Hugh “Stubby” McGovern was a former Ragen’s Colt member, an early Chicago gang and a member of the Ralph Sheldon Gang, though the media believed he had fallen out with Sheldon when it was discovered that Sheldon was shorting McGovern by as much as $1500 a week.
McGovern was a 5 foot 4, hot headed, cold blooded gunman, who declared open gang warfare on Chicago’s gangland, Ralph Sheldon, Al Capone, Spike O’Donnell, Danny Stanton and Eddie Donovan all took the threat seriously, Capone was even reported to have consulted with his henchmen to try avoid bloodshed.
McGovern seemed to be serious in his declaration of war, its believed he was the gunman who had taken shots on professional target “Spike” O’Donnell, a man who had survived 10 assassination attempts and his partner Danny McFall, neither were hit in that attempt.
“Stubby” McGovern and his partner William “Gunner” McPadden were shot to death by gunman George Maloney in the Granada Cafe, whilst sitting at a table.
McGovern had been marked for death ever since he attempted to kill Michael “Bubs” Quinlan a rival of the Sheldon Gang. McGovern had been hiding in a basement across the street of a bar Quinlan had been in, and opened fire with a machine gun, a bartender, Ralph Murphy, died in the shooting, “Bubs” Quinlan was uninjured.
George Maloney was tasked will rubbing out McGovern. George Maloney had two .38 guns which he sawed the barrels off and kept in his pockets.
On December 1929, George Maloney went to the Granada Club where he spotted Hugh McGovern sitting with William “Gunner” McPadden, Maloney walked over to their table and shot McGovern twice from a gun in his pocket, he then turned and shot William McPadden, killing him also.
