Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1951-10-19

els. O1 May IL, 1SLU, Dig jim
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 a 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.
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.
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 little "honest gam.
bling" on the side, but mostly it
was done through investments ir
stocks and bonds.
Il bet on the football games and
bet on prize fights" Captain Gilbert
said, but mostly it would all be
elections" l asked him:
@. "You just like to bet?"
A. Il have been a gambler al
heart"
1t 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 anc
tax consultants.
One fascinating story into which
the committee Gelved was the me-
of strange circumstances surround
ing the parole from the fedora
penitentiary at Leavenworth Of
three Capone syndicate gangsters
Paul Ricca, Louis Campagna, anc
Charles Cherry Nose) Gioe. alias
Joye.
The three, along with a pack o.
other Chicago, New York and Wes'
coast mobsters, were sent to the
penitentiary in 1913 to serve 10-year
sentence on conviction of conspiracy
to eXtort huge sums from the movie
industry by threatening to call {
strike of a gangstercontrolled un
ion. After Ricca, Campagna anc
Gioe had served only about one
third of their sentences, efforts to
secure their paroles were success
full.
However, Ricca and Champagne
also were in trouble with the fed
eral government on charges of in
come tax evasion. The claims hac
to be settled before the gangsters
could be paroled. At this point, the
mob stepped in, and there ensuec
events as strange as dime novel
The attorney called in to settle