| Frank Mcerlane |
Article Index for Frank |
Website Links For Frank |
Information AboutFrank Mcerlane |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FRANK MCERLANE | |
| 1894 births | |
| mcerlane, frank | |
| 1932 deaths | |
| people from chicago | |
| irish-american mobsters | |
|
He led the Saltis-McErlane Gang , allied with the Johnny Torrio - Al Capone Gang, against rival bootleggers, the Southside O'Donnell Brothers . During the Chicago Bootleg Wars, McErlane was known as one of the most violent gunmen of the 1920s. Born in . Sent to Joliet Prison for one year, he attempted to escape but was caught and spent another two years in prison. Shortly after Prohibition, McErlane began running a gang with partner Joseph "Polack Joe" Saltis , operating in the south-west section of Chicago. In 1922 McErlane and Saltis allied with Torrio-Capone Gang against the Southside O'Donnell Brothers . During the war with the O'Donnells, McErlane was the first gangster to use the "Tommy" Submachine Gun , and he killed as many as 15 men during the Bootleg Wars. His attempted Assassination of O'Donnell leader Edward "Spike" O'Donnell on 25 September 1925 while driving past a southside storefront, firing over 50 rounds before speeding off, convinced O'Donnell to retire from Bootlegging . McErlane was suspected to have taken part in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre on 14 February 1929 , and he suffered serious wounds during a gunbattle with Bugs Moran in 1930 . While he was recovering in the German Deaconess Hospital, two of Moran's gunmen, reportedly Wille Marks and Ted Newbury, attempted to kill him, but he pulled a Revolver from underneath his pillow and began firing, driving off the surprised gangsters. McErlane was wounded in the gunfight, suffering two gunshot wounds in his injured leg and one in his arm, but he recovered. In 1932 he became ill with Pneumonia and died within days. FURTHER READING
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|