John Patrick Looney
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John Patrick Looney (1865–1942) was an
Irish-American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
political fixer and
Irish mob The Irish Mob (also known as the Irish mafia or Irish organized crime) is a collective of organized crime syndicates composed of ethnic Irish members which operate primarily in Ireland, the United States, Canada and Australia, and have been in ...
boss based in Rock Island, Illinois during the early 20th century. At the height of his power, Looney controlled most of the
illegal gambling Gaming law is the set of rules and regulations that apply to the gaming or gambling industry. Gaming law is not a branch of law in the traditional sense but rather is a collection of several areas of law that include criminal law, regulatory law, ...
, prostitution, bootlegging, and racketeering in Rock Island. Through his tabloid
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
''Rock Island News'', he was able to blackmail and intimidate his opponents. Looney's empire came to an end when he was eventually indicted for murder after a gang war in 1922. He went on the run but was captured two years later. In 1925, he was convicted of murder and numerous other crimes. He served only eight and a half years. Looney is the inspiration for the character of John Rooney, who was played by actor Paul Newman in the Sam Mendes film ''
Road to Perdition ''Road to Perdition'' is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self from the graphic novel of the same name written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. The film ...
''. Furthermore, Looney's family house still survives in the Highland Park Historic District in Rock Island.


Background

John Looney, son of
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
immigrants, was born in
Ottawa, Illinois Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the navigable Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The Illinois River is a conduit for river barges and connects Lake Michigan at Chicago, to the Mississippi Ri ...
.Michael Newton, ''Gangsters Encyclopedia'', Anova Books, 2007, pp. 85-87. He studied law and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1889. He practiced with his partner Frank H. Kelly; he had his first real brush with the law in 1897 when he and Kelly were indicted for
conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agre ...
to
defraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...
the city by using inferior materials. The convictions were overturned on appeal. Looney soon ventured into politics, and went on to hold a prominent position in the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
. He would eventually run for, but lose, election to the
Illinois State Legislature The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 18 ...
.


''Rock Island News''

Looney attributed his loss at the election to the ''
Rock Island Argus ''The Dispatch–Argus'' is a daily morning newspaper in East Moline, Illinois and circulated primarily throughout the Illinois side of the Quad Cities — Moline, East Moline, Rock Island and Rock Island County, but also for sale in retail esta ...
'', which wrote many negative opinion articles on him. In response, Looney founded the ''Rock Island News'', which he used to blackmail prominent Rock Island citizens. In 1905, Looney bought the Mirror Lounge, a closed club to use for his law office on the 1st floor and to publish his newspaper on the second floor. After purchasing the building, John brought his brothers William (Bill) and Jeremiah (Jerry) to Rock Island from Ottawa to help him run the paper. During the early 20th century, Looney published many articles that attacked the ''Rock Island Argus'' and threaten to expose the deep dark secrets some of Rock Island's most prominent residents. The residents attacked by Looney threats were blackmailed into paying "kill fees" to kill articles before they were published. However, by 1908, Looney was desperate for money to keep all of his operations afloat, so he was forced to sell ''Rock Island News'' to W.W. Wilmerton.''Citadel of Sin: The John Looney Story'', p. 26. However, Looney had no plans to relinquish his control of the newspaper. The night after Looney sold the paper, Wilmerton shut down the newspaper, which angered Looney. Later that night, a bomb exploded at the printing press in the newspaper's building, which Looney still owned. Looney refused a $7,000 insurance settlement, and the insurance company canceled his policy. In November, two mysterious fires would destroy the Mirror Lounge. The first fire on November 2 caused $32,000 worth of damage to the building, destroying the Mirror Saloon, run by Dan Drost. The second fire started the day before the insurance was canceled, causing $75,000 worth of damage to the Mirror building. Looney was accused of setting the fire by Dan Drost; he later admitted to helping Looney set the fire. With Looney unable to publish his newspaper for a year after he sold it, he was left powerless in Rock Island politics since he was unable to blackmail its residents. Looney resumed his publishing from the garage on the side of his house called "The Roost" in 1909. Looney moved his newspaper again in 1924 to the upper story of his mansion overlooking the Rock River. However, when Looney began to publish his first newspaper again for the first time on February 6, 1909, he personally attacked Wilmerton and his family on the front page. This personal attack of Wilmerton family led to a downtown shootout on February 22, 1909. Near the Safety on 3rd Avenue and 18th Street in Rock Island Illinois Looney was shot in the side, but he was not seriously injured. Wilmerton was arrested, but was never charged with a crime. The "Bel-Aire" house at which this gunfight occurred can be viewed just slightly west of 30th street in Rock Island on River Heights Road. Looney was also subject to several other failed attempts to kill him.


Crime

Looney had a hand in match fixing, prostitution,
illegal gambling Gaming law is the set of rules and regulations that apply to the gaming or gambling industry. Gaming law is not a branch of law in the traditional sense but rather is a collection of several areas of law that include criminal law, regulatory law, ...
, and
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
. Gambling and prostitution took place in the basement of the building which housed the ''Rock Island News''. He had also been accused of
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
and blackmail. He allegedly would have one of his prostitutes walk up to a man and throw her arms around him, and once she did he would snap a photograph. Looney would then threaten to publish the photograph in the ''Rock Island News'' unless a cash payment was provided.


Riots

In March 1912, one of Looney's lieutenants, Anthony Billburg, was arrested for extortion. According to accounts, Looney asked the Mayor of Rock Island, Harry M. Schriver, not to prosecute Billburg. After Schriver refused, Looney published an article on the front page of his paper accusing him of having an affair in Peoria. In response, Schriver had Looney arrested and closed down the ''Rock Island News'' on March 22. Four days later, a large crowd gathered in Market Square, stirred and agitated by associates of Looney. They stormed the police station. Attempts by the police to quell the mob resulted in the death of two rioters.The Political Graveyard: Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace: Illinois
The riots prompted
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Charles Deneen to declare
martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...
in Rock Island and ordered the
National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...
to the city. Throughout the night there were minor disturbances which were resolved whenever the National Guard troops made an appearance. After the riots, raids were carried out on prostitution houses. All public gatherings were banned, and all saloons were closed. Afterward, Looney left Rock Island to go to a ranch in
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
, staying there until 1921.


Homecoming

In 1921 Looney returned to Rock Island and regained control of his paper. With
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...
now the law, he had control of approximately 150 gambling dens and brothels. Looney extorted protection from local business in collaboration with corrupt police officers and politicians.


Downfall

In 1922, before a national convention of the fremasonic Grotto, Looney's thugs provided – i.e. sold – protection for law violators. Prohibition agents, following up on raids made during the convention met with William Gabel, who provided them with canceled checks endorsed by John Looney. Gabel was murdered on July 31, 1922, which prompted a gang war in which 12 people were murdered. Meanwhile, through editorials, the ''Rock Island Argus'' lambasted the community for having allowed gangsters to gain control of Rock Island. In return, Looney's paper published articles implicating the ''Argus'' in Gabel's murder. The gang war ended on October 6, 1922, when Looney and his son Connor were talking in their car in Market Square. Two vehicles pulled up behind them and opened fire. John Looney ran to the nearby Sherman Hotel and returned fire. Connor Looney was killed in the vehicle. On October 26, 1922, all stills, speakeasies, and brothels under Looney's control were closed down, and his house was raided for weapons. Schriver and the former police chief were arrested and later convicted of vice protection conspiracy. Looney was indicted for the murder of William Gabel and for running a theft ring which spanned several states, but Looney fled to Ottawa, Illinois and then to New Mexico. Looney was apprehended in New Mexico in November 1924. He was convicted in 1925 of "conspiracy to protect gambling, prostitution and illicit liquor traffic in Rock Island". Looney was later charged and convicted of the murder of Willam Gabel and prosecuted in Galesburg. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and served 8½ years. Looney died in 1942 at a
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
sanitarium in
El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
.


Fictional portrayals

John Looney served as the model for John Rooney, a major character in
Max Allan Collins Max Allan Collins (born March 3, 1948) is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his '' Road to Perdition'' series was the basis for a film of the same name. He wrote the ''Di ...
' graphic novel ''
Road to Perdition ''Road to Perdition'' is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self from the graphic novel of the same name written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. The film ...
''. The character was portrayed by Paul Newman in Sam Mendes' 2002 film adaptation. In the film, the war between loyal lieutenant Dan Drost is the basis for the war between Michael Sullivan and John Rooney.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Looney, John Patrick 1865 births 1947 deaths American newspaper founders American people convicted of murder 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Illinois lawyers American gangsters of Irish descent American gangsters American crime bosses People convicted of murder by Illinois People from Rock Island, Illinois Prohibition-era gangsters Tuberculosis deaths in Texas Journalists from Illinois