|
Entrance
History
|
Many things come to mind when one thinks about the Roaring Twenties.
Speak Easy's, Prohibition, Bank Robberies, Mob Slaying's, The Charleston, Flapper's, The St. Valentines Day Massacre, Capone, the list could go on for quite a while. The Thompson Sub machine gun was a welcomed addition the to crime syndicate, providing the finest example of firepower of the time for those who could manage it. The use of this firearm forced police departments to purchase Thompson's as well to keep up. At the time the Thompson could be purchased through the mail and at hardware stores for a little more than $175.00 each. Colt Model 1911 pistols could be had for as little as $11.00 each. After General John Thompson learned of a innocent child being killed during an attempted gang land slaying, he became deeply depressed. His invention had fallen into the hands of the wrong side of the law, when it was his original intent that the firearm give soldiers an advantage at close combat. Two Colt Manufactured Thompson's Model# 21A, s.n. 2347, with L drum number 2122, and a Model 21AC, s.n. 7580. The latter was in the possession of the FBI for a few years, on display at their Washington HQ firearms exhibit, and was also loaned to the Smithsonian in 1989 for the Prohibition section of their U.S. Marshal's Service Bicentennial Exhibit. One was also used in the Frankie Yale hit, NYC's first Tommygun slaying, in 1928. 70 spent .45 ACP cartridges were picked up in the SMC Cartage Co. garage. Apparently one gun was equipped with the L drum and one with a box mag. A shotgun was also used in the St. Valentines Day Massacre. Both Thompson's are still the property of the Berrien County Sheriff's Dept. A few links to Capone and Twenties related sites. The Al Capone Museum Be sure to subscribe to the new publication Journal of Crime and Law Enforcement 1920 - 1940! Hymie Weiss Site Bugs Moran by Rose Keefe Dean O'Banion by Rose Keefe Baby Face Nelson by Jim Adams |
A fine example of a Model 1928 Savage Mfg. Thompson Sgt's 1928 Savage Page 
Al Capone's Car 1928 Cadillac V8 Town Sedan Estimate Value: $750,000 - $1,000,000 CHASSIS NO: 306449 Capone's car was bulletproof 
Wall fragment from 2122 N. Clark St., SMC Cartage Co. Garage where the St. Valentines Day Massacre Occurred, February 14, 1929 
Bathroom wall fragment from Suite 530, Lexington Hotel formerly located at Michigan and 22nd. Street, Chicago, IL. Suite 530 was Al Capone's residence and headquarters. Excavated on December 1995 |