Al Capone, Taxes, and the Lost Marshal

Much has been written about Alphonse "Al" Capone, the massive underworld and Mafia figure from the 1920's and 1930's.

(1)

Finally arrested in 1931, the Internal Revenue Service pegged him on tax charges, not for his other generally recognized criminal activities.

(2)

However, have you heard of his older brother?

James "Two-Gun" Capone or also known as "Richard Hart"

Evidently departing the family in the early part of the 1900's, James adventured around the world in circuses, Europe, and Central America. He finally settled down in a little town in Nebraska called Homer and immediately began acquiring his reputation, not mentioning to the other people in town his storied family history back east.

He tried a variety of jobs and occupations, including Indian agent as well as a Prohibition agent and evidently was very successful.

Called "Two-Gun" in the October 1, 1951 issue of Newsweek, James Capone, aka: Richard Hart, was also described as "....a tough officer who would not take a bribe...." (3)

(4)

However, it seems in the later part of the 1930's, life turned for James and he appealed to his family back east for financial assistance. Ralph "Bottles" Capone transferred one of his properties over to him, providing income. As a result of this, the 1951 investigation of Ralph also brought to light James and his past.

Now, here is where history departs, and I leave it for you to decide what is the truth and what isn't. In the articles and magazines I have seen, James (Richard) is described as an upstanding, very effective lawman. However, other sources tell a different tale:

"Some of it was true...including fantasy service in World War I..." (5)

In any event, no matter what the outcome, it's a great story! I've provided some links and some interesting reading below that will help inform and perhaps entertain. I hope you enjoy it!

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!

Links:

Capone Brothers-Encyclopedia of Crime
Homer, Nebraska entry for James Capone
Mr. Capone
Wikipedia-James Capone
Wikipedia-Ralph Capone

Sources:
(1)DN-0081114, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. (LOC)
(1)
(2)NARA-Search for Capone
(3)Newsweek, October 1, 1051, pg. 23
(4)LOC-Prints & Photographs Reading Room
(5)Google Book Search, Title: Mr. Capone, by Robert Schoenberg, pg. 350.

"Don't shoot G-Men, Don't shoot," A Portrait of John Dillinger

Characterized by unemployment...

(Source: LOC)


Prohibition...


(Source: LOC)

and conflict, the middle years of the 1930's were not easy ones for Americans.

It was also a time for gangsters, the Mafia, the mob. Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and others, their day-to-day activities glorified in the press and popular culture on a daily basis.

(Source: Nara)

One of the most popular was John Herbert Dillinger.

(Source: Library of Congress)

"...OK, boys; let's go make a withdrawal...."
-John Dillinger

(Source: Brainyquote)

In and out of trouble since boyhood, Dillinger soon became THE bank robber and all around bad guy of the 1930's:

(Source: Nara)

His exploits became fodder and provided an means of sensationalism and escape for the American public, but there is no denying the fact that he was a hardened criminal.

(Source: FBI)

In the end, however, in the summer of 1934, the G-Men or FBI got their man. Outside the movie theater , The Biograph in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, he was gunned down in a hail of lead by FBI agents.

Over time, many legends have sprung up concerning Dillinger, chief of which was that it was not him, but someone else who's fate ended that day. Authorities claim it was Dillinger, but in some places the mystery lives on.

Sorry for the late posting, but I got bogged down in research on this topic, plus it was fun reading about it. Lots of good links today, so make sure to visit some of them.

Have a great day and see you tomorrow!

Links:

FBI: John Dillinger

FBI (Wikipedia)

John Dillinger (Wikipedia)

Official FBI FOIA Site

Crime Library (John Dillinger)

Official list of songs about Dillinger

Nice an' Easy Does it....

For all you Rat Pack fans, Sinatra swooners, and Big Band lovers, get ready! I just stumbled across the USPS site and found out that a Sinatra stamp is coming out in the spring of 2008.

Here's a quote:

"..Art director Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ, worked with stamp artist Kazuhiko Sano of Mill Valley, CA, to create the image based on a 1950s photograph of the entertainment icon. The stamp depicts Sinatra’s charismatic smile, trademark fedora and cobalt blue eyes that earned him the nickname “Ol’ Blue Eyes.” Sinatra’s autograph also appears on the stamp..."

Source: USPS Postal News

Here's the link to get a high dpi version of the stamp:

Image Download Center

(note restrictions on reproduction of stamp images)

So now all I have to do is check to see if they have stamps for Dino and Sammy D.

Here's one for the road:

Source: NARA, Keyword Sinatra

Have a great weekend!