A CRIMINAL HISTORY OF MANKIND

Colosimo’s funeral was magnificent, attended by five thousand mourners. And as soon as it was
over, Torrio settled down to the business of organising Chicago’s crime. There were too many
gangs engaged in bootlegging, and even at this early stage they were inclined to shoot at one
another for violations of territory. Torrio called the gangs together, proposed a peace treaty -
pointing out that there was more than enough for everybody - and suggesting that the gangs should
reach strict agreements about territory. And when the various gang leaders - Dion O’Banion, the
Gennas, the O’Donnells (two gangs of that name), ‘Terrible’ Touhy and Terry Druggan - had
agreed to co-operate - or at least suspend hostilities - Torrio turned his attention to expanding the
former Colosimo Empire, searching out locations for roadhouse-brothels in Cook County (which
had been allotted to him) and bribing the local police and civic authorities. Torrio preferred to
avoid threats and violence; instead he relied on persuasion and judicious gifts. Most of Chicago’s
most influential businessmen and politicians were happy to co-operate. Torrio went into partnership
with a wealthy brewer, and was soon making more money in a week than Colosimo had made in a
year.
Minor criminals viewed his success with envy. A safe-blower named Joe Howard decided to join
the bootleg business by holding up a truck loaded with alcohol and leaving the driver to walk home
- a practice that became known as hijacking, presumably because the gunmen stopped the trucks
with a shout of ‘Hi, Jack!’ When two of Torrio’s consignments vanished in this manner, Torrio
decided to suspend his prejudice against violence. On 8 May 1924, Joe Howard was in Heinie
Jacobs’ bistro on South Wabash Avenue, explaining to some acquaintances that all dagoes were
cowards, when an overweight young Italian walked in through the door. ‘Hi, Al,’ said Howard, and
was shot through the head six times. The next morning, Chicago newspapers carried photographs of
Torrio’s chief lieutenant, Alphonse Capone, who was wanted for questioning by the police.
In 1924, Capone was twenty-five years old. He had known Torrio in New York, and had always
regarded him with hero worship. When Capone was nineteen - in 1918 - Torrio had invited him to
come to Chicago to work as a bouncer in the Colosimo Cafe on South Wabash; his wages were $75
dollars a week. It was widely believed in Chicago that Capone murdered Colosimo. What is certain
is that by 1922 he was earning $2,000 a week by running the brothels. He also slept with the most
attractive of the girls, and at some point acquired syphilis.
When the police were searching for Capone, he was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the
witnesses to the Howard shooting all began to develop doubts about whether the killer was Capone.
One of them simply vanished. A month later, Capone walked into a police station, saying he had
heard a rumour that he was wanted for questioning. The police were forced to drop the case for lack
of evidence.
By 1924, the Torrio-Capone gang was also at cross-purposes with Dion O’Banion, whose territory
was the North Side. The Irishman had been a choir boy, and disapproved of brothels; he was also
inclined to take every opportunity to grab more than his share. The last straw came when he sold
Torrio one of his breweries for half a million dollars, then tipped off the police when Torrio went to
view his acquisition; Torrio was arrested.
On 8 November 1924, three gangsters walked into O’Banion’s flower shop on North State Street.
O’Banion felt no misgivings; a leading mafioso had died, and he was selling flowers to all the
leading gangsters. He held out his hand to Frankie Yale, who had come from New York. Yale held
on to it while the other two men emptied their guns into O’Banion. Again, the funeral was