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{{short description|American mobster}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
{{short description|American mobster}}
{{Infobox criminal
{{Infobox criminal
| image = JackMcGurn.jpg
| image = JackMcGurn.jpg
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| nationality = Italian
| nationality = Italian
| allegiance = [[Chicago Outfit]]
| allegiance = [[Chicago Outfit]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Boxer|hitman}}
| other_names = Machine Gun Jack, Vincent Gebardi, Battling
| other_names = {{hlist|Machine Gun Jack McGurn|Vincent Gebardi|Battling Jack McGurn}}
| resting_place = Mount Carmel Cemetery, [[Hillside, Illinois|Hillside]], Illinois, U.S.
| resting_place = Mount Carmel Cemetery, [[Hillside, Illinois|Hillside]], Illinois, U.S.
| spouse = {{marriage|Louise Rolfe|1931}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Louise Rolfe|1931}}
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| years_active = 1923–1933
| years_active = 1923–1933
}}
}}
'''Jack''' "'''Machine Gun Jack'''" '''McGurn''' (born '''Vincenzo Antonio Gibaldi'''; {{IPA-it|vinˈtʃɛntso anˈtɔːnjo dʒiˈbaldi|lang}}; July 2, 1902 – February 15, 1936) was a small-time boxer, [[Sicilian-American]] [[mobster]] and key member of [[Al Capone]]'s [[Chicago Outfit]].
'''Jack''' "'''Machine Gun Jack'''" '''McGurn''' (born '''Vincenzo Antonio Gibaldi'''; {{IPA-it|vinˈtʃɛntso anˈtɔːnjo dʒiˈbaldi|lang}}; July 2, 1902 – February 15, 1936) was a [[Sicilian-American]] boxer, [[mobster]], and eventually a [[made man]] and [[caporegime]] in [[Al Capone]]'s [[Chicago Outfit]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
{{More citations needed | section|date=February 2024}}
McGurn was born in July 1902 in [[Licata]], [[Sicily]], the eldest son of Tommaso and Giusepina Gibaldi (née Verderame).<ref>Atti Di Nascita for Vincenzo Gibaldi, ''Tribunale Di Agrigento'', Provincia Di Agrigento, Citta Di Licata, July 2, 1902.</ref> Four years later, he and his mother emigrated to join his father in the [[United States of America]], arriving at [[Ellis Island]] on November 24, 1906. McGurn grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn where he went to Public School 46 on Union Street between Henry and Hicks streets, according to underworld historian Bill Balsamo, author of Crime Incorporated. McGurn moved to Chicago when he was 14 where he later took up a career in boxing as a teenager and changed his name to "Battling" Jack McGurn because boxers with Irish names got the better bookings. After Tommaso's death while McGurn was still young, his mother remarried to grocer Angelo DeMory, who was later murdered by [[Black Hand (extortion)|Black Hand]] extortionists.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}
McGurn was born in July 1902 in [[Licata]], [[Sicily]], the eldest son of Tommaso and Giuseppina (née Verderame) Gibaldi.<ref>Atti Di Nascita for Vincenzo Gibaldi, ''Tribunale Di Agrigento'', Provincia Di Agrigento, Citta Di Licata, July 2, 1902.</ref> Four years later, he and his mother emigrated to join his father in the [[United States of America]], arriving at [[Ellis Island]] on November 24, 1906. McGurn grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn where he went to Public School 46 on Union Street.

McGurn moved to Chicago when he was 14 where he later took up a career in boxing as a teenager and changed his name to "Battling" Jack McGurn because boxers with Irish names got the better bookings. They lived near Taylor street in Chicago's Little Italy neighborhood. After Tommaso's death while McGurn was still young, his mother remarried to grocer Angelo DeMory.


==Prohibition==
==Prohibition==
The Genna gang, which ruled Chicago's Little Italy at the time, demanded money from the area's inhabitants and businesses to help pay for the gang's legal defense. McGurn's stepdad, Angelo Demory, either refused or could not pay and was murdered by [[Genna crime family|Genna gangsters]] in 1923. A few years later, in February 1926, McGurn avenged his death by hunting down and killing the three men responsible over the course of eight days. After this rampage, McGurn spent a short time with the [[North Side Gang]] before ending up in the [[Chicago Outfit|Capone gang]] by April 1926.<ref name="Binder-2017">{{cite book|last=Binder |first=John J.|year=2017 |title=Al Capone's Beer Wars: A Complete History of Organized Crime in Chicago during Prohibition|publisher=Prometheus|isbn=978-1633882850}}</ref>
McGurn was first introduced to Capone after his stepfather, Angelo DeMory, was [[assassinate]]d by gang extortionists on January 28, 1923, and McGurn had methodically avenged his death by killing the three [[hitmen]] responsible. In fact, McGurn was already on the Outfit's payroll by the time of DeMory's death and had probably come to Capone's attention through his budding career as a prizefighter.

McGurn quickly became one of the Capone gang's most prolific, and successful, hitmen. He was with Capone on April 27, 1926, when they gunned down Westside O'Donnell gangsters James J. Doherty and Thomas "Red" Duffy. Assistant State's Attorney William H. McSwiggin was also killed in this attack, who they were unaware was riding in the car with the gangsters. Slugs recovered from the crime scene were later matched to a [[Thompson submachine gun|Tommy Gun]] used by McGurn.<ref name=Binder-2017/>

One of McGurn’s most high-profile hits was the assassination of [[North Side Gang]] leader [[Hymie Weiss|Earl “Hymie” Weiss]] on October 11, 1926. McGurn is reputed to have used his trademark [[Thompson submachine gun|Tommy Gun]] as he gunned down the gang leader from an open window across the street from [[Holy Name Cathedral (Chicago)|Holy Name Cathedral]].
[[File:Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.jpg|thumb|Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway]]
[[File:Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.jpg|thumb|Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway]]
In the summer of 1927, [[Joe Aiello]] made an attempt to take over the [[Italian-American National Union|Unione Siciliana]]. He put $25,000 bounties on Al Capone and [[Antonio Lombardo|Tony Lombardo]], which attracted assassins from out of town. Between May and September 1927, Jack McGurn killed at least four would-be hitmen that had come to Chicago to kill his boss. On March 7, 1928, McGurn was shot and wounded by the [[Frank Gusenberg|Gusenberg brothers]] at the Hotel McCormick, at Ontario and Rush street, from where he had been leading a local takeover of the beer racket. On April 17, McGurn was shot at by North siders James Clark and Billy Davern, at the corner of Morgan and Harrison. McGurn retaliated by killing Billy Davern a few weeks later.<ref name=Binder-2017/>


McGurn had part ownership of a [[speakeasy]] jazz club, a venue which still exists today, the infamous [[Green Mill Jazz Club|Green Mill]], at 4802 North [[Broadway (Chicago)|Broadway]], in the middle of the rival [[Bugs Moran|"Bugs" Moran]] [[gang]]'s territory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdchicago.com/greenmill.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209122551/http://www.weirdchicago.com/greenmill.html |archive-date=February 9, 2009 }}</ref> In November 1927, manager Danny Cohen gave McGurn the task of "persuading" comedian/singer [[Joe E. Lewis]] not to move his act south to the New Rendezvous Café, at North [[Clark Street (Chicago)|Clark Street]] and West [[Diversey Parkway (Chicago)|Diversey Parkway]]. Lewis refused, and McGurn slit Lewis's throat, cutting off a portion of his tongue and leaving him for dead. Miraculously, Lewis eventually recovered and resumed his career, but his voice never regained its lush sound.
McGurn had part ownership of a [[speakeasy]] jazz club, a venue which still exists today, the infamous [[Green Mill Jazz Club|Green Mill]], at 4802 North [[Broadway (Chicago)|Broadway]], in the middle of the rival [[Bugs Moran|"Bugs" Moran]] [[gang]]'s territory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdchicago.com/greenmill.html |title=Weird Chicago: Legend of the Green Mill |access-date=May 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209122551/http://www.weirdchicago.com/greenmill.html |archive-date=February 9, 2009 }}</ref> In November 1927, manager Danny Cohen gave McGurn the task of "persuading" comedian/singer [[Joe E. Lewis]] not to move his act south to the New Rendezvous Café, at North [[Clark Street (Chicago)|Clark Street]] and West [[Diversey Parkway (Chicago)|Diversey Parkway]]. Lewis refused, and McGurn slit Lewis's throat, cutting off a portion of his tongue and leaving him for dead. Miraculously, Lewis eventually recovered and resumed his career, but his voice never regained its lush sound.


==St. Valentine's Day Massacre==
==St. Valentine's Day Massacre==
McGurn is associated with planning the [[St. Valentine's Day Massacre]], in 1929, though this association has not been proven.<ref name=slain/>
McGurn is associated with planning the [[St. Valentine's Day Massacre]], in 1929, though this association has not been proven.<ref name=slain/>


Although police charged McGurn in the case,{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} he was never brought to trial largely due to his "blonde alibi"—girlfriend and later wife Louise Rolfe—who claimed they spent the whole day together.
Although police charged McGurn in the case, he was never brought to trial largely due to his "blonde alibi" — girlfriend and later wife Louise Rolfe — who claimed they spent the whole day together.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}


==Later years==
==Later years==
In April 1930, when [[Frank J. Loesch]], chairman of the [[Chicago Crime Commission]] compiled his "[[Public enemy (term)|Public Enemies]]" list of the top 28 people he saw as corrupting Chicago, McGurn's name was fourth on the list, which was published nationwide.
In April 1930, when [[Frank J. Loesch]], chairman of the [[Chicago Crime Commission]] compiled his "[[Public enemy (term)|Public Enemies]]" list of the top 28 people he saw as corrupting Chicago, McGurn's name was fourth on the list, which was published nationwide.


This notoriety caused him to be shunned by the Outfit. McGurn, who had great hand-eye coordination, subsequently attempted a career as a professional golfer. McGurn was a silent partner in Evergreen Golf Course, at 91st Street and Western Avenue, a known mob hangout where he could often be found playing, practicing, giving lessons, or drinking and playing cards in the clubhouse. Dan Lilly was known to have caddied for him once and claimed that he kept a machine gun in his golf bag at all times. FBI documents released in December 1999 revealed that singer [[Bing Crosby]], who frequently played golf in Chicago,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.golfchicagomagazine.com/publications/gc_apr_17/When%20the%20Boys%20Play%20Through.pdf|title=When The Boys Play Through|first=Tim|last=Cronin|publisher=Chicago Golf Magazine|access-date=September 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-07-30-0807280381-story.html|title=Historic Beverly Country Club changes cautiously with the times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-09-13-9203230355-story.html|title=Charles Carmen Penna, Avid Golf Professional}}</ref> was one of McGurn's golfing partners.<ref name=debtthreat>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/world-news/the-real-bing-gambler-cheat-friend-of-the-mob-26129997.html|title=The real Bing: Gambler, cheat, friend of the Mob|first=George|last=Gordon|publisher=Irish Independent|date=December 24, 1999|access-date=September 3, 2020}}</ref>
This notoriety caused him to be shunned by the Outfit. McGurn, who had great hand-eye coordination, subsequently attempted a career as a professional golfer. McGurn was a silent partner in Evergreen Golf Course, at 91st Street and Western Avenue, a known mob hangout where he could often be found playing, practicing, giving lessons, or drinking and playing cards in the clubhouse. Dan Lilly was known to have caddied for him once and claimed that he kept a machine gun in his golf bag at all times. FBI documents released in December 1999 revealed that singer [[Bing Crosby]], who frequently played golf in Chicago,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.golfchicagomagazine.com/publications/gc_apr_17/When%20the%20Boys%20Play%20Through.pdf|title=When The Boys Play Through|first=Tim|last=Cronin|publisher=Chicago Golf Magazine|access-date=September 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-07-30-0807280381-story.html|title=Historic Beverly Country Club changes cautiously with the times|website=[[Chicago Tribune]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-09-13-9203230355-story.html|title=Charles Carmen Penna, Avid Golf Professional|website=[[Chicago Tribune]] }}</ref> was one of McGurn's golfing partners.<ref name=debtthreat>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/world-news/the-real-bing-gambler-cheat-friend-of-the-mob-26129997.html|title=The real Bing: Gambler, cheat, friend of the Mob|first=George|last=Gordon|publisher=Irish Independent|date=December 24, 1999|access-date=September 3, 2020}}</ref>


On August 25, 1933, the [[Western Open]] golf championship began at [[Olympia Fields Country Club]] in the far south suburb of [[Olympia Fields, Illinois|Olympia Fields]]. A reasonably skilled golfer and flashy dresser, McGurn entered the competition as Vincent Gebhardi (another version of his real name), the professional at public Evergreen Golf Course. In the opening round, McGurn carded a 13-over-par 83 on course No. 4 (today's North Course). The next morning, the name "Gebhardi" on the day's pairing sheet was observed by an alert Chicago Police chief [[detective]], who sent two sergeants to arrest him. "Aware of McGurn's truculent temper", the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' account reported, "the sergeants enlisted the help of Lt. Frank McGillen and five policemen from the Homewood station of the county highway force".
On August 25, 1933, the [[Western Open]] golf championship began at [[Olympia Fields Country Club]] in the far south suburb of [[Olympia Fields, Illinois|Olympia Fields]]. A reasonably skilled golfer and flashy dresser, McGurn entered the competition as Vincent Gebhardi (another version of his real name), the professional at public Evergreen Golf Course. In the opening round, McGurn carded a 13-over-par 83 on course No. 4 (today's North Course). The next morning, the name "Gebhardi" on the day's pairing sheet was observed by an alert Chicago Police chief [[detective]], who sent two sergeants to arrest him. "Aware of McGurn's truculent temper", the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' account reported, "the sergeants enlisted the help of Lt. Frank McGillen and five policemen from the Homewood station of the county highway force".
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==Death==
==Death==
Less than three years later, McGurn, by then impoverished and abandoned by his fellow gangsters, was assassinated by three men with pistols on February 15, 1936, one day after the seventh anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day massacre.<ref name=slain>{{cite news |title='Machine Gun' McGurn Is Slain in Chicago. Linked to St. Valentine 'Massacre' of 1929 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/02/15/archives/-machine-gun-mcgurn-is-slain-in-chicago-linked-to-st-valentine.html |quote=Gangland early this morning observed the seventh anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day massacre by assassinating "Machinegun Jack" McGurn, one-time leader of the old Capone gang, who was suspected of participation in the killing of the seven men in a North Side garage in 1929. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 15, 1936 |access-date=2012-08-15 }}</ref> He was bowling at the second-floor Avenue Recreation Bowling Alley, at 805 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.
Less than three years later, McGurn, by then impoverished and cast out of the Outfit, was assassinated by three men with pistols on February 15, 1936, one day after the seventh anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day massacre.<ref name=slain>{{cite news |title='Machine Gun' McGurn Is Slain in Chicago. Linked to St. Valentine 'Massacre' of 1929 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/02/15/archives/-machine-gun-mcgurn-is-slain-in-chicago-linked-to-st-valentine.html |quote=Gangland early this morning observed the seventh anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day massacre by assassinating "Machinegun Jack" McGurn, one-time leader of the old Capone gang, who was suspected of participation in the killing of the seven men in a North Side garage in 1929. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 15, 1936 |access-date=2012-08-15 }}</ref> He was bowling at the second-floor Avenue Recreation Bowling Alley, at 805 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.


The killers tossed a Valentine card with this ironically [[prophetic]] poem near to his body: "You've lost your job, you've lost your dough, Your jewels and cars and handsome houses, But things could still be worse you know... At least you haven't lost your trousers!".<ref>[https://www.babyfacenelsonjournal.com/jack-mcgurn.html JAck Mcgurn biography]</ref>
McGurn's assassins tossed a Valentine card with a [[prophetic]] poem near to his body:
:"You've lost your job, you've lost your dough,
:Your jewels and cars and handsome houses,
:But things could still be worse you know...
:At least you haven't lost your trousers!".<ref>[https://www.babyfacenelsonjournal.com/jack-mcgurn.html JAck Mcgurn biography]</ref>


He was laid to rest at [[Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside, Illinois)|Mount Carmel Cemetery]] in Hillside, Illinois.
He was laid to rest at [[Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside, Illinois)|Mount Carmel Cemetery]] in Hillside, Illinois.


On March 2, 1936, McGurn's half-brother, [[Anthony De Mory]], was killed in a manner similar to McGurn. De Mory, who had claimed, "I know the guys who killed Jack. I'm going to get them", was shot by three masked men in a Chicago pool hall. Police linked the assassination to McGurn's slaying.<ref>The Associated Press. "Gangland's guns flash death again", ''The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner''. March 3, 1936.</ref>
After McGurn's murder, his half-brother, [[Anthony De Mory]], angrily said, "I know the guys who killed Jack. I'm going to get them". On March 2, 1936, however, De Mory was fatally shot by three masked men inside a Chicago [[pool hall]]. The [[Chicago Police Department]] linked the assassination to McGurn's slaying.<ref>The Associated Press. "Gangland's guns flash death again", ''The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner''. March 3, 1936.</ref>


The identity of McGurn's killers remains unknown, but research and speculation by [[criminologist]]s suggest three possible theories:
The identity of McGurn's killers remains unknown, but research and speculation by criminologists suggest three possible theories: revenge by [[George "Bugs" Moran]], whose men McGurn had planned to kill almost seven years to the date before, or the South Side mob under [[Frank Nitti]], because McGurn (a heavy drinker and a braggart), had become a liability due to his intimate knowledge of the Outfit. There is also the notion that McGurn was killed by [[James Gusenberg]], the brother of [[Frank Gusenberg|Frank]] and [[Peter Gusenberg]], who were two of the victims of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}
:1. Revenge by former [[Irish mob]] boss [[George "Bugs" Moran]], who McGurn had tried to kill almost seven years before.
:2. A [[contract killing]] ordered by the [[Chicago Outfit]] under [[Frank Nitti]], because McGurn (an [[alcoholism|alcoholic]] and a [[braggart]]), had become a liability due to his extensive inside knowledge of the [[American Mafia]].
:3. Revenge by [[James Gusenberg]], the brother of [[Frank Gusenberg|Frank]] and [[Peter Gusenberg]], who were both murdered during the [[St. Valentine's Day Massacre]].


==In popular culture==
==See also==
* [[List of homicides in Illinois#Organized crime|List of organized crime killings in Illinois]]
*McGurn has been portrayed in several movies including ''[[The St. Valentine's Day Massacre]]'' (1967) by [[Clint Ritchie]], ''[[Capone (1975 film)|Capone]]'' (1975) with [[Carmen Argenziano]], ''[[The Verne Miller Story]]'' (1987) by [[Frank Costa]] and ''[[Gangster Land]]'' (2017) by [[Sean Faris]]. He was also played by [[K. L. Smith]] in the original ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'' television series and by [[Paul Stevens (actor)|Paul Stevens]] in the ''[[Playhouse 90]]'' episode "Seven Against the Wall", depicting his role in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
* McGurn's attempted killing of Joe E. Lewis was later immortalized in the movie ''[[The Joker Is Wild]]'' (1957), with [[Frank Sinatra]] as Lewis, Ted de Corsia as Georgie Parker (Danny Cohen) and Leonard Graves as Tim Coogan (McGurn).


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Illinois]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Illinois]]
[[Category:Burials at the Bishop's Mausoleum, Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside)]]
[[Category:Burials at the Bishop's Mausoleum, Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside)]]
[[Category:People with acquired American citizenship]]

Latest revision as of 00:09, 29 March 2024

Jack McGurn
Born
Vincenzo Antonio Gibaldi

(1902-07-02)2 July 1902
Licata, Sicily, Italy
Died15 February 1936(1936-02-15) (aged 33)
Resting placeMount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityItalian
Other names
  • Machine Gun Jack McGurn
  • Vincent Gebardi
  • Battling Jack McGurn
CitizenshipAmerican
Occupations
  • Boxer
  • hitman
Years active1923–1933
Spouse
Louise Rolfe
(m. 1931)
AllegianceChicago Outfit

Jack "Machine Gun Jack" McGurn (born Vincenzo Antonio Gibaldi; Italian: [vinˈtʃɛntso anˈtɔːnjo dʒiˈbaldi]; July 2, 1902 – February 15, 1936) was a Sicilian-American boxer, mobster, and eventually a made man and caporegime in Al Capone's Chicago Outfit.

Early life[edit]

McGurn was born in July 1902 in Licata, Sicily, the eldest son of Tommaso and Giuseppina (née Verderame) Gibaldi.[1] Four years later, he and his mother emigrated to join his father in the United States of America, arriving at Ellis Island on November 24, 1906. McGurn grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn where he went to Public School 46 on Union Street.

McGurn moved to Chicago when he was 14 where he later took up a career in boxing as a teenager and changed his name to "Battling" Jack McGurn because boxers with Irish names got the better bookings. They lived near Taylor street in Chicago's Little Italy neighborhood. After Tommaso's death while McGurn was still young, his mother remarried to grocer Angelo DeMory.

Prohibition[edit]

The Genna gang, which ruled Chicago's Little Italy at the time, demanded money from the area's inhabitants and businesses to help pay for the gang's legal defense. McGurn's stepdad, Angelo Demory, either refused or could not pay and was murdered by Genna gangsters in 1923. A few years later, in February 1926, McGurn avenged his death by hunting down and killing the three men responsible over the course of eight days. After this rampage, McGurn spent a short time with the North Side Gang before ending up in the Capone gang by April 1926.[2]

McGurn quickly became one of the Capone gang's most prolific, and successful, hitmen. He was with Capone on April 27, 1926, when they gunned down Westside O'Donnell gangsters James J. Doherty and Thomas "Red" Duffy. Assistant State's Attorney William H. McSwiggin was also killed in this attack, who they were unaware was riding in the car with the gangsters. Slugs recovered from the crime scene were later matched to a Tommy Gun used by McGurn.[2]

One of McGurn’s most high-profile hits was the assassination of North Side Gang leader Earl “Hymie” Weiss on October 11, 1926. McGurn is reputed to have used his trademark Tommy Gun as he gunned down the gang leader from an open window across the street from Holy Name Cathedral.

Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway

In the summer of 1927, Joe Aiello made an attempt to take over the Unione Siciliana. He put $25,000 bounties on Al Capone and Tony Lombardo, which attracted assassins from out of town. Between May and September 1927, Jack McGurn killed at least four would-be hitmen that had come to Chicago to kill his boss. On March 7, 1928, McGurn was shot and wounded by the Gusenberg brothers at the Hotel McCormick, at Ontario and Rush street, from where he had been leading a local takeover of the beer racket. On April 17, McGurn was shot at by North siders James Clark and Billy Davern, at the corner of Morgan and Harrison. McGurn retaliated by killing Billy Davern a few weeks later.[2]

McGurn had part ownership of a speakeasy jazz club, a venue which still exists today, the infamous Green Mill, at 4802 North Broadway, in the middle of the rival "Bugs" Moran gang's territory.[3] In November 1927, manager Danny Cohen gave McGurn the task of "persuading" comedian/singer Joe E. Lewis not to move his act south to the New Rendezvous Café, at North Clark Street and West Diversey Parkway. Lewis refused, and McGurn slit Lewis's throat, cutting off a portion of his tongue and leaving him for dead. Miraculously, Lewis eventually recovered and resumed his career, but his voice never regained its lush sound.

St. Valentine's Day Massacre[edit]

McGurn is associated with planning the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, in 1929, though this association has not been proven.[4]

Although police charged McGurn in the case, he was never brought to trial largely due to his "blonde alibi" — girlfriend and later wife Louise Rolfe — who claimed they spent the whole day together.[citation needed]

Later years[edit]

In April 1930, when Frank J. Loesch, chairman of the Chicago Crime Commission compiled his "Public Enemies" list of the top 28 people he saw as corrupting Chicago, McGurn's name was fourth on the list, which was published nationwide.

This notoriety caused him to be shunned by the Outfit. McGurn, who had great hand-eye coordination, subsequently attempted a career as a professional golfer. McGurn was a silent partner in Evergreen Golf Course, at 91st Street and Western Avenue, a known mob hangout where he could often be found playing, practicing, giving lessons, or drinking and playing cards in the clubhouse. Dan Lilly was known to have caddied for him once and claimed that he kept a machine gun in his golf bag at all times. FBI documents released in December 1999 revealed that singer Bing Crosby, who frequently played golf in Chicago,[5][6][7] was one of McGurn's golfing partners.[8]

On August 25, 1933, the Western Open golf championship began at Olympia Fields Country Club in the far south suburb of Olympia Fields. A reasonably skilled golfer and flashy dresser, McGurn entered the competition as Vincent Gebhardi (another version of his real name), the professional at public Evergreen Golf Course. In the opening round, McGurn carded a 13-over-par 83 on course No. 4 (today's North Course). The next morning, the name "Gebhardi" on the day's pairing sheet was observed by an alert Chicago Police chief detective, who sent two sergeants to arrest him. "Aware of McGurn's truculent temper", the Chicago Tribune account reported, "the sergeants enlisted the help of Lt. Frank McGillen and five policemen from the Homewood station of the county highway force".

McGurn was playing much better the second day. The group of burly officers accosted McGurn on the seventh green and told him he was under arrest under a warrant issued the day before under the "criminal reputation law". He was accompanied by his wife, the glitzy "Blonde Alibi" Louise Rolfe. Wearing a tight, thin white dress and sporting a three-carat diamond ring, she approached the policemen and snapped, "Whose brilliant idea was this?" McGurn politely asked to finish his round. Amused, the plainclothesmen agreed and became part of his gallery. But the police presence began to unnerve McGurn and his game suddenly went sour. He came in with a 16-over-par 86 for a 36-hole total of 169, 14 strokes above making the cut.[citation needed]

Death[edit]

Less than three years later, McGurn, by then impoverished and cast out of the Outfit, was assassinated by three men with pistols on February 15, 1936, one day after the seventh anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day massacre.[4] He was bowling at the second-floor Avenue Recreation Bowling Alley, at 805 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.

McGurn's assassins tossed a Valentine card with a prophetic poem near to his body:

"You've lost your job, you've lost your dough,
Your jewels and cars and handsome houses,
But things could still be worse you know...
At least you haven't lost your trousers!".[9]

He was laid to rest at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.

After McGurn's murder, his half-brother, Anthony De Mory, angrily said, "I know the guys who killed Jack. I'm going to get them". On March 2, 1936, however, De Mory was fatally shot by three masked men inside a Chicago pool hall. The Chicago Police Department linked the assassination to McGurn's slaying.[10]

The identity of McGurn's killers remains unknown, but research and speculation by criminologists suggest three possible theories:

1. Revenge by former Irish mob boss George "Bugs" Moran, who McGurn had tried to kill almost seven years before.
2. A contract killing ordered by the Chicago Outfit under Frank Nitti, because McGurn (an alcoholic and a braggart), had become a liability due to his extensive inside knowledge of the American Mafia.
3. Revenge by James Gusenberg, the brother of Frank and Peter Gusenberg, who were both murdered during the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Atti Di Nascita for Vincenzo Gibaldi, Tribunale Di Agrigento, Provincia Di Agrigento, Citta Di Licata, July 2, 1902.
  2. ^ a b c Binder, John J. (2017). Al Capone's Beer Wars: A Complete History of Organized Crime in Chicago during Prohibition. Prometheus. ISBN 978-1633882850.
  3. ^ "Weird Chicago: Legend of the Green Mill". Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "'Machine Gun' McGurn Is Slain in Chicago. Linked to St. Valentine 'Massacre' of 1929". The New York Times. February 15, 1936. Retrieved August 15, 2012. Gangland early this morning observed the seventh anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day massacre by assassinating "Machinegun Jack" McGurn, one-time leader of the old Capone gang, who was suspected of participation in the killing of the seven men in a North Side garage in 1929.
  5. ^ Cronin, Tim. "When The Boys Play Through" (PDF). Chicago Golf Magazine. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Historic Beverly Country Club changes cautiously with the times". Chicago Tribune.
  7. ^ "Charles Carmen Penna, Avid Golf Professional". Chicago Tribune.
  8. ^ Gordon, George (December 24, 1999). "The real Bing: Gambler, cheat, friend of the Mob". Irish Independent. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  9. ^ JAck Mcgurn biography
  10. ^ The Associated Press. "Gangland's guns flash death again", The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. March 3, 1936.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Parr, Amanda J. (2005). The True and Complete Story of Machine Gun Jack McGurn. Matador. ISBN 1-905237-13-8.
  • Gusfield, Jeffrey (2012). Deadly Valentines: The Story of Capone's Henchman "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn and Louise Rolfe, His Blonde Alibi. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1613740927.

External links[edit]

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