Maurice Enright

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Mossy" Maurice Enright (d. February 2, 1920) was an Irish-American gangster and one of the earliest Chicago labor racketeers in the early 20th century.

Little is known of Maurice Enright's background before his gang's violent and brutal methods managed to dominate Chicago's labor unions by the end of the 1900s. During the early 1910s Enright was instrumental in the rise of Johnny Torrio providing invaluble political protection from First Ward vice district Alderman John Coughlin and Michael Kenna. Enright remained in control of the cities labor unions into the early months of Prohibition until his death in 1920, most likely involving Al Capone, shortly before James Colosimo. Although Vincent Cosmano was later arrested and eventually acquitted for the murder, only labor union racketeer James Vinci would be convicted of Enright's murder.

[edit] Further reading

  • Tim Novak, Robert C. Herguth and Steve Warmbir. One family's rise, a century of power, Chicago Sun-Times, May 22, 1906. (Discusses the opinion of the Chicago Police Department regarding the alleged involvement of reputed Outfit (organized crime) boss Bruno Roti, Sr. in the murder of Maurice "Moss" Enright).