Mike Merlo

Mike Merlo

Mike Merlo alias Michelangelo Merloi (born January 4, 1880 in Vizzini , Sicily , † November 8, 1924 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an Italian-American politician, president of the Unione Siciliana , and had close ties to mobsters of the Chicago outfit ; especially to Al Capone .

Life

At the age of nine, Michelangelo Merloi and his family emigrated to Chicago ; the family name was shortened to Merlo as a result of the emigration. In 1902, at the age of 22, he lost his father, who had a heart attack at the age of 52, and then lived alone with his sick mother.

Possibly it was this fact that brought him into contact with the Unione Siciliana , an aid organization for native Sicilians, which was soon so undermined by organized crime, in particular by Ignazio Saietta and his Black Hand Gang , that there were even votes, the Unione is a foundation of the Cosa Nostra itself.

During the alcohol prohibition , Merlo was an important stabilizing factor between the conflicting interests of the Chicago Outfit , the North Side Gang, and the Genna family .

Merlo developed cancer and died on November 8, 1924. His funeral in Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside) was a social event; The flower decoration alone is said to have cost US $ 10,000, a wax replica of his person US $ 5,000.

estate

Merlo's death was exploited to kill Dean O'Banion , boss of the North Side Gang , who was given a lucrative legal side income from the numerous murdered gangsters with his flower shop. There was a corresponding order for Mike Merlo and, given his natural death, there was nothing suspicious in it when the trio Frankie Yale , John Scalise and Albert Anselmi entered Dean O'Banion's shop two days later on November 10, 1924 to take the order to pick up Merlo's funeral. Yale, president of the Unione in New York City, who was considered inconspicuous, shook O'Banion's hand and held it; his two companions then opened fire on the Irishman.

The subsequent presidency of the Unione Siciliana was fatally fought at the same time, and Merlo's immediate successors were all murdered.

Movie and movie quotes

• 1987: The Untouchables - The incorruptible ; Merlo is portrayed by Vince Viverito .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Part II: Chicago's Unione Siciliana, 1920 - A Decade of Slaughter . In: Allan May . Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 26, 2006. (English) 

Web links

• Late for the Opera - "Samoots" Amatuna . In: Allan May . Retrieved February 23, 2005.
• Alphonse (Scarface) Capone. . In: "Taste of the Family Page" . Retrieved February 23, 2005.
• Charles Dion "Deanie" O'Banion (1892-1924) Gang Leader and Capone Rival . In: Seize the Night . Retrieved February 2, 2005.

predecessor	Office	successor
Anthony D'Angelo	President of the Unione Siciliana in Chicago 1921–1924	Angelo Genna