Edwin’s Roadhouse aka
Capone’s MIAMI GARDENS
Rio C Burke (8/29/1900 - 11/1/1994)
In 1992, Rio Burke, the last
surviving member of Al
Capone’s gang, visited Miami
Gardens. Rio was born Raye
Rucker in Richmond,
Kentucky, and later changed
her name to Raye when she
went to work for Big Jim
Colosimo, performing at the
age of 19 as a singer at his nightclub located at 2128
S Wabash Ave., Chicago, Il. If her singing career
didn’t already make her famous, her first marriage
eventually did when she took the hand of Dominic
Roberto (aka Roberts)
on April 14th, 1924.
Dominic owned a
nightclub in Chicago
Heights, and they lived
in the residence with
Jim Emery for 5 years. It
was during that time
that Dominic became a
top lieutenant for Al
Capone, when he formed an alliance with the other
club owners to overthrow Philip Piazza, then mob
boss residing over the Chicago Heights syndicate.
Piazza had been collecting protection money from
all the Chicago Heights club owners, but stopped all
payments to the Chicago Outfit when Torrio left
town. Piazza did not support Capone. With the
alliance in place, Dominic secured the assistance of
Capone, and on July 22nd, 1926, 2 gunmen killed
Piazza outside his Milano Cafe at the corner of 16th
and Lowe. All of Piazza’s lieutenants were
eliminated, and Dominic Roberto became Capone’s
lieutenant over the South territory that stretched
from 95th Street in Chicago South to Kankakee,
Illinois, which was managed by the Macaluso
brothers; East to Gary, Indiana; and West to Joliet,
Illinois.
Frank Nitti
As Rio toured our building,
recalling many details about Miami
Gardens from her past;
(information that we preserved from that special
visit) one of her first memories was about Frank
Nitti, Al Capone’s cousin. Rio talked about him as if
it were yesterday, providing many details about an
evening when she witnessed Frank Nitti shoot a
hitman, from St. Louis, that was flirting with his
girlfriend. The victim was at Miami Gardens to “cool
off” after doing a job for the Outfit in Chicago.
Albert Anselmi & John
Scalise
Another story Rio shared was about
the murders of Anselmi and Scalise.
She talked about life as a mobster’s
wife, and Dominic Roberto. “The
women always kept to themselves,” but she
indicated that she usually knew what was going on.
She stated “I remember Dominic coming here
(Miami Gardens) for a special meeting with his boss,
and he returned home very early on the next
morning. It was that next day that I read about
these murders in the paper, and I realized that
could have happened here.”
Calument City
The Strip in Calument City was the Midwest’s
version of Las Vegas, and featured all the
usual amenities including top entertainment,
gambling and alcohol.
The Richmond Register
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