The Boys in Chicago Heights: The Forgotten Crew of the Chicago Outfit

INTRODUCTION

Chicago Heights, Illinois, is a working class suburb situated about thirty-five miles south of the Loop, downtown Chicago. It was once a satellite city, together with Joliet, Aurora, Elgin and Waukegan. Chicago Heights grew out of farmland at the turn of the twentieth century. The community was originally planned and designed to attract businesses that desired to get away from the congestion and high costs of Chicago. The jobs created attracted emigrants from across Europe.

My own family followed the path to Chicago Heights. My great-grandfather, Ruggiero Luzi, emigrated from San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy. He arrived in Chicago Heights in 1916. My great-grandmother, Theresa Liparota, was from Sambiase, Calabria, Italy. She arrived in Chicago Heights in 1913 with her mother, sister and brother. The two met in Chicago Heights through the arrangement of Theresa’s father and were married in 1919. Originally they lived on the East Side of Chicago Heights and later moved to West End Avenue, just across the tracks that separate the East Side from the West Side.

I was curious about our family heritage. I asked questions and listened to stories about what it was like in Chicago Heights during the old days. It seemed that the experiences of my family were similar to those of most other immigrants. However, there were stories that I heard about bootleggers that I thought were unique. There were stories of my great-grandmother cooking for her brother, Frank Liparota (aka LaPorte), Dominic Roberto, Jim Emery and their friends—big shots in the Syndicate.¹ I also heard that Frank LaPorte sometimes harbored unsavory out-of-town characters at my great-grandparents’ house. Whenever these guests were present, the curtains and shades remained drawn to avoid the risk that someone might learn who was staying there. I heard about Al Capone coming to town and handing money out to children. I was told that Dominic Roberto, Jim Emery and Frank LaPorte were close to Al Capone. I also heard stories about Joliet, Illinois, and Calumet City, Illinois, during the 1940s and ’50s.

Notwithstanding the stories, I had difficulty learning more because the history of Chicago Heights on this subject is often overlooked in resources. There are few references to Dominic Roberto and Jim Emery, if they are mentioned at all. Much of the history about Al Capone is recorded as if Al Capone was solely responsible for events that occurred during Prohibition across the Chicago metropolitan area. Likewise, events during Prohibition in Chicago Heights are attributed to Capone taking over bootlegging or establishing the practice. Later accounts of organized crime activities in Chicago Heights and the surrounding suburbs were attributed to Chicago Outfit bosses based in Chicago Heights. While true that by the early 1930s the Chicago Heights street crew was integrated with the Chicago Outfit, many accounts make it seem as though local bosses were transplanted from Chicago.

Federal agencies, mostly the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), did not begin to investigate the Chicago Outfit until after the Apalachin, New York meeting of organized crime bosses in 1957. Prior to 1957, the FBI considered criminal organizations such as the Capone Gang to be local and therefore, outside its jurisdiction. When the FBI began to investigate organized crime, it paid little attention to the origins of the Outfit, except where it was relevant to note that the subject of an investigation was previously a member of the old Capone Gang. I suspected that Dominic Roberto, Jim Emery and Frank LaPorte played a more important role to Al Capone, and later the Outfit, than many accounts reported. Therefore, I decided to conduct some research of my own.

The information I discovered traces the origins of organized crime in Chicago Heights from before Prohibition and brings that history forward through its last known boss, Dominick Tootsie Palermo. The amount of information that I discovered is such that I am not able to record all of the details in this work. I am also unable to delve into the sociological questions about why organized crime flourished in Chicago Heights. Although some of the conditions described with respect to the neighborhoods in Chicago Heights and the conditions that many were forced to work in may provide some insight, a more in-depth analysis of the sociological questions deserve further exploration. However, this work is intended to reflect salient events in the history of the Chicago Heights street crew of the Outfit. Let’s start by looking at the early days of Chicago Heights, including what attracted the Italians, where in Italy they came from and some of the events leading up to Prohibition.

CHAPTER 1

CROSSROADS OF THE NATION

Chicago Heights is located about thirty-five miles south of Chicago’s Loop and about seven miles west of the Indiana border. The first European settlers arrived in the area during the 1830s. They were predominantly German, French and Irish immigrants making their way westward. It was not long before other white settlers followed during the 1840s and 1850s. At that time, the area was known as Thorn Grove. Proximity to Chicago, rich farmland, access to fresh water and affordable property motivated the early settlers to stay in the area. The first public auctions for land took place in 1838. One acre sold for $1.25, and it stayed at that price until 1850. The Sauk Trail thoroughfare served as a major route for westward travelers. Many traveling from the east were enticed to stay when they realized that land was cheap and opportunity was plenty.²

The German immigrants contributed greatly to the growth of Thorn Grove. Their numbers caused the population to surge. By the 1850s, the area became known as Bloom after the organization of Bloom Township. In 1853, the first railroad tracks were laid through the area. The Michigan Central attracted businesses and brought postal service, which contributed to the continued development of the area. During the Civil War, there was a lull in rail development as the country preoccupied itself with the war effort. Railroad building boomed after the Civil War, to the benefit of local citizens. It was not long before the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI) to Chicago Heights was completed. By 1869, it was possible to make the trip to downtown Chicago in less than two hours. In 1887, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad was built through Bloom.³ Needless to say, the railroads accelerated the growth of the area and made it attractive for development.

In 1890, Charles Wacker saw the potential of the area and formed the Chicago Heights Land Association (CHLA). Wacker started out as a brewer for his father’s company in Chicago. He worked as a bank director and real estate investor before taking over the business. His more notable accomplishments included working on the 1893 Columbian Exposition Committee and the Chicago Plan Commission. Charles Wacker was the booster that Chicago Heights needed. He understood that Chicago was becoming a crowded, expensive and difficult place to do business.⁴ Therefore, he embarked on a search for an area where land was relatively cheap and available with close proximity to Chicago and access to rail service. Bloom met the criteria.

Around 1890, the CHLA arranged for the purchase of four thousand acres on the east side of the C&EI railroad tracks for manufacturing development. By 1892, the CHLA had arranged for the completion of a rail beltway, which gave the area a connection to every railroad entering Chicago. The town also featured a thriving town center and boasted eight factories. The stage was almost set to start a full marketing campaign to attract additional industries. Wacker realized that Bloom was just a short train ride away from the Columbian Exposition site at Jackson Park in Chicago. In fact, the C&EI serviced both the Columbian Exposition site and Bloom. Therefore, he arranged for the CHLA to commission Louis Sullivan to build the Victoria Hotel in 1892.⁵ It was a tremendous success. The hotel served not only as a place to stay while enjoying the exposition, but it also provided the CHLA with a captive audience to which it could promote the attributes of Bloom.

To further market the town, the CHLA set out to formally change the name from Bloom to Chicago Heights. In 1892, the residents voted to adopt the change and incorporated the Village of Chicago Heights. Through the 1890s, the CHLA continued to market and promote Chicago Heights with ads referring to it as the greatest manufacturing district in the world with the ability to ship products anywhere at cheap shipping rates. The CHLA also organized weekend rail excursions to Chicago Heights, chartering rail cars and hiring bands to entertain the crowds as sort of a 1890s industrial land grab.⁶

As an astute developer, Charles Wacker recognized the need for an organized plan for the village. Industries needed infrastructure. In addition, there was housing to consider, both for industry executives and for the workers. All of this needed to be supported by a thriving town center with all the necessary amenities including postal service, clothing and food purveyance and healthcare. The CHLA planned Chicago Heights so that industrial facilities were located to the east of the C&EI railroad tracks. The CHLA modernized and, in some cases, provided water, gas and electric power. Concerning housing, it was planned so that the workers lived east of the C&EI tracks in neighborhoods that became known as the East Side and the Hill. The industry executives and wealthier residents lived west of the C&EI tracks. Separating the East Side from the West Side was the downtown area, with Halsted Street running down the center and Illinois Street running east and west off Halsted Street. Once the CHLA had the plan solidified, it started selling residential lots.

View of Illinois Street, downtown Chicago Heights, looking east. The Victoria Hotel with its water tower and clock tower can be seen in the distance. This photo was taken in the mid-1940s when the downtown area was thriving.

The CHLA’s marketing efforts paid off. In 1897, there were thirty-eight railroads and twenty factories in Chicago Heights. Manufacturing companies located there included steel, plumbing, glass works, lumber, dry goods, fireproofing, paper, paint, iron works, railway specialties and roofing tile.

In 1901, the village became the City of Chicago Heights. During the first mayoral term of the newly incorporated city, an aldermanic form of government was adopted with five aldermen serving as members of the first city council. The first aldermen were representative of the early German settlers and more recent business pioneers, with names like Kirgis, Belknap, VanDoren, Salisbury and Klauch. The stage was now set for an influx of workers to populate the town.⁷

View of Illinois Street looking west from Halsted Street. The Victoria Hotel is in the right foreground with the Blatz Beer sign. The Lincoln Dixie Theater can be seen in the distance. The entire area has since been demolished, a victim of urban renewal and a shift away from manufacturing.

The year 1913 brought more good news for the growth of Chicago Heights. That year it was announced that the nation’s first major east–west roadway, Lincoln Highway, would pass through town. The announcement was coupled with the news that Dixie Highway, a major north–south roadway, would also pass through Chicago Heights and intersect Lincoln Highway. The intersection of the two major roadways put Chicago Heights at the crossroads of the nation. Chicago Heights, therefore, had a major advantage for attracting