by cavita » Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:12 pm
Who was Chicago’s Tommy Abbott? To the newspapers he was often described as a liquor runner, racketeer, gang chief and gem thief and they sometimes made mention his real name was Abbottini or Abbatino. The first appearance I could find for Abbott in the Chicago newspapers was a January 19, 1928 entry stating he was seized for questioning in the strangulation of one Betty Chambers at the Fontenelle Hotel a week prior. Abbott was nabbed because he was said to be close friends with two others wanted for questioning in the case- J. Gordon Chambers and Joe “Eaglebeak” Miller.
By March 1, 1929 Abbott was wanted in connection with a $10,000 burglary on the northside of Chicago at the apartment of Cleone Mosier at 201 E. Delaware Place. It was in this Chicago Daily News article that stated he was a former member of the northside gang and was suspected as having put the seven Moran gangsters “on the spot” in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, that is, he was the one who passed the signal to the assassins that the victims had all gathered in the garage on Clark Street. One interesting bit of information the March 4, 1929 article stated was that Abbott was the former chauffer for Sam “Samoots” Ammatuna.
By 1930 Abbott and his wife Irene were living at 1130 W. Wrightwood Avenue and it seemed he was wanted for questioning in every big jewelry heist in the area. In January of that year he was held as being part of a burglary gang along with his wife, James Huston, alias Emmerman, William Francis, alias Franische, William Ward, Nick Knapp, alias Knaup, alias Knauf, Allan Swellander, Alzar Briedis, Frances Stern and Elizabeth Herron. They were all wanted in connection with the $25,000 gem robbery at the 1418 Lake Shore Drive home of Charles M. Richter and it was thought they were planning on robbing the McCormick Hotel at 616 Rush Street.
On May 4, 1930 in Rockford, Illinois, Abbott was wanted again for questioning in the $8,000 jewelry robbery of Ralph West from Milwaukee who was staying at the Hotel Nelson in Rockford. No reason was given as to why Abbott was supposedly in Rockford, but the newspapers were reporting that he was wanted for questioning in the attempted assassination of Jack Zuta and in the killing of Jake Lingle. Abbott it seemed was the most popular gangster around.
Regarding the Hotel Nelson heist, Abbott’s bond was set at $10,000 and was later reduced to $5,000 and he was given a hearing for August 7th in Rockford. In August there were court dates and delays for Abbott and his arraignment was continued to September 8th however things changed for Abbott on the evening of August 14, 1930. On that night in Rockford at 8:45 p.m., Abbott was seated inside his large sedan which was parked on the east side of the 1100 block of South Main Street in the heart of the Italian part of the city. Also inside the vehicle were men described as Abbott’s bodyguards- William Sullivan and Elmer Whitely, both of Chicago and Paul “Cherry” Picchioni of Rockford. The men were also in the company of Joe Giovingo who was part of a rival faction that was trying to wrest control of the bootlegging business from Rockford LCN boss Tony Musso. It was stated that Giovingo, along with his brother Paul, had partnered up with the rival northside Chicago faction opposing Al Capone and were supplying that faction with bootleg alcohol. Capone was a partner and personal friend of Tony Musso so there was obvious friction between the two Rockford groups.
On this August 14th evening while Abbott and his men were seated in Abbott’s vehicle, Joe Giovingo had stepped from the auto and was engaged in conversation with Rockford Police Detectives Folke Bengston and Roy Johnson. As the three were talking on the sidewalk, a large powerful Dodge sedan turned from Morgan Street and started traveling south down South Main Street. Three men were in this auto as it slowly drove by the 1100 block. Just before coming to Giovingo and the detectives, a shotgun poked from the rear window and slugs poured forth from the sedan. Two of the shotgun slugs struck Giovingo on the sidewalk as the sedan sped down South Main Street and then turned west onto Montague Street as it barreled away into the night. Giovingo immediately crumpled to the sidewalk and no one else was injured in the fusillade. The Dodge sedan was later found abandoned near Beverly Gardens on Montague Road and the license was found to be issued to a Tony Cantone at 1236 Ferguson Street in Rockford. The name was found to be fictitious and the address was a vacant lot.
Authorities were at first certain that Abbott was the intended target but after much investigation it was determined that Giovingo was indeed the one to be killed due to his involvement in Rockford’s bootlegging rivalry. While the undertaker was preparing Giovingo’s body, on the 15th Abbott was in the company again of Sullivan, Whitely and Picchioni at a restaurant in the 100 block of West State Street when detectives approached and arrested the bodyguards for carrying concealed weapons. Abbott, wisely was not carrying anything.
The next day Abbott attended the funeral of Giovingo on the 16th and later that evening in retaliation, the Giovingo camp shot up the sugar distribution warehouse of Vincenzo Troia at 411 Lincoln Avenue and then continued up the street and shot up the rooming house of Troia at 1501 Clifton Avenue where Tony Riela and Tony LaPuma were also staying. Violence and vendetta was exploding in the Rockford heat that month.
Then on August 18th, Whitely had gone from Chicago to the area of Janesville, Wisconsin where he was to meet some associates. Finding that they had left already, Whitely departed for Rockford. While on North Main Street, ten miles north of Rockford, a car that was parked on a side road pulled out immediately after Whitely had passed in his car. Almost instantly the Chrysler sedan started firing multiple guns at Whitely’s vehicle. The auto chase continued towards Rockford at a high rate of speed with the gangster car firing at least fifteen different times at Whitely, the last shot was delivered as both cars crossed the Chestnut Street bridge. Whitely had barely made it to the police station and reported his story when a patrolman reported seeing the attacking sedan drive north on Hall Street, apparently heading for North Second Street.
It is not known of Tommy Abbott was scared for his life or not because August 28th was the last anyone saw of him. On that evening, his wife Irene saw Abbott for the last time as he left their house not stating where he was going. Court dates for Tommy came and went with his bonds being forfeited in his various cases. Two reports had come in on Tommy- one was that he was dead and his body was at the bottom of a water-filled quarry in Summit, Illinois and the other was that he had fled to Mexico and was living a life of luxury there.
Now, I have found other articles that stated Abbott was a friend and not a rival to Capone, but him being associated with Giovingo lends support he was at war with Capone. Another article said he was a westside gangster and yet another said he was the number two most powerful gangster in Chicago after Capone. One lone article said Abbott’s true name was Abate, which I tend to believe as that is a name I am familiar with. In my research I was not able to find a birthdate or birth place for Abbott, nor could I find any criminal activity before 1928 or after 1930.
Who was Chicago’s Tommy Abbott? To the newspapers he was often described as a liquor runner, racketeer, gang chief and gem thief and they sometimes made mention his real name was Abbottini or Abbatino. The first appearance I could find for Abbott in the Chicago newspapers was a January 19, 1928 entry stating he was seized for questioning in the strangulation of one Betty Chambers at the Fontenelle Hotel a week prior. Abbott was nabbed because he was said to be close friends with two others wanted for questioning in the case- J. Gordon Chambers and Joe “Eaglebeak” Miller.
By March 1, 1929 Abbott was wanted in connection with a $10,000 burglary on the northside of Chicago at the apartment of Cleone Mosier at 201 E. Delaware Place. It was in this Chicago Daily News article that stated he was a former member of the northside gang and was suspected as having put the seven Moran gangsters “on the spot” in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, that is, he was the one who passed the signal to the assassins that the victims had all gathered in the garage on Clark Street. One interesting bit of information the March 4, 1929 article stated was that Abbott was the former chauffer for Sam “Samoots” Ammatuna.
By 1930 Abbott and his wife Irene were living at 1130 W. Wrightwood Avenue and it seemed he was wanted for questioning in every big jewelry heist in the area. In January of that year he was held as being part of a burglary gang along with his wife, James Huston, alias Emmerman, William Francis, alias Franische, William Ward, Nick Knapp, alias Knaup, alias Knauf, Allan Swellander, Alzar Briedis, Frances Stern and Elizabeth Herron. They were all wanted in connection with the $25,000 gem robbery at the 1418 Lake Shore Drive home of Charles M. Richter and it was thought they were planning on robbing the McCormick Hotel at 616 Rush Street.
On May 4, 1930 in Rockford, Illinois, Abbott was wanted again for questioning in the $8,000 jewelry robbery of Ralph West from Milwaukee who was staying at the Hotel Nelson in Rockford. No reason was given as to why Abbott was supposedly in Rockford, but the newspapers were reporting that he was wanted for questioning in the attempted assassination of Jack Zuta and in the killing of Jake Lingle. Abbott it seemed was the most popular gangster around.
Regarding the Hotel Nelson heist, Abbott’s bond was set at $10,000 and was later reduced to $5,000 and he was given a hearing for August 7th in Rockford. In August there were court dates and delays for Abbott and his arraignment was continued to September 8th however things changed for Abbott on the evening of August 14, 1930. On that night in Rockford at 8:45 p.m., Abbott was seated inside his large sedan which was parked on the east side of the 1100 block of South Main Street in the heart of the Italian part of the city. Also inside the vehicle were men described as Abbott’s bodyguards- William Sullivan and Elmer Whitely, both of Chicago and Paul “Cherry” Picchioni of Rockford. The men were also in the company of Joe Giovingo who was part of a rival faction that was trying to wrest control of the bootlegging business from Rockford LCN boss Tony Musso. It was stated that Giovingo, along with his brother Paul, had partnered up with the rival northside Chicago faction opposing Al Capone and were supplying that faction with bootleg alcohol. Capone was a partner and personal friend of Tony Musso so there was obvious friction between the two Rockford groups.
On this August 14th evening while Abbott and his men were seated in Abbott’s vehicle, Joe Giovingo had stepped from the auto and was engaged in conversation with Rockford Police Detectives Folke Bengston and Roy Johnson. As the three were talking on the sidewalk, a large powerful Dodge sedan turned from Morgan Street and started traveling south down South Main Street. Three men were in this auto as it slowly drove by the 1100 block. Just before coming to Giovingo and the detectives, a shotgun poked from the rear window and slugs poured forth from the sedan. Two of the shotgun slugs struck Giovingo on the sidewalk as the sedan sped down South Main Street and then turned west onto Montague Street as it barreled away into the night. Giovingo immediately crumpled to the sidewalk and no one else was injured in the fusillade. The Dodge sedan was later found abandoned near Beverly Gardens on Montague Road and the license was found to be issued to a Tony Cantone at 1236 Ferguson Street in Rockford. The name was found to be fictitious and the address was a vacant lot.
Authorities were at first certain that Abbott was the intended target but after much investigation it was determined that Giovingo was indeed the one to be killed due to his involvement in Rockford’s bootlegging rivalry. While the undertaker was preparing Giovingo’s body, on the 15th Abbott was in the company again of Sullivan, Whitely and Picchioni at a restaurant in the 100 block of West State Street when detectives approached and arrested the bodyguards for carrying concealed weapons. Abbott, wisely was not carrying anything.
The next day Abbott attended the funeral of Giovingo on the 16th and later that evening in retaliation, the Giovingo camp shot up the sugar distribution warehouse of Vincenzo Troia at 411 Lincoln Avenue and then continued up the street and shot up the rooming house of Troia at 1501 Clifton Avenue where Tony Riela and Tony LaPuma were also staying. Violence and vendetta was exploding in the Rockford heat that month.
Then on August 18th, Whitely had gone from Chicago to the area of Janesville, Wisconsin where he was to meet some associates. Finding that they had left already, Whitely departed for Rockford. While on North Main Street, ten miles north of Rockford, a car that was parked on a side road pulled out immediately after Whitely had passed in his car. Almost instantly the Chrysler sedan started firing multiple guns at Whitely’s vehicle. The auto chase continued towards Rockford at a high rate of speed with the gangster car firing at least fifteen different times at Whitely, the last shot was delivered as both cars crossed the Chestnut Street bridge. Whitely had barely made it to the police station and reported his story when a patrolman reported seeing the attacking sedan drive north on Hall Street, apparently heading for North Second Street.
It is not known of Tommy Abbott was scared for his life or not because August 28th was the last anyone saw of him. On that evening, his wife Irene saw Abbott for the last time as he left their house not stating where he was going. Court dates for Tommy came and went with his bonds being forfeited in his various cases. Two reports had come in on Tommy- one was that he was dead and his body was at the bottom of a water-filled quarry in Summit, Illinois and the other was that he had fled to Mexico and was living a life of luxury there.
Now, I have found other articles that stated Abbott was a friend and not a rival to Capone, but him being associated with Giovingo lends support he was at war with Capone. Another article said he was a westside gangster and yet another said he was the number two most powerful gangster in Chicago after Capone. One lone article said Abbott’s true name was Abate, which I tend to believe as that is a name I am familiar with. In my research I was not able to find a birthdate or birth place for Abbott, nor could I find any criminal activity before 1928 or after 1930.