The beginnings in Chicago
When he arrived in Chicago, young Al Capone started at the bottom of the ladder. Very zealous, he quickly proves himself and becomes the right-hand man of the mobster Johnny Torrio, whom he knew in New York. Having become the godfather of the Outfit after the assassination of Big Jim Colosimo, in which Al Capone is suspected of being involved, Torrio is at the head of a case that is running at full speed. His criminal activities earn him about $10 million a year. The core of the Outfit's illicit activities changed when Prohibition came into effect in January 1920. Alcohol became part of a vast underground market, with consumption only possible through smuggling. For criminal organizations, it was a godsend. Gangsters are getting even richer than before. Alcohol trafficking is a very lucrative business for the Outfit, which controls the South Side of Chicago. Torrio seeks to extend his dominance to the North and Gold Coast, then in the hands of the North Side Gang, the Irish mafia led by Dean O'Banion. In 1925, a shoot-out by Dean O'Banion's men targeted Johnny Torrio, who narrowly escaped death. Wounded, he decided to retire to Italy and appointed his successor: Al Capone, aged twenty-six, was then propelled into the highest ranks of the mafia.
Scarface, the terrible boss of the Outfit
His young age in no way prevents Al Capone from being a charismatic leader, feared by his men and even more so by his rivals, whom he does not hesitate to slaughter. He reigns supreme over Chicago's speakeasies, gambling industry and brothels. "Scarface," as he is known because of the scars on his face, is a regular headline in the press. During his reign, robberies and bank robberies were commonplace. Each time there was a shooting, it was the same story, with witnesses suffering from sudden and incurable amnesia. Al Capone buys the silence of all those who could harm him. Out of the $105 million a year he earns from his criminal activities, $30 million goes to corruption alone. Journalists, police officers, politicians, including the mayor of Chicago, William "Big Bill" Thompson, eat out of his hand. By instituting organized corruption in local government, Al Capone runs most of the city and becomes untouchable. Between executions, he appeared at opera houses, sports meetings, and jazz clubs, including the Green Mill, where he had a seat reserved for him. Knowing that he is the target of rival gangs, Al Capone never goes out without his bodyguards, even when he goes to his barber at the Blackstone Hotel. His armoured Cadillac can reach 175 kilometres per hour and is equipped with police sirens, allowing him to flee as soon as he feels in danger. When the use of the Tommy Gun, a machine pistol that does enormous damage, becomes the norm, the war between gangs becomes even more violent. A blood-curdling sound echoes through the streets of Chicago: "Rat-a-tat-tat". It can be heard on the morning of February 14, 1930, when Al Capone's men disguised as policemen entered a garage and shot seven members of the North Side Gang. This bloody event, in which five thousand bullets were fired, would become known as the Valentine's Day Massacre. With this shooting, Al Capone's violence is brought into the open. For public opinion, which until now has been rather favourable to him, this is too much. Contracts for his killing are signed by rival gangs. While waiting for things to settle down, Al Capone decides to take cover. The safest place in his eyes is prison, so he orchestrates his own arrest for carrying a gun on a trip to Philadelphia. He was sentenced to nine months in prison, during which he continued to manage his affairs from the Eastern State Penitentiary.The fall of Al Capone
As he emerged from the Great Depression, Al Capone was more powerful than ever. In 1930, the FBI named him Public Enemy Number One... We would like to see him six feet under the ground or behind bars, but the elements to bring him down are sorely lacking. In the absence of evidence and prosecution witnesses, Al Capone could not be prosecuted for even his most notorious crimes. To put an end to his reign of terror, President Hoover puts several things in place. First of all, the formation of a strike team led by Eliot Ness, created to deal with the endemic corruption of the police force. These men swept aside Al Capone's recurring offers to buy their passivity, earning them the nickname "The Untouchables" by the press. Their constant raids on Al Capone's distilleries and warehouses destabilize his clandestine business. In the shadows is another action, carried out by a special agent of the federal tax authorities. In 1927, the Supreme Court ruled that income from alcohol smuggling was taxable. This measure allowed the government to accumulate evidence against previously untouchable gangsters. This is what will bring down Al Capone, who was charged in June 1931 with twenty-one counts of tax evasion and Prohibition violations. The sponsor of the Outfit made every effort to keep control of events; he greased every possible paw, including those of the jury members. At the last minute, however, the judge decides to swap the jury with one from another case. The verdict came down: Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was sent to Atlanta Prison and then, in 1934, to Alcatraz, where he was detained and could no longer manage his affairs. His health deteriorated due to syphilis, and he was released from prison after eight years, dying of cardiac arrest in 1947. His ashes are buried in Hillside, a western suburb of Chicago. As for the Outfit, neither the arrest of his godfather nor the end of Prohibition will lead to his downfall. Frank Nitti, one of Al Capone's lieutenants, takes over the reins of the organization, which diversifies and continues to operate in the shadows.
Today,some agencies offer guided tours in costume to relive this era and go to the scenes of organized crime, such as Untouchable Tours - Gangster Tours.
