What Followed the St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Reenactment of the killing of seven men on Al Capone's orders.

Cosa Nostra News is pleased to present the following story by author Chriss Lyon, who wrote the true crime book "A Killing in Capone's Playground."

Everyone has heard of the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the 1929 slaughter of seven associates of the North Side Irish gang led by Bugs Moran during the Prohibition Era.

Not many are aware of the events that followed, however, which exposed small town America to the inner workings of big city brutality.




As a first-time author, I decided to delve into the often overlooked continuation of the infamous story that finally blackened the name of mob boss Al Capone among the Chicagoans who once fawned over him.

My background as a public safety professional for the past twenty years provided me with the ability to collect facts and glean details from original documents. The fact that I am also a long-time resident of St. Joseph, Michigan, as well as the unofficial historian of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department who shares the allure of rural farming communities with tourists from both sides of the law helped further inform my ability to re-create the experiences of the beat cop of the period.

The book will take you on a journey back to when Prohibition was the law of the land and gangsters such as Al Capone controlled everything from illegal vices to politics.

Chriss Lyon
One of the most famous unsolved crimes in our nation’s history is attributed to this era; The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The crime itself catapulted “Bloody Chicago” and its gangster associations onto the headlines of every newspaper on February 14, 1929, and subsequently, has been investigated, rationalized, theorized, and re-created through novels, television shows, and films ever since.

I pick up where many screenwriters and authors often end.

Using original police reports, witness accounts, court transcripts, and interviews with family members, I expand on the events of February 14, 1929, to include the rarely related story of a fateful meeting between a St. Joseph, Michigan police officer and a highly sought-after suspect in the massacre, some ten months later.

What came of this meeting launched the massacre investigation into overdrive, setting the stage for the refinement and acceptance of the new science of ballistics and forensics. When the massacre investigation had stalled due to lack of leads, it was St. Joseph, Michigan, that breathed new life into the case.

Most people are aware of the gangster occupation of the big cities but few are aware of the doings of these high-profile gangsters within the farming communities of Middle America. As authorities all over the country tirelessly sought to bring the gangsters to justice for their crimes, the residents of “Capone’s Playground" were lulled by images of Al Capone handing out ice-cream cones to young children and offering up $100 tips to waitresses.
Purchase on Amazon.

I was able to determine that long before the infamous massacre, gangsters had frequented Southwestern Michigan and Northern Indiana, creating a playground where they could enjoy the amenities of the area without so much as a wrinkle of suspicion. While Chicago and other big cities experienced the violence of bootlegging wars, those responsible for it enjoyed nothing more than escaping the business-end of crime. They would often visit and reside in the rural comforts along Lake Michigan’s east coast, which the press later deemed “Capone’s Playground.”

The book finally links one of America's most well-known unsolved crime with the small-town police officer who had been unjustly overlooked throughout history.

Charles Skelly was that officer's name, and he was a true hero who never knew the power that his sacrifice would carry, even some 85 years later.

“A Killing in Capone’s Playground” really begins where the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre left off.

Books can be purchased online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or through In-Depth Editions.


For more information, contact Chriss Lyon at spinaltap@att.net.

Comments

  1. This show is built on BS lies. No one fears this little troll..he has to walk with bodyguards because he has so many enemies. His family is a joke just like him. The show is made from complete lies...he has NO empire just a nasty dirty strip bar that only gets busy after hours...dont forget the dancers (escorts) that all give "extras" in the one room without the camera.

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  2. You have inside info? Please email me I'd love to hear it, couldn't find much on him. eddie2843@gmail.com

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  3. I was born & raised in PGH. Past family ties to la cos nostra. The era of the 1940's to 1970's long over. I guarantee this wanna be would not be making this claim if business now was run as it were in the past. This guy isn't even known as a Godfather. He is only known to some as a business man & that is being polite. He should have respect & drop the wanna be title

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  4. Hello Friend Of Mine. I Also Have Ties To "The Past" In Pittsburgh, In Philly/NJ, & NY. Not Giving Vince A Pass, But I Think That The Producers Of The Show Have A Lot To Do With This. I Know Other People Who Have Been On "Reality" Shows -- They Love To Find People Who Want To Be In Front Of The Camera, Look Photogenic -- Sounds Exciting, Great Exposure...Then Once They Get Your Name & Signature On That Dotted Line, Then You Are Under Their Thumb To Go Along With Whatever & However They Want To Set Up The Show.

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  5. I've personally known Vince for years. He is a cool dude with a hot head.. We ran together in tha 90's that's when he turned into a killer hes settled down a lot. He is a mafia boss and warlord who happens to have his own show,. I also know his pops in law Jr big sports fan gets more pussy then a used pair of panties ol player big better loves prostitutes which Vince is proud to provide for pops in law Jr ol ass

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  6. Would he give me an interview? I have nothing against him -- he's the hottest story on this blog.... I can give you my personal details if you'd email me at eddie2843@gmail.com

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  7. Listen, I am getting some pushback from some Isoldi supporters.... I would be glad to interview him or someone who can speak for him.... let me know how to contact you via a comment or email me at eddie2843@gmail.com (and if you try to con me, I will know it, and you'll just be wasting both our times. I am a professional. Vetting sources is where I live....)

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  8. that had nothing to do with Vince! who is he to be called the godfather of Pittsburgh! ? im from Pittsburgh, only person he is known as is GODFATHER of EROTICA

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  9. right! he doesn't even have no reputation in Pittsburgh other than owning a strip club, and that's it. his show is just an embarrassment especially to us in Pittsburgh! he's no one to conduct business with either, none of his businesss stay afloat after a few months other than EROTICA

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  10. I've gotten other comments I'm not publishing. Do you work in one of his clubs? Email me -- eddie2843@gmail.com

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  11. Ed, just found your site, have to tell you I am enjoying your fresh slant on LCN news. Good job.

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