The Untouchables - Eliot Ness and Prohibition

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The Untouchables

After Prohibition was passed, a set of racketeers began to trade alcohol, including Al Capone. To take them on a special unit was formed at the Treasury department. Led by Elliot Ness, they became known as the Untouchables.

Taking on men who would stop at nothing, including bribery, blackmail and murder, unable to trust the men outside their own team, the Untouchables' battle against the racketeers has become the stuff of modern myth.

Passing prohibition 

The background to the Chicago mob scene

Prohibition - Baltimore
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Prohibition, probably the most controversial Amendment in American History was passed in 1919 and came into efect in 1920. It banned alcohol completely.

The result was unexpected, but in hindsight obvious. Overnight a massive market in illegal and home brewed alcohol sprang up. Bootleggers ran alcohol to speakeasies - illegal bars. With such massive demand it was inevitiable that crime would organise.

The illegal industry quickly grew beyond the ability of the law to control. Trying to enforce an unpopular law, with which many of their members were not in agreement, against organised crime was a recipe for disaster. Hampered by corruption within the departments, public officials taking bribes and above all the vast amounts of money available to the people who controlled bootlegging, the Prohibition agents quickly became ineffective. Worse, due to bad apples, their name became a byword for corruption.

The most notorious area was Chicago, a haven for prohibition breakers, and controlled by a man whose name became linked to the era: Al Capone.

More about the Prohibition Amendment:

Amendment XVIII (the Eighteenth Amendment) of the United States Constitution, along with the Volstead Act (which defined "intoxicating liquors" excluding those used for religious purposes and sales throughout the U.S.), established Prohibition in the United States. Its ratification was certified on January 16, 1919. It is the only amendment to the Constitution that has been repealed (by the Twenty-first Amendment) (1933).

Organised Crime in Chicago 

The St Valentine's Day massacre

St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Front Page of the Chicago Daily News, 14th February 1929
St. Valentine's Day Massacre,
Front Page of the Chicago Daily News, 14th February 1929
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The gang warfare in Chicago spiralled out of control, culminating in the Valentine's Day massacre. The fight for control of the lucrative market had narrowed to two factions: Capone and Bugs Moran. Men dressed as police "arrested" seven members of Bugs Moran's gang, and then shot them with machine guns. This gave Capone full control of the market and made him the prime suspect as the power behind the killings, although no one was ever convicted.

This was however, what it took to focus the attention of the federal government on Chicago.

The full story of Capone's to power is covered in detail on Wikipedia, but the story of the Untouchables begins once he is in power.

Al Capone
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More from Wikipedia

Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone (January 17, 1899 ? January 25, 1947) was an American gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s.

Born in Brook...

Forming the Untouchables 

Elliot Ness and his men

Realising the problems with trying to enforce the law, Elliot Ness, an up and coming official known for his outspoken anti-corruption views was recruited to clean the town up. He was told to pick his own officers, form a team and take on Al Capone.

Eliot Ness postcard
Eliot Ness by LawrenceMercantile
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Going through the records to find people who were not corrupt, he had a shortlist of fifty names. Some he rejested because they had families, others simply on gut feel, and initially he formed a team of nine officers, named in his biography:

Martin "Marty" J. Lahart
Samuel "Sam" M. Seager
Bernard "Barney" V. Cloonan
Lyle Chapman
Thomas "Tom" Friel
Joseph "Joe" Leeson
Paul W. Robsky
Michael King
William "Bill" Gardner

And one unofficial member: his driver, Frank Basile.

Two other officers are often mentioned as members of the Untouchables:
Jim Seeley
Albert H. Wolff

Ness knew that going after the outlets would be ineffective, but if he could destroy the supply, then the outlets would close. He went after the racketeers' breweries and supply lines.

Eliot Ness: Untouchable

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Eliot Ness biography on DVD.

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The Early Days 

Gaining a name

Prohibition Raid, New York City
Prohibition Raid, New York City
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The first step was simple. By tracking back the trucks carrying beer to known speakeasies, Ness discovered the location of several stills and raided them. He then got lucky and found a location he could wiretap to eavesdrop on the mob, providing him with information. His successes began to mount.

An attempt was made to bribe Ness through a mob agent, which he forcefully rejected. As they offered $2000 a month, and he was only earning $3000 a year, this highlighted how much the mob had available, and the damage he was doing.

The Mob retailiated by putting a tail on Ness and his men, and offering rewards to anyone who saw them. After failing to bribe Ness, the mob turned to his men. Two of the as-yet unnamed team were surprised by a packet of money thrown into their car through the window. The enraged officers sped up, caught the car it came from, and lobbed it back full force.

Ness released this to the press for useful publicity, and the team were promptly dubbed "The Untouchables".

Turning Deadly 

The war hots up

Now in the public eye, Ness arranged a parade of all the trucks he had captured in his raids passed Capone's hotel. In Ness' biography it states that Capone lost his temper, and began screaming "I'll kill him!". If true, this was when the attempts began.

Eliot Ness' driver was shot and murdered. Later Ness discovered a car bomb in his car. A double agent they had planted within the mob had to skip town when his life was threatened - not because he was discovered but because he failed to provide accurate enough information on Ness.

And through it all, Ness continued methodically raiding and shutting down breweries. One of the largest they found by accident, when a woman reported an odd smell at the paint factory next door. When they raided it, the still took up three floors of the building.

Bootleggers Caught After Car Chase Photograph - Washington, DC
Bootleggers Caught After Car Chase Photograph - Washington
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It was music to Ness' ears on the wiretap the day one of the racketeers replied to a speakeasy that they could not send them any beer, since they did not have any.

The Untouchables were winning.

The fall of the Chicago mob 

Al Capone jailed

Without the money to continue to supply bribes and pay officials, the mob's influence began to wane. Ness pressed his advantage and continued to attack the speakeasies and breweries.

However the treasury department was working on two fronts. While Ness was eroding Capone's public influence, the IRS were investigating his private affairs and discovered he had never filed a tax return.

In 1931 Capone was arrested for income tax evasion. His influence and resources reduced he was convicted and sentenced to ten years' hard labour. Released in 1939 his influence over the crime syndicates had gone, and he retired to his home in Florida where he died in 1947.

Capone

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Widely accounted as one of the best biographies of Al Capone, this book removes the glamour and delves into the detail of racketeering in Chicago in the twenties.

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After the Untouchables. 

The career of Eliot Ness

Prohibition, Shall Uncle Sam Back Down
Prohibition, Shall Uncle Sam Back Down
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With Al Capone in jail, the Untouchables were disbanded at the end of 1931. In 1933 Prohibition ended, removing the lucrative market the racketeers depended on.

Eliiot Ness went on to become Safety Director at Cleveland in 1938, putting him in charge of police and fire. Once again he went after the mob, but also after a serial killer the "Torso Murderer" who was never caught. Running for mayor unsuccessfully, and performing a range of other duties, Ness's life never again reached the heights of his fame in the Untouchables.

He died in 1957 after working with Oscar Fraley on his authorised biography. It was published a month after his death.

The Untouchables

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The true story of the Untouchables, by the man who lead the team. Written in first person (by Oscar Fraley working with Ness), it was published in 1957.

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More resources 

More about Prohibition and the Untouchables

A lot has been written about the Untouchables and the Prohibition era. To make research easier, here are some of the best:

Long Thirst

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Prohibition: The 13 Years That Changed America

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Torso: The Story of Eliot Ness and the Search for a Psychopathic Killer

Elliot Ness' later career and the beginning of his decline.

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The legend of the Untouchables 

In film, tv and books

Robert Stack in Scene from TV Show The Untouchables
Robert Stack in
The Untouchables
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With the release of Ness's biography, the story caught the public eye once more, twenty years after it had occurred. A television series was quickly released, pitting the Untouchables up against fictional opponents and mobsters they never took on in real life. Then Brian de Palma's film would propel them back into the public consciousness.

More about the real Untouchables from Wikipedia

The Untouchables were a group of eleven U.S. federal law-enforcement agents, led by Eliot Ness, who from 1929 to 1931, worked to end Al Capone's illegal activities by aggressively enforcing Prohibition and tax laws against Capone and his organization. In their conduct, they became legendary for being fearless and incorruptible, earning the nickname "Untouchables".

The Film by Brian de Palma 

The Untouchables on the big screen

With an all-star cast, including Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Robert De Niro, this follows the outline of the story, although it is condensed for the screen. The Untouchables are reduced to four in number (Eliot Ness, Jim Malone, Oscar Wallace and George Stone), by combining several real people into each fictional member. Certain events are omitted while others are invented.

That said, it's still a very good film, notable for Connery receiving a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.
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The Special edition DVD 

Brian de Palma's film on DVD

A Special edition of the film is now available in the US.

The Untouchables (Special Collector's Edition)

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The Untouchables - the series 

On the small screen

Robert Stack in Scene from TV Show The Untouchables
Robert Stack in Scene from TV Show The Untouchables
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Based on Ness and Fraley's book, the show ran for 118 episodes from 1959 to 1963, and was incredibly popular. Under constant attack from Italian Americans (including Al Capone's family), the show countered this by showcasing Agent Enrico Rossi, the Italian-American in Ness' team.

Ness and his team never went up against many of the adversaries shown, and this is a highly fictionalised account. The series also features significant amounts of violence for one created in that era.

Starring Robert Stack, this series is now available on DVD. (Season 3 and 4 are limited availability). With solid 4 and 5 star ratings, it's well worth a look.

Eliot Ness: An untouchable life 

The one man Broadway show

Most recently the Untouchables was performed as a highly regarded Broadway show.

Michael Cornelison performs Max Allan Collins' one man show "Eliot Ness: An untouchable life". Some sections are lifted directly from Fraley's book, such as the bribery attempt by The Kid, Ness's double agent.
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Eliot Ness: An untouchable life on DVD 

A one man show

This show is now available on Hi-Def from Amazon.com.

Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life

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Smashing Beer Bottles Prohibition 1923 print
Smashing Beer Bottles Prohibition 1923
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This lens is very definitely a summary of the Untouchables, since trying to fit several years of operations into one lens is tricky.

If you think I've missed something, have resources about the Untouchables that I should put on here, or just want to comment, this is the place!

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