<P> The city became notorious worldwide for its rate of murders in the early 20th century, yet the courts failed to convict the killers . More than three - fourths of cases were not closed . Even when the police made arrests in cases where killers' identities were known, jurors typically exonerated or acquitted them . A blend of gender -, race -, and class - based notions of justice trumped the rule of law, producing low homicide conviction rates during a period of soaring violence . </P> <P> During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, rates of domestic murder tripled in Chicago . Domestic homicide was often a manifestation of strains in gender relations induced by urban and industrial change . At the core of such family murders were male attempts to preserve masculine authority . Yet, there were nuances in the motives for the murder of family members, and study of the patterns of domestic homicide among different ethnic groups reveals basic cultural differences . German male immigrants tended to murder over declining status and the failure to achieve economic prosperity . In addition, they were likely to kill all members of the family, and then commit suicide in the ultimate attempt at maintaining control . Italian men killed family members to save a gender - based ideal of respectability that entailed patriarchal control over women and family reputation . African American men, like the Germans, often murdered in response to economic conditions but not over desperation about the future . Like the Italians, the killers tended to be young, but family honor was not usually at stake . Instead, black men murdered to regain control of wives and lovers who resisted their patriarchal "rights". </P> <P> Progressive reformers in the business community created the Chicago Crime Commission (CCC) in 1919 after an investigation into a robbery at a factory showed the city's criminal justice system was deficient . The CCC initially served as a watchdog of the justice system . After its suggestion that the city's justice system begin collecting criminal records was rejected, the CCC assumed a more active role in fighting crime . The commission's role expanded further after Frank J. Loesch became president in 1928 . Loesch recognized the need to eliminate the glamor that Chicago's media typically attributed to criminals . Determined to expose the violence of the crime world, Loesch drafted a list of "public enemies"; among them was Al Capone, whom he made a scapegoat for widespread social problems . </P> <P> After the passage of Prohibition, the 1920s brought international notoriety to Chicago . Bootleggers and smugglers bringing in liquor from Canada formed powerful gangs . They competed with each other for lucrative profits, and to evade the police, to bring liquor to speakeasies and private clients . The most notorious was Al Capone . </P>

How did population transportation and resources affect the growth of chicago