Louis Alterie
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Louis "Two Gun" Alterie (2 August 1886-18 July 1935) was a Chicago mobster and member of Dion O'Bannion's North Side Gang during the early years of Prohibition. He also went by "Diamond Jack Alterie" among other aliases.
Born Leland A. Varain, in northern California, the son of a rancher, Alterie joined the ranks of the predominantly Irish North Side gang under Dion O'Banion (which also sported the likes of Hymie Weiss, Vincent Drucci, and George Moran) in the early 1920s. A colorful member of the North Siders, he was a Western enthusiast with the habit of wearing two holstered Colt .45 revolvers. As well as being a top gunman, he was also involved in union extortion. Alterie killed more then 20 rival hoods during the North Side gang wars against the South Side group of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone, the Genna brothers gang of "Little Italy", and other rival factions.
After the murder of North Side leader O'Banion in 1924, Alterie publicly challenged O'Banion's killers to a shootout on State Street. Knowing that this would result in the unwanted attention of both rival gangs and city officials, George Moran convinced Alterie to leave Chicago for a time until it was safe to return.
Alterie went to stay at his Moonridge ranch in Jarre Canon, Colorado. However, after a gangland shooting incident in Glenwood Springs, Colorado during November 1932, he was forced leave the state by 1 February 1933 and agreed not to return for a period of five years.
Despite this, over the next few years Alterie tried to return to Colorado and was arrested for vagrancy when he returned to Chicago in October 1933. While Alterie did return to Colorado briefly, he ultimately went back to Chicago.
In June 1935, Alterie was forced to testify against Ralph Capone (the brother of Al Capone, nicknamed "Bottles") on a tax evasion charge. Shortly after this, he was killed while leaving his North Side apartment on the morning of 18 July 1935. Ironically he was killed by a technique he perfected during Prohibition. Snipers had been laying in wait across from his apartment and opened fire as he left.
