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arrived at O'Banion's
Chicago flower shop on the pretense of picking up flowers for Merlo's funeral and murdered O'Banion. The North Side gang then launched a series of bloody counterstrikes against the Gennas and the South Side gang. This gang war continued until the victory of the South Side Gang
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at the age of 52, leaving the 22-year-old Merlo and his sick mother to fend for themselves. Merlo later became involved in the
Chicago chapter of Unione Siciliana, a national organization dedicated to assisting Sicilian immigrants in America. Although Merlo later transformed the Unione into a front
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on
November 9, 1924. He received one of the most spectacular funerals in Chicago mob history, with $ 100,000 in floral arrangements and a $ 5,000 life-size wax statue. Merlo's burial was attended by an estimated 10,000 mourners and curious (including Mayor
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With the passage of
Prohibition and the rise of bootlegging in Chicago, Merlo used his position to mediate the frequent territorial disputes between the Chicago bootlegging gangs. These gangs included the predominantly Irish
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gang and the South Side gang, then run by Torrio and Capone. During the early years of
Prohibition, Merlo was able to maintain an uneasy peace between these three gangs and the other criminal organizations.
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gangs, his death marked the beginning of
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for organized crime, he reportedly did have a genuine concern for the welfare of the
Sicilian residents of
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Two days after Merlo's death, the
Chicago gangs broke into open warfare. Torrio men
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Chicago labor leader whose death precipitated the city's infamous 1920s gangster war
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politics and also within
Chicago's criminal underworld during the early years of
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Death
Certificate for Michele Merlo, Cook County, State of Illinois, No. 27805
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394:"Charles Dion "Deanie" O'Banion (1892-1924) Gang Leader and Capone Rival"
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fraternal group, Merlo wielded considerable influence both in Chicago's
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136:. Although Merlo was able to maintain peace among the city's numerous
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Part II: Chicago's Unione Siciliana, 1920 - A Decade of Slaughter
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Part II: Chicago's Unione Siciliana, 1920 - A Decade of Slaughter
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of Chicago's 44th Ward and served eight terms in both the
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five days later. Merlo's body was later reinterred at
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Illinois Statewide Death Index, accessed 23 Sep 2008.
330:"Michael Merlo, Leader of Chicago Italians, Dead,"
284:Mike Merlo was portrayed by actor Vince Viverito.
148:Born Michele Merlo to Calogero and Maria Merlo in
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16:American political and organized crime figure
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375:"Late for the Opera - "Samoots" Amatuna"
475:American political bosses from Illinois
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480:American gangsters of Italian descent
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164:. In 1902, Merlo's father died of a
35:Merlo in a 1921 passport application
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347:. New York: Facts on File, 2005.
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267:Chicago Public Library
171:Chicago's Little Italy
212:Mount Carmel Cemetery
150:Sambuca Zabut, Sicily
334:, November 10, 1924.
485:People from Chicago
430:Chicago Mafia Boss
208:St Clement's Church
465:Illinois Democrats
273:In popular culture
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436:Succeeded by
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124:. As head of the
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74:Chicago, Illinois
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420:Preceded by
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400:. Archived from
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280:The Untouchables
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408:February 23,
406:. Retrieved
402:the original
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384:February 23,
382:. Retrieved
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370:by Allan May
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68:(1924-11-08)
460:1924 deaths
455:1880 births
246:, in 1929.
158:New Orleans
138:bootlegging
134:Prohibition
449:Categories
432:1921-1924
288:References
251:John Merlo
102:Democratic
85:Mike Merlo
48:1880-01-04
379:Allan May
242:) at the
238:(now the
224:mausoleum
144:Biography
255:alderman
220:Illinois
216:Hillside
57:, Sicily
222:, in a
162:Chicago
154:Palermo
110:Michele
55:Sambuca
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195:cancer
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118:Merlo
410:2005
386:2005
349:ISBN
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63:Died
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