Vtg BIG JIM COLOSIMO Cafe Blue Glass SWIZZLE STIR STICK Chicago Gangster Capone

Description

Pictured above is a nice vintage Art Deco blue glass Swizzle Stick.  This one has lots of history as it advertises COLOSIMO'S Cafe in Chicago.  Diamond Jim Colosimo was the owner and a major Chicago Gangster assumed killed with orders by Al Capone.  I attached some information from Wikipedia below for your reading enjoyment.  The swizzle stick is about 6.0" long and is in excellent condition with no damage.
Buy with confidence and Thanks for looking.
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Vincenzo Colosimo
[2]
(
Italian:
[vinˈtʃɛntso koˈlɔːzimo]
; February 16, 1878 – May 11, 1920), known as
James
"
Big Jim
"
Colosimo
or as "
Diamond Jim
", was an
Italian-American Mafia
crime boss
who emigrated from
Calabria
, Italy, in 1895 and built a criminal empire in Chicago based on prostitution, gambling and racketeering. He gained power through petty crime and by heading a chain of
brothels
. From about 1902 until his death in 1920, he led a gang that became known after his death as the
Chicago Outfit
.
Johnny Torrio
was an enforcer whom Colosimo imported in 1909 from New York and who seized control after his death.
Al Capone
, a Torrio henchman, allegedly was directly involved in the murder.
[3]
V
Early years
[
edit
]
Colosimo was born on February 16, 1878, to Luigi Colosimo
[4]
and his second wife Giuseppina Mascaro in the town of
Colosimi
,
Province of Cosenza
, Italy. He emigrated from Italy to Chicago at the age of 17, starting out as a petty criminal. Colosimo attracted the attention of First Ward aldermen
Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna
and
John Coughlin
. They made him a
precinct captain
and later their
bagman
. This gave Colosimo the political connections that helped him in his rise to power as a mob boss.
[5]
Prostitution empire
[
edit
]
Later, Colosimo acquired another nickname, "Diamond Jim," because he frequently dressed in a white suit and wore diamond pins, rings and other jewelry.
[4]
This, combined with his personal charm and money, helped him establish relationships with women. He had a love of both women and money, which fueled his enthusiasm for
prostitution
. In 1902, Colosimo married Victoria Moresco, an established Chicago
madame
[6]
and together they opened a second
brothel
. Torrio was the nephew of Moresco. According to Laurence Bergreen, "Torrio is [also] described as Colosimo’s nephew, but in the absence of any evidence to confirm the relationship, it is more likely their kinship was spiritual rather than familial."
[7]
Within a few years, Colosimo had expanded this to nearly 200 brothels and had also made inroads into
gambling
and
racketeering
.
[5]
He was reputedly making ,000 per month from his various legal and illegal operations.
[8]
Help from New York
[
edit
]
By 1909,
Black Hand
extortion was a serious threat to Colosimo in Chicago. He brought in gangster
John "The Fox" Torrio
from
Brooklyn
and made him his second in command.
[6]
The following year, he opened Colosimo's Cafe, a restaurant and nightclub at 2126 South Wabash. It quickly became a popular destination for prominent Chicagoans and visitors to Chicago.
[4]
In 1919, Torrio and Colosimo opened a brothel at 2222 South Wabash called the Four Deuces, a reference to the address. Torrio hired his old Brooklyn colleague
Al Capone
to work as a bartender and
bouncer
, which gave Capone his entry into Chicago crime.
[5]
Betrayal
[
edit
]
Al Capone mugshot
When
Prohibition
went into effect in 1920, Torrio pushed for the gang to enter into
bootlegging
, but Colosimo stubbornly refused. In March 1920, Colosimo secured an uncontested divorce from Moresco.
[8]
A month later, he and Dale Winter eloped to
West Baden Springs, Indiana
. Upon their return, he bought a home on the South Side.
[8]
On May 11, 1920, Torrio called and told Colosimo that a shipment was about to arrive at his restaurant. Colosimo drove there to await it, but instead he was shot in an ambush and killed.
[9]
Frankie Yale
had allegedly traveled from New York to Chicago and personally killed longtime gang boss Colosimo at the behest of
Chicago Outfit
friends Torrio and Capone.
[10]
Although suspected by Chicago police, Yale was never officially charged.
[11]
Colosimo was allegedly murdered because he stood in the way of his gang making bootlegging profits, having "gone soft" after his marriage with Winter.
[8]
Al Capone
has also been suggested as the gunman.
[5]
Colosimo's ex-wife, unhappy with the financial arrangements of the divorce, is also theorized having arranged the murder.
[8]
Colosimo was the first gang leader to organize the disparate parts of Chicago's crime scene. After his death, Torrio took over his gang,
[1]
later to be replaced by
Al Capone
.
[6]
His mob eventually became the infamous
Chicago Outfit
that ruled over some parts of the city.
[5
Big Jim Colosimo
Colosimo c. 1915
Born
Vincenzo Colosimo
February 16, 1878
Colosimi
,
Calabria
,
Kingdom of Italy
Died
May 11, 1920 (aged 42)
[1]
Chicago
,
Illinois
, U.S.
Cause of death
Multiple
gunshot wounds
Resting place
Oak Woods Cemetery
, Chicago
Nationality
Italian
Other names
"Big Jim", "Diamond Jim"
Occupation
Crime boss
Spouse(s)
Victoria Moresco
​
​
(
m.
1902;
div.
1920)
​
Dale Winter
​
(
m.
1920)
​
Allegiance
Chicago Outfit