The Boys in Chicago Heights: The Forgotten Crew of the Chicago Outfit
128
The Boys in Chicago Heights: The Forgotten Crew of the Chicago Outfit
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Overview
The crew's origins predate Prohibition, when Chicago Heights was a developing manufacturing center with a large Italian immigrant population. Its earliest bosses struggled for control until a violent gang war left the crew solidified under the auspices of Al Capone. For the remainder of the twentieth century, the boys from Chicago Heights generated large streams of revenue for the Outfit through its vast gambling enterprises, union infiltration and stolen auto rackets. For the first time, the history of the Chicago Heights street crew is traced from its inception through its last known boss.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781609497330 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Arcadia Publishing SC |
| Publication date: | 10/16/2012 |
| Series: | True Crime |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Sales rank: | 438,827 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d) |
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CHAPTER 1
CROSSROADS OF THE NATION
Chicago Heights is located about thirty-five miles south of Chicago's Loop and about seven miles west of the Indiana border. The first European settlers arrived in the area during the 1830s. They were predominantly German, French and Irish immigrants making their way westward. It was not long before other white settlers followed during the 1840s and 1850s. At that time, the area was known as Thorn Grove. Proximity to Chicago, rich farmland, access to fresh water and affordable property motivated the early settlers to stay in the area. The first public auctions for land took place in 1838. One acre sold for $1.25, and it stayed at that price until 1850. The Sauk Trail thoroughfare served as a major route for westward travelers. Many traveling from the east were enticed to stay when they realized that land was cheap and opportunity was plenty.
The German immigrants contributed greatly to the growth of Thorn Grove. Their numbers caused the population to surge. By the 1850s, the area became known as Bloom after the organization of Bloom Township. In 1853, the first railroad tracks were laid through the area. The Michigan Central attracted businesses and brought postal service, which contributed to the continued development of the area. During the Civil War, there was a lull in rail development as the country preoccupied itself with the war effort. Railroad building boomed after the Civil War, to the benefit of local citizens. It was not long before the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI) to Chicago Heights was completed. By 1869, it was possible to make the trip to downtown Chicago in less than two hours. In 1887, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad was built through Bloom. Needless to say, the railroads accelerated the growth of the area and made it attractive for development.
In 1890, Charles Wacker saw the potential of the area and formed the Chicago Heights Land Association (CHLA). Wacker started out as a brewer for his father's company in Chicago. He worked as a bank director and real estate investor before taking over the business. His more notable accomplishments included working on the 1893 Columbian Exposition Committee and the Chicago Plan Commission. Charles Wacker was the booster that Chicago Heights needed. He understood that Chicago was becoming a crowded, expensive and difficult place to do business. Therefore, he embarked on a search for an area where land was relatively cheap and available with close proximity to Chicago and access to rail service. Bloom met the criteria.
Around 1890, the CHLA arranged for the purchase of four thousand acres on the east side of the C&EI railroad tracks for manufacturing development. By 1892, the CHLA had arranged for the completion of a rail beltway, which gave the area a connection to every railroad entering Chicago. The town also featured a thriving town center and boasted eight factories. The stage was almost set to start a full marketing campaign to attract additional industries. Wacker realized that Bloom was just a short train ride away from the Columbian Exposition site at Jackson Park in Chicago. In fact, the C&EI serviced both the Columbian Exposition site and Bloom. Therefore, he arranged for the CHLA to commission Louis Sullivan to build the Victoria Hotel in 1892. It was a tremendous success. The hotel served not only as a place to stay while enjoying the exposition, but it also provided the CHLA with a captive audience to which it could promote the attributes of Bloom.
To further market the town, the CHLA set out to formally change the name from Bloom to Chicago Heights. In 1892, the residents voted to adopt the change and incorporated the Village of Chicago Heights. Through the 1890s, the CHLA continued to market and promote Chicago Heights with ads referring to it as the greatest manufacturing district in the world with the ability to ship products anywhere at cheap shipping rates. The CHLA also organized weekend rail excursions to Chicago Heights, chartering rail cars and hiring bands to entertain the crowds as sort of a 1890s industrial land grab.
As an astute developer, Charles Wacker recognized the need for an organized plan for the village. Industries needed infrastructure. In addition, there was housing to consider, both for industry executives and for the workers. All of this needed to be supported by a thriving town center with all the necessary amenities including postal service, clothing and food purveyance and healthcare. The CHLA planned Chicago Heights so that industrial facilities were located to the east of the C&EI railroad tracks. The CHLA modernized and, in some cases, provided water, gas and electric power. Concerning housing, it was planned so that the workers lived east of the C&EI tracks in neighborhoods that became known as the East Side and the Hill. The industry executives and wealthier residents lived west of the C&EI tracks. Separating the East Side from the West Side was the downtown area, with Halsted Street running down the center and Illinois Street running east and west off Halsted Street. Once the CHLA had the plan solidified, it started selling residential lots.
The CHLA's marketing efforts paid off. In 1897, there were thirty-eight railroads and twenty factories in Chicago Heights. Manufacturing companies located there included steel, plumbing, glass works, lumber, dry goods, fireproofing, paper, paint, iron works, railway specialties and roofing tile.
In 1901, the village became the City of Chicago Heights. During the first mayoral term of the newly incorporated city, an aldermanic form of government was adopted with five aldermen serving as members of the first city council. The first aldermen were representative of the early German settlers and more recent business pioneers, with names like Kirgis, Belknap, VanDoren, Salisbury and Klauch. The stage was now set for an influx of workers to populate the town.
The year 1913 brought more good news for the growth of Chicago Heights. That year it was announced that the nation's first major east–west roadway, Lincoln Highway, would pass through town. The announcement was coupled with the news that Dixie Highway, a major north–south roadway, would also pass through Chicago Heights and intersect Lincoln Highway. The intersection of the two major roadways put Chicago Heights at the crossroads of the nation. Chicago Heights, therefore, had a major advantage for attracting more businesses with its access to the rails and thoroughfares.
The rapid growth of factories and businesses in Chicago Heights during the 1890s attracted immigrants from all over western and central Europe and attracted migrants from the South. But it would be the Italians that comprised the largest ethnic population. The earliest Italians arrived around 1890. They were mostly men searching for work. They were industrial pioneers that heard through word-of-mouth about the CHLA's marketing campaigns regarding job opportunities in Chicago Heights. Once settled with a job and a place to stay, the early Italian immigrants passed word back to relatives and friends interested in leaving for America. By 1900, there were three hundred Italians in Chicago Heights; in 1910, there were a little over three thousand; and by 1920, the Italian immigrants were the largest ethnic population in Chicago Heights.
The East Side and the Hill neighborhoods became the most heavily populated and established Italian neighborhoods in Chicago Heights. The majority of the Italian population came from the central and southern Italian regions of Le Marche, Abruzzi, Lazio, Campania, Calabria and Sicily. The Italians settled in neighborhoods according to their familial and regional backgrounds. Consequently, Sicilian and Marchegiani immigrants largely populated the East Side neighborhood. A good number of the Marchegiani but also the majority of immigrants from Lazio and Calabria lived in the Hill.
The settlement of the immigrants in these neighborhoods worked in favor in the CHLA's plan to have the lower class workers concentrated around the factories and away from the tonier West Side. The East Side and the Hill became densely populated with workers. Some were packed in boardinghouses with numerous others. They worked long, hard hours in oppressive conditions. The factories lacked unions, and safety conditions were nonexistent. It is not surprising that many news stories of the day indicate that the immigrants met with prejudice. The articles themselves referred to Italians in derogatory terms. Such circumstances may have led to socialist activities that were reported and perhaps an increase in crime. Murders were frequently reported by the Chicago Heights Star newspaper as being the result of the "Black Hand" or "the Vendetta" whenever an Italian was involved. Certainly, the majority of the Italians were law-abiding citizens. But the newly formed city with its recently arrived immigrants had an element of lawlessness. One citizen recalled that the town felt similar to an old west town where card playing, booze drinking and pool shooting were the only forms of recreation for the residents of the East Side and the Hill. It was recalled that Twenty-second Street had twenty-six saloons and men routinely carried revolvers.
On the other hand, there was power in numbers, and numbers worked in favor of the Italian immigrants with Chicago Heights' aldermanic form of government. Between 1910 and 1912, a majority of the aldermen were Italians. One of the aldermen was Antonino Sanfilippo. He was elected alderman for the third ward in 1915 and reelected in 1917 and 1919. He was also elected to serve as city clerk. In 1962, the FBI was gathering information about the activities of Frank LaPorte. As part of its investigation, the FBI took the following report from a local banker regarding the early immigrants to Chicago Heights and politics:
At the turn of the century Chicago Heights was rapidly becoming a highly industrialized and manufacturing city. It was commonly referred to as the biggest little city in the country. As a result of this industrialization, there was an insufficient labor force to operate various manufacturing plants, and efforts were made by the leaders of commerce and industry to import cheap immigrant labor to operate various plants. When one family from a foreign country or a certain province would arrive in Chicago Heights and establish [itself], [they] would send word to [their] village regarding the job opportunities and soon others from that province or village would appear in Chicago Heights.
In view of the language barrier and social difficulties encountered in the new country, the immigrants and their families would immediately rely upon and follow anyone who could understand the language and the customs of this country. As the years progressed, it became evident that certain families gained prominence and political power among numerous immigrant families. It appeared that one family from each of the countries represented and controlled a large number of votes and influence.
As their numbers increased and the Italian population gained a voice in local politics, they gained confidence to open their own businesses and establish social organizations. Indeed, Italians and other immigrants in the community were beginning to assimilate. However, other residents were resentful and suspicious of the immigrants, particularly the Italians, as they were the largest immigrant group. The East Side and the Hill were viewed as places rampant with vice and gambling. There was concern that the Italian aldermen on the city council were breeding corruption. Thus, on February 15, 1921, the citizens voted in favor of switching to an at-large commission form of government where the commissioners ran on a citywide basis. Incentive to vote in favor of the referendum may have been provided to concerned citizens five days before the election when deputy sheriffs raided two hotels in Chicago Heights and arrested 120 people on gambling charges.
Antonino Sanfilippo lost his aldermanic seat to the commission form of government. The concerned citizens may have been justified in removing the "Italian influence," for Sanfilippo was the first crime boss to emerge in Chicago Heights. Sanfilippo used his connections in the community to secure votes. In return, he provided favors to his constituents, such as securing jobs and aiding in the process of becoming a citizen. He also used his community influence and political power to protect gambling and illegal liquor operations.
In January 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. After one year of ratification, the manufacture, sale or transportation of alcohol within, importation of alcohol into or exportation of alcohol from the United States was prohibited. The Volstead Act providing the enforcement powers for the Eighteenth Amendment took effect in January 1920.
A majority of residents of Chicago Heights opposed Prohibition. Many of the immigrants were accustomed to traditions that included beer, wine and whiskey. In addition, Prohibition stripped many of their only form of recreation by closing taverns. It is not surprising that many residents would ignore the law and produce alcohol for personal consumption. It is also not surprising that others would view Prohibition as an economic opportunity or that a man like Antonino Sanfilippo would view Prohibition as an opportunity to expand his interests, especially after losing his aldermanic seat.
CHAPTER 2PROHIBITION, ANTONINO SANFILIPPO AND PHIL PIAZZA
Antonino Sanfilippo was born in Lascari, Sicily, on May 9, 1877. He emigrated from Sicily to the United States in 1904. Sanfilippo was educated as a pharmacist and operated a drug store on East Twenty- second Street in the Hill neighborhood. He married a German woman named Gertrude Sandauer, and they had one son, born in 1907. Sanfilippo's education and refined personality contributed to his success and ability to absolutely control the vote on the East Side. Sanfilippo's political career ended in 1921 when he lost a bid to become a commissioner by a small margin. Around the time his political career ended, Sanfilippo emerged as the dominant boss of organized crime in Chicago Heights. Philip Piazza and Jim Lamberta, fellow Sicilians, served as Sanfilippo's top lieutenants. His influence in the Italian community and political connections helped ease his transition into bootlegging. Sanfilippo used his influence to protect his own interests and those of the independent operators for a price.
The Sanfilippo organization was made up of fellow Sicilians and was tied to the Unione Siciliana. A benevolent organization originally formed in Chicago, the Unione eventually had chapters around the United States. Its members were strictly Sicilian.
Other Sicilian factions at the forefront of bootlegging and gambling in Chicago Heights included the Costello brothers, the Zarante brothers, the Macaluso brothers, the DiGiovanni brothers and the Battaglia brothers. The Battaglia brothers first came to notoriety in 1914 with the murder of Frank DeMaria at Death Corner in Little Sicily on Chicago's near North Side. DeMaria was a private investigator who was looking into the murder of Chicago Heights produce vendor Isaac Levin. Levin was killed because his business threatened the Battaglias' produce business. Pietro Siatta, an employee of the Battaglia brothers, signed an affidavit that, while hanging out in a tavern on Sixteenth Street in Chicago Heights, he overheard two men conspiring to murder DeMaria for investigating the Levin killing.
The Costello brothers and the Zarante brothers were the more dominant of the independent Sicilian groups of brothers. The Costellos formed close ties with Al Capone, and the Zarantes aligned with the Costellos.
There was also an Italian (non-Sicilian) faction that was headed by longtime friends and business partners Dominic Roberto and Jim Emery. Having emigrated from Calabria, the Perry brothers aligned with Roberto and Emery. In the early days of Prohibition, all of these groups had their spheres of influence, but ultimately they paid the price to Sanfilippo for the protection that his significant influence could provide. Regarding these groups, the banker interviewed by the FBI reported that:
When the Prohibition Era came into being, the Italians seemed to be more adept at making "bathtub gin" and they soon organized family wine makers into a highly efficient distilling corporation.
As the need for more whiskey became apparent, these families and their associates began raiding Polish and Slovakian home stills and through fear and, blackmail and extortion, acquired considerable wealth and in turn were able to bribe local officials into protecting their illegal distilling operations. They had Chicago Heights police officers acting as guards in convoying their whiskey into Chicago, Illinois, where it was sold to Chicago interests.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Boys in Chicago Heights"
by .
Copyright © 2012 Matthew J. Luzi.
Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 7
Introduction 9
1 Crossroads of the Nation 13
2 Prohibition, Antonino Sanfilippo and Phil Piazza 20
3 Gang War and the Rise of Dominic Roberto 30
4 The Era of Big Jim Emery 46
5 Frank LaPorte 63
6 The Al Pilotto Years: 1972-1982 90
7 Turmoil and the Years of Decline 102
Epilogue 113
Notes 117
Bibliography 125
About the Author 128
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