Biography of john torrio
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Torrio soon became Colosimo’s right-hand man, but by 1920, the two clashed because Colismo resisted getting into the lucrative alcohol distribution business during Prohibition. In 1925, he narrowly escaped being killed by the rival North Side Gang. Torrio eliminated the extortionists and stayed on to run Colosimo's operations and to organize the criminal muscle needed to deal with threats to them.In 1919, Frankie Yale contacted Torrio and requested that he take Capone to Chicago, as Capone had gotten in trouble by nearly beating to death a member of a rival operation, the Irish White Hand gang of the Brooklyn dockyards (Yale's great rivals in Brooklyn).
Winter convinced Colosimo to settle down, dress more conservatively, and stay out of the news.At this point, Torrio realized that Colosimo was a serious impediment to the mob's potential fortunes. With the approval of Colosimo's allies, the Genna brothers and Aiello, Torrio invited Yale to come to Chicago and kill Colosimo. He soon went to work for one of the roughest bars in Manhattan as a bouncer.
Moran attempted to deliver a coup de grâce into Torrio's skull, but had run out of ammunition. Throughout his reign as boss of the Chicago mob, Torrio had witnessed the massive increase in violence within organized crime. However, it was also intent on seizing the profitable Gold Coast territory, which drew the ire of the powerful North Side Gang led by Dean O'Banion.The Outfit and the North Side Gang began a fragile alliance, but tension between O'Banion and the Gennas (who were Outfit allies) over territorial rights mounted.
While in Chicago, Torrio began running prostitution rackets for the Colosimo family, transforming the houses with virgins obtained from the White Slave Trade. Capone and many other body guards sat outside of Torrio’s hospital room and protected their boss until he was able to quickly recover. Medical records indicate that Torrio had a child with Jean during this period.
The murder took place on May 11, 1920, in the main foyer of Colosimo's Cafe.
George Torrio was born in Washington, Iowa and his medical records show his name as George Miller. Afterward, he retired and moved to Europe, though he would remain an “elder statesman” in the world of organized crime, giving advice when necessary. Schultz' murder and the threat of an income tax prosecution for his role in the Big Seven, however, led him to plan to depart to Brazil.
'Best' referring to talent, not morals".[10] Virgil W. Peterson of the Chicago Crime Commission stated that his "talents as an organizational genius were widely respected by the major gang bosses in the New York City area".[11]
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Johnny Torrio
Giovanni “Johnny” Torrio, aka: “The Fox,” was An Italian-American mobster who helped build the criminal empire known as the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s.
Torrio was born in Italy in February 1882, and when his father died when he was two years old, he immigrated with his mother to New York City.
In the meantime, Torrio had become involved with his uncle, Giacomo “Big Jim” Colosimo, a major crime boss and pimp in Chicago. He gave total control of the Outfit to Capone, saying as he left "It's all yours, Al. Me? I'm quitting. He began running an illegal gambling operation which caught the eye of local Mafia Capo, Paul Kelly.
Torrio greatly admired Kelly, who knew much about organized crime culture; Kelly convinced the younger man to dress conservatively, stop swearing, and set up a front as a legitimate entrepreneur.Torrio's gang ran legitimate businesses, but its main concern was the numbers game, supplemented by incomes from bookmaking, loan sharking, hijacking, prostitution, and opium trafficking.
Torrio had his uncle killed and took over the operation.
Along with Al Capone, Torrio presided over the Chicago Outfit, controlling gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, and alcohol distribution, making millions of dollars.