The Mysterious Shotgun Man of Death Corner

Chicago's Little Sicily was the hunting grounds for a vicious killer

During the 1910s, the corner of Oak and Milton Street (currently Cleveland Street) on Chicago’s Near North Side was known as “Death Corner” due to the frequent and numerous murders that took place in the area. At one time, it was considered the most dangerous neighborhood in the city.

The area was known as “Little Sicily” because of its large Italian immigrant population. It had also earned the nickname “Little Hell” due to both the flames and smoke from the gas works and steel mills on nearby Goose Island as well as the rampant crime and squalor that defined the area.

The neighborhood was an enclave for immigrants because of its close proximity to Goose Island where many were employed in the factories and mills. Many of these people toiled in extremely unsafe and difficult conditions to provide for their families.

Unfortunately, within this community of mainly hard-working immigrant…