Touhy's brazen daylight raid on the heart of the syndicate's union
operation was a slap in the face for Red Barker and Murray Humpreys. The
syndicate, less than several hundred in number, had ruled over Chicago's
massive unions by fear and the threat of violence. Touhy's raid had temporarily
taken away that edge and they needed to get it back.
Barker and Humpreys retaliated with a daylight
drive-by shooting at Wall's Bar-B-Que and Rib. Wall's was a restaurant
frequented by the Touhys because Roger had developed a friendship with a
waitress, Peggy Carey. In the middle of a sun-filled Saturday afternoon, four
carloads of syndicate gunmen sped by the restaurant while Roger and several of
his men lounged around in the parking lot. They sprayed the lot and the
restaurant with machine gun fire. The Touhys returned fire but remarkably, no
one was injured in the melee.
In retaliation for the shooting the Touhys
struck The Dells, a large syndicate speakeasy and casino operating just inside
Touhy's territory. It was under the protection of a hood named Fred Pacelli,
younger brother of future United States Congressman Bill Pacelli. Three of
Roger's best men, Willie Sharkey, Roy Marshalk and George Wilke arrived at The
Dells driving Roger Touhy's new Chrysler sedan. They walked into the casino,
surrounded Pacelli and fired one round into his face and one into the small of his
back. After the hood's girlfriend, Maryanne Bruce, tried to wrestle the pistol
out of Marshalk's hand they fired a round into her head as well.