Between the years 1925-1930 Capone controlled speakeasies, bookie joints, gambling houses, brothels, horse and race tracks, nightclubs, distilleries and breweries at a reported income of $100,000,000 a year. As a side hobby he even acquired a sizable interest in the largest cleaning and dyeing plant chain in Chicago. (Hey, one has to have a hobby ).
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Al "Scar Face" Capone, mug shot 1930.
One of Capone's largest opponents in the bootlegging industry was a fellow by the name of George "Bugs" Moran. Moran was the mastermind to a gang called the North Siders of Chicago. Moran had an unspeakable hatred for Capone. One of the main factors of this hatred was the fact that Capone's gang dealt in prostitution. The North Siders, being the "nice clean cut white Christian" gang they were, highly objected to this offense. The two rivals fueled off one another. It was almost impossible to find a mob shoot out these two weren't traced back to. To Moran, Capone was a scoundrel, a low life. To Capone, Moran was nothing but a hypocrite. They fought for years. To annoy Capone, Moran would call truces with the Capone mob only to break them within hours. This got to Capone every time, and often led to violent, bloody deaths among their followers. The ironic part was, the two leaders were never found at the scene of the crime. .
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George "Bugs" Moran, 1929.
It was the morning of February 14, 1929. It was a cold and cloudy beginning to a day that would be the most publicized and talked about Mob event ever. Capone had finally had enough of Moran and the North Siders. Along with "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn and others, he created one of the most intelligent murder plots of all time. .
Capone had a gangster from Detroit set up a deal with Moran, claiming he would sell him large amounts of top brand whiskey for an extremely attractive price. Who could resist a bargain like that? Moran quickly agreed and told the gangster to meet him at a garage at 2122 North Clark Street.