The Deadliest Dinner Parties In History

In 1929, Chicago Outfit hit man John Scalise was riding high after avoiding any charges for involvement in the St Valentine’s Day Massacre, being acquitted for the murder of Chicago police officers, and taking out the leaders of rival North Side Gang. He had compromised his opponents, avoided the long arm of the law, and was just made an officer of an Italian-American benevolent fraternal association called Unione Siciliana. 

Scalise and his colleague Albert Anselmi were known as the “Murder Twins” and they were approached by Unione Siciliana officers Joe Aiello and Joe Giunta to execute a contract on Al Capone’s life. Al Capone had eyes and ears everywhere and suspected The Murder Twins might betray him. Capone and his close associate Frank Rio staged an argument in front of them and they let Rio in on their planned murder of Capone, immediately betraying their intentions. 

Rio related the information to Capone and they organized a large banquet at Chicago’s Hawthorne Hotel in honor of Sicilian Americans with Scalise, Anselmi, and Giunta as guests of honor. All guests were encouraged to gorge themselves on food and bootlegged alcohol until they completely let their guard down when Scalise, Anslemi, and Giunta were tied to their chairs and beaten and shot to death while Capone yelled insults at them. Their bodies were dumped in Indiana. Joe Aiello was killed a few months later and Al Capone was arrested and jailed for tax evasion two years later.