| Giovanni Torrio | |
| Born | February, 1882 Irsina, Basilicata, Italy |
|---|---|
| Died | April 16, 1957 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
John "Papa Johnny" Torrio, a. Irsina is a town and Comune in the Province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Basilicata is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west Apulia ( Puglia) to the east Calabria to Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the k. a. "The Fox" (born Giovanni Torrio) (February, 1882 – April 16, 1957) was an American mobster who helped build the criminal empire known as the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s that would later be inherited by his protege, Al Capone. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the "Crime syndicate" redirects here For the DC Comics group of villains see Crime Syndicate. The Chicago Outfit shortened to " the Outfit " is a Crime syndicate based in Chicago Illinois, USA. Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone (January 17 1899 &ndash January 25 1947 commonly nicknamed Scarface, was an Italian American Gangster who He also put forth the idea of the National Crime Syndicate in the 1930s and later became an unofficial advisor to the Genovese crime family. The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic Organized crime Syndicate, started in the 1930s by Charlie The Genovese crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide
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Early life
Born Giovanni Torrio in the village of Irsina, near Matera, Italy, Torrio's father died when he was two years old, and his widowed mother emigrated to New York City. Irsina is a town and Comune in the Province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The City of New York Growing up in the slums of Manhattan's Lower East Side, Torrio's first job was as a porter at his new stepfather's grocery store, which was just a front for moonshine and beer drinkers; he later became a bouncer at a rough bar. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York The Lower East Side is a Neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Production Uses Usually large scale distillation is practiced for the purpose of making ethanol for drinking, yet it may also practiced for creating Biofuel Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea
As a teen, John Torrio became the leader of a New York City youth street gang called the James Street Gang. He saved enough money to open a billiards parlor for the group, out of which grew illegal activities such as gambling and loan sharking. A loan shark is a person or body that offers illegal Unsecured loans at high Interest rates to individuals often backed by Blackmail or threats Torrio's shrewd business acumen caught the eye of Paolo Vaccarelli (a.k.a. Paul Kelly), the leader of the famous Five Points Gang. Paul Kelly (1876 - 1936 was a New York criminal who founded the Five Points Gang, one of the last dominant street gangs in New York history and recruited The Five Points Gang was a 19th-century Criminal organization based in the Sixth Ward ( The Five Points) of New York City. In 1905, the James Street Gang was transformed into the Five Points Juniors, a sort of "training ground" for future Five Pointers, and Torrio eventually became Kelly's lieutenant. Torrio greatly admired Kelly, who taught him much about organized crime culture; Kelly convinced the younger man to dress conservatively, stop swearing, and set up a front as a legitimate entrepreneur. "Crime syndicate" redirects here For the DC Comics group of villains see Crime Syndicate. The original meaning of the adjective profane (from the Latin for "in front of or outside the Temple " was to refer to items not belonging to the church The lessons Torrio learned from Kelly stayed with him throughout his career; Torrio eventually earned the moniker of "The Fox" due to his cunning and diplomatic ways.
Soon, Torrio formed a splinter operation of his own on the Brooklyn docks. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. Torrio's gang ran legitimate businesses, but its main concern was the numbers game, supplemented by incomes from bookmaking, loan sharking, hijacking, prostitution, and opium trafficking. The numbers game, or policy racket, is an illegal Lottery played mostly in poor neighborhoods in U A bookmaker, bookie or turf accountant, is an organization or a person that takes bets and pays winnings depending upon results and depending on the nature A loan shark is a person or body that offers illegal Unsecured loans at high Interest rates to individuals often backed by Blackmail or threats Robbery is the Crime of seizing Property through Violence or Intimidation. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. Opium is a Narcotic formed from the Latex (ie sap released by lacerating (or "scoring" the immature seed pods of opium poppies ( Torrio often paid younger neighborhood kids to run errands for him; one of these boys was Al Capone, whom he soon came to trust immensely. Capone was a member of the Juniors and soon graduated up to the Five Points Gang itself. Torrio eventually hired Capone to bartend at the Harvard Inn, a bar in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn owned by Torrio's business associate, Francesco Ioele (a. Coney Island is a Peninsula, formerly an island in southernmost Brooklyn, New York City, USA with a Beach on the Atlantic Ocean k. a. Frankie Yale). Francesco Ioele ( 1893 - July 1, 1928) better known as Frankie Uale or the alias of Yale, was a Brooklyn gangster
Life in Chicago
In 1909, Torrio's aunt, Victoria Moresco, asked him to come to Chicago. Moresco, a highly successful madam, was married to Giacomo "Big Jim" Colosimo, a major crime boss and pimp. Madam, Madame, ma'am, or Mme is a Title for a Woman. It is derived from the French madame (see different James "Big Jim" Colosimo (February 16 1878 &ndash May 11, 1920) was an early Chicago mob boss who was noted for his flashy lifestyle and an empire A pimp (also called fleshmonger) finds and manages clients for Prostitutes and engages them in Prostitution (in Brothels in most cases and Colossimo was being threatened by Black Hand extortionists and Victoria wanted Torrio to help him. Black Hand, or La Mano Nera in Italian was a type of Extortion racket Torrio contacted the Black Hand and agreed to pay them. When the Black Hand men arrived on Archer Avenue at the agreed time and date to pick up the payment, Torrio's gunmen killed them.
Torrio then decided to stay in Chicago and left Yale in charge of his New York operations. Torrio became manager of the headquarters of Big Jim's gang, Colosimo's Cafe on 2126 South Wabash Avenue. In 1919, Torrio opened a new saloon, gambling den, and whorehouse called The Four Deuces at 2222 South Wabash and moved his operations there. For the 2008 film of this name see The Brothel. For the television series of this name see Cathouse The Series. Torrio also married a Jewish girl named Anna Jacob. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Torrio loved Anna and remained faithful to her, but never revealed any of his business operations to her.
The Colosimo Killing
In 1918, Yale contacted Torrio and requested that he take Capone in Chicago; Capone needed to escape a murder investigation in New York and also needed to tidy up his image. Capone became a bouncer at one of Torrio's Chicago brothels and soon became manager of The Four Deuces. Two years later, Prohibition came into effect, making all manufacture, purchase, or sale of alcoholic beverages illegal. Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol Torrio immediately realized the immense profits bootlegging could bring and urged Colosimo to enter the business. Rum-running is the business of Smuggling or transporting of Alcoholic beverages illegally usually to circumvent Taxation or Prohibition. Colosimo refused; he was happy being just a pimp. In addition, Colosimo felt that expansion into other rackets would only draw more attention from the police and rival gangs. During this same period, Colosimo divorced Victoria, Torrio's aunt, and married Dale Winter, a pretty young singer, three weeks later. Winter convinced Colosimo to settle down, dress more conservatively, and stay out of the news.
At this point, Torrio realized that Colosimo was a serious impediment to the mob's potential fortunes. With the approval of Colosimo's allies, the Genna brothers and Aiello, Torrio invited Yale to come to Chicago and kill Colosimo. The Genna crime family was one of the major players in the Chicago gangland wars of the 1920s Giuseppe "Joe" Aiello ( 1891 - October 23, 1930) was a Chicago bootlegger during the 1920s and early 1930s who had a longstanding bloody The murder took place on May 11, 1920, in the main foyer of Colosimo's Cafe. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar No one was ever prosecuted. Torrio took over the deceased Colosimo's vast criminal kingdom and started to venture into bootlegging.
Rivalry with North Side Gang
As the 1920s progressed, Torrio and Capone presided over the expansion of the Chicago Outfit as it raked in millions from gambling, prostitution, and now bootlegging. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. Rum-running is the business of Smuggling or transporting of Alcoholic beverages illegally usually to circumvent Taxation or Prohibition. The Outfit soon came to control the Loop (Chicago's downtown area), as well as much of the South Side. Population According to the 2000 Census, 16388 people live in the Loop The neighborhoods of Chicago are less well-defined than Chicago 's 77 Community Areas. However, it was also intent on seizing the profitable Gold Coast territory, which drew the ire of the powerful North Side Gang led by Dion O'Banion. Neighborhoods Cabrini-Green See also Cabrini-Green Cabrini-Green was a notorious Public housing project The North Side family Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was the dominant Irish-American Mafia criminal organization (although a large number of Charles Dean O'Banion ( 8 July 1892 &ndash 10 November 1924) was an Irish-American mobster who was the main rival of Johnny
The Outfit and the North Side Gang began a fragile alliance, but tension between O'Banion and the Gennas (who were Outfit allies) over territorial rights mounted. The Gennas wanted to kill O'Banion, but Torrio, not wanting all-out gang warfare, resisted the move. Finally, tensions boiled over when O'Banion cheated Torrio out of $500,000 in a brewery acquisition deal and caused Torrio's arrest. Out of patience, Torrio finally ordered O'Banion killed. On November 10, 1924, O'Banion was murdered in his North Side flower shop by Yale, John Scalise, and Albert Anselmi. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. John Scalise ( 1900 - May 7, 1929) was an American Organized crime figure of the early 20th century and with partner Albert Anselmi, Albert Anselmi ( July 15, 1883 - May 7, 1929) was a Chicago mobster who became an infamous hitman during the Prohibition era for the O'Banion's murder would spark a bloody, brutal gangland war between the North Side Gang and the Outfit that would eventually chase Torrio out of Chicago.
Assassination Attempt
North Siders Earl "Hymie" Weiss, Vincent "The Schemer" Drucci, and George "Bugs" Moran were determined to avenge O'Banion's murder and almost succeeded on January 24, 1925. Earl "Hymie" Weiss ( January 25, 1897 - October 11, 1926) was a Polish-American mobster who became a leader of the Prohibition Vincent "The Schemer" Drucci (1898&ndash April 4, 1927) was a Chicago mobster during Chicago 's Prohibition era who served a lieutenant George Clarence "Bugs" Moran was born Adelard Cunin on August 21 1891 according to his biographer (see BugsMoran Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Torrio was returning to his apartment at 7106 South Clyde Avenue from a shopping trip with Anna. A hail of gunfire from Weiss and Moran greeted Torrio's car, shattering its glass. Torrio was struck in the jaw, lungs, groin, legs,and abdomen. Moran attempted to deliver the coup de grace into Torrio's skull, but ran out of ammunition. Drucci signalled that it was time to go, and the three North Siders left the scene. The severely-wounded Torrio managed to survive.
The gang war between the North Side Gang and the Chicago Outfit continued for several more years. The Northsiders, along with Capone, decimated the Genna family and sent the rest of the surviving brothers fleeing. The Northsiders also continued a brutal turf war with Capone- a war that cost both sides friends and buildings and left Capone constantly looking over his shoulder. Turf war is a term that describes a common problem in larger bureaucracies when two divisions fight for access to resources or capital This war would continue until the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Capone's final attempt to be rid of Moran. The Saint Valentine's Day massacre is the name given to the murder of seven people as part of a Prohibition Era conflict between two powerful criminal gangs in Chicago The massacre failed and Moran survived. It also turned the government's full attention to Capone and eventually led to his being sent away to prison for tax evasion. Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the Tax regime to one's own advantage in order to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law
Retirement
Torrio, having undergone emergency surgery, recovered slowly from the assassination attempt. Capone had men guarding Torrio around the clock to make sure his beloved mentor was safe. Throughout this entire ordeal, Torrio, observing the gangland principle of "omerta" (total silence) never mentioned the names of his assailants. After his release from the hospital, Torrio served a year in jail for Prohibition violations. Throughout his reign as boss of the Chicago mob, Torrio had witnessed the massive increase in violence within organized crime. The near-death experience frightened him badly, and combined with his prison sentence and the increasing difficulty in his work, it persuaded Torrio to retire while he was still alive. Torrio moved away to Italy with his wife and mother, where he no longer dealt directly in mob business. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest He gave total control of the Outfit to Capone.
Later years
In the 1930s, Torrio returned to the U. S. to testify in Capone's trial. At that time, he suggested to top New York City-based crime lords such as Lucky Luciano that they create one huge crime syndicate encompassing all the smaller gangs that were constantly at each other's throats. The City of New York Charles "Lucky" Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania; November 24 1897 – January 26 1962 was a Sicilian Mobster. His idea was well-received and he was given great respect, as he was considered an "elder statesman" in the world of organized crime. "Crime syndicate" redirects here For the DC Comics group of villains see Crime Syndicate. Once Luciano implemented the concept, the National Crime Syndicate was born. The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic Organized crime Syndicate, started in the 1930s by Charlie
In his later years, Torrio returned to America to live in New York City, his hometown. The City of New York In 1957, he had a heart attack while sitting in a barber's chair waiting for a haircut. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Johnny Torrio died several hours later in an oxygen tent at the hospital. An oxygen tent consists in a canopy placed over the head and shoulders or over the entire body of a Patient to provide Oxygen at a higher level than normal The media did not find out about his death until three weeks after his burial.
Further reading
- McPhaul, Jack. Johnny Torrio: First of the Gang Lords. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1970.
External links
| Preceded by Jim Colosimo |
Chicago Outfit Boss 1920-1925 |
Succeeded by Al Capone |
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