Evening star., 1931-06-25
TORR|O MAY RULE
GANGLAND AGAIN
Capone'S Predecessor Seen
Pretender to Throne of
Beer RacketeerS.
epecial pispntch to rhe ster.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO, June IS N.A.N.A).-
"Close-mouthed Johnny" Torrio, who
introduced tine merger spirit into gang
dom, is angling for Chicago rackeCs
again.
Some Federal and State authorities
here believe that Torrio is ready to
ascend the throne soon to be LETT
vacant by his one-time bodyguard,
"Scarface Az Capone.
For six years Torrio has been, at
most, silent partner. For a brlef IN
terlude, in May, 1929, he popped INTO
the picture as arbiter between his own
former mob and the followers OF
George Bugs" Moran, who once pep
pered Torrio with poisoned but tnef-.
fectiVe bullets.
Moran Beaten.
Moran has now been browbeaten into
allegiance to the ruling syndicate OF
Capone Fusco and GuZik, and may
ultimately find himself in the embar-
RAISING position of being obliged TO
take orders from Torrio.
Despite the apparent certainty with
which the authorities look Tor the re-
turn to power of Torrio, the Chicago
underworld is loath to believe that ne
is still able to WELD the influence ne
held in a former day, when his distant
SSASS~A-A~B
moved from the picture.
Some confidently expect the rsinS 10
be handed over to Frankie Diamond
elder brother of John Maritote, VINO re-
Gently married AL Capone'S young sister
Mafalda. Diamond Is one OF those
public enemies" who is known 10 De
trusted by Capone. He is also regarded
as carrying lot more neat" IN ma
tional hoodlum affairs than he is gen,
orally credited with by the ganglano
gentry of Chicago. .t t.
Nitti Contender.
Then, looming in the background,
there is the ever-preSent figure OF
Frank C"The Enforcer') Nitti. He
was one of the first to appease tne
wrath of the Federal Government by
pleading guilty. He escaped with an
l8-month sentence, and even that time
may be reduced by good behavior. He
has already served six months.
Should "Rusky" Capone, AIS older
brother, get control for brief interim
while he is dodging jail through his own
appeal from an income tax sentence, the
way might be paved for the return OF
Nitti.
Many of those who have been longest
in the game are hoSing that the
dubious palm will be Handed to Tor
rio, willy veteran of racketS. But the
Federal agents, encouraged by their
war on Capone, are set to hand Torrio
a taste of the same medicine should
he seek to take over active dictation.
These agents say they have evidence
now to show that he has never re-
linquished his control over much OF
the gangs affairs and has constantly
placed check and double check" over
the movements and accounts of Capone,
realizing all the time a share of the
profits as an absentee director of the
corporation.
With kindred origins, the story Of
Torrio is vastly different from that OF
Capone.
From EAST Side"
Both came out of the Five Points"
district of New York'S lower East Side.
Torrio migrated West in 1907, accom-
panied by a reputation as the most
feared figure of Manhattan's bad lands
of that day. 1t was IL years later that
Capone came here, an unknown tough.
Torrio had heard the call of his kins-
man, ColoSimo. A group of Sicilians
from Pittsburgh had been threatening
the leve reign of big jim" Torrio,
the quiet young man with a cold, gilt
tering eye, came out of the East. And
a few days later three Of the Sicilians
were found dead.
been one of the first to realize the
golden harvest that could be reaped
from the unpopularity of the prohibi-
ton laws. He is said to have done some
large-scale pioneer bootlegging on the
side, pocketing profits outside of his
arrangement with his boss, Colosimo.
COlOsimO Killed.
Soon, his power growing, Torrio was
able to make demands upon Big jim -
There was a rift in the relations be-
tween the two men, always denied by
Torrio. Eight years ago Colosimo, pre-
pairing to take some of the gangs
money to Europe for his own pleasure
was shot and killed. And Torrio ruled
In April of the following year there
was Gn election in Cicero, where 1913
saloons were serving what was said to
be Torrio beer. FRANK Capone, eldest
of AIS brothers, was killed while trying
to shoot it out with detective bureau
squad which was seeking to minimize
the election-day violence.
In those days the hoodlum chieftain
who succeeded Torrio was known more
euphoniously as TONY Capone." Here
are a few newspaper paragraphs printed
at the time
when word of Frank Capone's kill