Salvatore Joseph Battaglia

Salvatore "Sam" Joseph Battaglia (born November 5, 1908 in Chicago , Illinois ; † September 7, 1973 ) was an American mobster of the American Cosa Nostra . He was considered a high-ranking member of the Chicago outfit and was probably the leader of this mafia family from 1966.

biography

The Battaglia brothers

Sam Battaglia had three brothers: Paul, Augie and Frank. The eldest brother was first a member of the Gennas , then in 1925 co-founder of the notorious street gang Forty-Two Gang and also became their leader.

He was arrested for the first time on January 24, 1934 and sentenced to prison. Mitinhaftierte were especially Willie Bioff and Nicky Dean Cicella ; which subsequently made a name in the extortion of Hollywood should make studios; and Frank Miller , a cousin of the then notorious "Miller Boys". Paul ran a pub at 819 West Madison , but also liked to rob the small, more or less illegal gambling dens , which were sometimes under the control of the outfit . When Frank Nitti became the boss of the outfit, he made short work of Paul; on August 27, 1938, he was kidnapped in the street and later found shot.

Sam Battaglia now had the choice of taking revenge or accepting his brother's murder; apparently he decided on the latter and was to briefly become boss of the outfit in 1966 . Augie was considered a shrewd thief , was also the leader of the Forty Two Gang and was downright adored by younger gang members - such as Sam Giancana and John D'Arco in particular . Augie was killed in one of the notorious Labor Slugger Wars in a shootout with the police in 1931 . At the time of his death, Sam and Frank Battaglia were in custody; but they were given their brother's belongings. In their anger, the Forty-Two gang planned to take revenge on the police officers involved, but ultimately rejected this plan.

Frank Battaglia was known for his robberies, which he had no qualms about. So he attacked the pregnant Maria Pelletier , the mother of four children apparently resisted, which is why Frank shot her in the head and escaped in a car with other members of the gang, Sam Giancana, Marshall Caifano and John D'Arco.

Sam was also a member of the Forty-Two gang ; he was very tall and made a name for himself as a muscle man and liked to use this physicality for blackmail. In 1924/25 he came under the wing of the Chicago Outfit, like many other Forty-Two Gang ; he was 16 years old at the time.

Chicago outfit

At the time, Johnny Torrio and Al Capone were the leaders of the Chicago Outfit, and it was getting down to business as the Mafia family was in violent and murderous clashes with the Irish North Side Gang , led by Dean O'Banion .

Battaglia developed into a dreaded loan shark and debt collector for the outfit, to which the victims were even delivered to the back room of the Casa Madrid restaurant , where they were made docile - also by force - or even killed. His nickname "Teets" probably comes from this time , as he is said to have shouted to a gangster colleague who was apparently astonished at the brutal treatment of the victims: "Shaddup, or I'll bust ya in da teets!" Shut up or I'll break your teeth!).

In 1930 he was noticed by the general public because he was involved in the assault on the wife of Mayor "Big Bill" Hale Thompson . Police officer Peter O'Malley , who acted as chauffeur and bodyguard for the lady, had a gun held to his head. The value of the loot - essentially the mayor's jewelry - is said to have been around $ 15,000. Sam Bagtallia was arrested a few days after the attack but had to be released for lack of evidence.

He has been arrested about 25 times in his thirty year criminal career. Sometimes he was just lucky. As of December 1, 1930, a group of poker players who met every Saturday and played high stakes should be excluded. Sam waits in a getaway vehicle with the engine running. The police had got wind of the matter and were also on site. In the shooting, one of the players - the state egg inspector Leonard Sonor - was killed in the crossfire and all gang members were arrested except for Sam.

In one case, Sam Bagtallia was released on bail , which didn't stop him from shooting down cop Martin Joyce at the C&C Cafe , which was actually a speakeasy . Sam and three accomplices were preparing to groom the shop and Joyce - who happened to be a guest - told them with gun drawn that they'd better leave. As a result, Sam shot the police officer down and the gang fled. In the same year Sam is said to have been involved in the kidnapping of Louis Kaplan ; a wealthy car dealership owner who was released for $ 100,000.

Since the 1950s Battaglia was part of the street crew under Rocco DeGrazio , who were up to mischief in and around Elmwood Park (Illinois) . Sam Battaglia developed into a money machine for the criminal organization; as he - in addition to prostitution and gambling - had expanded into the juice business and was seen as the "Juice-King" of Chicago. Other well-known Mafia members such as Albert "Obbie" Frabotta, Felix "Milwaukee Phil" Aldersio and Marshal Caifano served under Battaglia . Battaglia, Aldersio, Jackie "The Lacky" Cerone and Frankie Beto were together a. a. Owner of the Sahara North Hotel . From this role as a money machine for the organization probably resulted in the decision to use him as head of the Chicago outfit . Predecessor Giancana, on the other hand, had basically kept the profits from the drug business to himself.

The End

Sam Battaglia received judicial assistance from Sidney Korshak , who from the late 1950s to the 1970s can be regarded as the main legal representative and advisor to the "family". His intense perpetrators did not go unnoticed; Corresponding files of the judiciary and police brought him a total of twelve cases of extortion , robbery , murder and manslaughter in connection.

And so Battaglia had to testify before the " McClellan Committee" (today: United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ). In his subpoenas, he exercised his right to remain silent under the 5th Amendment to the United States Constitution in over sixty cases in order not to incriminate himself. Ultimately, he was arrested in 1966 and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1967.

He died in 1973 in prison on cancer .

family

His grandchildren - brothers Anthony and Jonathan "Bates" Battaglia - were professional ice hockey players; Bates won a bronze medal with the US national team at the 2004 World Cup .

literature

• John J. Binder: The Chicago Outfit. Arcadia Publishing, Chicago 2003, ISBN 0-7385-2326-7 .
• Sam and Chuck Giancana: Double Cross: The Explosive, Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America. Warner Books, New York 1992, ISBN 0-446-51624-4 .
• Demaris Ovid: Captive City: Chicago in Chains. Lyle Stuart, New York 1969.
• Robert J. Kelly: Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut 2000, ISBN 0-313-30653-2 .
• Carl Sifakis: The Mafia Encyclopedia. Da Capo Press, New York 2005, ISBN 0-8160-5694-3 .
• Carl Sifakis: The Encyclopedia of American Crime. 2nd Edition. Facts on File, New York City 2005, ISBN 0-8160-4040-0 .

Web links

• Battaglia Brothers by John William Tuohy
• Chicago Sun-Times: A century of Chicago mob bosses

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The American Mafia - Battaglia, Salvatore (1908–1973)

predecessor	Office	successor
Salvatore Giancana	Head of the Chicago outfit of La Cosa Nostra in 1966	Jackie Cerone