Gangsters

Francesco Raffaele Nitti, Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti.

Another alumnus from the illustrious members of the "Five Points Gang", Nitti was born in Italy. In 1888, he arrived in America's New York city as an impoverished youngster. Frank Nitti made his appearance in Chicago after World War 1. He debuted as a part time barber and jewelery fence for the criminal element, but soon rose with his business and accounting acumen. He was soon noticed and liked by Capone and became Capone's own number two man.

He was known as "The Enforcer." It meant that the orders entrusted to him by Capone were then related by Nitti to a stable of eager Capone killers and strongarms. These orders always had the emphasis of getting the job done right the first time!

Nitti was finicky for details and gave his point of view to Al on several hits. He was in on the Hymie Weiss hit in 1926, proving how unflawed his murder technique really was. During the twenties, Nitti was mostly in charge of directing the liquor and vice enterprises of Capone. Unfortunately for Nitti, in 1930 he was indicted by the federal District court. He was charged with failing to pay his income tax, Frank Nitti immediately disappeared somewhere in Italy and went on a brief spending spree. He was quickly trapped by U.S federal agents and sentenced to 18 months of prison. Frank Nitti was claustrophobic, making prison stay unbearable. Eventually, he was let out for good behaviour.

Soon after, he had a run in with a rival gang that allegedly had the mayor of Chicago on its payroll. Now gunning for him, the rival gang (the O'Banion/Moran crew) used it's influence to arrange a shootout between the local police and Frank Nitti.

Nitti was shot and the police alleged that Nitti had made an attempt with a gun towards the officers. Nitti spent months in the hospital recovering. Later, one of the officers confessed that his partner had been paid to kill Nitti. Harry Miller admitted that his partner, Harry Lang, first shot himself in the hand and then shot Nitti in the abdomen. Both officers were dismissed from the force.

Nitti was immediately thrust into the media. Once Al Capone had been put behind bars, the news media was desperate for a new mobster showman. It was assumed that Nitti was now the real power behind the Chicago "Outfit".

As a matter of fact, in 1937, Frank Nitti and three of his associates controlled all of the Cook County gambling operations. He also began what was said to be a "purge" of the outfit by eliminating anyone who might cause him or the outfit trouble. In 1941 the Nitti mob had net profits of $139,000 per month.

Unions were used to extort more cash for the outfit. At first, these unions were mostly for restaurants, hotels and bars. Later, they grabbed hold of the Hollywood Studio unions and the real trouble began.

Not long afterwards, Nitti and his co-horts were charged for the $2,500,000 shakedown of four major picture producers. His assosiates, Paul Ricca & Louis Campagna were also charged and faced jail time.

In a sitdown with Ricca and company, Nitti was demeaned by Ricca in front of the others and was told that he had let the outfit down. As the Hollywood fiasco was all Nitti's idea, Ricca believed that gallantly face the prison time alone, in place of the others.

Nitti was dumbfounded by this treatment.

After the meeting, Nitti felt alone and began thinking of the prison time ahead. He desperately wanted a way out. On March 19,1943, Frank Nitti shot himself in a drunken stupor.

On the family monument is the inscription "There is no life except by death, There is no vision but by faith."