Alphonse Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, January 17, 1899.
Al, as most people knew him as, was perhaps the most famous of all
American mobsters. Growing up in Brooklyn, Al acquired "an education
in petty crime and the name of "Scarface Al" because of a razor slash
across his face."(Grolier, Capone) Capone later moved to Chicago and
survived the gang wars of the 1920's by having his rivals killed. In
1929 Capone's gang dreesed as policemen, and executed seven members
of the "Bugs" Morgan gang; this was later known as the St.
Valentine's Day Massacre. By the end of the 1920's he dominated the
bootlegging of liquior, which brought him an inncome of more than $20
million a year.(Grolier, Capone) The federal authorities finally
suceeded in capturing Capone where the Chicago police had failed.
Capone was so good at covering his tracks that the federal
authorities could only get him on income-tax evasion. In October
1931, Capone was fined $80,000 and sentanced to 11 years in
prision.(Grolier, Capone) Al Capones life has been portrayed on film
several times due to his popularitym as a mobster. When he was
released in November 1939 he was terminaly ill with syphillis, and
died on his Flordia estate January 25, 1947.
Some other famouse gansters included this guy, Pretty Boy Floyd:
