Al Capone, born to Gabriele and Teresina Capone, was born in Brooklyn, New York. At age 5 he starrted school at Public School no. 7 on Adams street. Als school had outbreaks of violence. Male Students engaged in fist fights with female teachers. At age 14 he engaged in a fight between himself and a teacher. He was expelled and he never returned to school again. One of the biggest impacts on his life was when he and his family moved across town. This is where he would meet his wife, Mae and gangster Johnny Torrio. Al was exposed to Johnny Torrio because Johnnys headquarters was only a few blocks away.
Al earned pocket money by running errands for Johnny Torrio. Torrio taught Capone the importance of leading an outwardly respectiable life to segregate his carreer from his home life, as if maintaining a peacefull, conventional domestic setting somehow excused or legitimized the venality of workingin the rackets. I was a form of hypocrisg that was second nature to Johnny Torrio and that taught Capone to honor (A&E Biography. Al Capone, Scareface). Like youths of his time he ran in territorial gangs at first he was with the South Brooklyn Rippers, then the Forty Theives, and lastly the Five Point Juniors.
Capone worked hard at boreing jobs he cut paper and other odd jobs. One of his jobshe worked at the Harward Inn as a barr tender and a bouncer. He became popular to his customersand his boss. One day he waited tables on a young man and his female companion. She was Beautiful to the young Capone. He leaned over and told her, Honey, you have a nice ass and I mean that as a compliment. The young man hit Al. Als temper began to rise. The man pulled a knife and cut him three times in the face. The young man told Lucky Luciano what happened. Then Luciano went to Frankie Yale.
Then Frankie, Luciano and the young man came together to dispence some justice on Capone. Capone ended up just appoligising to the man and the young woman. Frankie Yale liked Capone and decided to take him under his wing. He showed Capone strong arm tactics, bookkeepping, loan sharking, extortion, exacting tribute from pimps and bookmakers and also how to offer protection to local busisnesses. Al met Mae Loughlin and didnt marry her until their child was born. Afterwards focused on a ligetiment carreer. So he moved to Baltimore and was a bookkeeper for Peter Aiellos construction firm.
After the death of his father in 1920, he rusumed his relationship with Johnny Torrio and moved to Chicago where Torrio had expanded his rackteering game. The flesh trade was big at this time and the biggest pimp of them all was Big Jim. Big Jim brought in Torrio to run his opperation. Big Jim was asssassinated by Yale, so Yale could take over his outfit but Torrio was able to maintain the multi-million dollar a year business. When Prohibition came about Johnny had to over see thousands of whorehouses, gambling joints, and speakeasies. In 1921 Torrio became partners with the oung Al Capone. He made Al the fulltime manager of the Four Deuces in the Levee area. Torrio took his mother, who was ill, back to Italy so Al was encharged of all business.
When Johnny left, Capone made it clear that he wanted an all out conquest of the town. While Johnny was gone Al had to get a loan, he went to Jack Guzik and Guzik called him a dago pimp. So capone came back and shot him dead. William McSwinggin, a prosecutor, decided to try to convict Capone but in despite of his diligence he was not able to convict because eye witnesses developed a false memory. Dion OBanion was a orce to be reckoned with, he set Torrio up with a raid and Torrio vowed revenge to Dion. So three of Torrios men went to OBanions flowershop and killed him dead. Dions funeral was a celebration of sorts to Capone and Torrio because they would take over Dions bootlegging territory. Torrio went down to Hot Springs, Arkansas to chill out until things blew over.
Twelve years later he returned to Chicago and he and his wife were entering their apartment building and he was shot and wounded 3 times. Four weeks later he shocked everyone by appearing in court to face charges about the raid and went o jail for nine months. While he was in prison he decided to retire and leave everything to Al. Als power increased imeansly because he retired. Capone and one of his associates planned the murder of Bugs Moran. While Al was chilling in Florida. Machine Gun McGurn, Fred KillerBurke, James Kay, Jon Scalise, and Albert Anselmi were to assassinate Bugs. They lured the bootlegger to a garage by tring to sell some whiskey for real cheap. McGurns men would be waiting for them dressed in stolen police uniforms and trench coats as if they were staging a raid.
Playin their part as raider the men stormed the Garage and found seven other men including the Gusenberg brothers who had tried to murder McGurn. They were caught in the act, so they did what they were instructed to do. They lined up the assians against the wall, then the four men in police uniforms took the bootleggers guns: 2 machine guns, a sawed off shotgun, and a . 45 and opened fire on the men. They slumped to the floor dead except for Frnk Gusenburg who was still breathing. It was perfect except for the fact the man it was planned for didnt show up untill later.
Bugs had left so he wouldnt get caught in the raid. Gusenberg had 22 bullet wounds. Who shot You? , ask Sergent Sweeney. Nobody shot me, whispered Gusenburg (http://www. crime. com/capone. htm. Al Capone). He kept refusing to tell who shot him until he died some few minutes later. The police figured out who the target was and the beneficiary if the execution had been sucessful, but the police still had no evidence. The police dropped the charges against McGurn since he had an air tight alibi. It was the most publicity a gang event had ever recieved. He had glamour and everything.
It even got Herbert Hoovers attention. Then Capone was called infront of a grand jury in Chicago. Al just didnt understand the forces against him. Hoover sent the IRS and other federal task fources out to get Capone. Capone tried to turn over his empire to Johnny Torrio, but he refused. Capone was endited for tax evasion a few weeks later. Finally enough evidence was collected from Als bootlegging business to convince a grand jury that Capone was violating Prohibition Laws as well as evadinghis taxes. A movie was made about the ordeal with Michael Malone playing
Capone. Capone rode out all the media harassement at home in Maimi Beach. Capone even tried to change his image so he started a soup kitchen. Al was finally convicted and sent to the United States Penitentary in Atlanta. He quickly became the most famous prisoner. Attorney General Thorne Cummings took over Alcatraz Island to warehouse dangerous crimminals. In 1934 Capone was sent to Alcatrez, his days of being famous were over. There would be no more smuggled letters or messages.
All mail of any kind was sensored then retyped by guards with prohibited ubjects ommitted, which included the faintest whiff of business or doings with former associates. They censored all current events. No newspapers were allowed and magizines had to be more than seven months old. He lost his popularity fast but he handled it fine. He had neurosyphilis which he had contracted at a younger age. It went in to a relapse. He was confused and disorented. So his sentence was lightened because of work credits, good behavior, and other stuff. He was at his Palm Island home on January 25, 1947, when he died at the age of 48.
