Your Daily Hood: Tony Accardo

​ Tony Accardo (1906-1992) was known as “Joe Batters” for his skill using a baseball bat for something other than America’s favorite pastime. He became leader of the Chicago Outfit around 1944 after Frank Nitti’s suicide. As a leader, Accardo was without peer. Considered the most powerful crime boss in America, Accardo famously never spend a single night in jail. Fun fact: Accardo is thought to have been one of the gunmen at the St. Valentine’s Massacre. He turned over the leadership role in the mid-1950s to Sam Giancana and became the power behind the throne. He died quietly of respiratory failure at home.