Al Capone by Nate Hendley

Author:Nate Hendley [Hendley, Nate]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: crime, Al Capone, Chicago, gangs, Roaring 20s, Dirty 30s, mobs
Publisher: Five Rivers Publishing
Published: 2016-07-13T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7: Valentine Greetings from Big Al

In the spring of 1928, Mayor Bill Thompson faced his biggest political challenge in years. On April 8, a Republican primary election would be held in Chicago. While Thompson himself was not running (his term in office had yet to expire), many of his allies and associates were. The primary took on the aspect of a referendum — for or against Thompson’s buffoonery and tolerance of organized crime.

Prominent among the ranks of the anti-Thompson forces was Senator Charles Deneen, who was determined to strike a blow against the flamboyant mayor. Deneen promoted the candidacy of another Thompson opponent named John Swanson for State’s Attorney. The current State’s Attorney, Robert E. Crowe, was deeply involved with organized crime.

With so much at stake, it was no surprise that the primary turned into a blood-bath. Violence erupted, even weeks before the actual election. Senator Deneen’s home was bombed, as was John Swanson’s. A Republican ward boss by the name of “Diamond Joe” Esposito was gunned down, right in front of his family.

The day of the actual primary featured an outbreak of violence that was astonishing even by Chicago standards. Gangsters attacked voters and one another as political factions fought it out on the streets. A black lawyer named Octavius Granady tried to run for office against a Capone-backed candidate. While driving one day, Granady found himself being chased by a car full of gangsters. When Granady’s vehicle crashed, he was shot dead by the tailing mobsters.

As if these violent incidents were not enough, homemade bombs were also used throughout the day. Gangsters supporting one politician or another threw these weapons at buildings, cars, and people with great abandon. The city rocked with explosions, and the election was nicknamed the Pineapple Primary — pineapple being a colloquial term for hand grenade.

The police seemed totally unable to stop the wave of anarchy. Mayor Thompson, meanwhile, suggested that the victims of violence were actually the perpetrators. According to the mayor, his opponents were trying to win sympathy and support by pretending to be beaten and blown up.

Actual voting was carried out with a maximum of fraud. Pro-Thompson officials stuffed ballot boxes, discarded ballots for the mayor’s opponents, and padded out the voters list with the names of deceased citizens. While local gangsters in the pay of various politicians, including reformist candidates, were largely to blame for the violence and chicanery, the public accused Al Capone of being the main string-puller.

Ironically, Capone was not even in the city during the primary. In fact, crime historians believe he had little to do with the disastrous election. His reputation was so bad however, that everyone assumed he controlled the violence.

Despite all the mayhem, Chicago residents turned out in droves at the polls. They were tired of Thompson’s crime-tolerant reign. Most of Thompson’s allies — including Robert Crowe — went down in defeat. Never the brightest municipal politician around, Mayor Thompson was genuinely astonished by the electors’ anger. He refused to resign as mayor, but his corrupt regime had suffered an enormous blow from which it never recovered.

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