popped out while Spilotro had the victim's head in a vise.


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In June 1928, Claude Maddox, Fred Burke, Willie Heeney and Louis Campagna arrived in New York (Campagna was probably already there), and they took an apartment in Brooklyn and stalked Francesco Ioele a.k.a. Frankie Yale for almost a month, just to learn his everyday routines.

They found out that Yale had a new young wife by the name of Lucy and together they had 1 year old daughter. They also found out that Yale was very sensitive and carrying towards Lucy so the hitmen decided to take an advantage of that. One Sunday afternoon, on July 1, 1928, Yale was playing cards at his Sunrise Club, located at 14th Avenue and 65th Street, when suddenly he received a cryptic phone call. The caller said something was wrong with Lucy and his daughter and that he should come home fast. In a moment of panic, Yale took off with his brown colored Lincoln coupe but without his bodyguards.

Yale drove up to New Utrecht Avenue, where the hitmen in their Buick sedan drove next to him. Yale noticed the hit squad and took off west onto 44th Street, with the Buick close behind him. The chase continued but Yale's car was soon overtaken by the Buick, whose occupants riddled Yale with bullets. Yale lost control of his car and crashed into a stoop of a brownstone at No. 923. He opened the door of his car and fell to ground. One of the hitmen got out of their car and pumped few more bullets into Yale’s body. The job was done. Maddox and his men left the scene and drove nearly three blocks away where they abandoned their car and left on foot. Later the cops found the abandoned Buick and inside they found a .38 caliber revolver, a .45 automatic, a sawed-off pump shotgun, and a Thompson submachine gun.

One hit (and the details surrounding it) that I'd love to hear about is Teddy Roe.

The first and only mistake Giancana (underboss at the time) made with Roe was for sending his guys (one of them a capo) to kidnap Roe and to bring him alive.

As most of us read about it, Roe was an old school gangster and a real tough guy who was in the numbers and policy rackets since "day one" and was also associated with the old Capone mob. You see guys like Roe and Jones already worked with the Chicago mob and paid their percentage and that was it.

Maybe thats why at first Giancana didnt want to kill these guys but instead he wanted to scare them to death and to force them to give up their lucrative operations. And so Giancana had the same plan for Roe which he previously used on Jones, meaning he wanted Roe alive, to hold him for few days and in the end to chase him out of the city. But Roe was a different story.

In June 1951, Leonard Caifano, Vincent Ioli and another individual (dont remember his name) were sent by Giancana to kidnap Roe and to bring him alive. Fat Lenny Caifano was a capo who headed Giancana's crew and was also Giancana's most trusted guy since childhood. Caifano's younger brother was Marshall Caifano.

So Roe was driving along with his two bodyguards when suddenly a darkened sleek sedan was stealthily stalking their car. Roe recognized some of the stalkers and got off from his car, together with his bodyguards, and started shooting with their guns towards the sedan. The three Italians were caught completely off guard and during the process Lenny Caifano got shot directly in the head and died right there on the spot. Ioli allegedly also screamed that he’d also been hit and instinctively the other hitman got on the wheel and sped off into the night, leaving Caifano on the street in a pool of blood. Story goes that Giancana was very mad at the remaining hitmen for leaving Caifano's body behind. After Caifano's murder, Roe was arrested but was later released, while Caifano's younger brother Marshall was also arrested and constantly questioned by the cops and media if he had to do anything with the attack on Roe.

According to some old sources, the guys who took the situation in their own hands and the contract on Roe’s life were the revengeful brother Marshall Caifano and "Teets" Battaglia. They allegedly waited for things to cool down and to make their move at the right moment. This time they sent for two younger guys because they didnt want to make the same mistake, meaning Roe might again recognize his attackers, obviously because he knew most of them. The two young hitmen were allegedly Joseph "Joe the Freak" Amabile and Armando Fosco (Fosco's dad), because previously or during the 1940’s these two guys served as muscle for Battaglia and were allegedly very much trusted by him.

In August 1952, the two hitmen jumped in their 1950 grey Chevrolet sedan and drove across Michigan Avenue. The hit team parked their car behind two signboards in a vacant lot south of the building where Roe lived at 5247 South Michigan Avenue and waited for him. After some time Roe came out of the building and approached his car which was parked in front of the main entrance.

Suddenly the hitmen pulled out their 12 gauge shotguns filled with double-o-buckshots and fired 4 times at Roe. The blasts sent 45 large pellets, about as large as a .32 caliber bullets. The pellets entered Roe’s chest and also struck his head below the left ear. After that the killers sped off in a unknown direction. When the ambulance came, Roe was still breathing but later died shortly after his arrival in the Provident hospital. Behind the signboards where the killers stayed, the cops found five empty shotgun cartridges, tire tracks and an empty half-gallon beer bottle. No one was ever charged with the murder of Roe.

Since Fat Lenny Caifano was dead, the new capo of his crew became another one of his childhood friends known as Fiore "Fifi" Buccieri, but since Battaglia finished the so-called "Roe" problem and was well regarded in the eyes of the Outfits underboss Giancana, as a reward Teets received the old Rocco DeGrazia crew from around the Melrose Park area and all western suburbs, and also took some of the Taylor St guys with him.

Is there a certain hit or hits that you find most fascinating?

The one on Joe Aiello. There were allegedly 2 or 3 machinegun nests and they pumped him with bullets from a quite long distance.

Also the one on George Red Barker. He was also pumped with bullets from a long distance with a Thompson machinegun, while walking with three other people, meaning the amazing thing was that the aim of the assassins was so accurate that none of Barker’s friends were struck by the bullets

Capone's so-called "American boys" which included hitmen from around the country (Fred Burke, Fred Goetz, Gus Winkler, Raymond Nugent etc.) obviously knew how to aim straight with a machinegun and these guys were overseen by Capone members Tony Capezio, Willie Heeney and John Moore aka Claude Maddox, aka the so-called "Circus Cafe gang" (named by the media). In fact, Maddox was involved in WWI and so he also knew on how to handle weapons, while Capezio was a professional robber and burglar who probably also loved the Tommy gun lol.

I am personally more interested by the Outfit post Capone era, but stories like this remind me how much power he had and how ruthless he was. I guess while he's probably one of the most, if not the most influential figure in organized crime, his reign was so short that I sometimes discredit the power and prominence he had.

Great stuff as always.

Thanks man.

If you ask me, one of the best hits from the post-Capone era was obviously the Giancana hit and I think you can understand why lol.

Also, its nice to mention the April 1954 hit on Outfit associate Tony Pape and his brother James. Story goes that the two brothers got into their car and drove home and while driving down Flournoy Street, suddenly another car with two masked men tried to block their path and James Pape, who drove the car, quickly made a wild effort to elude the hit squad by turning his car around. The car chase lasted for more than a mile, since the Pape brothers were also known for fast driving and getaway operations but the hit squad somehow managed to get near their targets.

Now this is one the most “fascinating” moments and that’s when one of the assassins, in a matter of seconds, managed to fire only two shotgun blasts, thus fatally hitting James in the head and also fatally wounding his brother Tony, also in the head. Suddenly their car went out of control, struck the corner of a building and crashed on the sidewalk. James’ body was found sprawled face down in mud with his brain missing and with his legs still under the steering wheel, while Tony was quickly taken to the Garfield Park hospital in a critical condition and possibly in coma and died two days later.

In addition, Tony Pape was involved in narcotics and also in many auto-theft operations for the Outfit.

For my money, the Giancana hit is the best all time mob hit of all time.

+1

Btw you ever heard of this situation?

July 22, 1977: Joseph LaRose (possibly killed by Paul Schiro and Joey Hansen)
July 22, 1977: John Vische (possibly killed by Paul Schiro and Joey Hansen)
July 22, 1977: Donald Marchbanks (possibly killed by Paul Schiro and Joey Hansen)
July 22, 1977: Malcolm Russell (possibly killed by Paul Schiro and Joey Hansen)

I have to look at my old records but I think the hit happened in AZ and 3 or four guys were killed in an elevator at the same time.

I had not, but holy shit. Paulie "The Indian" was a psyschopath. Think he actually just got released to halfway house. Crazy to me that he's going to get out while Jimmy "the man" is going to do life in the worst prison in the country. On real spotty evidence, no less!

Yeah, Schiro is one quite old man and I dont think that he can lift a gun anymore, so I believe he deserves a release. As for Schiro's history, yeah back in the days he was a killer and was probably a psycho but I think the real scary guy was his associate Joey Hansen.

Speaking about hits and hitters, just look at the rest of that same year of 1977 (lol) (Accardo, Aiuppa, Cerone, Alex and LaPietra ruled the Outfit at the time):

January 13, 1977: Norman Lang (William Dauber)
February 12, 1977: James Villareal (unknown hitman)
February 12, 1977: Sam Rivera (unknown hitman)
March 2, 1977: Ben Byer (unknown hitman)
March 4, 1977: Patrick Marusarz (possibly killed by Jimmy Cozzo and John DiFronzo)
March 15, 1977: Henry Cosentino (Frank Calabrese and Ronnie Jarrett)
March 29, 1977: Charles Nicoletti (possibly killed by Harry Aleman and Frank Schweihs)
April 4, 1977: John Lourgos (unknown hitman)
June 13, 1977: Richard Ferraro (Gerald Scarpelli)
June 14, 1977: Thomas McCarthy (William Petrocelli)
June 15, 1977: Joseph Theo (Gerald Scarpelli)
July 3, 1977: John Schneider (unknown hitman)
July 12, 1977: Earl Abercrombie, Jr. (unknown hitman)
July 13, 1977: Morris Saletko (unknown hitman)
July 22, 1977: Mark Thanasouras (possibly killed by Jimmy Cozzo and John DiFronzo)
July 22, 1977: Joseph LaRose (possibly killed by Paul Schiro and Joey Hansen)
July 22, 1977: John Vische (possibly killed by Paul Schiro and Joey Hansen)
July 22, 1977: Donald Marchbanks (possibly killed by Paul Schiro and Joey Hansen)
July 22, 1977: Malcolm Russell (possibly killed by Paul Schiro and Joey Hansen)
July 25, 1977: Samuel Annerino (Joseph Scalise, William Petrocelli and Anthony Borsellino)
August 25, 1977: James Palaggi (unknown hitman)
October 18, 1977: Ray Ryan (IN) (possibly killed by Marshall Caifano)
December 13, 1977: Leo Filippi (unknown hitman)
December 22, 1977: Richard Crofton (unknown hitman)

In addition, the Chicago Outfit was also known for killing women.

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For example, in May 1943, one of the most feared Outfit associates Danny Stanton became a marked man and one night Stanton and his close associate Louis Dorman were having drinks in a bar at 6500 May Street. Suddenly two Outfit hitmen (one being William Block) kicked the back door of the bar and blasted three shots with their shotguns. Dorman got one in the back and Stanton got one in the back of the head. After the shooting the killers ran out and fired three more shots from a revolver through the glass panels of the front door before making their getaway. Stanton and Dorman both lay dead on the floor.

BUT one alleged young and quite beautiful blonde by the name of Cecelia Ashley was one of the witnesses who was sitting next to the dead gangsters and saw the killers' faces. Story goes that the other day she learned that the police knew about a “blonde” woman sitting near the victims and her friends advised her about going to the police so she decided to go for it. On May 8, Miss Ashley started walking down to the Englewood Police Station but never managed to reach the place because she suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. Later the cops arrested Chicago bosses Claude Maddox and Sam Hunt in connection with the double murder and the missing woman. They were both questioned about the killings but as usual everything ended with no results.

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Most of us read about the infamous Hollywood extortion case from that same year of 1943, when the top leadership of the Chicago syndicate was indicted and was about to enter prison. But before that, three of their companions were already arrested and two of them (Willie BIoff and George Browne) decided to talk, while the third guy Nick Circella had a different "future". You see, Circella was probably a made member of the Italian brotherhood either being directly under Paul Ricca and Frank Nitto or possibly belonged to the Lawrence Mangano crew, who in turn was the only Chicago boss who was also allegedly involved in the extortion case (not directly like the rest of the bosses) but was never indicted.

So information started floating around that Circella was allegedly also ready to talk to the investigators about the situation. So if Circella was a made member then the problem was much bigger for the bosses, meaning besides giving information about the extortion scheme, Circella was probably also able to give information regarding the organization. Thats when the bosses decided to send Circella one quite harsh message and also a brutal reminder.

Circella was having a mistress known as Estelle Carey, who worked as a waitress and a dice girl in one of Circella’s clubs. Story goes that it was for Carey who allegedly overheard the drunken conversation between Bioff and Browne regarding the lucrative extortion scheme and later she gave the information to Circella who in turn informed his bosses.

So on February 2, 1943 the Outfit sent for one of their associates from the old days Thomas Stapleton who was also a close and trusted friend of both Circella and Estelle. During the afternoon Stapleton called Estelle and told her that he’s coming over to bring her some presents and to share few drinks. Two hours later after the phone call, Estelle was talking with one of her cousins over the phone when suddenly she heard knocking on the door. She told her cousin that she is expecting someone and she’ll call her later and then hung up the phone. When she opened the door, Estelle welcomed Stapleton in and made two cups of hot chocolate.

Reports say that that Carey was attacked and tied to a chair. Later she was stabbed with an ice pick several times and then her jaw was broken followed by few knife cuts. After that her leg was burned with an electric iron and in the end, her legs were poured with flammable liquid and was set ton fire. The poor girl was screaming so loud that her heart immediately stopped from the pain and so she finally died. After her death, Stapleton allegedly took few of her fur coats with so the scene can look like some kind of robbery.

Some police sources from that time period suspected that Stapleton wasnt the type of guy who was able to inflict such horrible methods of torture but instead, this was obviously a job for Outfit members or in other words, Stapleton worked as a "bait" for someone else who was above him. Another story goes that the alleged killers wanted to know about the location of Circella's hidden cash from the extortion scheme. Later the cops arrested Stapleton but he was later released for the lack of evidences, and so Captain William Drury of the Town Hall police also ordered the arrests of Sam Battaglia and Marshal Caifano, only two of the most brutal Outfit members at the time but as usual, nothing happened and they were also released.


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Back during the 1930’s, William McCabe was an ex-County State’s Attorney and was also a part owner of a newspaper called “The Spectator” which was a weekly newspaper that actively crusaded against gambling and coin machine operations of the Outfit, especially against Jewish Outfit boss Eddie Vogel who in turn completely controlled that same racket. So one day in 1948, McCabe decided to run for committeeman in the Forty-Sixth Precinct but the problem was that shortly after he was kidnapped, stabbed, beaten and shot but miraculously he managed to survive. Later McCabe claimed that he was attacked by Outfit henchmen for refusing to withdraw from the elections nut he eventually recovered and remained as the main shareholder of the weekly Spectator but ceded daily control of the newspaper to his female partner, Amelia Molly Zelko who continued the strong crusade against the Outfit’s coin machine rackets.


By the late 1950’s Amelia Zelko started supporting the election of candidates from the city counsel who voted to outlaw vending machines, which became quite a problem for Vogel and the Chicago syndicate. Also Zelko started sending reporters and photographers to investigate all gambling houses around the South suburbs and she was even obsessed with finding on who was responsible for the attack of her business partner William McCabe back in 1948. She also hired private investigators which were driving past the local mob bosses' homes on a regular basis and taking photos of their license plate numbers of their cars which were parked in front of their homes. Story goes that Molly was getting close to finding out who had orchestrated the attack.


Zelko was often warned by her friends and family regarding her dangerous job, obviously because her main enemies were mobsters and crooked politicians. She also received many threatening letters but still she continued with her work but her main mistake was writing stories about one guy who was allegedly running the whole vending machine action for the Outfit in and out of Chicago who went by the name (alias) of Red Waterfall (Hy Larner).

On the evening on August 5, 1957, Amelia Molly Zelko was attacked and kidnapped while she was entering her car in front of her home. Her shoes were found kicked off on the sidewalk and her car keys were in their usual place underneath the driver’s seat, which tells us that she was attacked as soon as she entered the car. A woman who lived nearby to Zelko’s house said that she looked out the window after 12pm the night Zelko disappeared as she was waiting for her husband, and saw four men with a black car removing a bundle from the back of the car, she then saw an arm fall out and realized it was a human body.

Some reports say that the hit was orchestrated by Vogel, Hy Larner and Francis Curry, in alliance with Outfit capos William Daddono and Frank LaPorte. Zelko’s body was never found and her murder remains a mystery even today. Later her business partner William McCabe died of natural causes in August, 1958. In addition, the two or three murders in which Larner was allegedly directly involved, always went with the method "no body no crime".

The main suspect in Molly’s disappearance was James Rini because he allegedly confessed to the FBI that he was one of the kidnappers. Even though his “fantastic” confession was viewed with skepticism by Chicago authorities, still Rini had Robert Kennedy and his boys digging up alleged graves all over Southern Cook County farm fields, looking for Molly's grave but they found nothing. But the problem was that the feds caught Rini lying by stating that one of the kidnappers was Frank Mustrari, the guy who was killed three months before the vanishing of Zelko. Story goes that Rini made up the story so the authorities would reduce his previous sentence for providing alleged vital information.



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During the 1970's one of the Outfit's most lucrative and legit operations at the time was the catering business, which became the new style of income in providing food service for the citizens with the help of mobile caterers, which serves food directly from a vehicle, cart or truck which is designed for the purpose at outdoor events. All kinds of food products are provided at remote sites such as weddings, funerals, working places, ships, planes, concerts or at sites such as hotels, public houses and other lucrative locations or events.

By the 1970's, the Outfit's Elmwood Park crew was already involved in the food catering business with the help of one of their close associates known as John Schaffer a.k.a. Juan Atilano, the owner of the restaurant La Hacienda Del Sol, located at 1945 N. Sedgwick St. on the city’s North Side and also the part owner of the Thunderbird Catering Co. at 4242 S. Racine Av. on the South Side. It was a beautiful scheme since, besides his alleged Mob connections, Schaffer had no criminal record and was clean, and on top of that he had a professional “team” under his rule which carried out the operation.

For example, besides Schaffer, another individual with hidden interests in both establishments, and was also employed as manager, was Jack Clarke, one quite controversial consultant for the Chicago Police Department, undercover agent for the FBI and private investigator, who in turn also had many connections on Chicago’s docks which made him the Mob’s perfect puppet. In fact, Clarke was one of the worst kinds of criminals since he worked for three different “agencies”, including the police force, the feds and the Outfit, but above all he worked for himself.

The other half of their “team” was headed by one quiet, unassuming, hardworking and intelligent lady who went by the name of Rita Payonk and she was the group’s main bookkeeper for both establishments and knew all the secrets and schemes, which in fact were tax evasion and forcing other establishments to buy their catering products or trucks. By now the Thunderbird Catering Co. had almost 100 mobile catering trucks, which in fact became one of the leading companies who were on the rise in making a monopoly around Chicago. In addition, Miss Payonk was in fact Clarke’s friend who in fact brought her into the firm and there’s also one possibility that Schaffer’s Outfit connection really came from Clarke’s personal connections.

But by the mid 1970's some problems occurred, like money began missing and the information that there was an alleged informant within the group. So on May 6, 1975, somebody planted a pipe bomb under the hood of John Schaffer’s automobile, which after the explosion, luckily for him, he was quite away from the car and left him unharmed. Some of the investigators said that it was a possible murder attempt and some said that it might’ve been only a warning since the bomb was professionally planted, but when the investigators questioned Schaffer, in the already knwo known victim style, he answered that he allegedly had no clue on who would’ve tried such a thing and that he never had a quarrel with anyone.

But on January 18, 1976, two masked men armed with high powered rifles, while riding a car, fired more than a dozen of shots as the Rita Payonk while driving home but she ended up wounded slightly in the incident. Now, according to the previous information Schaffer was possibly in a position to help his female co-worker but instead, he and Clarke told her that it was a possible mistaken identity and that all of those bullets were meant for someone else.

From that point on the poor woman was forced to ask her colleagues on daily basis to escort her to her car after work. But according to some reports, during this period Miss Payonk was again visited more than a couple of times by Clarke, who in turn allegedly advised her that the everything was alright and there was no reason for her to be further afraid. So according to her colleagues, on February 6, 1976, she allegedly told them that she wasn’t scared anymore and that all things were good.

That same day, 31-year old Rita Payonk was found shot two times at the back of her head and four times in the chest, while being seated and slumped over the wheel of her car in the 1800 block of North Lincoln Avenue. The investigators reported that it was a professional assassination since they found six 38.caliber shell casings on the floor of the victim’s auto but they were not able to determinate if the killer or killers lay and waited inside the car or forced their way in. In the end, the investigators connected Payonk’s murder to the narcotics business, since some of the truck drivers were involved in the scheme, which for me personally doesn’t make any sense. After the slaying of Miss Payonk, the government turned its view on the mobile catering business which in fact was one of the first reasons for its huge failure in Chicago at the time.


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And I think that most of us know or heard about the 1975 murder of Tamara Rand who was involved in real estate around San Diego. Outfit frontman Allen Glick was her partner in many enterprises and sources say that there was allegedly a deal between her and Glick regarding Rand entering the casino business in Las Vegas for which Glick allegedly already took large amounts of cash from her.

So the general story goes that Glick allegedly turned his back on her and also betrayed her on their deal. Rand was a rich and powerful woman with many connections and so she decided to take Glick to court which in fact was a huge problem for the Chicago Outfit. Not just for Glickman being their frontman at the Stardust and other casinos, but instead the main problem was that Rand's lawsuit wouldve probably give the government an idea to enter all of the Mob's casinos and to uncover their schemes.

So in November 1975, Chicago's representative in Las Vegas, Tony Spilotro together with one LA high level member Frank Bompensiero went to visit Tamara Rand. Story goes that Bompensieri waited in the car, while Spilotro sneaked in Rand's house and shot her to death with a .22 caliber handgun, allegedly equipped with a silencer.

Not all Chicago hitters from the old days were always successful.

For example, Outfit hitman Alex Ross worked together with street enforcers such as James "Green Hornet" Rini, Frank Mustari and Frank Eldorado, and these fellas mainly received "contracts" and other jobs from Chicago bosses such as Willie Daddono, Eddie Vogel, Francis Curry and Hyman Larner. In fact, Larner was their so-called crew boss because when some of these guys were arrested, they usually asked the cops to call the Crossroads Tavern at 159th & Cicero, Oak Forest, and to notify "Red"(Larner) of their arrest.

Story goes that Ross was a "righthand man" or top hitman for Daddono, Vogel and Larner, followed by Mustari who in turn was another suspected killer who was also involved in prostitution and also in many hijackings and robberies and above all, Mustari was allegedly the cousin of Sam Rinella, a known Capone associate from the old days

So in June, 1957, Willard Bates the owner of the Rio Vista tavern who refused to pay tribute to Larner’s association, was visited by Ross who in turn was told to “F*ck off”. So one morning, Bates woke up and prepared for work. As he neared his car, which was parked in front of his home in Brookfield, suddenly his Doberman dog named “Princess” started barking. The dog’s warning caused Bates to draw his gun and when he opened the door of the car, the dog jumped and caused the man who was hiding in the back seat of the car to shoot at the dog. This gave a chance for Bates to shoot the man right between the eyes. Than two other guys rushed from the nearby parked car with their guns blazing at Bates, but his dog rushed them, again giving Bates the opportunity to fire back so the two men retreated and fled with their car. The two men were Jim Rini and Alex Ross and the dead gunman was identified as Frank Mustari. Bates shot it out like in a cowboy movie with three guys and got out of the gun battle just easily wounded. As additional info, Frank Mustari's widow Ruth, later re-married with another infamous Chicago Outfit hitman known as Harry Aleman.

The Outfit and Larner were allegedly quite furious at Rini and Ross because first they screwed up a simple job, which was to kill Bates, and then they lost one of their own, which instantly connects them to the murder since the victim was their known associate. But even with that, four months later or on October 1, 1957, Will Bates was gunned down by several shotgun blasts in front of his house.

Another quite interesting hit from the old days was the one on Giuseppe "Diamond Joe" Esposito.

Esposito was a very influential political crime boss on Chicago's West Side and was also the mentor of many future Outfit bosses. Besides being a Mainlander, Esposito was made into the Chicago Mafia, possibly under the D'Aquila regime back in New York.

Esposito was a Republican 25th ward committeeman and in 1928 he again was the primary candidate for re-election but this time he had an opponent known as Joseph P. Savage, former assistant States attorney and also a member of Mayor William Thompson's staff of legal experts. Thompson was under a huge influence of the Capone organization and they guarded each others backs. The Capone organization allegedly respected Esposito until he became a problem. Some sources say that even Capone himself allegedly went to see Esposito and allegedly told him to back off. Esposito even received threatening phone calls at his home but still the old man refused to give up his candidature and with that he signed his own death warrant.

On March 21, 1928, Esposito was escorted out of his house at 800 South Oakley Boulevard by his bodyguards the Varchetti bros. While walking down the street Esposito and his bodyguards met an old lady from the neighborhood and told her “I guess I haven’t much chance of winning, it won’t make much difference even if I had. If I loose I’ll move out of the ward, and then, perhaps, ill be missed.” After that, the trio continued to walk down the street in formation of left and right bodyguard with Esposito in the middle.

Later according to the bodyguards and their wives who lived right across the street, suddenly a car with three armed guys showed up and was slowly approaching behind them. The two bodyguards probably noticed the car because with out any warning, both of them dropped on the ground while leaving old man Esposito alone in front of the killers. The poor guy was riddled with bullets while hopelessly screaming in despair. His screams and the shootings were allegedly heard all around the neighborhood and the so-called hit team sped off with their car.

Esposito's bodyguards didn’t receive a scratch which became very suspicious to some of the detectives and investigators, and also on that same day both of them allegedly forgot their guns. Later the coroner said that Esposito had 58 pellets of shotgun shells and numerous pistol bullets in his body, but there was something which made things suspicious was a bullet in his arm but from the right side, and Esposito was riddled on his left side as he was in position of walking down the street. Plus he also had powder burns on his body which indicates that he was also shot from a close range, which for me personally raises the question on whether the Varchetti brothers had something to do with the killing of their late boss.