Louis Alterie
Encyclopedia
Louis "Two Gun" Alterie (August 2, 1886 – July 18, 1935), born Leland A. Varain, and aka "Diamond Jack Alterie", was a Californian who became a notorious hitman
for the Chicago
North Side Gang
during the early years of Prohibition
.
. The son of French ranchers, Alterie moved to Chicago as a young man. He eventually joined the predominantly Irish North Side Gang, headed by Dean O'Banion
. Other prominent North Siders included Earl "Hymie" Weiss
, Vincent "The Schemer" Drucci
, and George "Bugs" Moran. Befitting his California background, Alterie was a Western enthusiast who wore a ten-gallon hat and two holstered Colt .45 revolvers and owned a ranch near Sedalia, Colorado
. As well as being a top gunman for the North Side Gang, he also formed the Theatrical Janitors' Union and used his position as union president to extort money from theater owners.
, run first by John "The Fox" Torrio
and then Al Capone
. During this period a series of disputes over bootlegging territories and other matters led the North Siders into conflict with the Outfit and its allies, the Genna
brothers of Little Italy
. Alterie by some reports killed more than 20 Outfit and Genna gang members during this conflict which had erupted into a full-scale gang war in 1924 when O'Banion was murdered by Outfit gunmen in his floral shop on State Street
in Chicago.
Incensed by O'Banion's murder, Alterie publicly challenged his killers to a shootout on State Street. However, cooler heads within the North Side Gang were upset by Alterie's bravado; they worried that this would result in unwanted attention from both rival gangs and Chicago officials. Moran convinced Alterie to leave Chicago until it was safe to return.
Alterie chose to go to his Moonridge ranch in Colorado. However, he soon attracted unwanted attention from the Colorado authorities. In November 1932, Alterie became involved in a gangland shooting in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
. In February 1933, as part of a sentencing agreement, Alterie agreed to leave Colorado and not come back for a period of five years. At this point, Alterie returned to Chicago. Over the next few years, he briefly returned to Colorado several times, but kept his residence in Chicago.
. The Chicago Outfit was now in charge.
Other than a vagrancy arrest in Chicago in 1933, Alterie kept a low profile. However, that changed in June 1935 when Alterie was forced to testify against Ralph "Bottles" Capone
, Al Capone's brother, on a tax evasion
charge. On July 18, 1935, Louis Alterie was killed while leaving his North Side Chicago apartment. Ironically, Alterie was shot by snipers lying in wait for him across from his apartment, using a technique Alterie had pioneered during Prohibition.
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
for the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
North Side Gang
North Side Gang
The North Side family Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was the dominant Irish-American criminal organization within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early to late 1920s and principal rival of the Johnny Torrio-Al Capone organization, later known as the Chicago Outfit.- Early...
during the early years of 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...
.
Early years
Alterie was born Leland A. Varain in Northern CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The son of French ranchers, Alterie moved to Chicago as a young man. He eventually joined the predominantly Irish North Side Gang, headed by Dean O'Banion
Dean O'Banion
Charles Dean O'Banion was an Irish-American mobster who was the main rival of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone during the brutal Chicago bootlegging wars of the 1920s...
. Other prominent North Siders included Earl "Hymie" Weiss
Hymie Weiss
Hymie Weiss was a Polish-American mob boss who became a leader of the Prohibition-era North Side Gang and a bitter rival of Al Capone.-Early years:...
, Vincent "The Schemer" Drucci
Vincent Drucci
Vincent Drucci, also known as "The Schemer" , was an American mobster during Chicago's Prohibition era who served as a lieutenant under Dean O'Banion's North Side Gang and later as gang boss. Drucci was one of the few mobsters to ever be killed by a law enforcement officer...
, and George "Bugs" Moran. Befitting his California background, Alterie was a Western enthusiast who wore a ten-gallon hat and two holstered Colt .45 revolvers and owned a ranch near Sedalia, Colorado
Sedalia, Colorado
Sedalia is a census-designated place in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The CDP population was 211 at the 2000 census. The Sedalia Post Office has the ZIP Code 80135.-Geography:Sedalia is located at ....
. As well as being a top gunman for the North Side Gang, he also formed the Theatrical Janitors' Union and used his position as union president to extort money from theater owners.
Gang War with Chicago Outfit
In the early 1920s, the North Side Gang's greatest rival was the Chicago OutfitChicago 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...
, run first by John "The Fox" 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 then 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...
. During this period a series of disputes over bootlegging territories and other matters led the North Siders into conflict with the Outfit and its allies, the Genna
Genna (crime family)
Chicago's Sicilian Mafia, also known as the Genna crime family, was a Prohibition era crime family in Chicago, United States. From 1921 to 1925, the family was headed by the Genna brothers, known as the Terrible Gennas. The Sicilians operated from Chicago's Little Italy and maintained control over...
brothers of 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...
. Alterie by some reports killed more than 20 Outfit and Genna gang members during this conflict which had erupted into a full-scale gang war in 1924 when O'Banion was murdered by Outfit gunmen in his floral shop on State Street
State Street (Chicago)
State Street is a large south-north street in Chicago, Illinois, USA and its south suburbs. It begins on the Near North Side at North Avenue. For much of its course, it lies between Wabash Avenue on the east and Dearborn Street/Lafayette Avenue on the west...
in Chicago.
Exile to Colorado
Alterie was considered the "flake" of the O'Banion gang. He once feigned insanity prior to a murder trial to give his criminal associates time to kill or intimidate witnesses. His act was utterly convincing, so much so that many considered him actually insane.Incensed by O'Banion's murder, Alterie publicly challenged his killers to a shootout on State Street. However, cooler heads within the North Side Gang were upset by Alterie's bravado; they worried that this would result in unwanted attention from both rival gangs and Chicago officials. Moran convinced Alterie to leave Chicago until it was safe to return.
Alterie chose to go to his Moonridge ranch in Colorado. However, he soon attracted unwanted attention from the Colorado authorities. In November 1932, Alterie became involved in a gangland shooting in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
The City of Glenwood Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 8,564 in 2005...
. In February 1933, as part of a sentencing agreement, Alterie agreed to leave Colorado and not come back for a period of five years. At this point, Alterie returned to Chicago. Over the next few years, he briefly returned to Colorado several times, but kept his residence in Chicago.
Return to Chicago
During Alterie's absence from Chicago, the gang war between the North Side Gang and the Chicago Outfit continued. In 1929, the outfit had killed seven North Side gang members in the infamous St. Valentine's Day MassacreSt. Valentine's Day massacre
The Saint Valentine's Day massacre is the name given to the 1929 murder of 7 mob associates as part of a prohibition era conflict between two powerful criminal gangs in Chicago: the South Side Italian gang led by Al Capone and the North Side Irish gang led by Bugs Moran. Former members of the...
. The Chicago Outfit was now in charge.
Other than a vagrancy arrest in Chicago in 1933, Alterie kept a low profile. However, that changed in June 1935 when Alterie was forced to testify against Ralph "Bottles" Capone
Ralph Capone
Ralph "Bottles" Capone, Sr., was a Chicago mobster and an older brother of Al Capone. Ralph Capone got the nickname "Bottles" from the fact that he lobbied the Illinois Legislature to put into law that milk bottling companies had to stamp the date that the milk was bottled on the...
, Al Capone's brother, on a tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
charge. On July 18, 1935, Louis Alterie was killed while leaving his North Side Chicago apartment. Ironically, Alterie was shot by snipers lying in wait for him across from his apartment, using a technique Alterie had pioneered during Prohibition.