During the 1920’s Torrio-Capone’s syndicate was an criminal organization that it differed from other criminal groups.Its members were from different areas and towns.Many of the Outfit’s members were recruited from the various segments of the criminal community and during the early 20’s many juvenile gangs in Chicago became like a farm teams for the Outfit.Many of these gangs produced some of the biggest icons in organized crime.

At first the gangs were formed mostly by crazy,ruthless teenagers from various nationalities,at first involved in petty crimes and later in kidnappings,bombings,extortion,bootleging and murder and some of them later became full members of the Outfit.Gangsters like James “Fur” Sammons who was a former member of the Klondike O’Donnell Gang or Sam Giancana of the 42’s,Taylor Street’s Paul Ricca who came from Italy and the notorious Circus Café gang had Claude Maddox who originally came from St.Louis’s Egans Rats.

The infamous Circus Gang,was one of the many street gangs in the poor neighborhoods of Chicago involved in mob history and also one of the most secretive gangs. This gang also served as a farm team for gangster talents and they used to hang out at the Circus café at 1857 North Avenue and it was the first gang on the North side of Chicago that associated with the Chicago Outfit or the Capone Mob.It started some where around the early 1920’s and lasted until the early 30’s.The gangs territory was the North Side. They were mostly involved in labor and political fights,robberies,bootlegging and hits and It is also belived that the Circus Cafe Gang were Capone's armorers and stored weaponry for the mob.They were also known for driving only black cadillacs.The gang had like two factions,the guys(mostly Italians) from Chicago and the hitmen from out of town,for example, St.Louis,Detriot or Kansas.They were named by the press Capone’s “American Boys” that frequented the Circus Café before any operation.The gang was a mix from Chicago gangsters,that worked under Tony Capezio and Jack McGurn, and outsiders that were controlled by Claude Maddox.During the 20's the gang counted over 30 members with 3 overseer’s and was also constantly in war with other rival North siders.

The Circus gang is known in mob history for its alleged involvement in the St.Valentines Days Massacre that occurred in 1929. Story goes that the gang allegedly provided the arms for the killers.It is also belived that from the Circus Café the black Cadillac carried the killers to North Clark Street. 1857 North Ave to do the job.The only evidence that implicates that gang in the shooting is when a week later a1927 Cadillac sedan was found disassembled and partially burned in a garage on Wood Street.It was determined that the car had been used by the killers. The garage was located two blocks from the Circus Cafe, which was operated by Claude Maddox. That connection led detectives to check leads in St. Louis in the belief that members of the Egan's Rats mob might have played a part in the killing.Some mob historians even belive that the massacre was a Circus gang job and that the Capone mob had no involvement at all.


Here are some of the most prominent leaders and members of the Circus gang:


John E. Moore, aka Claude "Screwy" Maddox was one of the oldest member’s and also a leader of the Circus gang.Maddox lived at 1642 Warren Avenue on the West Side of Chicago.He originally was born in 1897 in St. Louis Missouri and later became a member of the notorious irish Egans gang.When he came to Chicago in the late 1910’s as a youngster he met Tony Capezio and got involved in robberies,extorition, labor and election battles and later in bootlegging.Maddox became one of the owner’s of the Circus Café.Moore's previous association with Egan's Rats may have played a major role in bringin the Rats and other STL gangsters into the Capone organization.

On June 30, 1921, the State failed to convict Maddox, for the shooting of officer McBride, when a 20 year old girl, Gretchen McDonald, of 422 South 20th Avenue, Maywood, 111., refused to identify Maddox as the person she saw shoot Officer McBride.During prohibition Maddox was a big time bootlegger and was willingly obliged to give Scarface a percentage of his gang's liquor revenue.Also during the late 20’s Maddox was inlvolved in the slot machine business together with one of his closest friends Rocco DeGrazia.Also Maddox joined forces with Louis Stacey,George "Red" Barker,William "Three-Finger Jack" and Murray “The Camel” Humphries and with their help,later he became involved in labor rackets.

After St.Valentines day,in 1929, Claude Maddox was arrested in the Circus cafe with a thompson drum full of cartridges and many overcoats strewn about the back of the cafe.Also a loaded .45 was found in one overcoats. Maddox was brought in for questioning, but released when it was determined he was in court on an unrelated charge when the massacre happened.


Tony "Tough Tony" Capezio born 1903 was one of the leaders of the Circus gang and a part owner of the Circus Café.He was a known bank robber and a hitman,also involved in extortion,labor fights and later in bootleging.He was recognized by the Capone mob in the early 20’s and became one of the overseer’s of the Circus gang.Capezio had a big criminal record and was a go between guy for the Outfit.He was connected to many other gangs in or outside of Chicago and it is belived that he also did a quite a lot of hits for the mob.Capezio was also a long time friend of Frank Nitti.Tony was like an army recruiter for the mob and always made sure things were done the “right” way. During prohibition Tony made sure that the prices of illegal booze stayed high.He also promoted Al Capone’s charity works and was belived to have been the Mobs go-between guy with the notorious gunmen John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson.

After the ST.Valentines Day Massacre, “Tough” Tony Capezio, had been badly burned in a fire.It has been suggested that Capezio had been cutting up the car that was used in the hit and to get rid of evidence and had accidentally started the fire by using the acetylene torch too close to a can of gasoline. The police could never prove it, however. Capezio was burned and ran to a North Avenue clinic, then ran back out when he realized that someone who had heard the blast would be calling the cops. This stunt earned him the nickname “Tough Tony.”


Vincenzo Gibaldi aka Vincenzo DeMora aka MachineGun Jack McGurn was one of the leaders of the Circus gang.As a youngster he was a professional boxer and worked as a bodyguard for many gangsters.When he decided to quit boxing(allegedly after his fathers murder by black handers) he became a full time criminal under the rule if Frankie Rio,one of Capone’s top security guys.McGurn started doin hits for the mob and got noticed by the big boys. In the late 20's McGurn left the Circus gang and joined the Capone Mob but remained as the overseer of the gang.During this period McGurn also managed the Green Mill club for Capone.By this time McGurn was suspected by the police for doing over 20 hits for the Capone mob and became one of Al's top secutiry chieftains.


At age 15,tuff Tony Accardo came to the attention of Jack McGurn(other sources say "Tough Tony" Capezio), who was then one of the leaders of the Circus gang and pulled him off the streets of the Grand and Milwaukee neighborhood.At first Accardo,a strapping, flve-nine, 200 pound lad was only involved in pickpocketing and eventually moved his way up to daylight muggings,burglar,car theft,home invasions and hits.He also was driving trucks loaded with Prohibition alcohol.In 1922 he was arrested for a motor vehicle violation and in 1923 he was charged for a conjunction with an incident at a pool hall where organized crime figures were known to hang out.He was then convicted of disorderly conduct two more times in the next year.According to court records, Accardo said that he was still living with his parents and that he was employed and that he was a truck driver which apparently was true.In 1923 he became a driver for Jack McGurn and in 1925 he also became a time to time bodyguard for the Big Fella.

In January of 1926 that year the Circus gang was having a problem with an Irish gang called the Hanlon Hellcats. The Hellcats were taking over some of the Circus gang's operations.The gang choosed Tony Accardo for the job.On January 20,1926 Accardo and three other gang members blasted the irish to pieces.The hit team tossed the guns just few minutes before the cops found them. They were released on bail and eventually the case was dropped, due to lack of evidence.It is also belived that in October 11, 1926, Accardo and Tough Tony Capezio killed North Side boss Hyme Weiss as he entered his headquarters at 740 North State street near the Holy Name Cathedral.

During the mid 20’s his closest friend and confidant was Felice De Lucia, better known as Paul "The Waiter" Ricca. Theres a story that Tony was involved in the murderous beatings with a baseball bat of Anselmi,Scalise and Giunta in 1929 and earned the nickname Joe Batters.By now Accardo was a hitman for the Capone mob and associated with other professional killers like Sam Hunt. At age 20,Accardo became a made member in the Capone gang.

Legend goes that Accardo who, according to a police theory formed later, helped in the St.Valentines Massacre as a look out or was likely tasked with disposing of evidence with Tony Capezio and others.


Frank Zanger was a bank robber and a member of the gang.He was a close associate of Capezio and they did a lot of jobs together during the 20’s and early 30’s.


John De Bias aka Joe Banana was another prominent member and also a robber and bootleger wich was an old close associate of Capezio and later became a made guy.


Mike Farvia and Sam Laverda were both members of the gang and worked as bootleggers and street tax collectors.They were arrested numerous times together with Claude Maddox.


P. J. Dwyer was a close friend of Claude Maddox and a future Chicago gangster. On December 27, 1922, 3 men were arrested by the police following an attempt on November 18, 1922, to rob 2 safes in the Waitere Association Club rooms at 105 West Madison Street, Chicago. The men charged with burglary on that occasion were Claude Maddox, of 1340 West Madison Street, and Joseph Laferty, of 17 North Ann Street, and P. J. Dwyer, of 123 South Wood Street,all members of the Circus gang. Dwyer, as a matter of fact, had been arrested 3 years earlier as a suspect in the Charles Stillwell dancehall murder, and Laferty had been arrested in connection with the Dearborn Station mail robbery earlier.


John Laferty was a robber and a killer who worked under Maddox.On December 1, 1923, Claude Maddox was indicted by the Cook County grand jury for burglary,together with John Laferty and Pat Dwyer.


Anthony Caissane was a member and a close friend of Maddox and was a notorious gangster at the time.They were ambushed together by shotgun blasts riding in a car in front of 405 South Hoyne Avenue.Both gangsters survived and Caissane admitted to the police that the cause of the shooting stemmed from a fight between two rival alcohol-running gangs, and each gang was out to get the other.


Most prominent associates out of Chicago:

Fred "Killer" Burke was reportedly a former member of the St. Louis gang Egan's Rats, which were said to do occasional work for Capone.With the help of Maddox,Burke became associated with the Capone mob and was a frequent guest at the Circus Café before the St.Valentines Day Massacre.Maddox also was helping Fred Burke to operate his Chicago snatch racket.The Capone gang,with the help of the Circus gang,was hiring Burke as a special hitman unknown to either the Chicago police or his gangland opposition,in other words he was one of Capone’s “American boys.”


Raymond “Shocker” Schulte,Fred Goetz,Gus Winkler, James Ray and Raymond “Crane Neck” Nugent were known as a St.Louis rumrunner’s,armed robber’s,killers and gang members and they all moved to Chicago in the period of 1926-1930 and became associates of the Circus gang under Claude Maddox and were also known as the “American Boys”.Story goes that Raymond “Shocker” Schulte, a.k.a. Charles Maginness, dismantled the getaway car from the St.Valentines day massacre together with Tony Capezio.


Rumours are that members of Detriot’s Purple gang were associates of the Circus Cafe.Guys like Harry Keywell, Phil Keywell, George F Lewis and Eddie Fletcher,all known bootleggers and hitmen.It is belived that the Purple gang also took involvement in the St.Valentines Day Massacre.


Other prominent (possible) associates(maybe members) of the Circus gang from different areas in Chicago:


Rocco DeGrazia was a close associate(or possible member of the gang)of Tony Capezio and Claude Maddox and did a lot of jobs with them and were arrested together numerous times.Rocco was also connected to a lot of gangsters like Baby Face Nelson and Kansas City’s gangster named Paul Catanzaro.Rocco also represented as a go-bewteen guy for the mob.He brought in gangsters from the Barker Karpis gang for example and also was connected to John Dillinger.During the mid 1920’s Rocco DeGrazia first started as a driver for the Capone mob and later he became a hitman and was given many gambling operations.During his rise up Rocco also became a good debt collector by taking people in back rooms and usually killed them after paying.


The garage with the wrecked car that was located two blocks from the Circus Café was also near by Rocco’s apartment.Rocco was picked up and questioned by the cops about the St.Valentines Day Massacre but was relesased very soon.


Ross Prio was a close associate of Capezio and some sources say(mostly rumours) that he was also in the look out crew’s in the St.Valentines day operation.I think that Prio was also questioned by the cops.Ross Prio was in his mid 20's and grew up in little Sicily which in the Near North Side of Chicago and was a connected criminal and knew the area very well.


Joseph Lolordo was also a close associate of the gang and a long time friend of Jack McGurn.He was the brother of Pasquilino Lolordo, the Unione Siciliani president who was murdered by the Bugs Moran gang.


Jimmy "The Swede" Moran a close friend of Maddox and a associate of the gang.He also played a look out role in St.Valentines Day Massacre.


Marcus Looney a member of the Martin Guilfoyle Gang started as a robber and a pickpocket master.Later joined the Outfit when Torrio came to Chicago and by the mid 20’s became a close associate of the Circus gang and wroked as a arsonist and labor slugger under Claude Maddox.


Byron Bolton,former member of Alvin Karpis gang(bank robber Alvin Karpis was a friend of Capezio's),later worked for Maddox and was the gangs associate and stool pigeon that later allegedly confessed he was one of the shooters in the St.Valentines day massacre wich was ordered by the Outfit and managed by the Circus gang.But it looked like Bolton was doing that on purpose and was saving his own ass becase he swindled the gang for a lot of cash so the cops didn’t belive him. After Byron Bolton’s 1935 confession,Claude Maddox was picked up by the cops again but investigators had to let him go since Hoover and the FBI refused to cooperate with the Chicago police.


Other possible associates/members:James DeGeorge,Vincent Benevento,Thomas Oneglia,Nick DeJohn,Joey Aiuppa,Carl Torraco,John Purdy,Lawrence Imburgio,Sam Hunt,Clyde Bridges,James Hines,Mike Alligretti.


During the early 30’s the Circus Cafe Gang eventually faded away and by this time there was too much heat on the North Side from the government.Many members became involved with the Capone mob and moved to other territories or some were simply killed.For example,story goes that Jack McGurn was first demoted and than killed by his own gang in 1936.Sources say that by this time gang members Tony Capezio and Tony Accardo both took Grand Avenue,Claude Maddox took his operations to Cicero and Rocco DeGrazia took Melrose Park.




Theres not much info out there on the Circus gang.During the 20's they were like a very secretive independent criminal gang of mixed nationalities from different territories and were absorbed by the mob used them for its dirty work…so if you guys know any other members or associates or found any errors like mistaken members,associates,events or dates,please contribute.

This article is completed from various infos that can be found on the internet.

Good stuff, Toodoped. Thanks

Great stuff. I have always read that Jack McGurn started out with "the northsiders", according to this he did start out on the northside but with the Circus Gang. Also, interesting with a major Outfit related player on These terraces as early as in the 20s. Thought North Side Gang was in complete control of the area with the exception of Little Sicily.

Makes me wonder if the Circus Gang did any groundwork for the Genna gangs expansion into the Northside pre 1924. Doubt it since There was no real outfit then and probably the collaboration between Torrio satellites was close to zero.

@GaryMartin,no problem man,its my pleasure.

@goldhawkroad,yes McGurn started his criminal carrier on the North Side and was connected not just with the italian gangs but also with the irish.Most sources say that he became a gangster out of revenge for his fathers death(allegedly he was killed by black hand extortionists).Torrio came to Chicago in the mid 1910's to help Big Jim in exterminating the Black Handers and i think thats the time period when McGurn first worked as a hitman(in the Circus gang)and after that in the period of 1923-25 he joined the Capone mob as a made member.

As for the Gennas...i dont think that they had any jurisdiction over the Circus gang.They started as a black hand gang on Taylor street and later they expanded their operations on their own.Plus i think that the Gennas were not Capone's favorite gang,because there are rumours that McGurn did some of the Genna hits.(allegedly on some of the victims the cops found a coin in their hands wich was McGurns sign)

According to (a pretty rotten) biography on McGurn I have in My possesion (Chicago Assassin) his real father was hit by the lowett outfit in NY and his stepfather in Chicago by blackhanders.

Yes,McGurn had a deceased father in New York and a stepfather in Chicago also.

In New York in the early 20's FRankie Yale had problems with the White Handers or the Wild Bill Lovett gang so Yale asked for help from his old cronies that moved to Chicago...guys like Capone and McGurn.Sources say tha on November 1,1923,White Hand leader Wild Bill Lovett was shot and hit over the head with a cleaver,while sleeping.Lovett was killed by a mafioso named Willie “Dui Cuteddi” or “Two Knifes” Altierri.

By the way many people claim that the book Chicago Assassin is full of misinformation.