Background
Born in New York City, Morton grew up in Chicago in the Jewish neighborhood centering on Maxwell Street.
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Samuel Morton
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The Chicago police also suspected him of at least two murders. World War I
After the United States declared war on Imperial Germany, Morton enlisted in the American Expeditionary Force. He served with distinction and was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Republic.
By the war"s end, he had been promoted to Lieutenant.
Death
Morton was to die an early death at the hands (or hooves) of a horse. While riding in Lincoln Park, he was thrown from his horse and trampled to death.
Morton received a funeral with full military honors by the American Legion. He was seen off by prominent politicians, city officials, and gangsters.
According to the Chicago Daily News, 5,000 Jews paid their respects to Morton that day.
Morton"s death and its aftermath would later be fictionalized in the film The Public Enemy. The incident may also have inspired the infamous horse head scene from Mario Puzo"s The Godfather.
Achievements
Membership
Grief-stricken members of the North Side gang, including George "Bugs" Moran, Vincent "The Schemer" Drucci, Earl "Hymie" Weiss, and Louis "Two Gun" Alterie took the offending horse from its stables, led it to the spot where Morton died, and then shot the horse "with four slugs to the head".
