On Grand, near Racine, about a block and a half from the site where Tony Genna was killed (see previous post) stands the Bar Casablanca, a Mexican restaurant and bar. Here’s the front of it: You wouldn’t know it now, but this was the site of the De Cola funeral home which was, according to…
Tag: gangsters
The Terrible Gennas – Part 1
When people think of Chicago gangsters of the 20s, they normally think of Capone and his south side gang vs. the mostly-Irish North Siders. But here were plenty more. In the center of these two gangs were a coupe of groups like the Circus Gang and the Terrible Gennas, a group of brothers known for…
“Al Capone, a punk hoodlum…”
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of running a mini walking tour of a Capone site for a group of 11 year olds from Evanston who were part of a book group that just read an excellent book called “Al Capone Does My Shirts.” We got snowed on pretty badly, but I, for one, had a…
The Legend of Dillinger’s Ding-a-Ling
Continuing our Dillinger series in honor of Johnny Depp coming to Chicago to start as Dillinger in “Public Enemies,” here a bit on our very favorite piece of Dillinger lore. In the last post, I noted that to break out of prison with an obviously-fake gun, Dillinger must have had balls the size of church…
John Dillinger’s Great Escape
In honor of Johnny Depp coming to town to film a Dillinger movie, Public Enemies, here’s a post about John Dillinger’s great escape. In 1934, Dillinger, America’s favorite bank robber, was imprisoned in Indiana, awaiting trial and a sure death sentence. But he carved a fake gun out of wood and used it to break…
Al Capone’s World War I Draft Card
From our extensive historical file: Capone never served, but everyone had to register for the draft. This would have been a couple of years before Torrio brought Capone to Chicago to work at the Four Deuces club on South Wabash. While digging through the draft card registry, I also found one for my great grandfather…