Buzz
Alphonse Capone, born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian immigrants Gabriele and Teresa, emerged as one of history's most infamous gangsters. Known as the Robin Hood of Prohibition, he was both a folk hero to the working class and public enemy number one to federal authorities, cementing his legacy as a defining figure of his era. Here’s a deeper look into the life of the man called Scarface.
1. Al Capone’s fiery temper was evident from a young age.
In his early years, Capone frequented the docks near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Despite being a bright student, his temper got the better of him at 14 when he attended P.S. 133 and hit a teacher. Some reports claim he was expelled, while others suggest he dropped out voluntarily. Regardless, his formal education ended there.
2. After dropping out of school, Al Capone took on various odd jobs and even dabbled in semi-professional baseball.
Once he left school, Capone began working at places like a candy store, a bowling alley, and a bindery. He earned extra cash at a pool hall on 20 Garfield Place and joined a semi-professional baseball team in Brooklyn alongside his brother Ralph.
3. Al Capone was involved with multiple gangs.
While holding down legitimate jobs, Capone also ran with street gangs that engaged in minor crimes and acts of vandalism. He was part of the South Brooklyn Rippers, the Junior Forty Thieves, and Johnny Torrio’s James Street Boys gang, where he became Torrio’s apprentice. By 16, he had joined the Five Point Gang, named after Manhattan’s infamous 19th-century slum.
4. The infamous nickname Scarface came from a bar fight.
Under Torrio’s guidance, Capone met Brooklyn racketeer Frankie Yale, also known as Frank Uale. Yale employed Capone as a bartender and part-time bouncer at his Coney Island dance hall and saloon, the Harvard Inn. Legend has it that while working there, Capone allegedly offended the sister of a local criminal named Frank Galluccio, who retaliated by slashing Capone’s face three times with a pocket knife. However, Mario Gomes of MyAlCaponeMuseum.com uncovered a December 1918 article in the Brooklyn Daily Times stating that “Alfonzo Capone” was approached by two men and had his cheek slashed (though the article misidentified the side of the face). Gomes suggests that Capone insulted Galluccio’s sister at another venue, prompting Galluccio to attack him later at a restaurant.
Regardless of the details, the scars from the incident earned Capone the infamous “Scarface” nickname, which he disliked. (He preferred the nickname "Snorky," a term of endearment from close friends that highlighted his sharp style.) Later, Capone falsely claimed the scars were from shrapnel wounds sustained during World War I in France, despite never having served in the war.
Despite the lasting scars inflicted by Galluccio, Yale’s mediation ensured no lingering animosity. When Capone rose to power in the Chicago mob, he hired Galluccio as his bodyguard, paying him an extraordinary $100 per week.
5. Al Capone relocated to Chicago in 1919.
There are two accounts of how Capone ended up in Chicago: One claims it was due to Capone attacking a member of the rival White Hand gang, who vowed revenge. This led Yale to send Capone and his family to Chicago to work with Torrio, who had moved there in 1909 to join Chicago Outfit leader James "Big Jim" Colosimo.
The alternative story suggests Capone moved to Chicago because Torrio wanted his protégé to serve as his second-in-command. Capone arrived in 1919, and soon after, Colosimo was murdered—with either Capone or Yale suspected of carrying out the hit—leaving Torrio in charge.
6. Al Capone’s rise to power followed a violent shootout.
In November 1924, Dean O’Banion, leader of the Irish North Side Gang, was assassinated outside his florist shop on Torrio’s orders. The following year, the gang retaliated by attempting to kill Torrio in a shootout. Although Torrio was injured, he survived and, after a brief jail term, retired, handing control of the Chicago crime syndicate to the 26-year-old Capone.
7. Al Capone’s “Chicago Outfit” generated immense wealth.
Capone’s organized crime group, famously called the “Chicago Outfit,” propelled him to become one of the most infamous—and richest—mobsters in the country. Through illegal ventures like gambling, bootlegging, and racketeering, Capone’s gang earned approximately $100 million annually during the 1920s.
8. Al Capone’s brother worked as a Prohibition agent.
While Al Capone amassed wealth by defying the nationwide constitutional ban on alcohol, his older brother, James Vincenzo Capone, took a different path. Leaving New York in his teens, he adopted the name Richard James Hart (inspired by silent film star William S. Hart) and eventually became a federal Prohibition agent in Nebraska.
9. Al Capone faced local resistance after buying a Miami Beach home.
When Capone purchased a property on Miami Beach’s Palm Island in 1928, the community was far from welcoming. Miami authorities implemented the “Chicago Plan,” leading to Capone’s frequent arrests within city limits—at one point, he was detained three times in 10 days, often on vagrancy charges seemingly designed for him. Despite multiple arrests, he only served jail time once.
10. Al Capone was never prosecuted for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
The assassination of O’Banion—believed to involve Capone—ignited a five-year gang war in Chicago, culminating in the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
Capone survived several assassination attempts during the violent conflict between Chicago’s Italian and Irish gangs. He allegedly ordered the murder of George “Bugs” Moran, the new leader of the North Side Gang, who had assumed control after the deaths of previous leaders Hymie Weiss and Vincent Drucci.
On February 14, 1929, disguised as police officers, men staged a fake alcohol raid on Moran’s headquarters at 2122 North Clark Street. They lined up seven men against a wall—mistaking one for Moran, who was running late—and executed them. The sole witness, who survived briefly after police arrived, refused to speak.
Moran remained active in organized crime after Prohibition but died impoverished in Leavenworth Federal Prison in 1957. The perpetrators of the massacre were never identified, and Capone—who claimed to be in Miami at the time—was never charged for allegedly orchestrating the killings.
11. During the Great Depression, Al Capone operated a soup kitchen.
About a year after the 1929 stock market crash triggered the Great Depression, Capone established a soup kitchen at 935 South State Street in Chicago, advertising “Free Soup, Coffee & Doughnuts for the Unemployed” and feeding over 2000 people daily. While it appeared charitable, the move was likely a public relations strategy to improve his image following the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
The soup kitchen shut down soon after opening, with its operators claiming the nation’s economy had improved, despite rising unemployment rates. Shortly afterward, Capone faced indictment.
12. The infamous baseball bat scene in The Untouchables was rooted in real events.
While Capone typically delegated his violent tasks, he occasionally handled matters personally. For instance, when Sicilian mobster Joe Aiello convinced some of Capone’s own men—Chicago Outfit members Albert Anselmi, John Scalise, and Joseph Giunta—to betray him, Capone’s bodyguard Frank Rio uncovered the conspiracy.
As detailed in John Kobler’s Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone, Capone invited the traitors to dinner—a customary gesture before execution. After the meal, he confronted them about their betrayal. His bodyguards then bound the men to their chairs, and Capone, wielding a baseball bat, took matters into his own hands.
“He paced slowly along the table, stopping behind the first guest of honor. Gripping the bat with both hands, he brought it down with full force. Methodically, he struck repeatedly, shattering the man’s shoulders, arms, and chest. He then moved to the next man, reducing him to a broken heap, and finally to the third. Afterward, one of the bodyguards retrieved a revolver and executed each man with a shot to the back of the head.”
Brian De Palma later dramatized this event in The Untouchables, depicting Capone (Robert De Niro) hosting an extravagant dinner before personally executing a guest with a baseball bat.
13. Al Capone was the original “Public Enemy No. 1.”
On April 23, 1930, the Chicago Crime Commission, under attorney Frank J. Loesch, released its inaugural Public Enemies List, naming 28 notorious criminals. Loesch explained the list aimed to “keep the spotlight on Chicago’s most infamous gangsters, ensuring they remained under constant scrutiny by law enforcement and the public.” Capone claimed the top position.
14. Al Capone was ultimately imprisoned for tax evasion.
Capone’s imprisonment wasn’t due to his violent crimes but his failure to pay taxes. In 1927, the Supreme Court ruled that income from illegal liquor sales was taxable. Federal prosecutors proved Capone hadn’t paid income taxes from 1925 to 1929, leading to his conviction. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison, fined $50,000, and ordered to cover court costs. The FBI also noted he owed $215,000 in back taxes, plus interest.
15. Al Capone was a member of Alcatraz’s inmate band.
After serving part of his sentence in Atlanta’s U.S. Penitentiary, Capone was transferred to the newly opened Alcatraz in August 1934. Due to good behavior, he joined the Rock Islanders, an inmate band that performed Sunday concerts, where Capone played the banjo. He reportedly wrote a song, “Madonna Mia,” for his wife, Mae, though recent research reveals it was a 1930s tune Capone simply transposed to an easier key.
16. Al Capone’s release from Alcatraz was linked to his syphilis diagnosis.
Capone likely contracted syphilis from a prostitute during his early Chicago days. Left untreated, he developed neurosyphilis, showing symptoms during his time at Alcatraz. Diagnosed with syphilis of the brain in February 1938, he was moved to Terminal Island, a prison hospital near Los Angeles, in early 1939. By November, he was transferred to Pennsylvania and released on November 16, 1939.
After his release, Capone was treated with penicillin, but his physical and mental health continued to decline. The former gangster, aged 48, passed away from heart failure in Florida on January 25, 1947.
17. A Canadian town capitalized on Al Capone’s name for tourism.
While Capone’s bootlegging activities may have extended into Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed he never visited Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, despite the town’s promotional claims.
As stated on the RCMP’s website, “In 2000, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, launched a marketing campaign to boost tourism by alleging that Al Capone used the town’s tunnels for bootlegging during Prohibition. However, there is no evidence connecting Capone to Moose Jaw or even proving he ever entered Canada.”
