Evening Star, 21 October 1929, page 3: Retired 'racket' baron is slain

Page 3 of the Washington Evening Star for Monday, 21 October 1929. In the second column is “Retired ‘Racket’ Baron Is Slain,” with the deck “Third of Brothers Dies Before Hail of Bullets in Chicago Gang War” (as printed, though the story is datelined Cleveland), credited to the Associated Press, October 21.

It reports that Frank Lonardo, a one-time corn sugar baron who “got out of the racket” after his brothers “Big Joe” and John were killed, was shot dead at a card table in a downtown barber shop, and that police theorized reprisal for the killing of Sam “Blackjack” Todaro. It adds that “Mrs. Concietta Lonardo, common law wife of ‘Big Joe,’ and her eldest son, Angelo, 20 years old, were indicted for first-degree murder in Todaro’s death,” Angelo being at liberty, and that Dominic, the only surviving brother, was last reported in San Francisco.

The indictment is reported by the wire service; an indictment is a charge. Mrs. Lonardo was acquitted in November (Indianapolis Times, 15 November 1929). What became of the charge against Angelo is not stated on any page filed here; his 1988 Senate testimony gives his own account.