Vincent Drucci - War With South Side Gang

War With South Side Gang

The greatest rival to the North Side Gang was the South Side Gang, an Italian-American]] gang under New York mobster Johnny Torrio that controlled the South Side of Chicago. Torrio had attempted to peacefully divide bootlegging territories in Chicago among the different gangs, but O'Banion resisted Torrio's efforts and provoked him on several occasions. On November 10, 1924, South Side gunmen killed O'Banion in his Chicago floral shop. Gang leadership now fell to Hymie Weiss, who initiated a string of retaliatory attacks on the South Side Gang.

On January 25, 1925, Drucci, Weiss, and George Moran ambushed Torrio lieutenant Al Capone, shooting up Capone's car, but failing to kill him. On January 27, Drucci and the two other North Siders ambushed Torrio while he was shopping with his wife. Severely wounded, Torrio survived the attack. At one point, police brought Drucci and Weiss to Torrio's hospital bedside, but Torrio refused to identify them as the shooters. After his recovery and a short jail term, Torrio relinquished control of the South Side Gang to Capone and returned to New York City.

On May 25, Drucci, Weiss, and Moran killed South Side ally Angelo Genna. On July 8, Drucci and a second gunman murdered Anthony Genna. On November 13, they murdered Genna gunman Samuzzo Amatuna in a barber shop.

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