May 7, 1929
John Scalise and Albert Anselmi seemed to be joined at the hip. Though Anselmi was Scalise’s senior by around seventeen years, the two Sicilians were inseparable, with Scalise being the dominant one of the pair.
Scalise arrived in Chicago in the early 1920s, while Anselmi came some time in 1924. Anselmi spoke no English and Scalise’s knowledge of the language was limited, but that didn’t matter; command of the language was not really required for the jobs the two were contracted to perform. Almost immediately, both men, though separately, attached themselves to the Genna Gang in Chicago. It was while working for the Gennas that the men formed their life-long friendship. From there they gravitated to Capone and the South Side Gang.
Once with Capone the pair honed their craft and were responsible (along with Frankie Yale) for the death of North Side crime boss Dean O’Banion. In fact it was the lives of Scalise and Anselmi that North Sider Hymie Weiss demanded in reparation for O’Banion’s murder. Capone said no dice.
Throughout 1925 the battle between the South Siders and the North Siders raged in the city of Chicago. In June of that year, Scalise and Anselmi, along with Mike Genna, waylaid and attacked North Siders Vincent Drucci and Bugs Moran. After a long battle and pursuit by the police, Genna was killed while several officers were also gunned down. The Murder Twins—as they came to be known—were taken into custody.
Over the next few years the pair went to trial twice for the murder of the officers. The original ruling sent them to jail for fourteen years, but they must have had a good lawyer and no doubt some political pull through Capone, because their case was retried and they were acquitted. To Scalise and Anselmi it must have seemed that they could get away with anything, including murder. Scalise even rose to the position of vice president of the Unione Siciliana under the presidency of Joseph “Hop Toad” Giunta.
What happened next remains the subject of some controversy. Supposedly, while Scalise, Anselmi and Giunta were attending a gathering, a violent argument broke out and all three men were murdered. The party may or may not have been a ruse to lure them to their deaths.
But a more sensational version of the story has now become a part of the Capone legend, undoubtedly growing with each retelling. In this account, Capone bodyguard Frankie Rio happened upon the startling revelation that Scalise and Anselmi had planned on betraying and murdering Capone.
Turning the table on the pair, Capone threw an elaborate party in which Giunta was also in attendance. Apparently after an extravagant meal had been enjoyed, and speeches had been endured, Capone pulled out a baseball bat and proceeded to beat the trio mercilessly. That done, several underlings then drew their guns and finished the job.
Whatever the case, Scalise and Anselmi were dead and their remains were shipped back to Sicily for burial. The Twins had died together and now they were going home together.