Al Capone - the Infamous Crime Lord

Al Capone the Infamous Crime Lord

In the days of the early nineteen hundreds in the slums of New York, wealth was worshipped as if it was a religion. People in the slums who participated in immoral or illegal activities often gained this wealth. Young impressionable boys such as Capone often started out running legal errands for some extra cash. Many of these boys eventually became sucked in by the glamorous yet dangerous lifestyle of an organized crime. Al Capone fitting this stereotype thought that this would be his only way to survive and all he learned after he was kicked out of school in the sixth grade(Kolber 19) . He learned the way gangs were run by watching; when especially from Johnny Torrio an entrepreneurial gangster did not take part in a lot of the drinking and womanizing. He would end up teaching Capone everything he knew. Al Capone an Italian Immigrant from Brooklyn would start a huge gang empire starting at the young age of eighteen that would influence gangs all over the world and his ruling ways would be copied by future mob bosses(Web#3) .

When Al would get the job bartending at the Harvard Inn he was not planning on leading a life of crime but all his surroundings would change that fro him. After gaining some money young, Capone had now owned his own barbershop and was making an honest living (Nash 09). In my synopsis, he would not have gotten so deep into gang activity if he stayed away from Frankie Yale and the Harvard Inn. This job seemed to be going well for the first while. Although a conflict would happen that would leave him scarred for life. Capone ended making a rude comment to someone’s sister and was cut three times in his face. After this happened he was known as “Scarface” by many.(website#4) The person Capone had this conflict with was connected to Lucky Luciano a rival gang leader who forced Capone to apologize (Kolber 21). After this incident, Yale took Capone under his wing and Capone started work for him not just in his restaurant, this did not last long. After he was married and his kid was growing up he stopped working for Yale(website#3). It seemed that he could not make up his mind but would show that he still had it in his heart even when he moved to Baltimore.

He tried to keep a half way decent book keeping job but this only lasted until November of nineteen twenty when his father died of heart disease(website#2). He decided that it was time to go back to his old ways but moved to a new place. Chicago was considered the perfect city for organized crime, which was now all about the sale of illegal alcohol. He was involved with Big Jim a half pimp half gang leader at the time along with Torrio(Nash 27). Capone old boss Yale would try to take over Big Jims business and ended up killing him not to long after Capone arrived. After only being there a couple months and after the death of Big Jim the Torrio-Capone alliance was formed when Capone was only twenty-two. Between Torrio's business skills and all of Capone’s knowledge being around a couple, different gangs made them a force to be reckoned with. A lot of the moves and “screens” Torrio and Capone would make were very revolutionary. Things like having a head quarters out of the area you are doing illegal activity is very common.

Capone being a very smart businessman knew that it is always good to have friends everywhere. When I mention this it pertains to a life long friend, he would make Jack Guzick (Kolber 26). This man was Jewish Orthodox and the two ethnicities usually did not do any business together at all. Al and Jack would look out for each other from after they meet until they died. Capone would make sure he knew what was going on in his neighborhood concerning Jack, and Guzick would return the favor. In my assumption, this could be the key part of Capone’s legacy that people do not copy as much. Many gangs these days are based on skin color, neighborhood, or ethneticity and people are killed every day because of squabbles over little things when alliances can eliminate needless killings along with tipping off assassination attempts would prove to be helpful to Capone later in his career as the most influential gangster in American history.

Although Capone’s persona was known by many and a few could point him out when they saw him in public. However, just like any other smart gangster of today or yesterday he had an altar ego. To Capone’s neighbors he was a furniture dealer(Nash 28). He used this “job” to his advantage whenever possible. He could easily bring big trucks in and out and could use it for the reason for his success. When he bought his humble home in Cicero, he always remembered he wanted to pretend as if he was just like any other middle class family in the suburbs of Chicago (website#5)

Torrio Capone’s partner was the one with experience. After Capone was settled down with his