Notes from my book

   Domestic security and patriotism were front and center in wartime Chicago and in the nation. All efforts by the citizenry were devoted to success in defeating the enemy. As a result, the gangster figure all but vanished from the silver screen between
1941 and 1946. It was replaced by spy and war stories featuring Nazi or Japanese villains. The failure of the film reflected a larger cultural shift that left the old-time gangster as a relic for the history books.

5.         Not all of his time was spent in the prison law library. Prison officials suspected Touhy was the boss of Stateville's enormous Irish gang which ruled over the facility's black market. Gambling belonged to the Italian gangs. In fact, on Touhy's first month in prison he was disciplined for sanctioning and supervising the beating of another prisoner.

6.         Jack Cito's first arrest came in distinguished company. Cito and legendary labor goon Maxie Eisen, on May 29, 1927, were arrested for carrying concealed weapons. Actually the two pistols were later found in a secret compartment of Cito's car. But, since they didn't have the guns on their persons the judge dropped the charges. Cito's brother was an enforcer in the Capone organization.

7.         After the escape, the Illinois Governor conducted his own investigation and personally fired the guard, sixty-two-year old-Herman Krause.


8.         Darlak was also armed with a homemade gasoline bomb that was to be used only in the event that they were cornered in a shootout.