Stop. You're standing on one of the most infamous spots in American criminal history.
On February 14th, 1929—Valentine's Day—seven men were lined up against a wall in the warehouse that used to stand right here and shot to death. This was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and it changed everything.
The victims were members of Bugs Moran's North Side Gang. Capone's rivals. The killers showed up dressed as police officers, so the Moran guys thought it was just a routine raid. They put their hands up. They cooperated. And then they were executed with Thompson submachine guns.
One of the victims, Frank Gusenberg, was still alive when the real police arrived. He had 14 bullets in him. A cop asked him who did this. Gusenberg's last words were "Nobody shot me." He died three hours later.
Capone wasn't even in Chicago that day. He made sure to be at his vacation home in Florida, surrounded by witnesses.
Bugs Moran was supposed to be there that morning. He was late. He saw the police cars
outside and decided to get coffee instead. That decision to wait for better coffee saved his life.
— From the tour: Bootleggers, Bullets & Baloney
