Al Capone

===Boss===
[[File:Unemployed men queued outside a depression soup kitchen opened in Chicago by Al Capone, 02-1931 - NARA - 541927.jpg|thumb|Unemployed men outside a [[soup kitchen]] opened by Capone in Chicago during the [[Great Depression in the United States|Depression]], February 1931]]
An ambush in January 1925 left Capone shaken but unhurt. Twelve days later, Torrio was returning from a shopping trip when he was shot several times. After recovering, he effectively resigned and handed control to Capone, aged 26, who became the new boss of an organization that took in illegal breweries and a transportation network that reached to Canada, with [[political corruption|political]] and [[police corruption|law-enforcement protection]]. In turn, he was able to use more violence to increase revenue. Any establishment that refused to purchase liquor from Capone often got blown up, and as many as 100 people were killed in such bombings during the 1920s. Rivals saw Capone as responsible for the proliferation of brothels in the city.<ref name="myalcaponemuseum.com"/><ref>Sifakis, Carl (1999), ''The Mafia Encyclopedia'', 2nd ed., Checkmark Books, p. 362 {{ISBN?}}</ref><ref>Russo, Gus, ''The Outfit'', Bloomsbury (2001), pp. 39–40</ref><ref>''Disasters and Tragic Events'', edited by Mitchell Newton-Matza p. 258 {{ISBN?}}</ref>

Capone often enlisted the help of local members of the black community into his operations; [[jazz]] musicians [[Milt Hinton]] and [[Lionel Hampton]] had uncles who worked for Capone on Chicago's South Side. A fan of jazz as well, Capone once asked clarinetist [[Johnny Dodds]] to play a number that Dodds did not know; Capone split a $100 bill in half and told Dodds that he would get the other half when he learned it. Capone also sent two bodyguards to accompany jazz pianist [[Earl Hines]] on a road trip.<ref name=jazz>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MDavAgAAQBAJ&q=capone|last=Brothers|first=Thomas|title=Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company|year=2014|isbn=978-0393065824|location=New York|pages=226–227}}</ref>

Capone indulged in custom suits, cigars, gourmet food and drink, and female companionship. He was particularly known for his flamboyant and costly jewelry. His favorite responses to questions about his activities were: "I am just a businessman, giving the people what they want"; and, "All I do is satisfy a public demand." Capone had become a national celebrity and talking point.<ref name=fivefamilies/>

[[File:Florida-Miami-Al Capones Mansion-1922-1.jpg|thumb|The entrance to Capone's mansion in [[Palm Island, Florida]], located at 93 Palm Avenue. Capone bought the estate in 1928 as a winter retreat and lived there until his death in 1947.]]
Capone based himself in [[Cicero, Illinois|Cicero]], [[Illinois]], after using bribery and widespread intimidation to take over town council elections, making it difficult for the North Siders to target him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-al-capone-cicero-election-johnny-torrio-per-0322-jm-20150319-story.html|title=Al Capone's battle for Cicero included ballots and bullets|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=March 20, 2015|access-date=January 23, 2021|archive-date=December 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205120232/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-al-capone-cicero-election-johnny-torrio-per-0322-jm-20150319-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Capone's driver was found tortured and murdered, and there was an attempt on Weiss' life in the [[Chicago Loop]]. On September 20, 1926, the North Siders used a ploy outside Capone's headquarters at the Hawthorne Inn aimed at drawing him to the windows. Gunmen in several cars then opened fire with [[Thompson submachine gun]]s and [[shotgun]]s at the windows of the first-floor restaurant. Capone was unhurt and called for a truce, but the negotiations fell through. Three weeks later, on October 11, Weiss was killed outside the North Siders' headquarters at O'Banion's former flower shop. The owner of Hawthorne's restaurant was a friend of Capone's, and he was kidnapped and killed by Moran and Drucci in January 1927.<ref>Russo, Gus, ''The Outfit'', Bloomsbury (2001), p. 37</ref><ref name="CBS">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5369641-504083.html |title=Al Capone's Couderay, Wisconsin Hideout Home for Sale; Asking Price $2.6M |work=CBS News |date=October 7, 2009 |access-date=March 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212125601/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5369641-504083.html |archive-date=February 12, 2012 }}</ref>

Capone became increasingly security-minded and desirous of getting away from Chicago.<ref name="CBS"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/08/wisconsin.capone.hideout.sold/index.html |title=Reputed Capone hideout sold to Wisconsin bank |work=CNN |date=October 8, 2009 |access-date=April 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719162225/http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/08/wisconsin.capone.hideout.sold/index.html |archive-date=July 19, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> As a precaution, he and his entourage would often show up suddenly at one of Chicago's train depots and buy up an entire [[Pullman (car or coach)|Pullman]] [[Sleeping car|sleeper car]] on a night train to [[Cleveland]], [[Omaha]], [[Kansas City]], [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] or [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]], [[Arkansas]], where they would spend a week in luxury hotel suites under assumed names. 

In 1928, Capone paid $40,000 to Clarence Busch of the [[Anheuser-Busch]] brewing family for a {{convert|10000|sqfoot|m2}} home at 93 Palm Avenue on [[Palm Island (Miami Beach)|Palm Island]], [[Florida]], between [[Miami]] and [[Miami Beach]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/real-estate/gangster-al-capones-miami-mansion-sale-steal-8-5m-n26331|title=Gangster Al Capone's Miami Mansion For Sale; a Steal at $8.5M|publisher=NBC News|date=February 10, 2014|access-date=July 7, 2021|archive-date=August 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822070302/http://www.nbcnews.com/business/real-estate/gangster-al-capones-miami-mansion-sale-steal-8-5m-n26331|url-status=live}}</ref>