James Belcastro
Encyclopedia
James "Mad Bomber" Belcastro (1895 – August 23, 1945) was a Black Hand gang member, extortionist, and later chief bomber for the Chicago Outfit
during Prohibition
.
Known as "King of the Bombers", Belcastro was highly skilled at constructing improvised explosive device
s. He used these skills to extort money from business owners in Chicago's Little Italy
district during the 1910s. In the early 1920s, Johnny Torrio
and Al Capone
formed the Chicago Outfit and put the Black Hand gangs out of business. However, Capone invited Belcastro to join the Outfit and he soon became a prominent member. During the mid to late 1920s, Belcastro was suspected of causing over 100 deaths while bombing saloons that refused to buy alcohol from Capone.
During the 1927 Chicago primary elections, to be called "The Pineapple Primary
", Belcastro launched a bombing campaign against then Mayor William Hale Thompson
. He primarily attacked voting stations in Thompson's strongest wards, killing at least 15 people. On April 10, 1927, Belcastro chased one Thompson supporter, lawyer Octavius Granady, by car and then killed him. Arrested in October 1927 for Granady's murder, Belcastro was later acquitted after key witnesses recanted their statements. By the end of the 1920s, the Chicago Crime Commission
had listed Belcastro on its famous "public enemies
" list.
Throughout the 30's and 40's, Belcastro continued to rise in the Outfit and ultimately became one of its top enforcers. On August 23, 1945, James Belcastro died of heart disease
(although other accounts mistakenly claim his date of death on October 13, 1933).
in the 1959 television movie The Scarface Mob as well as on The Untouchables
TV series.
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
.
Known as "King of the Bombers", Belcastro was highly skilled at constructing improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s. He used these skills to extort money from business owners in Chicago's Little Italy
Little Italy, Chicago
Little Italy is a neighborhood on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The current boundaries of Little Italy are Ashland Avenue on the west and Morgan Street on the east — bracketed by Harrison Street on the north and Roosevelt Road; i.e., 12th Street, on the south...
district during the 1910s. In the early 1920s, Johnny Torrio
Johnny Torrio
John "Papa Johnny" Torrio , also known as "The Fox", was an Italian-American mobster who helped build the criminal empire known as the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s that was later inherited by his protege, Al Capone...
and Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
formed the Chicago Outfit and put the Black Hand gangs out of business. However, Capone invited Belcastro to join the Outfit and he soon became a prominent member. During the mid to late 1920s, Belcastro was suspected of causing over 100 deaths while bombing saloons that refused to buy alcohol from Capone.
During the 1927 Chicago primary elections, to be called "The Pineapple Primary
Pineapple Primary
The Pineapple Primary was the name given to a Republican primary election held in Chicago on April 10, 1928; more than 60 bombs were thrown during the campaign and at least two politicians were killed...
", Belcastro launched a bombing campaign against then Mayor William Hale Thompson
William Hale Thompson
William Hale Thompson was Mayor of Chicago from 1915 to 1923 and again from 1927 to 1931. Known as "Big Bill", Thompson was the last Republican to serve as Mayor of Chicago, and ranks among the most unethical mayors in American history.Thompson was born in Boston, Massachusetts to William Hale...
. He primarily attacked voting stations in Thompson's strongest wards, killing at least 15 people. On April 10, 1927, Belcastro chased one Thompson supporter, lawyer Octavius Granady, by car and then killed him. Arrested in October 1927 for Granady's murder, Belcastro was later acquitted after key witnesses recanted their statements. By the end of the 1920s, the Chicago Crime Commission
Chicago Crime Commission
The Chicago Crime Commission is an independent, non-partisan civic watchdog organization of business leaders dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of organized criminal activity, especially organized crime, street gangs and the tools of their trade: drugs, guns, public corruption,...
had listed Belcastro on its famous "public enemies
Public enemy (term)
Public enemy is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though in fact the term had been used for centuries to describe pirates and similar outlaws.The modern use of term...
" list.
Later years
On January 11, 1931, Belcastro was shot five times in the head and body during a shootout, but later recovered from his wounds. Later in 1931, Belcastro was considered a suspect in the murder of bootlegger Matt Kolb, but was never charged.Throughout the 30's and 40's, Belcastro continued to rise in the Outfit and ultimately became one of its top enforcers. On August 23, 1945, James Belcastro died of heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
(although other accounts mistakenly claim his date of death on October 13, 1933).
In popular culture
Belcastro would later be portrayed by Peter MamakosPeter Mamakos
Peter Mamakos was an American film actor. best known for playing Greek, Indian, Hispanic, French, Italian and Middle Eastern villains from 30s up until the 90s he had a reaccuring role as Jean Liffite on the ABC western The Adventures of Jim Bowie...
in the 1959 television movie The Scarface Mob as well as on The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
TV series.
Further reading
- Flowers, R. Barrie and H. Loraine Flowers. Murders in the United States: Crimes, Killers and Victims of the Twentieth Century. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2001. ISBN 978-0-7864-2075-9
- Kobler, John. Capone: The Life and Times of Al Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 2003. ISBN 978-0-306-81285-9
- Johnson, Curt and R. Craig Sautter. The Wicked City: Chicago from Kenna to Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994. ISBN 978-0-306-80821-0
- Schoenberg, Robert J. Mr. Capone. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. ISBN 978-0-688-12838-8
External links
- Homicide in Chicago 1870-1930: Interactive Database
- Chicago Sun Times: One family's rise, a century of power, details on his career in the Chicago Outfit.
- Bugs Moran Online - Tony "Mops" Volpe & James Belcastro