Sheldon Gang
Encyclopedia
The Sheldon Gang was a Chicago bootlegging gang during the early years of Prohibition
known for being the main rivals of the Saltis-McErlane Gang and the Southside O'Donnell Brothers.
Formed by Ralph Sheldon in the months following the passage of the Volstead Act
, the Sheldon Gang quickly became major liquor suppliers in Chicago's Southwest Side as well as a main supplier to Al Capone. The gang maintained an uneasy truce with the other rival gangs, until 1923, when a brief gang war broke out between the Sheldon Gang and the Southside O'Donnells until O'Donnell leader Edward O'Donnell
was forced to leave Chicago after being severely wounded, by Frank McErlane
, during a drive-by shooting
on September 25, 1925.
Once the O'Donnell's were eliminated, the Saltis-McErlane Gang, who had been allied to the Sheldon Gang, continued attacking the Sheldon Gang and by April of the following year the gang had lost their two top distributors Frank DeLaurentis and John Tucillo.
In October, a general amnesty had been ordered between Al Capone's Chicago Outfit
and Bugs Moran
's North Side Gang
. However on December 30 Sheldon Gang member Hillory Clements was killed by the Saltis-McErlane Gang and in retaliation the Sheldon Gang killed Saltis gunmen Charlie Hubacek and Frank Koncil several months later March 11, 1927.
Joe Saltis soon went to Capone who, in exchange for a large percentage of his profits, would negotiate peace between the two. During the later years of Prohibition the Sheldon Gang was suspected of supplying liquor to Capone rival Bugs Moran's North Side Gang. In the closing days of Prohibition and with the emergence of Charles Luciano's National Crime Syndicate
the Sheldon Gang, like most of the remaining bootlegging gangs, were absorbed into the syndicate by 1932.
Some time in the '30s, the Sheldons dropped a bomb from an airplane into an ice cream store, in Creve Coeur, IL.
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 for being the main rivals of the Saltis-McErlane Gang and the Southside O'Donnell Brothers.
Formed by Ralph Sheldon in the months following the passage of the Volstead Act
Volstead Act
The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was the enabling legislation for the Eighteenth Amendment which established prohibition in the United States...
, the Sheldon Gang quickly became major liquor suppliers in Chicago's Southwest Side as well as a main supplier to Al Capone. The gang maintained an uneasy truce with the other rival gangs, until 1923, when a brief gang war broke out between the Sheldon Gang and the Southside O'Donnells until O'Donnell leader Edward O'Donnell
Edward O'Donnell
Edward O'Donnell is the name of:*Edward Joseph O'Donnell , Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana*Edward J. O'Donnell , President of Marquette University...
was forced to leave Chicago after being severely wounded, by Frank McErlane
Frank McErlane
Frank McErlane was a Prohibition-era gangster. He led the Saltis-McErlane Gang, allied with the Johnny Torrio-Al Capone Gang, against rival bootleggers, the Southside O'Donnell Brothers. He is credited with introducing the Thompson submachine gun to Chicago's underworld...
, during a drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
on September 25, 1925.
Once the O'Donnell's were eliminated, the Saltis-McErlane Gang, who had been allied to the Sheldon Gang, continued attacking the Sheldon Gang and by April of the following year the gang had lost their two top distributors Frank DeLaurentis and John Tucillo.
In October, a general amnesty had been ordered between Al Capone's Chicago Outfit
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...
and Bugs Moran
Bugs Moran
George Clarence Moran , better known by the alias "Bugs" Moran, was a Chicago Prohibition-era gangster born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Moran, of Irish and Polish descent, moved to the north side of Chicago when he was 19, where he became affiliated with several gangs...
's 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...
. However on December 30 Sheldon Gang member Hillory Clements was killed by the Saltis-McErlane Gang and in retaliation the Sheldon Gang killed Saltis gunmen Charlie Hubacek and Frank Koncil several months later March 11, 1927.
Joe Saltis soon went to Capone who, in exchange for a large percentage of his profits, would negotiate peace between the two. During the later years of Prohibition the Sheldon Gang was suspected of supplying liquor to Capone rival Bugs Moran's North Side Gang. In the closing days of Prohibition and with the emergence of Charles Luciano's National Crime Syndicate
National Crime Syndicate
The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate. Its origins are uncertain....
the Sheldon Gang, like most of the remaining bootlegging gangs, were absorbed into the syndicate by 1932.
Some time in the '30s, the Sheldons dropped a bomb from an airplane into an ice cream store, in Creve Coeur, IL.
Further reading
- Scandals of Prohibition Enforcement. Washington, D.C: Association Against the Prohibition Amendment, 1929.