Chicago River 1833
Before the Civil War, the newly incorporated City of Chicago remained mired in infancy and mud, but Politics had a firm hold and so did the Criminals. The mud was drained but the dirt remained.
In 1833, the year of its founding, Chicago's population numbered only about 300. The majority were soldiers stationed at Fort Dearborn, with a smattering of Settlers and Indians. The male-to-female ratio was far from one, and men with extra time on their hands and no female companionship were ready to pay for it. Houses of Prostitution were ready on Wells Street and booze flowed freely, and horseracing was in vogue. Gambling was popular, and the city's proximity to the Mississippi River brought a wide range of card sharks and confidence men through on a regular basis.
Of course many of these actitities were illegal but they also brought in a lot of money. Where there is law breaking in #Chicago, there's a Crooked Cop who will look the other way for the right bribe. 1833 Chicago was no different. The Late Great Chicago Daily News Writer Mike Royko used to quip that Chicago's Motto should be changed from "City in a Garden" to "Where's Mine?" - relating to our long history of bribing city officials.
The establishment, in 1856, of North's National Amphitheater, one of the city's first commercial venues for amusement, on the north side of Monroe, between Wells and Clark streets was another factor leading to Vice. The Amphitheater played host to traveling circuses, carnivals, and other troupes, and the characters who worked in these events were considered unsavory, and frequently stood accused of drunkenness, vice, and more serious crimes.
With poverty and criminality growing on the street, wealthy residents increasingly moved away from Monroe, lowering property values and attracting even more itinerant and criminal elements, perpetuating a vicious cycle. Cigar stores and houses of prostitution, including most famously Madam Lou Harper's "Mansion" between Wells and Franklin, and Francis Warren's troupe of streetwalkers, who resided between Clark and LaSalle.
The 1850s and 1860s saw masses of poor immigrants, primarily from Ireland, building a shantytown of low, tumble-down buildings centered around Monroe and Wells St., known as "Mrs. Conley's Patch". Longtime alderman and world-renowned dandy "Bathhouse" John Coughlin, was raised there. However, "the Patch" was also notorious in its day, not only for the decrepitude of its dwellings, but also for the depravity and dark crimes of some of its residents. 0.)
The Sands was located on the Chicago River where the Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower stand today. Drunkenness, fighting, robbery, murder, and general misbehavior was the order of the day, every day, in the Sands, and the besotted residents of the district were the bane of the town's respectable population. Annie Stafford was a famous cyprian denizen of a Sands brothel. After decades of debauchery, Mayor Long John Wentworth had the entire area destroyed in one night to appease offended voters.
The 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago nominated home-state candidate Abraham Lincoln. The tragic years that followed divided the nation and cost many lives but proved to be very good for the City by the Lake. Since it was situated at the apex of the Great Lakes and in the center of the nation, Chicago rapidly grew into a major transit hub.
The large numbers of troops needed by the Union had to be supplied and many of those goods came from Chicago. The Meat Packers were born and grew to large success as did the Major Railroads that were constructed with Chicago as the center.
Where there are large sums of money to be made, there are criminals ready to take it. Such was the case in the Windy City. The Labor Unions that came to power in the 1870's and 80's were dominated by criminal figures who kept their power via bare knuckles and guns when needed.
Politicians saw the advantage of courting the large numbers of votes that a Labor Union or gang could provide so deals were made to provide jobs and money for votes. Since most of the laborers were immigrants and glad to have any job, all was well. Any questions got you a busted nose.
The World's Fair of 1893 marked the International Debut of Chicago as a World Class City:the dazzling shows of the White Ciry (which introduced many to electric lights) were praised nationally and internationally. Chicago had arrived.
Though the Fair was a great success, the national economy was not. Chicago was saddled wih a large population of homeless men. Many of them moved into the World's Fair buildings after it closed and stayed for months until forcibly evicted.
A clever oganizer named Jim MacDunn realized that the talents of these destitute men could make money. He organized them into gangs, which were sent throghouth the yount city to rob houses and reisdents. This created a problem fot the Mayor and aides so they offered to provide jobs for the young ruffians, if they would stop their criminal activities. The young city needed a lot of laborers so it worked out well.
Now, the City had a large army of Criminals working fot them who ALSO could be put to good use when it came time to Get out the Vote.
During this same period (1880-1910) Chicago was home to the Levee, which was located on the South Side, from 18th-22nd and Clark to Wells. The Levee was populated by career criminals and houes or prostitution inluding
Where there's Money, there's a Politician - enter BarhHouse John Coughlin and "Hinky Dink" Kenna:
Hinky Dink” Kenna and “Bathhouse John” Coughlin created in the 1890s a First Ward political machine based on graft and protection money from the saloons, brothels, and gambling halls of the Levee district, just south of the Loop.
Coughlin began his working life as a scrubber in Loop bathhouses acnd opened the first bathhouse of his own in 1882. He prospered through connections with politicians, gamblers, and horse-racing enthusiasts, who stimulated in him a lifelong habit of sartorial flamboyance.
Kenna, a small, quiet, discreet man, ran a saloon called the Workingman's Exchange, where he served generous quantities of beer along with free lunches. Unlike Coughlin he was personally frugal, and became quite wealthy through the business of politics
Before redistricting in 1923, each Chicago ward was represented by two aldermen. Coughlin was first elected to the city council in 1892, and Kenna joined him in 1897. Coughlin served as the sole First Ward alderman from 1923 until his death in 1938, with Kenna succeeding him until his own death in 1946. 1.)
The Levee District is also notorious for the Everleigh Sisters Brothel on 22nd, which, along with hundreds of others, operated with no fear of legal interference due to this happy marriage with Chicago Politics.
From about 1902 until his death in 1920, "Big Jim" Colosimo lead the strongest gang that would come to be known as the Chicago Outfit . Johnny Torrio, an enforcer Colosimo imported in 1909 from New York followed him and seized control after his death. Alfonso Capone, a Torrio henchman, allegedly was directly involved in the murder.
Again, the Politicos in City Hall stood silently as the criminal gangs divided the city up into various turfs. Chicago Mayor "Big Bill" (we have a lot of "Bigs" here in Chicago) looked the other way, as did his mostly Irish Police Force as prohibition flourished. Most residents did not care about the occassional killings, and also visited clandestine nightclubs so enjoyed the entire show. Politics continued to enjoy this odd relationship with crime.
The Public at large was not effected by the gang shootings and did not care - there was NO Street crime as we know of it today. Additionally, the public often patronized "Speak Easys" run by the Chicago BootLeg Heads so were implicit as well. Musicians who worked in these clubs reported that the conditions were ideal, they were paid well and there was never any trouble.
By the time Prohibition ended the marriage between Organized Crime, Labor and Politics was well established. Through varying mayors it ebbed and flowed until the long reign of the "Boss" Richard J. Daley once more solidified this long happy union.
Throughout Daley's long years as Chicago Boss, the same 1st Ward that had been home to Bathhouse John, Capone and the Outfit was diligently represented by Alderman John D'Arco, who was an acknowledged representative of the "Outfit".
Labor Unions have also enoyed the same benefits of this Deal with the Devil, and the Chicago Elevators Operators and even the Teamsters have long been known for strong ties to the Outfit and the Mob. (In Chicago it's the Outfit, while the "Mob" is New York)
As the turbulent sixties raged on, this same influence was augmented by large Urban Mega-Gangs like the Black P Stones, Gangster Disciples and the Vice Lords. Aldermen in the South and West side Wards where they do business made the same deals they had made with the Outfit.
The Outfit's influence is waning now and based in Burbank and Chicago Heights while the Latin Kings and Spanish Disciples enjoy a happy union with the Latino Block in City Hall. Rep Juan Guittierez was championed by the Latin Kings of Humboldt Park who still do political work for him at Election Time.
The Outfit and City Hall continue to enjoy a happy relationship as new Crime Kingpins enjoy all the privileges that Capone once did.
Prohibition Raid
0.) Monroe Street, The Chicago Crime Scene Project, http://chicagocrimescenes.blogspot.com/2009/12/monroe-street.html, Last Visited Nov 15, 2014
1.) Era of "Hinky Dink" and "Bathhouse John", Douglas Knox, Encyclopedia of Chicago, http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2408.html, Last visited, Nov 2, 2014
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