The Notorious Ends to Lives of Crime
If you live by the sword, to paraphrase the bible, then you die by the sword.
For the men who run the rackets of organized crime, for the most part, they are born with swords in their hands. The worst of the worst come to expect a demise that is both swift and furious, but a few go well beyond that.
Below are five of the worst massacres of organized crime – murders so vile that they stand out in a litany of mob assassinations.
1) The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre
There is no ONE particular reason for the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, but rather many little ones. Not the least was the North Side Gang muscling in on Al Capone’s gambling action in Chicago.
The result was the largest bloodbath in mob history, with seven killed. The main target of the massacre, Bugs Moran, escaped because a lookout confused him with one of his men. Moran actually over-slept that day.
Disguised in trench coats and as police officers, the killers waited and lined the victims up against a brick wall. A portion of the wall is currently on display at the Mob Museum.
2) Bugsy Siegal in Beverly Hills
It was the vision of Bugsy Siegal that brought to mob out into the Nevada desert to invest in Las Vegas, but it was his greed and mismanagement that sealed his fate.
After shaving off profits on the Flamingo Hotel to the point of bankruptcy, Siegal went on holiday to Southern California, to the home of his girlfriend Virginia Hill.
While reading the paper, Siegal was shot with an M1 carbine, with several rounds hitting him, including four through the head.
3) The “Mad Hatter” Gets a Haircut
On the morning of October 25, 1957, Albert Anastasia visited the Park Sheraton Hotel barbershop for a relaxing shave and haircut.
Unluckily, inexplicably, and perhaps not-necessarily coincidentally, his driver and body-guard chose that time to take a walk in the autumn morning, leaving Anastasia completely helpless as he sat in a barber’s chair, the hot towels relaxing his face.
Two gunmen entered, their faces obscured by scarves, and opened fire. The first volley tore through Anastasia and allegedly angered him into leaping from his chair and rushing his attackers.
The second volley of bullets took the anger out of Anastasia, along with his life, but it was also reported that Anastasia attacked the reflection of the killers in the mirror behind him before he died.
The barber chair, restored to its original condition, resides in the Mob Museum, with the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall.
4) A Banquet Thrown by Scarface Al Capone
If a homicidal gangster ever wants to throw a feast in your honor, you would be best served to come up sick that day. Sadly for John Scalise and Albert Anselmi, they didn’t have the sense to skip dinner.
Believing that the two men had betrayed his confidence and sided with his enemies, Capone held a diner where he invited the two as well as his lieutenants.
After enjoying a fine meal and drinks, Al brought out a gift-wrapped Indian club and, according to legend, proceeded to beat the two men to death at their tables.
The story of the murder passed into mob folk-lore, and a version of it was filmed in The Untouchables.
5) Joe and Mary’s Restaurant in Brooklyn
It was a beautiful day in July when Carmine “The Cigar” Galante stopped in at the local eatery for lunch at his favorite Italian restaurant.
He had retired from the New York crime families earlier, telling them that he wanted to live a life of peace and quiet, and they had respected his wishes.
The Crime Families wishes changed when they discovered that Galante was running a crew of immigrants on their turf.
As Galante finished his lunch, three men burst into the restaurant and opened fire, killing two diners as well as helping Galante towards his final retirement.
Responders to the scene reported that Carmine Galante died the way he had lived, with a cigar still in his mouth.
