Monday, January 04, 2010

Al Capone Cooked on This Stove in Baltimore...Really!

Al CaponeWhen you hear "Al Capone" if you're like most people you think "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" or maybe "mobster" or "Scarface." You probably don't think "Baltimore"…yet Capone did live here twice during his criminal career.

Gangster carAs a young man he married Mae Coughlin and had a son, Albert Francis Capone. In a short-lived attempt to get away from his gangster life in Chicago, Capone moved his family to Baltimore and became the bookkeeper at a construction firm. Before long, though, one of his crime mentors offered him a job managing brothels, and Capone moved back to Chicago.

Capone made hundreds of millions of dollars on alcohol and prostitution during Prohibition, but was never convicted of any of the many crimes he committed. When he was finally sent to prison in 1932 it was because of simple tax evasion. At first he was able to bribe guards for special treatment, but a move to Alcatraz where he was cut off from his friends and power put an end to his reign. Capone slowly deteriorated and was diagnosed with dementia.

Back in Baltimore again, he spent several years in the Baltimore State Mental Institution before his release in 1945; he died two years later.

Capone StoveDuring those last years, there was a time when Capone lived at a home on Pimlico Rd. with Maishe Katz. Mr. Katz was his personal bodyguard while waiting to be called as a witness. Capone had purchased his own kitchen equipment..according to my seller at 6211 Park Heights Avenue

My seller's family thought having the stove was a good conversation starter and purchased it many years ago. Happens to be in good condition since it was only used for a few short months.

Capone was a larger-than-life figure, and his connection, even though small, is an interesting bit of history that adds to the attraction of this amazing property.

Baltimore City's Million Dollar Mansion...6211 Park Heights Ave 21215 Make Me an Offer!

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