Al Capone - Short Essay

Al Capone was born in Brooklyn on January 17, 1899, fourth of seven sons and two daughters. His parents, Gabriel and Theresa, had immigrated to the United States six years before from Castellammare di Stabia, sixteen miles from Naples, Italy. He died of cardiac arrest at his estate on Palm Island, Florida, just eight days after his 48th birthday. He was born in boroughs of New York. He became involved in gangs at a very young age after being expelled from school. Later on in life, Capone left his wife and son, who joined him shortly after, to go to Chicago.
Al Capone was born Alphonse Gabriel Capone. He was married to Mae Capone and had a son, Albert Francis Capone. Al got his nickname “Scarface” from a cut that goes ear to mouth. One day, while working at the Harvard Inn, Al sees this pretty woman and tries to hit on her. The lady’s brother got up and sucker punched Al in the face. Al didn’t let it stop there, he fought back. The brother then pulled out a knife and slashed him in the face three times. This incident left Al Capone with the nick name “Scarface”, which was a nickname that he seemed to not like at all. Al Capone also had other nicknames. His friends called him “Snorky” and “Big Fellow”, which were nicknames he was okay with, unlike the nickname “Scarface”, which he hated so much.
Chicago is where he really made a name for himself. He first started working for crime boss Johnny Torrio. He started off as a manager at the Four Deuces and gained Torrio’s respect. Soon Torrio had increasingly important jobs for Capone and by 1922 Capone had risen up the ranks in Torrio's organization. Capone established speakeasies, brothels, and gambling joints. Capone also worked hard to get all the important city officials on his payroll. It didn't take long for Capone to "own" Cicero. One night, Torrio was brutally attacked outside of his home, he nearly died that night. Torrio decided to retire and hand his entire organization over to Capone in March 1925.
Al Capone was considered a modern day Robin Hood by some. Al Capone, only 26-years old, was now in charge of a very large crime organization. As a major crime boss in Chicago, Capone put himself in the public's eye. Believe it or not, Capone was also known for his generosity. He frequently tipped waiters $100, handed out coal and clothes during the winter to the needy, and opened up one of the first soup kitchens during the Great Depression. There are also stories of how Capone helped out when he heard a hard-luck story, such as a woman considering turning to prostitution to help her family or a young kid who couldn't go to college because of the high cost of tuition.
Despite his kindness, Capone was a cold blooded killer. He personally murdered dozens of people but ordered the killing of hundreds of people. The most famous example of a hit believed to be ordered by Capone was the February 14, 1929 assassination now called the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Soon Capone’s rein finally ended; he was locked up for tax evasion. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre brought Al to the attention of the government. He was charged with 22 counts of tax evasion and 5,000 violations of the Volstead Act (the main Prohibition law).
Capone had tertiary syphilis and it wasn't something that could be healed. Capone spent his remaining years in quiet retirement at his estate in Miami, Florida while his health slowly got worse. On January 19, 1947, Capone suffered a stroke. After developing pneumonia, Capone died on January 25, 1947 of cardiac arrest at age 48.