4 C
THURSDAY, MARCH 7. 1963
MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON
Federals Raid Capones Again This Time Al's Brother, Ralph
(Edilor'i note: Federal
agente are raiding the
penes again. Thii time they're
haunting Ralph (Boillei) Ca
pone, almost iorgotlen big
brother oi Scariace Al, who
owes a whopping tax bill. A
veteran Chicago crime re
porter who covered the Ca
pones since the gang war days
oi the roaring 20's tells about
the last quarry in the govern
ment's three-decade vendetta
against the brothers Capone.)
By ROBERT T. LOUGHRAN
United Press International
Chicago - UIPI) - "When it
comes to a Capone, we never
give up."
Elliott Ness didn't say that.
The words were spoken only
a few years ago by a govern
ment prosecutor seeking vic
tory in the longest - and one
of the strangest - income tax
cases on the record books.
It is no coincidence that
the man on the other side of
the fight is named Capone.
The government's struggle to
lay its hands on Capone's
cash has been going on for
31 years and it s not over yet.
The government played its
latest card In the game last
month when federal agents
seized 40 cigarette vending
machines owned by Ralph
(Bottles) Capone of Chicago
and Mercer, Wis. .
If the name is familiar it's
because Bottles is the big
brother of the most notorious t
gangster the nation has ever
known - Scarface Al Capone,
king of beer barons, com
mander of sub-machine gun
assassins, and underworld em
peror of Chicago back in the
sinful 20's.
Owes Back Taxes ,
The government insists that
Bottles owes $223,294 in back
taxes and penalties. The tax
bill dates to 1926, 1927 and
1928 when Bottles was getting
fat In his brother's shadow.
Ralph went to Jail for income
tax evasion in 1932, just like
Al, but still owed $5,662 in
back taxes when he got out
in 1935.
He didn't pay the money
then and he hasn I yet ana
Bottles' bill with the govern
ment has been multiplied by
40 through interest and pen
alties in the decades in be-tween.
Government prosec u t o r s
have come and gone in the
musty Chicago Federal build
ing. Al Capone Is dead and
his mighty lieutenants have
died or retired, generally with
well-furnished bank accounts.
The roaring 20's are fodder
for television serials.
But the Internal Revenue
service can't get out' of its
craw the fact that a Capone
still owes It money. It can't
- and won't - let Botilcs off
the hook.
If the government can't
forget Bottles Capone, it's
likely his old mob would like
to.
fell
GANGSTER'S BROTHER-Ralph (Bottles) Capone, big broth
er of Chicago prohibition-era crime leader, the late Al Ca
pone, Is shown leaving Chicago court. He appeared on charges
of Income tax evasion in 1952. (UPI)
He was never a popular
hoodlum, not even when his
hair was black and shiny, his
eyes snapped the authority of
his dreaded brother, and he
was ranked in Chicago as
"Public Enemy No. 3.
Oldtime gangsters will tell
you that was strictly a cour
tesy title. Ralph (he got his
nickname winning a beer-
drinking contest up in Wis
consin) may have sat in the
councils of the mignty lor a
while. But that was because
his little brother was a good
Italian family man and look
ed after his kinfolk.
Bottles lacked the criminal
genius of brother Alphonse,
the financial touch of Jack
(Greasy Thumb) Guzick, the
brutal but effective executive
ability of Frank (The En
forcer) Nitli, the brains and
class of such as Murray (The
Camel) Humphrey and Sam
(Golf Bag) Hunt
Closest to Al
Still, Bottles was probably
closest to Al's heart of all
the Capone boys. Of the six
Capone brothers who came
over from Naples around the
turn of the century, Al and
Ralph were the only ones
who amounted to much in
their chosen field of endeavor.
Frank Capone showed prom
ise until he was killed run
ning down a Cicero street
with a ballot box under his
arm in 1924. The other broth
ers, for the most part, could
not make It in the rackets.
Bottles had his moments.
There was the time police
raiders found him and a few
colleagues tidying up an ar
senal of rifles, shotguns, auto
matic and "Chicago typewrit
ers" - the affectionate phrase
of the day for Thompson sub
machincguns. Bottles' explan
ation: "I collect guns - I'm a
Civil War fan."
Another night more raiders
invaded Big Jim Colosimo's
restaurant and found three
pistols and three bottles of
booze Hashed under a table.
Ralph Capone happened to be
sitting at the table.
Funny, I never even seen
them," he said.
Ness Raids Club
One of his unhappier eve
nings was when Elliott Ness
raided Bottles' Cotton club on
the West Side. Capone and
the club manager were lock
ed up when a glass of liquid
evidence was knocked from
the hand of one of "The Un
touchables." But Bottles got
out.
In deference to their leader,
the mob allotted Bottles one
of the juicier rackets - sup
plying setups and towels for
Capone speakeasies. Even
that didn't last when Ralph
Seattle Choir Slates Concert
The 50-voico Seatlle Pacific
college a cappella choir will
present a concert of sacred
music at the Community Bible
church, 580 F st., Central
Point, at 8 p.m. Monday,
March 18.
Choir selections will in
clude "This Glad Day" by
William Byrd, the motet "O
Saviour Throw the Heavens
Wide" by Johannes Brahms,
"Surely He Ilalh Borne Our
Sorrows" by Vlltoriii, and the
cantata "Vision of Peace" by
Jcnn Bcrgcr.
The choir also will sing
songs by contemporary com
posers, famous hymns of the
church, and spirituals.
The group has been directed
tor the past five years by Pro
fessor Philip J. Muck, a grad
uate of the Eastman school of
music. In lis 27 concert sea
sons the choir has gained a
wide reputation for the spirit,
precision, and artistry of its
performances. The current
tour will include 13 concerts
in Oregon and California.
Two Mcdford-area students
are members of the choir.
They arc Alvln Kroon of Cen
tral Point and Alger Marsh of
Medford.
WILL APPEAR IN VALLEY - Two Medford arca students will appear with the Seattle
Pacific college a cupclla choir In Central Point March 18. Shown above are Alvin Kroon,
loft, and Alger Marsh as they
rehearse with their director.
Professor Philip J. Mack.
Kroon is the son of the Rev.
and Mrs. Paul Otto Kroon of
Central Point and Marsh is
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Les
ter A. Marsh, of Medford.
I ($st5BjsewpaMai mmt
fc4.4 Vi ' ' " ' ' '
, t i vyJJii y - t - - - --im
Di 1 ?U ill it " ' ? '' v 7 1 L-sJ J
I X
got out of prison. His brother
was a broken man, dying an
Ignominous death of paresis.
There was no room, and no
need, In the board room of
the mob for the other Capone,
The mob can't forget a Ca
pone, however. Bottles had
a few more years as a big
shot and then showed up as
the "manager" of a hunting
and fishing lodge near Mercer,
Wis. It was a good place for
the Chicago crime lords to
go when they wanted to get
away from it all.
Didn't Go Hungry
est for bottles in a cigarette
vending concession in Chi
cago's West Side suburbs.
Al's big brother didn't go
hungry.
Bottles is pushing 70 now,
though, and it's likely the
sleek new leaders of the Chi-
There was also a tidy inter- cago crime syndicate would
just as soon he got lose His
hair has a tendency to crawl
over his collar - a cheap col
lar at that - and he's taken
to wearing a gray western
style hat. Instead of silk foot
wear he wears white socks,
probably to ease his swollen
ankles. It doesn't look good.
He claims he's broke and
a federal district judge has
officially declared him a bank
rupt. But the treasury men don't'
really believe it. They con
tinued with plans this week
to keep' on raiding Bottles'
vending machines wherever
they can find them. And they
persisted in looking else
where for the Capone bank
roll. "I'll tell you how it is with
these hoodlums," an investi
gator said. "1 they make $500
they bury $250 of it. Th
money's there somewhere."
(TdDIMKYf
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