Why was Colosimo opposed to getting involved in

bootlegging?

What was his real reason? It yielded big money and must've shown potential at the time, even if it hadn't lasted that long it would've given a huge kickback

He said he was doing fine with the whores and the gambling and he didn't want the FEDs on his back.

So, Big Jim should have allowed his underlings to get involved in it and get rich in the process....Maybe they needed his initial investment to get started?

Rico laws weren't in being used so, if Capone and Torrio got caught, Capone and Torrio would do the jail time.

Angelo Bruno should have remembered his LCN history better...When you have underlings that are making considerable amount less than you and, there is a wide open market to earn big, you should either reduce the amount they kick up OR, allow them to break into the lucrative venture. The alternative is rebellion and you die....Bruno actually had to worry about Rico so, a little different scenario.

The real reason is that with the bootlegging Colosimo would preparare to the war with the others groups in Chicago,that means to buy the tommy guns,the armored cars and so on and Colosimo was happy of what he had,even Torrio survived to an attempt decide that ruthless Capone and his fellows has the people forfight and kill the irish and the other gangs and control Chicago.
That's all,why risk the life when I made tons of cash with whores and dice ? would say Colosimo.

It's was just the typical business response when an entrepreneur manages to establish an absence of competition. They get tunnel vision and can't see the future. They don't innovate, they reinvest in the existing structure.

It's like the oil guy doesn't invest in wind, or electric cars. He might fire the fuckin CFO or whatever that even suggest this. That same money, instead of investing in the future, they will like pay a lobbyist to convince the government to pass pro oil bill or some shit to maintain their monopoly. No one like bucking the system if it's in their favor....

Look at something like the cab industry, no innovations for ever, then these tech startups come in and make em look completely obsolete. THEY NEED A FUCKIN APP QUICK LOL

I think it also had to do with Colosimo not wanting do deal with the federal government.

I dont believe that Colosimo ever rejected a fat envelope of cash from bootlegging. I know two stories regarding Colosimo's killing...

One was that at first old timers like him or Mont Tennes saw bootlegging as dirty business, same as narcotics and they were quite satisfied with gambling and prostitution. The only old timers that got involved in the booze business at the time, were Jim O'Leary, because of his pharmacy business, and Diamond Joe, because of his sugar business. And story goes that Torrio and Al were already in business with O'Leary and Diamond Joe so i strongly believe that Colosimo took his share from the booze biz.

Now the second story goes that Colosimo got "pussy whipped" by a younger woman, who was the main cause for his quick divorce and also for his quick fall in the underworld. Meaning he did not payed attention to his underlings and always wanted a bigger share. So if you combine the two stories it looks very similar to the Paul Castellano case...

This is why I love you Toodoped, I was literally about to post that this situation was similar to the Godfather and drugs, same type of thought process there, it being dirty business or whatnot.

History really does repeat itself often...

I continue to say that Colosimo wasnt a killer and dont wanted to risk his life even for more cash while capone liked to kill or order to kill,and wasnt afraid if the other gangs try to kill him.
Colosimo doesn't want this, so was killed.
I think that can't compare alcool with drugs, a drunken person is the opposte of a junkie.

Thats a very smart thing to say buddy. cheers


@Furio Colosimo was a killer like any other big time Italian Camorra boss at the time. If he wasnt one than i dont believe that he would've lasted for more than a week. Also you're comparing drugs and booze with today's mentality, while im talking about the 1910's or 20's... and to tell you the truth theres no big difference between a junkie and alcoholic, not some regular teenage drunken person, no, im talking about alcoholic

I think he means that Colosimo viewed alcohol the same way that mobsters viewed drugs in the modern age. It is highly profitable but not worth the trouble (violence and LE attention). Colosimo wasn't the only boss that felt this way about bootlegging and I seriously doubt he was the only one that got killed because of it.

Colosimo was basically a small-timer--a former streetsweeper and pimp. The Black Handers were shaking him down unmercifully, which is why he had to call on his nephew, Johnny Torrio, to come to Chicago and protect him. He was also smitten, head over heels, with Dale Winter, a singer in his supper club, and wasn't paying attention to the upcoming possibilities of the booze trade.