Torrio John

Torrio's birthplace is a subject of debate. He was born somewhere in southern Italy , the list of places in which he could be born includes Naples ^[4] , Amalfi ( Campania ) ^[5] , Orsara di Puglia ( Apulia ) ^[6] and Irsina ( Basilicata ) ^[7] .

His father died when he was two years old and his widowed mother emigrated with him to New York .

Young John first worked as a doorman and bouncer in Manhattan . In the same period, he joined a street gang, and, thanks to his mind, soon became their leader. After some time, he managed to save enough money and open a billiard room for his gang, under the roof of which he organized various gambling and was engaged in usury . With his insight and business acumen, Torrio stood out among New York crime, as a result of which he caught the eye of ( ital. Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli ), the leader of the famous gang . Jimmy “Shiva” De Stefano, “Big” Glister Van Danny and Al Capone, who worked at the Kelly club, admired Torrio's ingenuity (for this quality of mind he was later nicknamed “Fox”). Torrio himself highly appreciated Kelly for his views and knowledge of the culture of organized crime - Kelly argued that the young man should dress conservatively, not be rude, create some kind of legal business to cover up his criminal activities. The lessons learned by Torrio remained with him throughout his criminal career.

Torrio's gang was engaged in legitimate business, but its main sources of income were gambling, sweepstakes, usury, the organization of car thefts, prostitution and the sale of drugs. Capone and De Stefano were members of the Juniors and soon joined the Five Corners gang. Torrio ultimately hired Al Capone and his buddy Jimmy Shiva De Stefano as a bartender at Harvard Inn, a bar in Coney Island in Brooklyn owned by Torrio's business partner Ioele ), also known as Frankie Yale.

In 1918, Yale contacted Torrio and asked him to move to Chicago, taking with him Al Capone and Jimmy "Shiva" de Stefano , who was facing a prison sentence. Capone needed to avoid an investigation into the New York murder, and tidy his image. De Stefano, Capone’s childhood friend, did not accept the offer to go to Chicago, and in 1919 he was arrested and sent to Sing-Sing Prison (New York). Capone accepted Torrio's offer and went to Chicago. There, Capone began working as a bouncer in one of Torrio's brothels and soon became the manager of one of the units - Four Deuces. A year later, the “Prohibition” came into force, making it illegal for the entire production, purchase or sale of alcohol. Torrio immediately realized what a huge profit the underground whiskey trade could bring and urged Big Jim Colosimo to enter the business. Kolosimo refused, fearing that expanding areas of activity would only attract more attention from the police and rival gangs. At the same time, Colosimo divorced Victoria, Aunt Torrio, and married Dale Winter, a young actress and singer. Winter urged Kolosimo to settle down, dress more conservatively and stay away from the news.

At this point, Torrio realized that Kolosimo is a serious obstacle to the potential wealth of the gang. With the consent of the allies of Colosimo, the Jenna Brothers and Joe Ayello, Torrio invited Yale to come to Chicago and kill Kolosimo. The murder took place on May 11, 1920 in the main foyer of the Kolosimo cafe. No one has ever been prosecuted for this murder. As a result, Torrio captured the large criminal kingdom of the deceased Colosimo and began to engage in bootlegging .

In the 1920s, the Torrio and Capone group progressed and expanded their influence in Chicago, earning millions from gambling, prostitution, and now bootlegging. The group soon began to control Chicago-Loop (the historic business center of the city of Chicago), as well as most of the south side of the city. However, Torrio also intended to seize the advantageous territories of the Gold Coast, which attracted the wrath of a powerful Irish, led by .

The Torrio group and the gang of the North side entered into a fragile alliance, but tensions between them grew. The Jenna brothers wanted to kill O'Bennion, but Torrio did not want gang warfare and did not give this move. Finally, tension grew after some small gang robbed a truck from whiskey owned by O'Bennion, then O'Bennion decided to substitute Torrio in a deal to acquire his entire share in the north side for $ 500,000, which led to the arrest of Torrio. But Torrio managed to get out on bail and patience came to an end, and Torrio ordered to kill O'Bennion. On November 10, 1924, O'Bennion was assassinated in his northern flower shop by Yale, John Skaliz, and Albert Anselmi. O'Bennion's assassination triggered a bloody, brutal war with the North Side gang, whose members began to haunt Torrio in Chicago.

On Saturday, January 24, 1925, North Side gang members Nimi Weiss, Vincent "Scherner" Drucci and George Bugs Moran attacked Torrio, who was returning to his apartment on 7106 South Clyde Avenue after shopping with his wife Anna. With a hail of shots, Weiss and Moran met Torrio's car, shattering the windows. Torrio is injured in the jaw, lungs, groin, legs and stomach. Moran tried to make a fatal shot in the head of Torrio, but his gun jammed. Drucci made it clear that it was time to go, and three of the gangs of the North Side left the site of the slaughter. Despite severe injuries, Torrio managed to survive.

The war between the North Side gang and the Chicago organization went on for several years. The gang of the North Side and Capone (acting independently from each other) destroyed the gang of the Jenna brothers: three of the brothers died, and the survivors fled. The Gang of the North Side also continues the brutal war with Capone - a war that cost both sides friends, buildings and made Capone constantly look over his shoulder. This war continued until the massacre on Valentine's Day, Capone's last attempt to get rid of Moran. The reprisal failed, and Moran survived. The US government drew attention to the activities of Capone after the events on Valentine's Day, which ultimately led to the arrest of Capone for tax evasion.

Torrio, having undergone an emergency operation, is slowly recovering from the attempt. Capone gave Torrio 24-hour security to ensure that his beloved mentor would be safe. Throughout the trial, Torrio, observing the principle of criminal " omerta " (the law of silence), never mentioned the names of the attackers. After being released from the hospital, Torrio served a year in prison for violating anti-alcohol laws. Throughout his reign as boss of the Chicago Mafia, Torrio witnessed a significant increase in organized crime violence. The attempt frightened him greatly, and in combination with his imprisonment and increased difficulties in work, convinced Torrio to resign while he was still alive. Torrio went to Italy with his wife and mother, where he no longer had direct dealings with the underworld. He gave full control over the Capone Group, with the words: “This is all yours, Al. I? I'm leaving. Europe is for me. ”

In 1930, Torrio returned to the United States to testify in the Capone trial. At that time, he had the idea to create one huge criminal syndicate, covering all the gangs that constantly tear each other's throats. He introduced her in New York to Lucky Luciano , as well as Modeling to Buhalter, Longy to Zwillman, Joe Adonis, Frank Costello and Meer Lansky at the Park Avenue four-star hotel. His idea was well accepted, he was highly respected, as he was considered the “senior leadership” in the world of organized crime. Luciano realized the concept, so the National Crime Syndicate was born.

In 1957, Torrio had a heart attack while he was sitting in a barber’s chair waiting for a haircut. Johnny Torrio died a few hours later in a hospital ^{[3] [8]} . The media did not know about his death within three weeks after his burial ^[9] .

The image of John Torrio was used in several television and motion pictures:

• in the 1959 film Al Capone .
• Charles McGraw in 1959 in the television series The Untouchables .
• in the 1975 film Capone_ .
• Guy Baril in 1992 in the movie The Babe .
• Frank Vincent in the 1993 series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles , an episode of Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues .
• Byrne Piven in the pilot of the 1993 television series The Untouchables .
• Keiron Jackinis in 1994 in the television series In Suspicious Circumstances .
• in the 2010 HBO series Underground Empire .
• Paolo Rotondo in the 2016 mini-series Birth of the Mafia: Chicago.

• McPhaul, Jack. Johnny Torrio: First of the Gang Lords. - New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1970.
• Gus Russo. The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underworld In the Shaping of Modern America. - Bloomsbury: VSA, 2002 .-- ISBN 1-58234-279-2 .

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