Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, on January 17, 1899. His parents were Italian immigrants Teresa (1867–1952) and Gabriele Capone (1865–1920), both born in Angri, a small municipality outside of Naples in the province of Salerno. His father was a barber and his mother was a seamstress. Capone’s family had immigrated to the United States in 1893 by ship, first going through the port city of Fiume, Austria-Hungary (modern-day Rijeka, Croatia). The family settled at 95 Navy Street, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. When Capone was aged 11, he and his family moved to 38 Garfield Place in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Capone’s parents had eight other children: James Vincenzo Capone, who later changed his name to Richard Hart and became a Prohibition agent in Homer, Nebraska; Raffaele James Capone, also known as Ralph Capone or “Bottles”, who took charge of his brother’s beverage industry; Salvatore “Frank” Capone; Ermina Capone, who died at the age of one; Ermino “John” Capone; Albert Capone; Matthew Capone and Mafalda Capone. Ralph and Frank worked with Al in his criminal empire. Frank did so until his death on April 1, 1924. Ralph ran Al’s bottling companies (both legal and illegal) early on and was also the front man for the Chicago Outfit until he was imprisoned for tax evasion in 1932.
Move to Chicago
In 1919, Capone left New York City for Chicago at the invitation of Torrio, who was imported by crime boss James “Big Jim” Colosimo as an enforcer. Capone began in Chicago as a bouncer in a brothel, which is thought to be most likely where he contracted syphilis. Capone was aware of being infected at an early stage and timely use of Salvarsan probably could have cured the infection, but he apparently never sought treatment.
In 1920 or 1921 or 1923, Capone purchased a two-story two-flat six-bedroom building, on a 68-foot-wide double lot, built in 1905, and moved in on August 8, 1923, at 7244 South Prairie Avenue in the Park Manor neighborhood in Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago for $5,500.
As originally reported in the Chicago Tribune, hijacker Joe Howard was killed on May 8, 1924, after he tried to interfere with the Capone-Torrio bootlegging business. In a 1936 article highlighting Capone’s criminal career, the Tribune erroneously reported the date as May 7, 1923. In the early years of the decade, Capone’s name began appearing in newspaper sports pages where he was described as a boxing promoter. Torrio took over Colosimo’s criminal empire after the latter’s murder on May 11, 1920, in which Capone was suspected of being involved.
Al’s cell at Federal Petitionary Alcatraz, San Fracisco Bay.
Al Capone’s Palm Island Biscayne Bay Miami home.
Family Man AL Capone.
Roaring 20’s Boss
