St.+Valentines+Day+Massacre

= St. Valentines Day Massacre =

The Saint Valentines Day Massacre took place in Chicago, Illinois on February 14, 1929. It was the day where seven people were murdered from a conflict between two criminal gangs.

The South side gang was an Italian gang led by Al Capone, and the North side gang was an Irish gang led by George Bugs Moran. Five members of the Moran gang plus Reinhardt H. Schwimmer and John May were supposed to meet in Morans rented garage in Chicago on 2122 North Clark Street.

A member of Capone’s gang, “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn, planned a scheme to kill Moran instead, and Capone gave him permission to carry on his plan.



**The Plan**
A bootlegger who was loyal to Capone would make a deal with Moran and his gang to sell them smuggled whiskey for a very good price. They would meet in Morans rented garage on 2122 North Clark Street. When Moran and his gang would show up, members of Capones gang would kill them, but mainly Bugs Moran.

**What Really Happened**
A group of Moran's men waited for him and the bootlegger at the garage. The gang members who were there were John May, an auto mechanic, Frank and Pete Gusenburg who had tried to kill Jack McGurn, but failed, James Clark, Moran's brother-in-law and a robber, Reinhardt Schwimmer who liked the company of gangsters, Albert R. Weinshank, saloonkeeper, and Adam Heyer, a racketeer. Just a few moments after, a "cop car" arrived at the seen. The "cops" and "cops detectives" (who were really McGurn's men) were Fred "Killer" Burke, John Scalise, Albert Anselmi, Joseph Lolorado, and James Ray. They ran into the garage and made it seem like it was a real police raid. They made Moran's gang members line up against the wall, and shot them immediately. The "cops" saw a resemblance between one of the guys and Bugs Moran, and immediately put the plan into action. They shot the other gang members numerous times until they were dead. Then they quickly left the scene. Moran had been a little late that day, but once he arrived and saw the cop car, he immediately left the scene.
 * The Morning Of February 14, 1929**

The Outcome
The real police eventually came to the scene, and saw the dead men, but one of them was still alive. Frank Gusenburg had 14 bullet wounds, but managed to make it to the hospital. When the police asked him what had happened, he said "I'm not gonna talk". A few hours later he died on the hospital bed. Bugs Moran was questioned by the police, and aimed his suspicion and the cops towards Al Capone. Since Capone was in Florida at the time, and there was no actual proof of who killed these men, he wasn't arrested nor were any of the other guys. Later on Capone went to prison for tax evasion, and died of syphilis. Bugs Moran went to prison for an earlier bank robbery, and died there. Anselmi and Scalise later betrayed Capone and were beaten to death. Burke was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a police officer. Jack McGurn had an alibi that he suddenly married his girlfriend, and as his wife couldn't testify against him. His charges were dropped. His wife eventually left him, and about seven years later in 1936, on the day before Valentine's Day, he was shot to death in a Chicago bowling alley by two gunmen. It was said that he was killed as revenge of the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Discussion Questions

 * 1. Why do you think the St. Valentine's Day Massacre occurred on valentine's day?

2. What was the reason of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre?

3. What two gang leaders were involved in this?**

Works Cited Lynch, Jacqueline T. “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” //suite101//. N.p., 12 Feb. 2008. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. .

“Saint Valentine’s Day massacre.” //Wikipedia//. N.p., Mar. 2008. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. .

Taylor, Troy. “Blood, Roses, and Valentine’s .” //prairieghosts//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. .