Frank VaisvilasDaily Southtown
Besides gifts of flowers and chocolate, many people in Frankfort wanted to learn more about Chicago's infamous past with Valentine's Day.
The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre occurred on Feb. 14, 1929 when seven men were gunned down in a Lincoln Park neighborhood garage owned by North Side gangster "Bugs" Moran. The hit was allegedly ordered by his rival, and Chicago's most famous gangster, Al Capone.
Chicago-area author and historian Richard Lindberg spoke on Sunday about the attack, and the factors that led up to it during a two-hour presentation at the Frankfort Public Library.
"I don't think there's anywhere else in the country where we can celebrate (Valentine's Day) and also celebrate the life of the Chicago mob," Lindberg said.
"I love Valentine's Day and he likes history, so this seemed like a good fit for us," Jennifer Rice said.
Lindberg, who's written 17 books, including his latest "Gangland Chicago," used a 1960s vintage projector to show slide photos of the prohibition era as he talked about the history of gangs and corruption in Chicago.
He said the city has been steeped in vice since its inception. Even one of the city's founders, John Kinzie, murdered a man and hid the body in 1814, Lindberg said.
And by the 1920s, gangsters such as Capone were allowed to operate with virtual impunity.
Lindberg said Capone's gang had murdered his North Side rivals one by one before going after Moran for control of the then-illegal liquor business.
Capone was conveniently out of town when the 1929 massacre of Moran's men occurred, he said.
The culprits were two men who dressed like police officers and two plain-clothed men. Lindberg said Moran missed being murdered that day because he went to a nearby coffeehouse after seeing the phony policemen enter his garage.
Lindberg said a gangster allegedly involved in plotting the assassinations later identified the murderers, but neither the FBI or Chicago police ever followed up.
Lindberg also related Chicago's criminal pastime with modern problems.
"Handgun crime is nothing new in Chicago, neither are gangs," he said.
But Lindberg added that the city is probably safer today than it was in 1900, when newspapers were "screaming" for officials to do something about rampant gun crime. He said a little boy back then could simply walk into a hardware store and purchase a gun with no registration.
Frank Vaisvilas is a freelancer for the Daily Southtown
The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre occurred on Feb. 14, 1929 when seven men were gunned down in a Lincoln Park neighborhood garage owned by North Side gangster "Bugs" Moran. The hit was allegedly ordered by his rival, and Chicago's most famous gangster, Al Capone.
"I don't think there's anywhere else in the country where we can celebrate (Valentine's Day) and also celebrate the life of the Chicago mob," Lindberg said.
"I love Valentine's Day and he likes history, so this seemed like a good fit for us," Jennifer Rice said.
Lindberg, who's written 17 books, including his latest "Gangland Chicago," used a 1960s vintage projector to show slide photos of the prohibition era as he talked about the history of gangs and corruption in Chicago.
He said the city has been steeped in vice since its inception. Even one of the city's founders, John Kinzie, murdered a man and hid the body in 1814, Lindberg said.
And by the 1920s, gangsters such as Capone were allowed to operate with virtual impunity.
Lindberg said Capone's gang had murdered his North Side rivals one by one before going after Moran for control of the then-illegal liquor business.
Capone was conveniently out of town when the 1929 massacre of Moran's men occurred, he said.
The culprits were two men who dressed like police officers and two plain-clothed men. Lindberg said Moran missed being murdered that day because he went to a nearby coffeehouse after seeing the phony policemen enter his garage.
Lindberg said a gangster allegedly involved in plotting the assassinations later identified the murderers, but neither the FBI or Chicago police ever followed up.
Lindberg also related Chicago's criminal pastime with modern problems.
"Handgun crime is nothing new in Chicago, neither are gangs," he said.
But Lindberg added that the city is probably safer today than it was in 1900, when newspapers were "screaming" for officials to do something about rampant gun crime. He said a little boy back then could simply walk into a hardware store and purchase a gun with no registration.
Frank Vaisvilas is a freelancer for the Daily Southtown