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{{Short description|Italian-American Chicago mobster}} |
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'''Frank Capone''' ([[1895]]-[[April 1]], [[1924]]) was a Chicago mobster and older brother of [[Al Capone]]. |
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{{Infobox criminal |
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| name = Frank Capone |
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| image = |
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| imagesize = |
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| caption = |
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| birth_name = Salvatore Capone |
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| birth_date = {{birth date |1895|7|16}} |
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| birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S. |
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| death_date = {{death date and age|1924|4|1|1895|7|16}} |
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| death_place = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S. |
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| resting_place = [[Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside, Illinois)|Mount Carmel Cemetery]], [[Hillside, Illinois]], U.S. |
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| occupation = [[Mobster]] |
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| relatives = [[Al Capone]] (brother)<br>[[James Vincenzo Capone]] (brother)<br>[[Ralph Capone]] (brother) |
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| allegiance = [[Chicago Outfit]] |
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}} |
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'''Salvatore''' "'''Frank'''" '''Capone''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|p|oʊ|n}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/al-capone|title=The definition of Al Capone|website=Dictionary.com|access-date=February 10, 2020}}</ref> {{IPA|it|salvaˈtoːre kaˈpoːne|lang}}; July 16, 1895 – April 1, 1924) was an Italian-American [[mobster]] who participated in the attempted takeover of [[Cicero, Illinois]] by the [[Chicago Outfit]]. He worked in the businesses with his brothers [[Al Capone]] and [[Ralph Capone]]. |
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==Early life== |
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Born '''''Salvatore Capone''''', Frank arrived in Chicago with his brother Al during the start of Prohibition. Although Al Capone had been violent in his criminal career, Frank Capone was reportedly considered much more ruthless often resorting to violence unlike his brother who attempted to negotiate with an enemy before resorting to violence explaining ''"You never get no back talk from a corpse"''. |
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Capone was born in 1895 in [[Brooklyn]], and he was the third son of the Italian immigrants Gabriele Capone (1865–1920) and Teresa Raiola (1867-1952). He was the brother of [[James Vincenzo Capone|Vincenzo]], Ralph, Al, Ermina, John, Albert, Matthew and Mafalda Capone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.letrescimmiette.info/curiosita-domande-e-stranezze-ad-angri/item/853-angri-le-origini-angresi-di-al-capone.html|title=Al Capone, il gangster americano piu' famoso del mondo era di origini angresi|website=Le tre scimmiette|date=June 17, 2013}}</ref> Frank and his brothers Al and Ralph became mobsters. Growing up in New York, both Frank and Al became involved in the [[Five Points Gang]] with mobster [[John Torrio]]. By 1918, Torrio had moved to Chicago to help a relative defend his rackets, and Torrio soon asked Al and later Frank to join him there. |
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By 1920, Torrio had taken charge of the [[South Side Gang]] and the [[Prohibition era]] had started. As the gang increased in power and wealth, so did Al and Frank. |
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During the early 1920s, the Torrio-Capone organization based their operations in the suburb of [[Cicero, Illinois]] after being driven from the city by reform Mayor [[William Dever]] in 1923. |
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==Takeover of Cicero== |
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Within a year, local city manager [[Joseph Z. Klenha]] and the town committeemen were on the Torrio-Capone payroll and during the 1924 Chicago Primary, Frank Capone was with members of the Torrio-Capone organization arriving at polling booths with machine guns and sawed-off shotguns to see that local residents "voted right". With Klenha running against popular reform candidate [[William K. Pflaum]], Frank Capone led an attack on Pflaum campaign headquarters ransacking his office and assaulting several campaign workers. |
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In 1923, Chicago voters elected a new mayor, [[William Emmett Dever|William Dever]], who proceeded to crack down on Torrio, the Capone brothers, and their [[South Side Gang]]. In response, Torrio tasked Al with creating speakeasies, [[brothel]]s, and [[illegal gambling]] dens in [[Cicero, Illinois|Cicero]], a Chicago suburb. Within a year, Capone had placed the Cicero [[city manager]] Joseph Z. Klenha and the town committeemen on the gang payroll. Frank Capone's job was to represent the gang in its dealings with the Cicero town council. Frank was mild-mannered compared to his brother Al, projecting the image of a respectable businessman, and always dressed in a neat suit.<ref name="crime">[http://www.crimemagazine.com/brothers-capone The Brothers Capone] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025081303/http://www.crimemagazine.com/brothers-capone |date=2017-10-25 }} by Allan May Crime Magazine</ref> |
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In the [[1924 Cicero, Illinois municipal elections|April 1, 1924 Cicero municipal election]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] politicians mounted a serious election challenge to [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Klenha and his associates. To protect the gang's political control of Cicero, Frank unleashed a wave of terror on the city. He sent South Side Gang members to the [[polling booth]]s with [[submachine gun]]s and [[sawed-off shotgun]]s to make sure that local residents "voted right". Uncooperative voters were assaulted and blocked from voting. Frank led an attack on an opponent's campaign headquarters, ransacking his office and assaulting several campaign workers. One campaign worker was shot in both legs and detained with eight other campaign workers, to be released when Election Day was over.<ref name="crime"/> |
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On [[April 1]], Frank Capone blocked voters from booths until knowing who they were voting for with those voting for the opposition or refusing to answer being carried away. According to one incident, Democratic campaign worker [[Michael Gavin]] was shot in both legs and held against his will with eight other campaign workers until Election Day was over. |
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==Death and police reinforcements== |
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Upon hearing reports of election fraud, Cook County Judge [[Edmund J. Jareki]] brought in 70 Chicago police officers swearing them in as deputy sheriffs under the command of Detective Sergeant [[William Cusick]]. Arriving outside a polling booth near the [[Western Electric Plant]], they encountered Frank and Al Capone, as well as cousin [[Charles Fishchetti]] and [[David Hedlin]]. Unsure wiether these were police officers or members of the [[North Side Mob]], Frank Capone fired at police officers before police officers opened fire themselves killing the 29-year-old gangster where he stood. |
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As the election day turmoil progressed, outraged Cicero citizens petitioned Cook County Judge Edmund J. Jareki for help. The [[Chicago Police Department]] (CPD) sent 70 [[Undercover operation#Plainclothes law enforcement|plainclothes]] officers to Cicero to maintain order at the polls and Jareki swore them in as deputy sheriffs. The CPD officers did not arrive on the streets of Cicero until late afternoon, at which point they had little effect on the election-related violence. |
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Around dusk, a detective squad led by Sergeant William Cusack pulled up to the polling station at Cicero Avenue and Twenty-second Street after spotting Frank Capone, [[Charlie Fischetti]], and a short, heavyset man they didn't recognize. The detectives exited their car and began walking over when gunfire inexplicably erupted. Several witnesses later claimed that the gangsters never opened fire. At the later inquest, the police claimed that Frank Capone shot first; they produced a pistol with three missing rounds that they swore he used. Frank allegedly thought these officers in civilian clothing were rival gangsters. In either event, Capone was fatally shot many times by Sergeant Phillip J. McGlynn in the ensuing melee. Fischetti sprinted across a nearby vacant lot, only to toss down his weapon and surrender once the police caught up with him. The third gangster ran south, firing a gun in each hand, and managed to escape. An urban myth later grew that this man was none other than Al Capone. In fact, the third gunman was later positively identified as David Hedlin; the police had wounded him, as well.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schoenberg|first=Robert J.|title=Mr. Capone|location=New York|publisher=William Morrow & Co.|year=1992|pages=98–99}}</ref> |
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Frank Capone was given an extravagant funeral, with $20,000 worth of flowers lining the casket, with the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reporting that the event was appropriate for ''"...a fitting gentleman"''. Out of respect for Capone, the gambling dens and speakeasies of Cicero were ordered closed for two hours. |
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At the end of the day, the Capone candidate Klenha had won.<ref name="trutv">[http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/capone/over_6.html "AL CAPONE"] TruTV Crime Library</ref> |
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*[[Jay Robert Nash|Nash, Jay Robert]]. ''Encyclopedia of World Crime Vol. III (K-R)''. Wilmette, Illinois: CrimeBooks Inc., 1990. ISBN 0-923582-00-2 |
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*Nash, Jay Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime''. New York: Da Capo Press, 1992. ISBN 0-306-80535-9 |
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==Mob funeral== |
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After Frank's death, the Chicago newspapers were full of articles either praising or condemning the CPD. A [[coroner]]'s [[inquest]] later determined that Frank's killing was a justifiable shooting since Frank had been resisting arrest. |
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On April 4, 1924, Frank Capone received an extravagant funeral, with $20,000 worth of flowers placed around the [[silver plate|silver-plated]] casket and over 150 cars in the [[motorcade]]. Al purchased the flowers from a shop belonging to his North Side Gang rival, [[Dean O'Banion]].<ref name="trutv"/> Frank was interred at [[Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside, Illinois)|Mount Carmel Cemetery]] outside Chicago. The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reported that the event was appropriate for "a fitting gentleman". Out of respect for his dead brother, Al Capone closed the gambling dens and [[speakeasies]] of Cicero for two hours during the funeral. |
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==In popular culture== |
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[[Morgan Spector]] portrayed Frank Capone in the fourth season of the [[HBO]] television show ''[[Boardwalk Empire]]''. In the show, Frank is portrayed as charismatic and level-headed, often attempting to cool Al's temper. |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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==Further reading== |
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*{{cite book|last=Sifakis|first=Carl|title=The Mafia Encyclopedia|location=New York|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-8160-5694-1}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Sifakis|first=Carl|title=The Encyclopedia of American Crime|location=New York|publisher=Facts on File Inc.|year=2001|isbn=978-0-8160-4040-7}} |
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==External links== |
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*{{Find a Grave|7248998}} |
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{{Chicago Outfit}} |
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{{American Mafia}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Capone, Frank}} |
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[[Category:Criminals from Brooklyn]] |
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[[Category:American gangsters of Italian descent]] |
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[[Category:Prohibition-era gangsters]] |
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[[Category:People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Al Capone]] |
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[[Category:Burials at the Bishop's Mausoleum, Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside)]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:Catholics from New York (state)]] |
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Revision as of 03:57, 16 August 2024
Frank Capone | |
|---|---|
| Born | Salvatore Capone July 16, 1895 |
| Died | April 1, 1924 (aged 28) |
| Resting place | Mount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Relatives | Al Capone (brother) James Vincenzo Capone (brother) Ralph Capone (brother) |
| Allegiance | Chicago Outfit |
Salvatore "Frank" Capone (/kəˈpoʊn/,[1] Italian: [salvaˈtoːre kaˈpoːne]; July 16, 1895 – April 1, 1924) was an Italian-American mobster who participated in the attempted takeover of Cicero, Illinois by the Chicago Outfit. He worked in the businesses with his brothers Al Capone and Ralph Capone.
Early life
Capone was born in 1895 in Brooklyn, and he was the third son of the Italian immigrants Gabriele Capone (1865–1920) and Teresa Raiola (1867-1952). He was the brother of Vincenzo, Ralph, Al, Ermina, John, Albert, Matthew and Mafalda Capone.[2] Frank and his brothers Al and Ralph became mobsters. Growing up in New York, both Frank and Al became involved in the Five Points Gang with mobster John Torrio. By 1918, Torrio had moved to Chicago to help a relative defend his rackets, and Torrio soon asked Al and later Frank to join him there.
By 1920, Torrio had taken charge of the South Side Gang and the Prohibition era had started. As the gang increased in power and wealth, so did Al and Frank.
Takeover of Cicero
In 1923, Chicago voters elected a new mayor, William Dever, who proceeded to crack down on Torrio, the Capone brothers, and their South Side Gang. In response, Torrio tasked Al with creating speakeasies, brothels, and illegal gambling dens in Cicero, a Chicago suburb. Within a year, Capone had placed the Cicero city manager Joseph Z. Klenha and the town committeemen on the gang payroll. Frank Capone's job was to represent the gang in its dealings with the Cicero town council. Frank was mild-mannered compared to his brother Al, projecting the image of a respectable businessman, and always dressed in a neat suit.[3]
In the April 1, 1924 Cicero municipal election, Democratic Party politicians mounted a serious election challenge to Republican Klenha and his associates. To protect the gang's political control of Cicero, Frank unleashed a wave of terror on the city. He sent South Side Gang members to the polling booths with submachine guns and sawed-off shotguns to make sure that local residents "voted right". Uncooperative voters were assaulted and blocked from voting. Frank led an attack on an opponent's campaign headquarters, ransacking his office and assaulting several campaign workers. One campaign worker was shot in both legs and detained with eight other campaign workers, to be released when Election Day was over.[3]
Death and police reinforcements
As the election day turmoil progressed, outraged Cicero citizens petitioned Cook County Judge Edmund J. Jareki for help. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) sent 70 plainclothes officers to Cicero to maintain order at the polls and Jareki swore them in as deputy sheriffs. The CPD officers did not arrive on the streets of Cicero until late afternoon, at which point they had little effect on the election-related violence.
Around dusk, a detective squad led by Sergeant William Cusack pulled up to the polling station at Cicero Avenue and Twenty-second Street after spotting Frank Capone, Charlie Fischetti, and a short, heavyset man they didn't recognize. The detectives exited their car and began walking over when gunfire inexplicably erupted. Several witnesses later claimed that the gangsters never opened fire. At the later inquest, the police claimed that Frank Capone shot first; they produced a pistol with three missing rounds that they swore he used. Frank allegedly thought these officers in civilian clothing were rival gangsters. In either event, Capone was fatally shot many times by Sergeant Phillip J. McGlynn in the ensuing melee. Fischetti sprinted across a nearby vacant lot, only to toss down his weapon and surrender once the police caught up with him. The third gangster ran south, firing a gun in each hand, and managed to escape. An urban myth later grew that this man was none other than Al Capone. In fact, the third gunman was later positively identified as David Hedlin; the police had wounded him, as well.[4]
At the end of the day, the Capone candidate Klenha had won.[5]
Mob funeral
After Frank's death, the Chicago newspapers were full of articles either praising or condemning the CPD. A coroner's inquest later determined that Frank's killing was a justifiable shooting since Frank had been resisting arrest.
On April 4, 1924, Frank Capone received an extravagant funeral, with $20,000 worth of flowers placed around the silver-plated casket and over 150 cars in the motorcade. Al purchased the flowers from a shop belonging to his North Side Gang rival, Dean O'Banion.[5] Frank was interred at Mount Carmel Cemetery outside Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reported that the event was appropriate for "a fitting gentleman". Out of respect for his dead brother, Al Capone closed the gambling dens and speakeasies of Cicero for two hours during the funeral.
In popular culture
Morgan Spector portrayed Frank Capone in the fourth season of the HBO television show Boardwalk Empire. In the show, Frank is portrayed as charismatic and level-headed, often attempting to cool Al's temper.
References
- ^ "The definition of Al Capone". Dictionary.com. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ "Al Capone, il gangster americano piu' famoso del mondo era di origini angresi". Le tre scimmiette. June 17, 2013.
- ^ a b The Brothers Capone Archived 2017-10-25 at the Wayback Machine by Allan May Crime Magazine
- ^ Schoenberg, Robert J. (1992). Mr. Capone. New York: William Morrow & Co. pp. 98–99.
- ^ a b "AL CAPONE" TruTV Crime Library
Further reading
- Sifakis, Carl (2005). The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-8160-5694-1.
- Sifakis, Carl (2001). The Encyclopedia of American Crime. New York: Facts on File Inc. ISBN 978-0-8160-4040-7.
External links
- 1895 births
- 1924 deaths
- Criminals from Brooklyn
- American gangsters of Italian descent
- Chicago Outfit mobsters
- Prohibition-era gangsters
- People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States
- Al Capone
- Burials at the Bishop's Mausoleum, Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside)
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- Catholics from New York (state)