Al Capone Original Gangster

Nickolas Vigil
Senior thesis
May 2016

Outline
Thesis

Al Capone wasnt as bad of a person like most people thought he was even if he
was involved with crime in many different ways. Capone was looked at as the Robin
Hood of his time through his peoples eyes. Although there were people who gave him a
bad image, He still managed to do with his business and kept doing what he was doing
for the well-being of the people.

When Capone was a young student, he was getting giving his catholic teacher a
lot of problems in class one day back in sixth grade which led him to hit the teacher.
Later he was sent to principal's office, the principal began to beat him, and shortly after,
he left school and never returned. The family moved to the outskirts of Brooklyn, where
he met Johnny Torrio. He was working for a bowling alley when he meet Torrio. Torrio
thought Capone everything he knew about organized crime and being a gangland boss
because he saw a lot of potential in him. Capone learned how to maintain a respectable
front, so no attention was brought to his racketeer business. These events impacted
Capones anger towards authority and cemented his life of a rebellion. Capone had
been running errands for Torrio and he later was introduced to Frankie Yale. Capone
later began to work for Frankie Yale who gave him a job at the Harvard Inn in Coney
Island. At a party, he had gotten into a tussle with a few rivals who slashed on the side
of his face with a knife or a razor blade and soon earned the nickname Scarface.

Torrio had then talked to Capone about moving down to chicago and helping start up a
business with Torrio's partners in 1909.

By 1920, Capone was in Chicago, his father had died, and he had married May
Coughlin. They soon had a son named Albert. His friend, Torrio was presented a
multi-million dollar operation over gambling, bootlegging and prostitution business
during prohibition era after the tragic loss of Torrio's partner. Rumors are told that
Frankie and Capone had planned to do an assassination towards his partner. Capone
began working beside him a lot more after the loss of his father
(http://www.history.com/topics/al-capone).

In 1925 Torrio had decided to retire and move back to italy and has left his best
man with the multi-million dollar operation to Capone. Capone was involved in many
violent acts of crime against his rivals. The valentines day massacre in 1929 was when
Capone ordered an assassination towards seven rivals that he thought were gaining too
much power. He was never found with any trace on any of his murders and was never
convicted of them . By 1931 he was convicted of 22 counts of income tax evasion and
was sensitised to ten years in Atlanta's prison. Three and a half years after he was later
transferred to Alcatraz. The years he spent in Alcatraz he began to have very poor
health became sick with syphilis. He became more and more confused and
disorientated as the days in solitary pass,later on his time was reduced to six and a half
years for good behavior. After serving his time he was released and he went to his

house down in the Palm Islands Miami, Florida. He slowly became to deteriorate
through the years right beside his wife and later died January 25, 1947. He was the
youngest of eight, the father who was a barber and mother a seamstress. A poor
immigrant Italian family who came to America for a better opportunity. How can
someone coming from hard working family who had nothing to do with him become one
of the most notorious gangsters?

He was raised to work hard, and to create a family of people who were devoted
to him. He was committed to business and found himself giving to the needy because of
his aversion to authority and government. Capone grew up during the great World
Wars, the Depression and the Prohibition Era. Gangsters of the day, had more power
that government and organized crime ran the most powerful business of the day.
Businesses included bootlegging, bookie joints, gambling houses, brothels, race tracks,
nightclubs and distilleries. The government was after Capone's money because they
weren't getting any part of it and were trying to convict him of his crimes. Government
tried to get him out of the city and erase his Robin Hood image, but after Torrino left for
Italy, Capone held huge power in the community.

Once Capone rose to power, he became more of a target for both the
government as well as other gangsters who wanted his power. As the rivalry became
more intense the violence increased and rival gangster Bugsy Moran and his gang tried
to take over the bootlegging business. On February 14, 1929, the gangs had a shootout

that later became known as the Valentine's Day massacre. However, because of his
earlier life of poverty, Capone had a soft spot for the needy.

Capone was a racketeer and criminal, but he made his money in the darker
trades such as booze, gambling, and prostitution. Then, he turned around and returned
his wealth to the larger community through financing soup kitchens, and providing milk
to schools. Capone also built entertainment businesses that provided jobs for the
community during a very poor stretch of history. The Robin Hood image developed
through the Great Depression because he had money and others who needed it the
most did not. The soup kitchens and clothes, donated to the needy, supported many
families and resulted in an even larger following.

Unfortunately, as Capone became more wealthy, he was driven more by ego and
power. His image started to suffer, and by 1931, Capone was convicted of tax evasion
and sent to Alcatraz. Although prosecutors were unable to convict him of the brutal
murders he had started to commit, he didnt pay taxes on his black market earnings and
the government was able to convict him of 22 counts of tax evasion and sent to in 1931
(http://www.biography.com/people/al-capone-9237536) .

Capone started off with good intentions and had a good mind of being thoughtful
for the needy. Capone showed many people that he might be harder but he has his

weakness to the people in need. When Capone gained his multi million dollar operation
he became very obsessed with power which lead him to be greedy. Capones anger
issues and the loss of his father may have been a big trigger for him becoming a violent
and greedy person, which made Capone lose his respect from his people. Capone
started to lose his respectable front which brought out his racketeer work; he became
obsessed with his power, he stopped trying to be unseen and began to plan on how he
was going to take out his rivals. Doing all this scandalism in the city of Chicago police
began to try to take out or split up Capone's gang and the operation. Capone started off
with his Robin Hood image but then later on crashed and lead him to corruption and a
lot of hate from the people. In the end Capone ended up in one of the worst prisons in
the world and was diagnosed with one of the worst stds as well. The city of Chicago
became less violent community and the gang split up.

Although the era of organized crime was transforming, Capone and his people
created a foundation of class, business and hierarchical rules that kept some sense of
order in the underworld. Now, young gangsters are hot headed and lacking in class.
They do not see the opportunity to become part of a community as the oldschool
gangsters did. Businesses are not the same, and are set up for personal gain and
greed. If todays young people who are attracted to a life of rebellion learned more
about the days of Capone, perhaps they would not look like lower-class citizens and
would find themselves a higher purpose and connection to business rather than street
violence and repping colors.

Work Cited

Biography.com Editors, and Biography.com Editors, eds.

http://www.biography.com/people/al-capone-9237536. May 26, 2016. A&E Television Networks,
26 May 2016. Web. 5 Jan. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/al-capone-9237536>.

A+E Networks, ed. History.com. History.com Staff, 2009. Web. 26 May 2016.
<http://www.history.com/topics/al-capone>.

Famous Cases and Criminals." FBI. Ed. Fbi N/a N/a. FBI, 21 May 2010. Web. 26 May 2016.
<https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/al-capone.>.

The Untouchables. Perf. Kevin Costner, Sean Connery. 2004. DVD.