An Analysis Of Alphonse Gabriel s Al Capone - 1262 Words

Alphonse Gabriel Al Capone (January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947) is my great grandmother’s (Raiola) cousin. Although, I could not interview him I asked many family members about him and got an abundance of family stories. Since parts of my family did not want to be connected to the mob they chose to change our last name from De Vito to De Vita to Americanize it and separate themselves from the mob. Al Capone was the son of two poor Italian immigrants, which at that time in history meant you didn t matter, so he had to find guidance with the only people that took an interest in him but unfortunately for him it was some of the biggest mob leaders in New York. Even with that kind of influence hard to believe that a once soft spoken, intelligent kid from a good family would grow up to run a major city with blood, bullets, and alcohol. First, Capone s lack of tolerance for authority and people who didn t respect him was obvious from a young age. In sixth grade a female teacher called Capone a dago and slapped him during a argument in class, which angered Capone to the point where he punched the female teacher in the face breaking her nose (Al Capone: Scarface). After the incident, the Capone family moved to a new neighborhood, where Capone would meet the man that would help change his life forever. Johnny Torrio was at the time the most successful and respected gangster in New York and his headquarters was located across the street from the Capone s new house. Torrio