Love and Murder by the Northern Rose

       

            Valentines day is usually thought of as a day where roses get delivered and candy gets consumed in an amount that rivals Halloween. Those who love the holiday love it to an extreme amount, while those that hate it do so to a terrifying extent (we can all picture the girls from Friends almost burning their apartment down). If you were alive for Valentine’s Day in 1929 you would hope to be anywhere but in Chicago. On February 14, 1929 the notorious Al Capone masterminded the infamous Valentine’s Day Massacre.

            At ten thirty in the morning four men entered the Lincoln Park garage where members of Chicago’s North Side Gang were congregated. Not much is known about the details of the event but we can assume that the seven members inside of the garage were overpowered be Capone’s men. We do know that they were lined up against the wall and shot. The victims of this crime were Peter Gusenberg (a frontline enforcer in the Moran gang), Frank Gusenberg (Peter's brother and fellow enforcer), Albert Kachellek (Moran's second in command), Adam Heyer (bookkeeper and business manager of the gang), Albert Weinshank (buisness associate to Moran), and John May (mechanic for the gang). it is believed that Albert Weinshank's appearance was so similar to Bug Moran's that the attackers began before Moran arrived, which probably was not part of the plan. Contrary to many Hollywood produced films, Al Capone himself was not at the scene of the crime. 

            Two of the shooters were dressed as cops, which made for an easy getaway. After the crime was committed the two shooters not dressed as cops were put in handcuffs and led out of the garage at ‘gun point.’ By the time real cops got to the scene the suspects were long gone.

            Although the crime itself is important and should never be forgotten, there is a significance behind the crime that is also very imperative. When we look at the 1920’s from a modern day standpoint we generally remember the elegant flappers and booming economy. Yet, this was not the reality of the time. In the 1920’s the economy was falsely booming and prohibition was in full swing. Prohibition brought a rise in what we call speakeasies. These were illegal bars owned by crime lords like Al Capone. It has been estimated that in New York City alone there were about thirty two thousand illegal speakeasies. Events like the Valentines Day massacre exemplify just how terrifying these times could be.

            Valentines day is celebrated by many but we must always remember the people who have been taken from us on this day of love. These seven men were not the greatest but victims are victims and no one deserves to go that way. Today also marks the one year anniversary of the Parkland, Florida shooting. Seventeen people, most of whom were students, were killed at the Stoneman Douglas High School. This was the deadliest school shooting in the United States. Unfortunately, it is not the only one.

Written by the Northern Rose