On a chilly February morning in 1929, Chicago’s North Side bore witness to a gruesome event that would forever stain its history—the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Inside the S.M.C. At the Cartage Company garage at 2122 North Clark Street, seven men connected to George "Bugs" Moran's bootlegging operation were awaiting a meeting to purchase a Canadian whiskey shipment that had been taken advantage of at a favorable price. However, four guys—two dressed in police uniforms—arrived in a patrol vehicle, went inside the garage, and gave Moran's men the order to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against one of the walls. They thought they were the target of a police raid, so they did not resist and were brutally gunned down (“The St. Valentine’s”). …show more content…
John Kachellek was his father, and Anna Kachellek was his mother. They were both German (“Massacre Victim’s”). What is more, he was Moran’s second-in-command (Beck). John May, a former safecracker, was a mechanic who worked for George “Bugs” Moran of the North Side gang and was not a gangster himself (Hogan). His father, Michael May, was from Canada, and his mother, Mary Riley, was from Ireland. He had seven siblings (“Massacre Victim’s”). Dr. Reinhardt H. Schwimmer, an optician, had an unusual fascination with the gangster lifestyle. He liked associating with the North Side Gang but was not a member (“Massacre Victim’s”). Highball, a German shepherd, was the pet of John May and the sole survivor of the massacre. He howled and alerted the neighbors, who found him trapped under a truck and covered in shell casings and blood. It was said that the massacre left Highball so traumatized that he had to be put down (“A Complete Guide”). The victimology of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre raises interesting questions about how victims are perceived and treated by others based on their attributes. In the case of this crime, the victims were members of a notorious criminal gang, which may have influenced how society viewed them. The concept of the "ideal victim," typically characterized as innocent, vulnerable, and blameless, may not have applied to these victims due to their association with organized …show more content…
An ideal victim is blameless, helpless, and attractive. This idealized victimhood confers a greater sense of worthiness and deservingness of sympathy and support. In the case of the massacre, the victims were members of criminal organizations, which automatically tainted their status as victims in the eyes of the public. The perception of these people as "undeserving victims" led to a lack of empathy and outrage over their deaths(). The historical background of the time, in addition to cultural prejudices and stereotypes, played a part in the victims of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre being overlooked. Widespread violence, corruption, and lawlessness characterized the 1920s and 1930s, especially in cities like Chicago where organized crime thrived. It was simpler to write off the massacre victims as mere casualties of the violent underworld that they were a part of because of the public's widespread mistrust of criminals and
On the night of March 5th, it is believed that a small group of boys began taunting a British soldier. Over the boys’ nonsense, the soldier battered one of his oppressors with his musket. Soon after the alleged incident a crowd of about fifty or sixty people surrounded the frightened solider. The enraged crowd of people sounded the soldier, encouraging him to call for backup. Soon after calling for help, seven soldiers along with Captain Preston...
Twenty lives were lost, including two of the striker’s wives and eleven children, but only one of these lives belonged to the National Guard. With this in mind, it can be debated whether or not this event should be considered a battle or a massacre. Some have argued that, because of the striker’s retaliation, the event should be considered a battle, but because of previous abuse and the guard’s disregard for who they were firing at it and careless destruction, it should be considered a massacre.
“Saint Valentines Day Massacre.” Britannica School. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .
Of the inmates that were killed most were viewed to be snitches. Most prisoners hated these other prisoners. Most of the killed inmates were tortured both mentally and physically before being killed. One inmate had his skull crushed repeatedly with over 200 pounds of weight. Out of all the guards taken hostage only one was killed; Officer Robert Vallandingham. He was selected to be the first officer killed because t...
Tragedy hit the docks of Everett, Washington, Sunday November 5, 1916 which would be known as “Bloody Sunday.” On November 5, 1916 the Everett Massacre was the culmination of labor trouble which had been brewing for months. It was one of the bloodiest single episodes of labor-related violence in the Pacific Northwest.
Two decades ago a strange series of events ended in the deaths of more than 900 people in the middle of a South American jungle. Though thought of as a "massacre," what occurred at Jonestown on November 18, 1978, was to some extent done willingly. This made the mass suicide more disturbing. The Jonestown cult which was officially named “The People's Temple" was founded by a reverend named James Warren Jones, also known as Jim Jones, from Indianapolis in 1955. Jones, who didn’t have medical training, based his liberal ministry as a combination of religious and socialist viewpoints.
The major focus of the book focuses on reconstruction of the events this group of men participated in. According to Browning, the men of Police Battalion 101 were just that—ordinary. They were five hundred middle-aged, working-class men of German descent. A majority of these men were neither Nazi party members nor members of the S.S. They were also from Hamburg, which was a town that was one of the least occupied Nazi areas of Germany and, thus, were not as exposed to the Nazi regime. These men were not self-selected to be part of the order police, nor were they specially selected because of violent characteristics. These men were plucked from their normal lives, put into squads, and given the mission to kill Jews because they were the only people available for the task. “Even in the face of death the Jewish mothers did not separate from their children. Thus we tolerated the mothers taking their children to the ma...
But with no evidence, Capone could not be arrested. It was known as the St. Valentines Day Massacre and became the most publicity any gang event had ever received.
The 1920's were a time of Prohibition, Illegal Gambling, and Prostitution. The 18th amendment made the sale and distribution of alcohol illegal. Many people including Al Capone were involved in those illegal activities. Al Capone was notorious for this illegal activity. He got rich by manufacturing and distributing alcohol. He also owned many illegal bars. Many other gangs were doing the same illegal activity. There was competition over the alcohol. Every gang wanted it since that was how they made their money. In order to make money they had to eliminate the opposing gangs to decrease the competition. Al Capone never did any of the killings. He had his gang members do the killing. They would usually rent a room in front of the victim's house to stay hidden. Then they would wait for the victim to come outside. Then the gang members would shoot the person. Another way is they would do a drive-by and has someone in the car blast the victim with an Uzi or Thompson machine gun.
No one had ever seen a scene of criminal carnage like the one on February 14th, 1929. 7 men were lined up against the wall and mowed down in a Chicago garage. With blood being everywhere, there were some men were cut almost in half with Thompsons Machine guns. That’s where it went from being a murder to massacre. It was the greatest gangster mass murder in
In the roaring twenties, the life of organized crimes was at its peak. What was the greatest mob hit ever pulled off in history? Well I'll tell you. It all happened on Valentines Day, the morning of February 14th, 1929. This incident was call, "The St. Valentines Day Massacre". The man behind this infamous crime was none other than, the infamous Al "Scarface" Capone. Al Capone was the all time greatest mobster of all time. The idea of organized crime fascinates me in so many ways. Capone was the only person to have pulled off such a crime. Al Capone was top gangster in Chicago and was one of the greatest members of the Italian Mafia and George "Bugs" Moran was the leader of the Irish/German mafia and he was the main target behind this hit. He targeted Capone because Al Capones had a bounty on his head, $60,000,000, and found George Moran as a threat. George was Capone's biggest threat of all. He needed to take him out quickly. (Al Capone, True Crime Story). Writing this paper will let me learn a lot more about this massacre. There is one question I would like answered, "Why hadn't Moran's crew made an attempt to fight back?" (Al Capone, True Crime Story). Moran's men had a long history of being violent with others. This is one question that we will never know. My most used source on this essay will be internet information and a book. I feel these sources will give me the most amount of information. Using a magazine will too but it was very hard to find a 20's magazine article.
Victimology is the scientific study of the physical, emotional, and financial harm people suffer from illegal activities. A common struggle Victimologists face is determining who the victim is. In general, crimes don 't have an “ideal victim”. The term ideal victims refer to someone who receives the most sympathy from society (Christie, 2016). An example of this would be a hardworking, honest man who on his way to work, had his wallet taken by force. Most people in society would have sympathy for him. He spent his life making an honest living to earn what he has and was a victim of a robbery. Victimologists study the interactions victims have with criminals, society, and the criminal justice system (Karmen, 2015). According to (Karmen, 2015)
The St. Valentines Day massacre was an event that ended the whole war between the two gangs of Johnny Torrio and Moran’s North Siders. This event is probably the most well known mobster event in history. The North Side gangs was really getting on Al Capone’s nerves, so he sent his best hit men, “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn and others to make a new murder history. The men stole a police car, and drove to the place they were about to attack. There were seven men that belonged to the North Side gang. The hit team had all seven men stand up and face the wall. The seven complied, expecting a pat down search for weapons and identification. Then two of Capone's men opened up with Thompson submachine guns, peppering each victim with numerous rounds from the .45 caliber weapon. They acted as if they were police men arresting themselves as they walked outside and drove away. It was the perfect crime except that the main target, Bugs Moran was not there, and was still alive.
Al Capone will be remembered not just as ‘’Scarface,’’but as one of the greatest gang leader of Chicago. Still 67 years later he is remembered by movies, cars, and the famous Tommy gun. Al Capone is most famous for his cruel moments and our most famous loving, warm hearted holiday but cold hearted. ‘’St.Valentine Day Massacre!.’’One of his famous quotes were,
In the San Francisco Bay area, as well as in the rest of California, the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s was a time of terror and fear. What started out as a seemingly random, but brutal murder on the night of October 30th, 1966, turned out to be the start of a series of horrific murders that would span 2,500 suspects, 56 possible victims, and over 400 miles. On the calm, cool night of December 20th, 1968, a young seventeen year-old named David Arthur Faraday was getting ready to take a young sixteen year-old named Betty Lou Jensen on her first date.