George Clarence Moran
(August 21, 1893 – February 25, 1957)
George Clarence “Bugs” Moran was a Chicago Prohibition-era gangster born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Moran, an Irish descendant, moved to the north side of Chicago when he was 19 and ran with several gangs while being incarcerated three times before turning 21. The moniker “Bugs” came from those who thought he was ludicrous, misguided, illogical or just plain “buggy.”
Moran started to make a name for himself in the world of the Chicago underground by running liquor and hosting craps games. Ultimately, Moran joined Dean O’Banion’s gang, bringing his minor rackets along with him.
In 1924, Dean “Deanie” O’Banion, Bugs Moran’s boss, was murdered at the Schofield Florist Shop by gunmen working for Johnny “The Fox” Torrio, the leader of the Southside Gang and founder of the Chicago Outfit. With O’Bannion’s death, Earl “Hymie” Weiss took control of the North Side Gang and Moran became underboss.
On January 25, 1925, Weiss and Moran ambushed Torrio on the front lawn of his house, shooting him several times. However, when Moran attempted to deliver the coup de grace to Torrio, the gun misfired; out of ammunition, a furious Moran was forced to flee the scene with Torrio still alive, but unconscious. After this abortive hit, the terrified Torrio elected to retire and pass the operations of the Chicago Outfit to his protégé, Al Capone.
A major ally of Torrio and the South Side Gang was the Genna Family. Also known as the “Terrible Gennas”, they were a Sicilian family that operated in South Chicago. The Gennas had been the prime reason for the breakup of the O’Bannion - Torrio partnership and had participated in O’Bannion’s murder. As a result, the Gennas became a target for Bugs Moran and the North Side Gang.
Moran first went after “Bloody” Angelo Genna, the family leader and main enforcer. Moran ambushed Angelo and chased his car. After Angelo crashed into a building, Moran shot Angelo in his car. On another occasion,Samuzzo “Samoots” Amatuna, a Genna family backer, was gunned down by Vincent “The Schemer” Drucci, a close Moran friend and Northside member. Finally, Tony Genna was shot to death. However, it was rumored that it was Capone, not the Northsiders, who did in Tony. Capone allegedly ordered Tony’s murder to finally destroy the weakened Genna Family. Their power destroyed, the rest of the Gennas fled Chicago.
Battling Al Capone
The bootlegging operation of Earl Weiss and Bugs Moran continued to pose a significant challenge to Capone’s Chicago Outfit. This bitter rivalry between Moran and Capone led to several bloody turf wars in Chicago. Moran’s hatred of Capone was apparent; he told the press that “Capone is a lowlife.” Moran was also disgusted that Capone engaged in prostitution. Believing himself a better Catholic than Capone, Moran refused to run brothels. On September 20, 1926, Moran attempted to hit Capone in Cicero, Illinois, the based of Capone’s operations. A fleet of cars, with Moran in personal command, drove by the lobby of Capone’s hotel. Capone and his bodyguard were drinking downstairs when the Moran boys opened fire on the lobby. The attack left Capone cowering on the floor, but unhurt; his restaurant was reduced to shreds. Although Capone escaped unharmed, the hotel attack traumatized him; Al called for a truce. However, the truce did not last and Chicago plummeted further into urban warfare.
The killing of numerous friends and gang members plunged Capone into a depression. He was consistently looking over his shoulder for Moran and always kept 15 (or more) bodyguards around him. Moran further wore down Capone, both physically and mentally, by agreeing to truces, only to break them within hours. Moran also ordered the deaths of Tony Lombardo, and Pasqualino “Patsy” Lolordo. Both men were personal friends of Capone as well as the head of the Unione Siciliana, the rock of Capone’s power. Capone went into mourning after their murders and his hatred for Moran grew even more.
In 1929, Capone tried to strike a decisive blow against Moran with the notorious St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Gunmen dressed as cops lined up a number of Moran associates against the wall in a Chicago warehouse and executed them. However, the main target of the “hit”, Bugs Moran, narrowly eluded death by arriving after the gunmen had fled.
The Massacre ultimately led to Capone and Moran’s downfall. In April 1930, Frank J. Loesch, chairman of the Chicago Crime Commission compiled a “Public Enemies” list of 28 people he designated as corrupting Chicago. Capone topped the list and Moran ranked sixth. The list was published widely and ensured Moran’s notoriety.
Despite his listing by the Crime Commission, Moran kept control of the gang’s territory. He would remain boss until around the early 1930’s, years after the massacre and a few years after the government finally imprisoned Capone for tax evasion.
When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the Chicago gangs and Bugs Moran began to decline. In 1936, Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn, who helped orchestrate the Valentine’s Day Massacre for Capone, was found murdered on Valentines day. A note was left in his hand that included a joke. Since Moran treasured pranks, a legacy of his mentor Dion O’Banion, it was commonly assumed Moran committed the murder in retaliation for the slaughter of his gang. However, the Chicago Outfit, now headed by Frank “The Enforcer” Nitti, soon acquired the rest of Moran’s gambling institutions.
After the Valentine’s Day Massacre, Moran was quoted in the press as saying, “Only Capone kills like that!” This remark was an unforgivable breach of the gangster code of absolute silence (omertà) and helped accelerate Moran’s downfall.
In July 1946, Moran was arrested in Ohio for robbing a bank messenger of $10,000, a paltry sum compared to his lifestyle during the Prohibition days. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Shortly after his release, Moran was again arrested for an earlier bank raid. Moran received another ten years and was sent to the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary .
Bugs Moran died in prison of lung cancer on February 25, 1957 and received a pauper’s burial in the prison cemetery.