Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre | Victims, Al Capone, Bugs Moran, & Prohibition (2024)

FAQs

Is the St Valentine's day massacre unsolved? ›

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929 – a mystery still unsolved – is the story of seven men, gunned down in a Chicago warehouse. The Mob Museum tells this story, brick by brick, bullet by bullet, on its website dedicated entirely to the Massacre: stvalentinemassacre.com.

Al Capone, who was at his Florida home at the time, was widely assumed to have been responsible for ordering the massacre. The impetus for the plan may have been the North Side Gang's hijacking of some expensive whisky being illegally smuggled by Capone's gang from Canada across the Detroit River.

The killers were never caught. A year later, when Hoover received the letter from Frank T. Farrell suggesting that White had been responsible for the nation's greatest unsolved crime, the director replied that the gangland killing was a matter for local police and of no interest to the bureau.

The bloody incident dramatized the intense rivalry for control of the illegal liquor traffic during the Prohibition era in the United States.

Valentine's Day Massacre shocked and horrified the nation. Back in the warehouse, six of Moran's men lay dead: Albert Kachellek, Adam Heyer, Weinshank, Schwimmer, John May, and Peter Gusenberg. Peter's brother Frank Gusenberg died later that day. The likely target, however, escaped the incident entirely.

Born during the first world war, the Tommy Gun was adopted by the Chicago gangs who fought mercilessly during Prohibition. While the most famous American crook was reluctant to use it himself, his henchmen made terror reign thanks to their machine guns.

Al Capone is buried at the Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery located at 1400 South Wolf Road in Hillside. If you enter the cemetery from Roosevelt Road, you'll make a right and it's about six gravestones down on the right side.

Capone was being shot at because he was a prominent figure in the organized crime world during the Prohibition era in the United States. He was the leader of the Chicago Outfit, a powerful and ruthless criminal organization involved in various illegal activities such as bootlegging, gambling, and prostitution.

Valentine's Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, seven members and associates of George “Bugs” Moran's bootlegging gang were lined up against a wall and shot dead inside the garage at 2122 North Clark Street. Al Capone's Chicago Outfit was widely suspected of ordering the hit, but no one was ever prosecuted.

Today in History: On this date in 1929, seven rivals of Al Capone died in the 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre' CHICAGO — Today is Friday, Feb. 14, the 45th day of 2020.

What forensic evidence was found in the St Valentine's day Massacre? ›

Testing bullets and shell casings recovered from the crime scene, Goddard confirmed that two Tommy guns confiscated from a hoodlum's house in rural Michigan were used in the Massacre. The Museum now has these bullets and fragments, cartridges, coroner's reports and more from the Massacre.

When Deputies made entry into the residence of Fred "Killer" Burke, they forced open a locked upstairs closet and found: Two Thompson machine guns w/ Nine ammunition drums - One gun was assembled, loaded and ready for instant use while the other was in a black suitcase. Five 100-shot .

In the “roaring twenties,” Al Capone ruled an empire of crime in the Windy City: gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, bribery, narcotics trafficking, robbery, “protection” rackets, and murder.

At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day, and since then, February 14th has been a day of celebration—though it was generally more religious than romantic.

The Massacre was reported across the country, and it horrified an American public that had previously viewed gangsters such as Al Capone as heroic figures. A line had been crossed, and political leaders and citizens alike demanded a crackdown.

Valentine's Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, seven members and associates of George “Bugs” Moran's bootlegging gang were lined up against a wall and shot dead inside the garage at 2122 North Clark Street. Al Capone's Chicago Outfit was widely suspected of ordering the hit, but no one was ever prosecuted.

Testing bullets and shell casings recovered from the crime scene, Goddard confirmed that two Tommy guns confiscated from a hoodlum's house in rural Michigan were used in the Massacre. The Museum now has these bullets and fragments, cartridges, coroner's reports and more from the Massacre.

One Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who defied Emperor Claudius II after the ruler outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine would perform marriages in secret for young lovers, ultimately leading to his death.

Chicago's most infamous Prohibition-era crime boss, Al Capone is best known for his violence and ruthlessness in his elimination of his rivals.