It was 1929. The end of the roaring 20's was approaching and prohibition was going strong in the United States. Billie Holiday could be heard through the streets.. There are few events that occured in this year, but Valentine's Day seemed to arrive with a bang. While most people sat around making lovey-dovey eyes and
being romantically blissful, one of the bloodiest
events in mobster history took place and would
further be recalled as the Saint Valentine's Day
Massacre.
Al Capone and Bugs Moran had been at odds.
Bugs Moran had even attempted to murder
Al Capone with a drive-by a few years before.
This dispute only worsened as each wanted to
take control of the profitable bootlegging
enterprise in Chicago. Al Capone set up a trap
to trick Bugs Moran into thinking that a
jacked shipment of liquor would be coming
into a brick building on Clark Street owned by
SMC Cartage Company. Once inside, Al Capone
planned to ambush Bugs and his men.
Too bad for Capone, Bugs decided not to show up. Instead, seven of Moran's men - including James Clark, Bug's brother-in-law, arrived and entered the warehouse. To meet them, a "cop" car pulled in with two men dressed as police officers and three men dressed in suits and hats. James Clark and the other men would not survive this encounter. They were lined up against the north-side wall and shot with machine guns. The only survivor was a dog named Highball that belonged to one of the gansters.
No one was ever found guilty.
After the massacre, the building had been turned into an antique furniture business that served more people interested in the the history than its antiques. In 1967, the building was finally demolished. A businessman by the name George Patey bought the bricks in an auction shortly following the demolition. He used them as part of a famous 20's themed nightclub. He also sold them individually after having the 414 bricks taken apart separately and numbered. Everyone who has owned them since has been said to face finacial loss or ruin.