Rare Facts You Didn't Know About Al Capone - Part 2

In part 1 we actually learned about Al Capone's childhood, his underground nickname, his customized Cadillac, and his richness.If you did't go through Part 1, we would request you to go through it,by clicking on the link. Al Capone's Rare Facts just can't be explained in one part blog, so here is the Part 2 of Al Capone's Rare Facts that you didn't know!!

1) Al Capone's Another Nickname - Snorky

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While the world may have called him Scarface,Al's friends had another slightly less threatening nickname for him, Snorky. Yes, you heard that right, Snorky. One of the most dangerous mob bosses in the history of the world was known to his friends as Snorky. Why?Because in 1920s Chicago,Snorky was gang slang for a sharp dresser and Capone had a weakness for expensive,imported Italian suits.History also records that his friends occasionally called him The Big Fellow,but that one really doesn't need much explaining.

2) Half of Chicago's Police Were In His Pocket's -

To maintain his iron grip on crime in Chicago,Al Capone had one simple task, take out anyone who dared get in his way.It didn't matter if you were a customer or a competitor.If you messed with The Big Fellow,you weren't long for this world.Of course, when you whack that many people,it's bound to raise a few questions.Al had that covered though.To keep his men out of jail and safe from prosecution,Capone put unprecedented numbers of police officers,politicians, lawyers, and judges on his payroll.He spent millions each year on bribes to keep the establishment on his side and out of his way.

3) His Mental Capacity Shrank Over Years -

When it came to crime, Al Capone had a keen mind,but it would fail him over the course of his life.At the age of 18, Al had contracted syphilis and never bothered to receive medical attention.Untreated, the effects of the disease were severe.It slowly eroded his mind.And by the 1940s,he was reported to have the intellectual capacity of a 7-year-old.In prison, he required special care and was known to lash out at nurses and mumble to himself.Near the end of his life, he was reported to be little more than a shell of his former self.

4) Two Brothers - Opposite Profession

It sounds like a story from a Hollywood movie.Two brothers go down separate paths.One becomes an infamous bootlegger and the other a prohibition task force member benton bringing the bootleggers down.Yet this was the reality of the Capone family.Born seven years prior to his famous brother,James Vincenzo Capone went off to fight in World War I and lost contact with his family.When he came back from the front,he moved to the Midwestern United States and pulled a Don Draper,changing his name to Richard Hart.Richard Hart became marshal of a town called Homer, Nebraska,where he led numerous raids against bootleggers.Marshal Hart was the type of man who preferred subterfuge to direct action.Where treasury agents,like Eliot Ness,would take on the gangsters by kicking in the front door with guns blazing,Hart preferred to wear disguises and catch the bad guys in the act.

5) Al Capone Was A Philanthropist And Was Considered As Robin Hood -

When he wasn't running his bootlegging empire,bribing cops and judges, or ordering the murder of his competitors, Capone was known to be a great philanthropist.Whether it was all just a public relations move or whether he actually enjoyed helping the needy out is unknown.But in his time, Capone developed a lasting reputation as a man of the people.During the Great Depression, he opened some of Chicago's four soup Kitchens and was even known to go in and help feed the poor himself. Like many other famous gangsters,he was also famous for being a good tipper.When you think of Al Capone, you think of illegal beer, the St.Valentine's Day Massacre,and Robert De Niro's performance in The Untouchables,but you probably never think of milk.Yet, according to the Capone family,Al and his brother Ralph extensively lobbied the Chicago city council to pass a law requiring all milk bottles to bear an expiration date.The story goes that one of their relatives became sick after drinking spoiled milk and Al vowed to do something about it.Strangely, this isn't where Capone's milk obsession ends.He also invested in dairy, which he let his brother-in-law partially run.His brother Ralph was so heavily involved,he acquired the nick name Bottles.

6) Al Capone's Painful End -

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Despite being loved by the public and having half the city officials on his payroll,Capone was eventually caught.In 1931, he was convicted of tax evasion and sent to serve time at a federal prison in Atlanta.However, the prison couldn't control him.Capone bribed guards and managed to maintain his influence even from behind bars.Not to be outdone,the government transferred Capone to Alcatraz in 1934.The rock was famous for its strict security and Capone's reputation didn't help him there.The guards were in different to him and his fellow inmates didn't fear him.One even stabbed him with a pair of barber shears.It was here that the long term effects of a syphilis began to emerge.In 1939, his mind mostly gone, Capone was transferred to Terminal Island Prison in California.He served out the rest of his sentence and was granted parole later that year.The rest of his life was spent battling the disease, which he finally succumbed to in 1947.

This was the part 2 of Rare facts you did't know about Al Capone!! There's more to come. Click on Part 1 if you missed previous rare facts about Al Capone.And if you think we missed something about this notorious gangster, do tell us in the comments.We'll give your fact a shout-out. And don't forget to like,share and subscribe our blog.Do share them with your family and friends so that they can also learn about this rare facts.

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