The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was
one of the darkest days in Chicago, yet few people today seem to
remember the event. For someone like me, who views the roaring 1920s
as an exciting and interesting part of our past, that is a shame. The
story of the St. Valentine's Day massacre is quite interesting, made
even more so by the ghosts still rumored to haunt the area.
The 1920's were a strange time in
Chicago's history. The city was caught in the terrifying grip of the
mobsters who ruled the area with an iron first. This so-called war
was made even worse by mobsters on either side of the city fighting
to gain control. Al Capone was one of the leaders of the South side,
while a man named O'Banion ruled the North side.
Each side was running bootleg alcohol,
and each side wanted to gain control of Chicago. This eventually led
to several near death experiences for all parties involved. After
some time, two new leaders emerged: All Capone on the South side, and
George Moran on the North side. These two men fought constantly, and
things turned even darker. After Moran helped kill one of Capone's
top men, Capone vowed vengeance would come on February 14.
Capone set about planning his revenge
by setting in motion an elaborate hoax. One of his men called Moran
to sell a large delivery of illegal whiskey. Moran agreed to the
deal, unaware that Capone was behind the plan. Moran gathered a large
group of his men together, and on February 14, they patiently awaited
the delivery.
Oddly enough Moran skipped the meeting
because he was running late. By the time he arrived at the warehouse
where they planned to meet, a police car was sitting at the curb.
Unwilling to take the chance of being caught, he headed to a diner
down the street. What he didn't know was that the police car held
five of Capone's men. The five men calmly walked inside, and opened
fire.
Police arrived to find a gruesome site.
The seven men had been forced to stand in a line against a wall
before having machine guns turned on them. Six men were already dead,
and the one man still breathing died before the end of the day. This
man, Frank Gusenberg refused to give any names as to the assailants,
and refused to even admit that he had been shot. Police also found
one of the men's dogs, still tied to the car where his owner left
him.
Capone and Moran continued to point the
finger at each other for years to come. Police officials refused to
blame Capone, stating repeatedly that he was out of the state at the
time and could not have ordered the hit. No men were ever tried for
the killings, and it served mainly to strengthen Capone's hold on
Chicago.
Capone would eventually spend time in
Eastern State Penitentiary where some claim he was haunted by the
ghost of Jimmy Clark, one of the men killed in the St. Valentine's
Day massacre. The same ghost followed him when he came back to
Chicago. While staying at the Lexington Hotel, Capone often claimed
to see Clark's ghost. One of his men also saw Clark's ghost, once
again in Capone's room.
The building where the massacre
occurred was later used for several different businesses. However, it
continued to be a favorite tourist spot for people visiting the city.
People were known to steal bricks and other pieces of the building,
just to have something to take home with them. The building was
eventually torn down, though one man salvaged some of the bricks. He
later used those in the men's room of a nightclub he opened
downtown.
Once the nightclub closed, the man
decided to sell the bricks for $1,000 a piece. While that may seem
like a lot of money, especially in the 1970's, he had a number of
takers. Before long people began returning the bricks to him, without
even asking for a refund. He kept hearing the same stories from his
customers. They all claimed that the bricks were cursed, and that
they had experienced terrible luck ever since one entered their life.
No one knows exactly what happened to those bricks.
The building where the massacre
occurred may be gone now, but some claim the spirits still remain.
Late at night visitors claim to hear the rapid fire of old-fashioned
machine guns, and the sounds of men screaming. The city planted five
trees to commemorate the location of that wall. Those who walk by the
place claim to experience an intense sense of dread, and sometimes
fear. Dogs too are know to react negatively to the area, running in
fear or barking loudly at something that isn't there.
I've been to the location myself, and I
can safely say that I experienced nothing. It was interesting to see
the spot for the first time, but I certainly didn't feel anything
unsettling or dreadful. Then again, I've never had one of those
bricks either.
