On this day, March 19, in 1943, Chicago mob boss Frank Nitti sat down on an Illinois Central railroad branch line and shot himself in the head.
Nitti’s suicide took place the day before he was scheduled to appear in court to face charges that he and other mob leaders had extorted money from Hollywood’s largest movie studios. Fearing a second stint behind bars, Nitti chose to end his life instead.
Nitti, an Italian immigrant, arrived in Chicago sometime around 1913 and first worked as a barber. But he quickly established mob connections and during Prohibition became a well known smuggler. His illegal business ties and ruthless ways landed him a job as Al Capone’s bodyguard and the nickname of “The Enforcer.”
In 1931, Nitti and Capone were both sent to prison for tax evasion. Nitti, however, only has 18 months to serve to Capone’s 10 years. When Nitti got out of prison, the media hailed him as the new boss of the Chicago Outfit, but in reality he mostly served as a front man for the crime organization.
— Freeman Klopott
