St Valentines Day Massacre

Bugs" Moran came to the top of the North-Side gang by virtue of the deaths of bosses before him. Drucci and Weiss preceded Moran, and before them, O'Banion. Moran's gang was not armed with same clout as Capone when it came to corruption of the authorities. Moran in comparison to Capone was a nuisance competitor, a powerful thug, without the intricate organisation of the Capone machine.

Jack McGurn featured prominently within the Capone syndicate. Of all of Capone's people, he was responsible for many of Chicago's gangland murders, often without Capone's consent. McGurn upset Capone on a number of occasions for going over the top in violence, because everything McGurn did reflected on Capone in the media. Capone liked things kept quiet, but McGurn's reckless behaviour of killing and maiming, prompted Capone to implore him not to take actions unless he had permission.

"Bugs" Moran had Capone on his list for assassination for years now, but realised the more reasonable goal of knocking off his main henchman Jack McGurn. He dispatched the brothers Frank and Peter Gusenberg for the job.

After days of watching and following McGurn, they opened fire while McGurn was using a public payphone inside a hotel lobby. Certain they had accomplished the mission, the brothers fled. But McGurn was lucky. After the initial salvo, he collapsed below the glass and was afforded some shielding from the bullets by the wood in the booth. Nevertheless, he was severely shot and was close to death. Because of the location of the shooting, McGurn was afforded quick access to medical attention. The worst scenario for the Moran gang had occurred, the survival of the most violent man in Capone's service.