Capone, Alphonse 1899-1947

GANGSTER

Background.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on 17 January 1899, Alphonse Capone became involved at an early age with petty street criminals operating in his neighborhood. During one saloon brawl Capone was slashed on the cheek with a razor, earning the lifelong nickname of "Scarface Al." He became a gunman for the notorious Five Points Gang and moved to Chicago in 1919 to escape arrest on a murder charge. That same year Congress declared the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcoholic beverages nationwide.

Chicago Gang Leader.

Through a series of "efficient" murders of criminal enemies, Capone became the primary lieutenant of Johnny Torrio, another member of the Five Points Gang, who had moved to Chicago in 1915. With Capone's help he began a concerted effort to gain control of the newly established illegal-liquor racket. When Torrio was...

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