The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-10-26

that there always had been sus-
picion that the bodyguard imported
by Colosimo from New York, John
ny Torrio, had engineered the kill
ing. Torrio succeeded Colosimo as
Chicago's underworld lord.
He, in turn, imported as his body
guard a cold-blooded little killer
from New York's Five Point Gang,
a then obscure, scarfaced hood
lum Of % named AL Capone. For
four years, Torrio enjoyed bloody
reign in Chicago, waxing high on
the profits of prostitution, gambling,
beer and booze. But after Torrio
was the victim of an ambush which
almost cost his life, he lost his
nerve and abdicated in favor Of Ca
pone.
With Greasy Thumb Guzik as his
paymaster and business adviser,
and such stalwarts as Frank Nitti,
Paul (The Waiter) Ricca, Louis
little New York; Campagna and
the Fischetti brothers as his lieu
tenants, Capone was able to rule eff
fectively. The infamous st. Valen-
tines day massacre of Feb. IA, 1929,
was an example of how Capone
dealt with opposition. In 1881, how
ever, Capone was cut down by
Uncle Sam on an income-tax eva
sion charge and was sent to prison.
Frank Nitti succeeded him, but in
1913, facing prosecution on an extor-
ton charge, Nitti was found dead
under circumstances that indicated
he had committed suicide. Since
then, the mob-known to this day
as the Capone syndicate-has been
run pretty much by a corpora
tion," in which Guzik, Ricca and Ac-
cardo WELD great influence.
Although the Capone and other
mobs, in the process of getting rich
on the wire service, policy wheels"
and similar quiet rackets, have
soft-pedaled bloodshed, the under
tone of violence still is there. A
brutal example was the murder In
September, 1950-still unsolved-of
former Police Lieutenant Drury be-
fore he could appear as a witness
before our committee.
A wave Of suspensions and res
ignations by higher-ups in the po-
lice department followed our in
vestigation Of great wealth accu-
mulated by number Of Chicago
police captains.
The most highly publicized case
was that of Capt. Daniel A. Gilbert,
referred to by Chicago newspapers
as 1.-The richest cop in the world"
Gilbert was serving as chief investi-
gator for the state attorneys office
Of Cook county, and also was the
Democratic candidate for sheriff.
Captain Gilbert, well dressed,
breezy figure, told us he estimated
his net worth was approximately
$3.50, 1000, and that dividends on
stocks and bonds he currently held
were bringing him in about $4,000
a year.
remarked to him, People don't
understand how you get hold Of all
that money" Whereupon. the cap
tain began explaining to US all the
details of his badge-to-riches story.
There was a little honest gam
bling" on the side, but mostly it
was done through investments In
stocks and bonds.
His income tax returns also
showed annual winnings on wagers.
II bet on the football games and I
bet on prize fights" Captain Gilbert
said, ''but mostly it would all be
elections" I asked him:
@. 'FYou just like to bet?"
A. 81 have been a gambler at
heart"
It was about two weeks after this
that the voters Of Cook county reg
istered their disapproval of Captain
Gilbert by defeating him at the
polls.
In Chicago, too, we gathered evil
dence of a disturbing phenomenon
that we found repeated in other
large cities: the active participation
in gang affairs by certain ele-
ment of lawyers, accountants and
tax consultants.
One fascinating story into which
the committee delved was the net
Of strange circumstances surround
ing the parole from the federal
penitentiary at Leavenworth Of
three Capone syndicate gangsters,
Paul Ricca, Louis Campagna, and
Charles Cherry Nose) Gioe. alias
Joye.
The three, along with a pack Of
other Chicago, New York and West
coast mobsters, were sent to the
penitentiary in 1943 to serve 10-yeaT
sentence on conviction of conspiracy
to extort huge sums from the movie
industry by threatening to can 6
strike Of a gangster-controlled I'm.
ion. After Ricca, Campagna and
AoA ~va1~v ohnss< nvaa