Chicago Herald, 21st March 1929

3 of Chicago’s Finest Slain in Gunbattle

Today Chicago mourns three of its finest serving officers, brutally killed in the line of duty, facing down a major Gang turf war. Witness reports are confused, but it appears that gang boss “Bugs” Moran was seen, with rival gang boss deputy, “Fingers” Finigan, leaving the dockside branch of the US bank, carrying a large bag. Things were tense, as “Bugs” had his hoods waiting in cars outside the bank, while rival boss Frank Malone, drew up, with another load of hoods, on the opposite side of the street.
Despite the obvious danger, Detective Sean Fagen approached and challenged “Bugs” Moran and “Fingers”. All hell then seems to have broken loose. Clearly unnerved by first, , the appearance of Frank Malone and his men, then the escape of Babs Brennigan from the back of the van, then finally the challenge of the police, “Bug’s” henceman opened fire with his tommy gun, spraying Frank and his men with lead.
Jess James, “Bugs” Moran’s sidekick, then floored the accelerator of the Talbot van, sending it careering toward Detective Fagen and Officer Uno. As they scattered out of the way, “Bugs” leaped onto the running board of the van and Jess accelerated toward the police van and the waiting Officer Duo. Jess appears to have misjudged his run however and instead of striking Officer Duo, he glanced off the side of the police van, knocking Duo off his feet and dislodging the unfortunate “Bugs” Moran. Officer Duo wasted no time and after recovering his feet, sent blasts from his pump action, into the retreating form of “Bugs”, almost blowing him in half, as he tried to jump into the back of the van!
Officer Duo then calmly turned his attention to Moran’s thug, still spraying tommy gun lead, from the window of the Cadillac, toward Frank Malone and his men across the street. A blast from Duo’s pump action missed the thug, but wrecked the engine of the big Cadillac.

Meanwhile Officer Uno had sprinted after the scantily clad form of the retreating Babs Brennigan, manfully wrestling her to the ground. It is not exactly sure why Babs was running away from her beau, “Fingers” Finigan, by this time with Frank Malone, but there seems to have been some kind of communication breakdown. Frank was heard to yell “check out the dame in her underwear”, but the thugs thought he said “take out the dame, get her underwear”, and after exchanging puzzled looks, they discharged a fusillade of shots in her direction, causing her to flee!
“Fingers” Finigan furiously threw the cash bag at Frank and strode across the street, pulling out his .45 and aiming it at Officer Uno. Uno, calmly kneeling on the prostrate form of Babs, glanced between the approaching “Fingers” and the thug spraying lead from the big Cadillac. Unable to get a clear shot at the thug, Uno pumped a couple of rounds into the big Cadillac’s gas tank, sending it up in a ball of flame, killing the tommy gunner and knocking “Fingers” off his feet. “Fingers” struggled to his feet and with a murderous look in his eyes, advanced on officer Uno, yelling “get off my gal”, pumping round after round, into brave Uno. “Fingers” did not have long to gloat, because as he stepped up to the fallen Uno, Officer Duo blasted him in the back with the overworked pump-action. Having grabbed the cash, Frank and his men piled into their big delivery van and pulled out into the street. Detective Fagen, seeing Frank about to make his get-away, leaped into the police van and swung it out into the street, trying to block the path of Frank’s truck. However, Fagen had not seen Frank’s hoods in the big Duesenberg, and as he drove past, .45 slugs smashed into his body, killing him outright. Frank smiled and thought he had got away, but had not bargained on Officer Duo’s ubiquitous pump-action. As the van sped past, Duo calmly blew-out the rear tyre. The van ground to a halt, a short distance from Jess James’s Talbot van, now resting against the wall of the warehouse on the corner of the street. Jess had been aiming to head-off Frank’s truck, but a combination of a glancing blow from the huge Duesenburg, driven by Frank’s deputy, Curtis McElroy, and well aimed shots from Frank, had caused it to swerve out of control and into the warehouse wall. With the three vehicles now stationary, there followed a murderous exchange of fire, between Frank, Curtis and Jess’s men. Into this hell strode the fearless Officer Duo. Smashing the muzzle of his pump-action through the rear window of the Duesenburg, he blasted at the two thugs in the rear seat. Amazingly he only seems to have grazed both of them, and they turned their guns on him, cruelly cutting him down. Frank’s gang then turned their attentions back to Jess. Jess sensing the game was up, stepped from the Talbot and calmly walked through the flying .45 slugs, toward Frank in the truck. Frank smiled inwardly at such bravado, then emptied his .45 into Jess’s crumpling form.
This tragic shoot-out, here in our own fair town, clearly marks the end of a major chapter in the gang wars of Chicago, but it is with greatest regret that it has cost the lives of three of Chicago’s finest. Their names and deserved citations were honoured today, in a moving speech by Mayor Kevin.

Cast;
Frank Moran – Colin
Curtis McElroy – William
“Fingers” Finigan – Kieran
“Bugs” Moran – Tony, “How many 1’s are on this d8?”
Detective Sean Fagen – Kevin, “Straight aces all the way”
GM – Phil

Rules: Savage World. Genre: 28mm Gangster skirmish.

Note: None of the Herald’s photographers were at the scene of the shootings. The pictures appearing above were wired to the Herald by freelance reporter, Colin Beermaker, using the new teleostereograph, the invention of Edouard Belin of Paris. Apparently these pictures were captured Colin’s telephonic device, by a process which completely mystifies the editor!?