Does anyone else find it hilarious how did the "all mighty" mafia clamorously lose the war to the Cuckoo gang in St.Louis during Prohibition? (just have been re-reading some parts of the book "Gangs of St.Louis). This is as if Tony Accardo had to kick up protection money to the Latin Kings or one of the Five Families recognizing the supremacy of Bloods or Crips. I mean, even though the mafia in St.Louis wasn't as strong as New York or Chicago, yet still a well organized and solid group being unable to do anything about a brainless street gang (or better to say, with their brains all situated in their guns) was quite humiliating for the mafia I think.

The Cuckoo gang were big time bank robbers and stickup men(dont know about bootleging).The Cuckoo and the Egans Rats gangs produced some heavy hitters during the 20's in St.Louis.I think during this period some of these gangs were connected to the Capone mob through Claude Maddox(i think he was an ex member of the St.Louis gangs) and the Circus gang from Chicago's North Side.Capone sometimes used these gangs for his dirty work....but most of the members of both ST.Louis gangs got killed or convicted by the early 30's

So who were the people from STL then? An offshot of Chicago and 'the outfit'? Or a whole other branch/org?

They had links to Detroit: Vito Giannola was one of the bosses in St.Louis (there were also the Russo brothers and Carmelo Fresina), and his brothers were active in Detroit at the time. Later, some Kansas city representatives took over I think.

I dont know for sure if the STL mafia was another branch or offshot of the Chi Outfit,all i know that some of the midwest crime families were under the jurisdiction of Chicago.

As for the small STL gangs(mostly irish)like Egans Rats or the Cuckoo gang...later(after the 20's)some got killed and others joined the Chicago Outfit and became members/associates.

Thanks for the information both to you and the person who replied below. Are there any books that are about la famiglia in STL or Detroit?

There are 2 books on Detroit:

"The violent years: prohibition and the Detroit mobs" by Paul R.Kavieff

"The Detroit true crime chronicles: tales of murder and mayhem in the motor city" (although this one isn't only about the Italian mafia, but other organizations too) by Scott M.Burnstein

and about St.Louis:

"Gangs of St.Louis" by Daniel Waugh (covers the period until the 1930s)

Some of the later events are featured in "Crooks kill, cops lie" by Timothy C.Richards (although it's mostly about the bombings by the Syrian-Lebanese groups rather than Cosa Nostra)

There is also the book "Egan's Rats: The Untold Story of the Prohibition-Era Gang That Ruled St. Louis" by Daniel Waugh, although I haven't read it yet.