Introduction
It cannot be denied that gang activity has always been a recurring problem in the United States, but it is notable to know that gang activity in itself has a colorful history behind it. There are many gangsters and criminals throughout the history of the United States, and one of the most infamous of them is the iconic American gangster Al Capone. A criminal from the Prohibition Era, he was the leader of the Chicago Outfit—a crime syndicate known for illegally distributing alcohol during that time.
Al Capone himself had a colorful biography worth detailing. Delving into details of his personal life can give insight not only to his behavior and actions, but how society behaved and acted during that course of history. Capone’s actions in the Prohibition era was a testament of the hard times people have to live through during that time, and how his gang exploited the people.
Al Capone: Early Years
Al Capone was born on the 17th of January, 1889 in Brooklyn, New York to Italian immigrants named Gabriele Capone and Teresa Capone. Al’s dad worked as a barber while his mom worked as a seamstress. He had eight other siblings, two of which—Ralph and Frank—worked for him later on in his criminal activity. The neighborhood he grew up on was poor, though, and littered with vices anywhere—a common environment during that time (Iorizzo 2003, 10).
As a child, Al Capone showed signs of a promising student. However, he had trouble following the strict rules of the Catholic school he was enrolled in. Eventually, he quit schooling at the age of 14 when he was expelled for hitting a female teacher in the face (14). After his education years, he worked at odd jobs such as in candy stores and bowling alleys. It was at that time when he was exposed to gangster Johnny Torrio. Capone would later on say that he viewed the latter as a mentor figure.
Capone also had a family of his own. He married Irish Catholic Josephine Coughlin on December 30, 1918 at age 19. He also had a son named Albert Francis Capone (23).
Al Capone: The Criminal Life
Torrio taught him some of the tricks of the trade such as running a crime syndicate under the front of a respectable business. Because of Torrio, Capone learned how to commit organized crime instead of a crude one. Eventually, Capone joined Torrio’s James Street Boys gang, and then rose to the Five Points Gang. On one occasion, a thug slashed Capone with a sharp object on his left cheek because the latter insulted his sister while working at a Brooklyn night club. This caused Capone to earn the nickname “Scarface”—a moniker that would be used later on in his life (34).
Prohibition laws fueled the proliferation of organized crime activities at that era. In 1909 Torrio moved to Chicago to run his gang’s brothel business. In 1920, he asked Capone to work alongside him, after working at various jobs in Brooklyn, one of which caused him to contract syphilis. It was believed that one of the killers of Torrio’s boss was Capone. Thus the former rose among the ranks of the crime syndicate which increased in power and wealth during the time of the Prohibition, with Capone acting as his right hand man (52).
In 1925, Torrio retired and thus Capone controlled the Chicago crime scene thereafter. His gang engaged in smuggling brewery products from all over America, resorting to violence whenever an establishment refused to purchase liquor from him. In order to evade security and law enforcement, he used bribery and intimidation in order to make the authorities turn a blind eye regarding his criminal activities. He also was very conscientious regarding security—he never left his headquarters without being accompanied by two bodyguards, and only traveled during night whenever possible. He also never used bank accounts, nor signed any property under his name. (56).
It can be theorized that the strict laws regarding the Prohibition during the time fueled much of the success of Capone’s gang. Because alcohol was deemed as illegal during that time, Capone’s business made a lot of profit selling this commodity in the underground scene, which furthered his reputation as a fearsome gangster. Liquor being made illegal only heightened people’s curiosity around it, which caused it to become sought after in many societies. Naturally, Capone’s gang would take advantage of this demand. Using the tricks he learned from Torrio, he successfully built an empire of gang activity while presenting himself to his public a façade of a legitimate and wealthy businessman. Even though there were many speculations regarding his criminal activities, he was never acquitted for the most part because of the lack of criminal evidence, or his manipulation of that authorities.
The Valentine’s Day Massacre
The most infamous event associated with Capone was perhaps the Valentine’s Day Massacre. Since the law was restrictive during the time, it is no wonder that many gangs were present and there were fighting amongst each other. As a gang leader, Capone made a lot of enemies during his stint. Some of them, like Frank Yale, were murdered quite effortlessly, but some continued to be a threat to Capone’s operation for years. One such person is George ‘Bugs’ Moran, leader of the North Siders gang. The act of Capone’s gang to hunt down Moran resulted in killing of seven of the latter’s men in an event known as the Valentine’s Day Massacre.
In order to kill Moran, the original plan was to lure the latter’s gang into buying liquor and then staging a fake raid, in which they would kill them afterwards. However, one gang member—Frank Gusenberg—survived the ambush, though he would die later. Furthermore, Moran was not among those who were killed.
Even though Capone was in Florida at that time, police already knew who staged the massacre. In a fit of rage, Capone killed three people who he thought who would betray him by pounding them with a baseball bat (97).
Arrest, Trials, Imprisonment, and Death
On October 17, 1931, Capone was found guilty of several counts of tax evasion. Capone’s gang tried to bribe some of the jury members beforehand, but the members were changed suddenly on the day of the trial itself, which shocked Capone’s side. Judge Wilkerson, the officer presiding over the trial, sentenced him to eleven years in prison without bail, fines amounting $50,000 and court costs of $30,000. During his trial, it was questioned as to how he can live in luxury even though people during that time were impoverished and destitute (112).
In 1932, Capone was sent to the Atlanta US Penitentiary in Georgia. By that time, his various health problems such as his syphilis, gonorrhea, and cocaine withdrawal was beginning to get the better of him. In 1934, he was transferred to Alcatraz in San Francisco. His health had gone for the worst by that time—his syphilis has worsened to the point that he was often confused and disoriented with his surroundings. He was eventually released from prison, and in January 25, 1947, he died due to a cardiac arrest. He was aged 48 by then (124).
References
Iorizzo, Luciano J. Al Capone: A Biography. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing, 2003.
