Al Capone

Al Capone John Tozer

The purpose of this short biography on Al Capone is that it relates greatly to the novel "The great Gatsby" because Al Capone is similar to Gatsby in many ways. The fact that both Gatsby and Al both resorted to crime to achieve their prosperity is greatly reminiscent of a growing materialness and desperateness in that age. Al Capone is a great representation of an individual who wanted to live the "American Dream" and put himself on the line to do so.

Al Capone is for westerners the most infamous gangster of all time he was a main contributor to the notoriety of the Italian mafia and Chicago crime scene.

Alphonsus Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in New York.," he grew up in a rough neighborhood and was at a young age entered two "kid gangs," where he became more familiar and experienced with organized crime and violence their names were the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors. While being quite smart He dropped out of school in the sixth grade. He worked part time in a candy store and as well as being a pinboy in a bowling alley, and a cutter in a book bindery he focused a lot of his free time on scams and petty theft from there his first main break as a "professional criminal" was when he was initiated into the notorious Five Points gang in Manhattan and worked under gangster Frankie Yale's Brooklyn drive as a bouncer and bartender. While working there he received facial scars from bar fights and received the nickname "scarface."

In 1918 Capone married a girl he met at a dance who gave birth to a son "sonny" Francis.

Al's first brush with the law came because of "disorderly conduct." He was also suspected of the murder of two men at the time but wasn't convicted because those around him covered for him, which was uncommon for fellow gangsters to do. His gang leader for his own safety relocated Capone to Chicago because he severely injured a rival gang member. While there he became the apprentice of John Torrio the previous mentor of his other gang leader Yale. Torrio saw the potential in Capone because if his physical presence as well as his intelligence. Capone started helping out in Torrio's bootlegging business before becoming his right hand man in the saloons and casinos. When Torrio was almost shot to death by rival gang members he left town, leaving Capone with the inheritance of head honcho or the "outfit". He was greatly trusted and respected by his followers who nicknamed him "the big Fellow." During the years 1925-30 he quickly proved himself as a more effective leader than Torrio consolidation the