Skip to content

featuring historical research, writing, and media at st. mary's university

  • World History

    World History

    Menu
    • World History
    • Pre-Classical History (to 600 BCE)
    • Classical History (600 BCE-600 CE)
    • Post-Classical History (600 CE-1492 CE)
    • Early Modern History (1492-1789)
    • Modern History (1789-1914)
    • Global History (1900-present)

    From the Ancient World

    The Battle of Zama: Rome's Vengeance

    Posted by Davis Nickle12/01/2020

    From the Modern World

    The Holy See Takes On The Fight Against Climate Change

    Posted by Victor Rodriguez11/30/2020

    Regional Histories

    Menu
    • African and African American Studies
    • Latin American Studies
  • US History

    Early America

    Menu
    • US-Three Worlds Meet (to 1620)
    • US-Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)
    • US-Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
    • US-Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
    • US-Civil War & Reconstruction (1850-1877)

    Raping and Killing: "Casualties of War" in Vietnam

    Posted by Doan Mai12/14/2019

    Whatalife: Harmon Dobson, the Founder of Whataburger

    Posted by Courtney Pena10/02/2019

    Chadwick Boseman: A King On And Off The Throne

    Posted by Donte Joseph11/07/2020

    Bilingual Education in the Edgewood District for the Past 50 Years

    Posted by Danielle A. Garza05/13/2019

    Code Breakers Ride the Wave to the Midway

    Posted by Samuel Vega03/11/2020

    Claudette Colvin: The Woman Who Wasn’t Rosa Parks

    Posted by Abilene Solano10/27/2020

    Deco Districts and Community Identity: Historic Designation and Preservation of Art Deco Architecture

    Posted by Edgar Velazquez Reynald05/31/2019

    Why We Should Defend Human Gene Editing

    Posted by Emily Velazquez04/07/2019

    Walter McMillian: Condemned to Death by Perjury

    Posted by Melanie Fraire05/06/2020

    Perseverance in Preservation: The Hundred-year Historical Development of Woodlawn Lake Park

    Posted by Mario Sosa05/13/2019

    The Pacification of My Lai

    Posted by Sterling Henarie11/28/2020

    Clarence Norris: The Last Voice of the Scottsboro Boys

    Posted by Kathryn Martinez11/01/2019

    Brian Kemp, The Puppeteer of His Own Election

    Posted by Alexa Montelongo12/01/2020

    Martín de Alarcón: The Forgotten Founder of San Antonio

    Posted by Danielle A. Garza05/13/2019

    The Old Spanish Trail in Southern Arizona

    Posted by John Cadena05/09/2019

    Walt Disney and the building of his Magic Kingdom

    Posted by Malik Heard12/06/2019

    Tyson McGuffin: US Open Pickleball Champion

    Posted by Jake Faryniarz11/13/2020

    The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine: Is the U.S. Nearing the Finish Line?

    Posted by Ratna Ramaraju11/03/2020

    The Brutal Murder of The Black Dahlia

    Posted by Saira Locke10/15/2019

    In the Shadows: Undocumented Life and Human Rights Abuses in the U.S.

    Posted by Manuel Rodriguez11/30/2020

    The Prosecutor Who Took On The Dream Team

    Posted by Ariana Brown11/26/2019

    The Lack of Latinx Access to Proper Mental Care in a Metropolitan County

    Posted by Ángel Velarde11/05/2020

    Elaine Brown and the Hidden Truths of the Black Panther Party

    Posted by Mia Morales05/10/2019

    Like a Virgin: Madonna's Road to Success

    Posted by Andrea Degollado11/14/2019

    Man...Machine...And Everything In Between: How The Creation Of A Dystopian Story Shaped The Future Of Science Fiction

    Posted by Micheal Baladez11/09/2020

    Private Felix E. Longoria: An Affair, Some Would Rather Not Remember!

    Posted by Lulu Guadalupe Avitua-Uviedo09/20/2020

    Johnnie Cochran's Battle Of The 27 Year Long Court Case

    Posted by Victoria Davis11/07/2019

    A Hero’s Burden: COVID-19, Mental Health, and the life of Dr. Lorna Breen

    Posted by Jarred Deptawa11/09/2020

    Lucy Hobbs Taylor: The Woman Who Pulled Teeth

    Posted by Giselle Garcia02/28/2020

    Walter Cronkite: The Most Trusted Man in America

    Posted by Lesley Martinez04/07/2020

    Contemporary America

    Menu
    • US-Industrial United States (1870-1900)
    • US-Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
    • US-Great Depression & WWII (1929-1945)
    • US-Postwar United States (1945-early 1970s)
    • US-Contemporary United States (1968-present)
  • Themes

    SPICE Categories

    Specialty Categories

    Special Themes

    Menu
    • Social History
    • Political History
    • Environmental History
    • Cultural History
    • Economic History
    Menu
    • Art History
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Gender Studies
    • Human Rights
    • Public Health and Medicine
    • International Relations
    • Linguistics
    Menu
    • Military History
    • Music
    • People
    • Psychology
    • Religion
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    Menu
    • Catholic Heritage
    • The Year 1968
    • COVID-19
    • Social Justice
    • Spanish Language
  • Showcase

    Showcase Editions

    • Vol 1 – 2016
      • Vol 1 No 1 Aug-Sep 2016
      • Vol 1 No 2 Oct-Nov 2016
    • Vol 2 – 2017
      • Vol 2 No 1 Jan-Feb 2017
      • Vol 2 No 2 Mar-Apr 2017
      • Vol 2 No 3 Aug-Sep 2017
      • Vol 2 No 4 Oct-Nov 2017
    • Vol 3 – 2018
      • Vol 3 No 1 Jan-Feb 2018
      • Vol 3 No 2 Mar-Apr 2018
      • Vol 3 No 3 Aug-Sep 2018
      • Vol 3 No 4 Oct-Nov 2018
    • Vol 4 – 2019
      • Vol 4 No 1 Jan-Feb 2019
      • Vol 4 No 2 Mar-Apr 2019
      • Vol 4 No 3 Aug-Sep 2019
      • Vol 4 No 4 Oct-Nov 2019
    • Vol 5 – 2020
      • Vol 5 No 1 Jan-Feb 2020
      • Vol 5 No 2 Mar-Apr 2020
      • Vol 5 No 3 Aug-Sep 2020
    Menu
    • Vol 1 – 2016
      • Vol 1 No 1 Aug-Sep 2016
      • Vol 1 No 2 Oct-Nov 2016
    • Vol 2 – 2017
      • Vol 2 No 1 Jan-Feb 2017
      • Vol 2 No 2 Mar-Apr 2017
      • Vol 2 No 3 Aug-Sep 2017
      • Vol 2 No 4 Oct-Nov 2017
    • Vol 3 – 2018
      • Vol 3 No 1 Jan-Feb 2018
      • Vol 3 No 2 Mar-Apr 2018
      • Vol 3 No 3 Aug-Sep 2018
      • Vol 3 No 4 Oct-Nov 2018
    • Vol 4 – 2019
      • Vol 4 No 1 Jan-Feb 2019
      • Vol 4 No 2 Mar-Apr 2019
      • Vol 4 No 3 Aug-Sep 2019
      • Vol 4 No 4 Oct-Nov 2019
    • Vol 5 – 2020
      • Vol 5 No 1 Jan-Feb 2020
      • Vol 5 No 2 Mar-Apr 2020
      • Vol 5 No 3 Aug-Sep 2020
  • About

    Course Readings

    Article Indexes

    About Us

    Menu
    • Course Readings – SC 3300 – Nash
    • Course Readings – SMC 1301 – Wieck
    • Course Readings – PO 4334 – Dr Celine
    Menu
    • Course Readings – HS 2321 – Whitener
    • Course Readings – HS 2322 – Whitener
    • Course Readings – SMC 1301 – Whitener
    Menu
    • Our Article/Author Index
    • Award Winning Articles
    Menu
    • Our StMU History Media Project
    • Our Faculty Consultants
    • Our Writers
    • Contact Us
  • Cultural History, Descriptive Article, People, United States History, US-Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
  • September 23, 2016

To The One I Loathe: Chicago’s 1929 St.Valentine’s Day Massacre, Part II

Newspaper clipping announcing the arrest of Jack McGurn in the St.Valentine's Day Massacre | Photo courtesy of rarenewspapers.com
Newspaper clipping announcing the arrest of Jack McGurn in the St.Valentine's Day Massacre | Photo courtesy of rarenewspapers.com
Celina Resendez

Celina Resendez

Jack McGurn would soon learn that of the seven men killed the morning of Feburary 14, 1929, George “Bugs” Moran was not one of them. Moran and a couple of associates were on their way to the garage when they saw the police car pull in. Believing that a Prohibition raid was about to take place, Moran and his associates did not enter the garage but instead continued their walk down the street.1 Although Moran survived this attempt on his life, it would cause him to go into a sort of early retirement from his life of crime.

Police remove the victims from the scene as a crowd looks on | Photo courtesy of chicagosuntimes.com
Police remove the victims from the scene as a crowd looks on | Photo courtesy of chicagosuntimes.com

As reports from witnesses and tips began to come in, police began to narrow their search of suspects, naming Al Capone as the man who orchestrated what would forever be named the St.Valentine’s Day Massacre. Police looked into Capone, but were unable to find any ties to the crime. Capone was with his family in Florida at the time of the crime, and after checking phone records, police saw that no calls were made to or from Capone several days before or after the massacre.2 Capone was ultimately ruled out as a prime suspect. It may seem that because these were his men who committed this gruesome crime, it would be easy to say it must have been Capone who ordered the hits, but looking closer at the story, it seems that while he may have been involved, it was Jack McGurn who was calling all the shots.

Crowd gathering in from of S.M.C. Cartage Co. garage on North Clark following the massacre | Photo courtesy of chicagosuntimes.com
Crowd gathering in from of S.M.C. Cartage Co. garage on North Clark following the massacre | Photo courtesy of chicagosuntimes.com

The days and weeks following the massacre churned out rumor after rumor that police had been involved in the incident.3 If McGurn wanted to create confusion in the minds of law enforcement and keep his name out of the spotlight, having his men pose as officers as they gunned down the Moran gang did the job. Law enforcement made attempts to shut down the accusations as quickly as they could, and tried everything in their power to catch the men responsible for the hideous crime. Rewards for the capture and conviction of the criminals were offered $50,000 from the Chicago Association of Commerce, $20,000 from the City Council, $20,000 from the state’s attorney, and $10,000 from public collections.4 It was clear that not only the police, but the entire city of Chicago wanted these men to pay for their crimes.

One of the seven men shot that morning, Frank Gusenberg, had somehow survived the initial attack from McGurn and his men. An officer visited him when he was taken to the hospital, but Gusenberg remained tight lipped and refused to give any names as to who orchestrated the attack. When asked by the officer who had shot him, he simply replied, “No one, nobody shot me.”5 If the police wanted to nail down any leads, they had their work cut out for them. Clues slowly began to come in, and on March 4th, three men were named in the massacre: Joseph Lolodro, James Ray, and Fred Burke.6 Lolodro disappeared off the grid, it is unknown what happened to Ray, and Burke was tried and sentenced to life in prison for an unrelated crime.7

"Machine Gun" Jack McGurn mugshot | Photo courtesy of getcapone.com
“Machine Gun” Jack McGurn mugshot | Photo courtesy of getcapone.com

Later, Jack McGurn and John Scalise were taken into custody, but both made bail and were back on the streets of Chicago. Scalise was soon the victim of another gangland assassination, leaving McGurn to fight alone against the charges.8 Forensic science in 1929 was nothing like it is in our current age, so McGurn’s case continued to be pushed back further because of the ongoing investigation. Finally, ten months later, on December 2, 1929, it was decided that there was not enough evidence to convict McGurn or anyone else involved in the case, and the case was ultimately dismissed.9 “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn and his men had gotten away with murder. No one was ever convicted in the St.Valentine’s Day Massacre. Chicago became home to the “most vicious slaughter” in the nation up until then.10 No matter how the case ended, and who was really at fault, the gang wars in the Chicago area had reached an all-time high, and something needed to be done, the violence needed to be stopped. The city of Chicago would forever be changed and tied to gangland violence because of this event. The city would continue to see gang warfare for decades to come, but hopes were that this was the last time such a gruesome attack would occur.

Return to Part I

  1. Fred D. Pasley, Al Capone The Biography of a Self-Made Man (New York: Books for Libraries Press, 1930), 255. ↵
  2. Laurence Bergreen, Capone The Man and The Era (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994), 314. ↵
  3. Bergreen, Capone The Man and The Era, 312-313. ↵
  4. Bergreen, Capone The Man and The Era, 314. ↵
  5. Pasley, Al Capone The Biography of a Self-Made Man,  256. ↵
  6. Pasley, Al Capone The Biography of a Self-Made Man, 261. ↵
  7. Bergreen, Capone The Man and The Era, 317. ↵
  8. Pasley, Al Capone The Biography of a Self-Made Man, 260. ↵
  9. Pasley, Al Capone The Biography of a Self-Made Man, 261. ↵
  10. Bergreen, Capone The Man and The Era, 312. ↵

Tags from the story

  • Al Capone, Saint Valentine's Day Massacre

Share this post

Share on facebook
Share on google
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on pinterest
Share on print
Share on email
Celina Resendez

Celina Resendez

Author Portfolio Page

America Loves Lucy

Winner of the Fall 2016 StMU History Media Awards for Best Explanatory Article Most Captivating/Engaging

Read More »

The War of the Worlds: An Attack on the Fragility of American Life

Winner of the Fall 2016 StMU History Media Award for Best Introductory Paragraph “At least forty

Read More »

Frank Capra’s Cinematic Therapy

Films like, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” and “It’s a

Read More »

To The One I Loathe: Chicago’s 1929 St.Valentine’s Day Massacre, Part I

Winner of the Fall 2016 StMU History Media Award for Best Descriptive Article Orders were given

Read More »

Nathan Bedford Forrest: The Man Behind the Mask

Ku Klux Klan is a name that perhaps everyone has heard at least once in

Read More »

This Post Has 30 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Raymond Munoz 9 Oct 2018 Reply

    As expected, the article had enticing details and parts of a story that I already knew. Though, what was a little unexpected was the lack of closure in this second part conclusion. I know that the first part was meant to be left open for this article, but this second part kind of left me with an unsatisfied feeling in the conclusion. Now, it might be because of the author, but I believe its more probable that the article has a lack of closure because the massacre was left without closure. Think of all the loved one’s lost and all the loved one’s left behind with no answers, no justice, only suspicions and empty hearts.

  2. Avatar
    Didier Cadena 11 Mar 2018 Reply

    This part of the article does a great job of putting all of the events together and finishing the story. It is tragic that no one was convicted for the massacre and it was also ironic that Moran was not present at the garage. It really goes to show how dangerous Chicago was in that time. The article does a great job of connecting with the first one and put the information in a way that efficiently finishes the event.

  3. Avatar
    Maria Esquivel 21 Feb 2018 Reply

    I really thought Moran was one of the victims but knowing he survived had me surprised, in the end Moran didn’t kill McGurn and McGurn couldn’t kill Moran. Great job of describing the event so well, it was very easy to follow and interesting to learn about. I can’t believe that in the end no one was charged for the St. Valentine’s Massacre. I really enjoyed reading both parts of your article!

  4. Avatar
    Aaiyanna Johnson 17 Oct 2017 Reply

    I enjoyed the article and all the information it presented. It is surprising, and yet not that surprising that the trial was dismissed. The article showed how brutal times were then, and even now, by including that the surviving victim refused to give any information. He was so terrified to give any information, he thought for sure they would come back and “finish the job.”

  5. Avatar
    Mariet Loredo 4 Oct 2017 Reply

    I can’t believe that no one got convicted at the end of this gang war. I also forgot to mention that the name they gave this massacre is one that will catch anyone’s attention, it’s actually what caught my attention. It is a great story overall and I really enjoyed reading part one and two of this article. Both articles provided great information and credible sources along with it.

  6. Avatar
    Jasmine Martinez 1 Oct 2017 Reply

    This was such a good read. I had never heard of this tragedy and this article was so informative, and helpful on the story of the massacre. I was shocked to read that the entire massacre only lasted a total of two minutes. It’s even more surprising to read and find out that because there was not enough evidence the case was dismissed. It goes to show how important the advancement of technology is, in this case if it were advanced the case may have not been thrown out, and these men would’ve been arrested, but it was not advanced, and they were not jailed, which was sad.

  7. Avatar
    Troy Leonard 22 Sep 2017 Reply

    i have never heard of thee massacre before but I’m glad that i came across and read it. the featured picture is what really lead me to read it, it caught y attention and i was really curious on when i read ” killers ace captured as gang slayer”. i was really surprised how no one was convicted and the case was dismissed because lack of evidence.

  8. Avatar
    Oceane Roux 15 Sep 2017 Reply

    Thank you for this article again! I find it interesting how no-one has been accused of the crime despite the strong accusations on Jack McGurn and his men. I’m sure that this event has been a shock to the people of Chicago who had to live in this tense climax. Also, I found it amusing that Moran decided to retire after the attack, he got lucky, and it shows that crime is a short-term career.

  9. Avatar
    Crystalrose Quintero 2 Sep 2017 Reply

    The cover picture was really shocking and had me intrigued to understand what the article would be about. Although it was a negative newspaper announcement about a killer, it really had a lot left to say. Another unique aspect was that the article had Al Capone as a suspect. It was interesting to see how notorious people could coincide at moments in their life. I also appreciated that it compared forensics in 1900’s to forensics today and how that may have had negative consequences on such a case.

  10. Avatar
    Samuel Sanchez 21 Apr 2017 Reply

    This was a great article and I am coming from part one just wondering if they were going to get caught but I guess their plan was perfect. Usually when you have these types of cases you would expect them to get caught. Since it was during the late 1920s there wasn’t enough evidence to convict anyone. Overall great job on telling the story of St.Valentine’s Day Massacre. Keep up the good work.

Comments navigation

Previous commentPrevious
NextNext comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

StMU History Media

A Student Organization of St. Mary's University of San Antonio Texas

Sponsors

  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, St. Mary's University
  • Department of History, St. Mary's University
  • Department of Political Science, St. Mary's University
  • Center for Catholic Studies, St. Mary's University

Support Services

  • The Learning Assistance Center, St. Mary's University
  • Louis J. Blume Library Services, St. Mary's University
  • STRIVE Career Center, St. Mary's University
  • Academic Technology Services, St. Mary's University

About

  • About Us
  • Our Authors
  • Our Archive
  • Contacts

© All rights reserved

Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest