Jack Zuta was essentially the comptroller of the North Side Chicago mob led by Bugs Moran. The primary rival to Al Capone's syndicate dominance in Chicago of the 1920s, Moran's gang had fallen on poor fortunes by the early 1930s. Zuta was caught up in the hit that killed Chicago Tribune reporter Jake Zingle. Shot in broad daylight Zuta may have been responsible for fingering the newsman who was Capone's friend. Under a police escort to his North Side digs, Zuta escaped during a gun battle fracas that erupted in the streets of Chicago.