Mob museum hits Vegas, but it's no sure bet_美文

Mob museum hits Vegas, but it's no sure bet

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Shirley Griffith. Today we take you to the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. The museum opened earlier this year in America’s gaming capital – Las Vegas, Nevada. Christopher Cruise went there and has our report.

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CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Las Vegas is famous for excitement, entertainment and casinos, businesses where lots of money can be won and lost. The city is not known for its arts or cultural organizations. But Las Vegas now has a world-class museum. It is the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. It tells about organized crime and one of the most famous crime groups: The American Mafia, also called the mob.

The Mob Museum is both informative and entertaining. It is filled with well-documented historical displays and interactive exhibits. When I visited, children and adults were enjoying the museum. It is one of the few places in Las Vegas that does not have slot machines or other games of chance -- except in its displays.

The Mob Museum opened this year on February fourteenth -- Valentine’s Day, an important day in Mafia history. It was on Valentine’s Day eighty-three years ago that the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre happened. Seven members of the Bugs Moran gang were shot and killed in Chicago, Illinois.

The killers belonged to a competing group headed by Al Capone. Al Capone was one of the most-feared and best-known criminals of the time. News of the killings appeared in newspapers across the country.