|
The Unluckiest
Optometrist |
Every American history buff should
remember the name of Reinhardt Schwimmer. He was a young
optometrist/optician with offices in the Capitol Building in
Chicago. Schwimmer was the only one of the seven victims of
the brutal St. Valentine's Day Massacre of Feb. 14, 1929 who
was not a gangster. His obsession with the excitement of
gangster land and adoration of characters like his friend,
Charles "Deanie" O'Banion and Bugsy Moran led to
his tragic early demise.
Reinhardt Schwimmer was born Dec.
1, 1900 in Chicago. His parents were Michael Schwimmer and
his beloved mother Josephine, beside whom he was placed at
the time of his burial. Reinhardt divorced his wife, Fae
Johnson Schwimmer in 1923, and went to live at the Parkway
Apartments. Later, he was asked to leave there after sinking
deeply in debt. He then married a rich widow and tried to
return to the Parkway again, saying that he was through with
his gangster friends. His new wife divorced him in 1927/1928
and he returned to his habit as a hanger-on with Bugsy Moran
and his mob. Schwimmer spun tall tales about importing
alcohol from Detroit. He assumed the title
"Doctor", though his optical training was meager
at best.
His addiction to rubbing shoulders
with gangsters took up most of his time and his
optometry/optician business was failing. He owed substantial
money for gambling debts and his loyal mother often paid his
rent. He would have been better advised to tend to his
refractions and dispensing back at the office instead of
hanging out with his underworld friends at 2122 North Clark
St on Feb. 14, 1929, St. Valentine's Day. Before lunch he
had been machine gunned to death with six bona fide
gangsters from the North Side mob. They were Johnny May,
Frank Gusenberg, Pete Gusenberg, James Clark, Adam Heyer and
Al Weinshank.
The group was waiting in the Clark
St. warehouse garage for a shipment of whiskey that had been
hijacked from the Capone organization. Bugs Moran was to
meet them at 11:00 AM on that fateful day. Schwimmer asked
permission to come along for the thrill of witnessing the
excitement of the whisky delivery. He had a striking
resemblance to Bugs Moran and liked to emulate his style of
clothing and hats. Some reporters believe that the murderers
thought they had Moran in the lineup with the others. At
10:30 AM three men entered the garage dressed in police
uniforms. They frisked the mobsters, removed their guns and
lined them up against the garage wall. Moran's gang was not
concerned because they were accustomed to police rousting.
Once disarmed, two other men entered through a side door
armed with machine guns and sawed off shotguns. They
continued to fire until they brutally massacred all seven
men in the worst gangland slaying in history. It is said
that their legs were practically separated from their bodies
as a sign of contempt and a warning to any one else who
might think of hijacking a Capone enterprise. The assassins
must have been disappointed to learn that they had executed
a mere hanger on, an optometrist/optician, instead of the
designated enemy, Bugs Moran.
This was Capone's retaliation, not
only for the hijacking, but for an attack on him a year or
two before. All things considered the massacre was a
failure. Bugs Moran survived the massacre because he arrived
late for the rendezvous. As he approached the garage he
noticed the police car parked there which had delivered the
fake policeman. He became suspicious and opted to just keep
on driving past the scene. He was accompanied by Ted
Newberry and Willie Marks and the trio made a quick exit.
Within the span of a year or two, Capone eliminated every
adversary in the Northside gang.
During the escape, the fake cops
acted as if they were apprehending the two shooters and
escorted them into the police wagon as their hands were held
high in the air in an attitude of surrender. The police were
baffled since they suspected that Capone ordered the hit.
However he was at his Florida residence the entire time.
Upon being notified of the killings, he was heard to say,
"That's too bad. I'll send flowers."
A pet German shepherd dog was the
only survivor of the disastrous episode. There are
unsubstantiated attempts to reconstruct part of the scene
involving Reinhardt Schwimmer during the last moments of his
life in that infamous garage. The dog was tied to the bumper
of a flat bed truck, barking fiercely at the group gathered
there. Al Weinshank pulled out his .38 revolver and
pretended he was going to shoot the animal. Mobster Adam
Heyer shouted at the truck mechanic, John May, "Hey.
Johnny, can you shut your dog up?" Twenty nine year old
optometrist/optician Reinhardt Schwimmer intervened,
"I'm good with dogs. I can calm him down."
Schwimmer walked over to the dog with his hand outstretched.
"Good doggie," he said in a low soothing voice.
Immediately, the animal stopped barking and began to happily
wag his tail. That kind and gentle gesture, however, did not
avert the severe decree that awaited Schwimmer.
It's a fact that despite his
savage nature, Al Capone, during the Depression, opened
housing for the homeless and soup kitchens at his own
expense. Many people benefited from his largesse. Only the
hapless young Chicago optometrist/optician, Reinhard
Schwimmer, was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and
for the wrong reasons. He was a very unlucky eyecare
professional, but they say that his spectacle adjustments
were extraordinary. |
