Ralph Capone

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Ralph "Bottles" Capone b. Raffaele James Capone (born January 12, 1894 in Angri , Italy , † November 22, 1974 in Hurley (Wisconsin) , United States ) was an Italian-American mobster of the Chicago outfit and an older brother of the gangsters Al Capone and Frank Capone . Ralph earned the nickname "Bottles" not from his involvement in the Capone smuggling empire during the Prohibition era , but from his legitimate beverage and bottling operations in Chicago . He was number 3 on a list of 28 "Public Enemies" published in 1930 by the Chicago Crime Commission .

Life

Raffaele James Capone was born in Angri in the Campania region as the second son of Gabriele and Teresa (née Raiola) Capone. His older brother was James Vincenzo Capone , who later changed his name to Richard James Hart and became a law enforcer. Ralph arrived in America on June 18, 1895 with his older brother and mother on the ship "Werra", which came in via Ellis Island ( New York City ). His father Gabriele had come to the United States through Canada six months earlier . The Capone family eventually settled in Brooklyn .

On September 24, 1915, at the age of 21, he married 17-year-old Filomena (Florence) Muscato. That marriage gave birth to a son named Ralph Gabriel Capone on April 17, 1917. After the death of his father Gabriel in November 1920, Ralph was brought to Chicago by his younger brother Al. His wife didn't want to move. He stayed alone with his son in Chicago and was divorced from his wife in 1921. In 1923 he married Velma Pheasant for the second time. This marriage did not produce any children and was divorced in March 1938.

Ralph was primarily in charge of the Chicago Outfit's bottling facilities during Prohibition, and the Outfit attempted to monopolize soft drinks and soft drinks (especially ginger ale and soda water ). On April 24, 1930, the Chicago Crime Commission published a list of 28 “Public Enemies” of Chicago, led by Al Capone. Ralph landed at number 3 on this list. Ralph Capone made big profits for the outfit and was the second largest soft drink supplier alongside Coca-Cola during the A Century of Progress World's Fair in 1933.

After Al Capone's conviction for tax evasion in 1931, Ralph Capone stuck with the outfit. He hosted several outfit conferences at his brother's residence in Palm Island ( Miami Beach ). As manager of the Chicago branch of the Cotton Club during the late 1920s and early 1930s, he is also believed to have been involved in gambling . In 1932 he was also convicted of tax evasion and imprisoned for three years.

In 1950 United Press International described him as "one of the overlords of the National Syndicate that controls gambling, vices and other businesses." In reality, Ralph Capone had relatively little power in the Outfit and in the National Crime Syndicate . This was finally made clear in 1950 during his testimony at the Kefauver Hearings .

In the 1930s, Ralph Capone bought a house in Mercer and later became a silent partner in “The Rex Hotel”, including the Billy's Bar tavern . After he was released from prison, he moved to Wisconsin and lived there until his death. Ralph Capone died of natural causes in Hurley on November 22, 1974. He was cremated in Park Hill Cemetery in Duluth . His granddaughter Deirdre had his ashes buried in the Capone family tomb in June 2008.

Ralph Capone as a character in film and television

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ American Mafia History - Ralph Capone - Big Brother to Al “Scarface” Capone
  2. ^ Find a Grave - Ralph James Capone
  3. ↑ Newspaper Archive - Oakland Tribune 10/03/1938 p.15
  4. ↑ American Mafia - Ralph Capone - Al Capone's big mafia brother
  5. ^ Crime Library - Capone Arrested
  6. ↑ John Madinger - Money Laundering: A Guide for Criminal Investigators, Third Edition
  7. ↑ Travel Wisconsin - Wisconsin's Gangster Tour: 2 Thrilling Itineraries
personal data
SURNAME Capone, Ralph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Capone, Raffaele James (maiden name); Bottles (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian-American mobster
DATE OF BIRTH January 12, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Attack
DATE OF DEATH November 22, 1974
Place of death Hurley (Wisconsin)