1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,879 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Shout out to our super 4 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: producer Casey Pegram and our super producer Max Williams. Oh, 5 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:44,599 Speaker 1: we just had to get that one out of the way. 6 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: No oh yeah, we mean it was only right and natural. Ben, 7 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: I'm no, um you said that? Um? Ben? How do 8 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: you feel about a soup? Are you a super person? Yeah? 9 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: I was. I was thinking about this because too much 10 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: soup can have this we're sort of I don't know. 11 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: It always felt like a had a comedic implication to me, 12 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:10,919 Speaker 1: even before the infamous soup Nazi of the Seinfeld days. 13 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: But I, um, yeah, I like a good soup. I 14 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: make a I make a pretty mean soup myself. But 15 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: to me, soup is like you've probably heard people talk 16 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: about this before, guys, but some people feel like soup 17 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:27,199 Speaker 1: is either a poor person's meal or not a real meal, 18 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: just soup by itself. I tend to disagree with the 19 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: latter point. But what do you think? No, well, it 20 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: certainly is a good use of leftovers. All you needed 21 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: a little bit of stock, uh, and some vegetables and 22 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: a meat of some sort, perhaps just like some leftover 23 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: ham or or b or something like that. You got 24 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: yourself a stew going baby. To quote Carl Weathers from 25 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: the rest of development. But I just want to bring 26 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: up really quickly while we're on the specifically the soup 27 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: part of this discussion. I mean, we're gonna get more 28 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,919 Speaker 1: into into soup discussions. But there was something called perpet 29 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: chewel stew that was a staple of medieval ends back 30 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: in the day, and it was literally just like you 31 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: see it in in movies and stuff, the giant cauldron 32 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 1: of bubbling stew over the fire like in an in 33 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: an end. It was called perpetual stew because it was 34 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: just always going, uh, and they would just add more 35 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,360 Speaker 1: stuff to it and replenish it as needed. But it 36 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: was never really got like started from scratch, and I'm 37 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: sure it led to some food born illness, but it 38 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,279 Speaker 1: was definitely something that probably contributed as well to the 39 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: notion of soups or stews being kind of a poor 40 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: person's meal, um, because you know, it is very much 41 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: something that you can just use whatever is laying around. 42 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 1: It also is of course a staple of institutionalized feeding 43 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: of the homeless, for example, in what is known as 44 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: soup kitchens, where you you know, line up and you 45 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: get your stuff, a cup of soup and then that's 46 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: you know, we'll hopefully sustain you for a little while. 47 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: But those things kind of combined have led to this 48 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: reputation that soup has is sort of like a lower meal. 49 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, And don't get us wrong, there are definitely 50 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: soups that have been considered historically fancy turtle soup. We 51 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: did an episode on that lobster bisco as well. But 52 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: you're right, you know, it turns out that people have 53 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: been making soup for an estimated twenty thousand years. It's 54 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: by no means a new idea. It's uh, trying not 55 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: to say super too much in this episode and all 56 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:33,080 Speaker 1: it's extraordinarily practical. And today's story is it just about 57 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: the history of soup kitchens. Don't worry. You're probably still 58 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: gonna leave hungry. But don't worry, this story is about 59 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: something else too. We're going through a bit of a 60 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: crime phase this week on the show, and the star 61 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: of today's episode in many ways is a guy named 62 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: al Capone, the quintessential American gangster. He was so successful 63 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: during his time that it's difficult for a lot of 64 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: people nowadays to described the full extent of his criminal empire. 65 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: Like we know, we know he did a ton of 66 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: dirt Noll, but we also know that the crimes that 67 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: eventually brought him down had nothing to do with his 68 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: bootlegging or anything like that. It was tax evation. The 69 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: I R S will get you back, then the I 70 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: R S it will absolutely get you. I actually just 71 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: got done um watching the full run of Boardwalk Empire, 72 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 1: and Alphonse Capone plays a huge role in that show 73 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:34,160 Speaker 1: because the history of organized crime is very much entwined 74 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: in the history of prohibition, because when the Volstead Act 75 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: was passed, it made alcohol illegal and opened up this 76 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:46,280 Speaker 1: entire new black market that did not exist before. And 77 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,679 Speaker 1: when you have a black market, of course you're gonna 78 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: have violence and and turf wars and things that all 79 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,039 Speaker 1: stem from the fact that something is made illegal. It 80 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: is often the argument for like say, legalizing drugs, because 81 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: if you do that, then you don't have have a 82 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: need for things like Cartel's to come in and fill 83 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 1: that vacuum um of legal sales of things. You know, 84 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: with this black market. So basically the impetus for striking 85 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: down the voltstead actor repealing it was because of a 86 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: couple of things. It was because of this you know, 87 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: burgeoning organized crime world that kind of sprung up around it, 88 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 1: but also all of this unclaimed tax revenue that was 89 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: just going down the tubes, you know. And this all 90 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 1: happened in the face of the Great Depression. And like 91 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: many crime lords in their own hometowns or their own 92 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: home territory, it's often quite popular, quite a popular choice 93 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: diplomatically to sort of paint themselves as sort of Robin 94 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 1: Hood esque figures. We know, Pablo Escobar did that in 95 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: his home turf of median Um in Colombia, and al 96 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: Capone was no different. Even though he was absolutely an 97 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: unhinged psychopath who would you know, bludge into death with 98 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,840 Speaker 1: like paper weights and baseball bats anyone that crossed him 99 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: or even offended him mildly, but he still wanted to 100 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 1: curate this image of himself not just as public enemy 101 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: number one in his hometown of Chicago, but also as 102 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: some sort of benevolence overlord that looked out for the 103 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: little people and was really just kind of sticking it 104 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: to the man, but as we know, he was much 105 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: much more than that and absolutely a terrible, terrible person. 106 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: How's your mother doing? She get the Uh? Yeah, she 107 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:23,719 Speaker 1: get the soda? Popeye sent al right, being a good kid, 108 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,799 Speaker 1: Be a good kid, run along exactly. No, it's true. 109 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: So it's you're right. This robin hood image, while demonstrably 110 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: false in many ways, is an important piece of gardnering 111 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: local support, community support, and when the official government steps in, 112 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: new power structures can rise. This is what components saw 113 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: during the stock market crash that would set off what 114 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: we call the Great Depression today. He said, you know, 115 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: I could do a little pr how's your mother? So 116 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: he so he opened a soup kitchen in Chicago. Again, 117 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,920 Speaker 1: if you've listened to our previous episodes about this time period, 118 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: you know that life was fundamentally rocked and shaken to 119 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,760 Speaker 1: the core for so many people living in the US 120 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: at the time. People who had homes literally no longer 121 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: had those homes. They no longer had jobs, they no 122 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: longer had any economic opportunities. They were, in a very 123 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: real way worried about what they and their families would 124 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: eat every day. So this this soup kitchen was a 125 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: brilliant move, and the big question is how much of 126 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: it was his It was actual, you know, concerned for 127 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: his fellow human beings, how much of it was concerned 128 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: for his deteriorating public image. We have views on that 129 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: that I think we could give you with the course 130 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: of this show. But first, let's let's talk a little 131 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: bit about Capone pre Boardwalk Capone, believe it or not, 132 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: he was not born a middle aged crime boss. He 133 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: was born in relative to relatively modest means, son of 134 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: poor Italian immigrants who moved to Brooklyn. He got expelled 135 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: from school for socking uh female teacher, and then he 136 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: joined a street gang. And he was, by all means 137 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: a pretty smart dude. You can't rise to this level 138 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: of organized crime without being, you know, a fairly bright crayon. 139 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: He could have maybe pursued his educational There might be 140 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: a world just to the left of hours where he 141 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:37,319 Speaker 1: is like a very well known criminal defense attorney. How 142 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: hilarious would that be. That's not what happened. He took 143 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: over Chicago's leading crime syndicate, and just four years after 144 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:50,719 Speaker 1: taking over Chicago's organized crime he was a multi millionaire. 145 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: I believe yeah, and as he's portrayed in Boardwalk Empire 146 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 1: by the fantastic actor Steven Graham, who you might remember 147 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: from some early guy Ritchie movies like I believe he 148 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 1: is in Snatch or lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. 149 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: I think we both often confused those two. Uh no, 150 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:08,560 Speaker 1: I think he was in I think he was in Snatch. Um. 151 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 1: But he is a British actor who does a damn 152 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:15,559 Speaker 1: fine Brooklyn accent as al Capone. You know, he's he's 153 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 1: very really disappears into that role. He had the nickname 154 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: Scarface because he did have these like very large scars 155 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: on his face from when he was attacked with a 156 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 1: blade and and uh kind of disfigured um. And he 157 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: was very insecure about it and actually wore makeup to 158 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: cover these scars, like some kind of like a pancake makeup. Um. 159 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: So you see that in the show. But he also 160 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: was so successful and so let's just say, kind of 161 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: self possessed that he didn't want to play nice with 162 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: any of the other crime families or any of the 163 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: other you know, members of the syndicate, and that ultimately 164 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 1: led to his downfall as well, because he was, you know, 165 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: kind of a little too big for his bridges, as 166 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: folks would say, and he didn't want to kind of 167 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: cut other people in, so that ultimately led to his 168 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,040 Speaker 1: rivals kind of helping in his downfall a little bit 169 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: as well. But you're right then he made around forty 170 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: million dollars throughout the course of his career, primarily from 171 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,839 Speaker 1: selling illegal alcohol during Prohibition, like I said, with that 172 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:18,320 Speaker 1: vacuum um left by the outlawing of of booze and 173 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: it was distributed to more than ten thousand speakeasies and 174 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: houses of ill repute through this massive operation that he 175 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,319 Speaker 1: was at the heart of, this kind of network of 176 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: of bootleggers that you know, distributed all throughout the Midwest. 177 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: And because of the way prohibition was viewed in that 178 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 1: it was like, you know, there were obviously teetotalers and 179 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: folks that thought prohibition was kind of saving the soul 180 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:46,960 Speaker 1: of America. There were an equal, if not much greater 181 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: number of people that looked at it as being deprived 182 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: of their civil liberties. So even the average person felt 183 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: like it was their god given right to drink alcohol 184 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: and that Alcopoland was just giving the people what they wanted. Yeah, 185 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: and what they wanted was boo just to run this 186 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: through the inflation calculator. As we said, four years after 187 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 1: he joins these after he heads these crime syndicates, he's 188 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:13,119 Speaker 1: making forty million. So if we can get our inflation calculator, 189 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: boo booper doopoop makes uh, it's around five hundred and 190 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 1: fifty million dollars. This guy is not hurting for money 191 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: at all, and he's got m He is very conscious 192 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: of the fact that he needs this public support. He's 193 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 1: doing all sorts of dirt behind the scenes, but he's 194 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: also very publicly launching programs to give milk to all 195 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: the Chicago school children, which also has its own sketchy backstory, 196 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: and he's donating tons of cash to local charities. This 197 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: is this all happens before the stock market crash on October. 198 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: By the way, when the stock market crash occurs, he 199 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: sees the writing on the wall. As we said, banks 200 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: are failing, businesses are shuttering, Millions of people are unemployed. 201 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: They don't know where they're going to eat. And that's 202 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 1: where we see the rise of breadlines, the rise of 203 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 1: things like soup kitchens. I'm throwing my arms around, even 204 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:20,959 Speaker 1: though this is an audio podcast. It's just a big 205 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:25,440 Speaker 1: this is a huge social change, and just for perspective, 206 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:30,840 Speaker 1: In November, more than seventy five thousand people in Chicago 207 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 1: without jobs lined up to register their names while they 208 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: would wait for some kind of government assistance, whether that's 209 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 1: a free meal program or whether that's a a work 210 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: program of some sort. And the Chicago Tribune notes that 211 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 1: unless anybody feels, you know, kind of classes, these aren't, 212 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: you know, stereotypical hoboes with bendals waiting in line. These 213 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 1: people are dressed. They're dressed like they're going to church, 214 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: where they're dressed like they're going to work in an office. 215 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,680 Speaker 1: And that's when in such a in a very short span, 216 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 1: hundreds and hundreds of soup kitchens pop up all around 217 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: the country. And one of those soup kitchens literally belonged 218 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:26,600 Speaker 1: to the man himself, Scarface al Capone. He didn't even 219 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: have a name for his charity, which I thought was interesting. 220 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 1: But there was a sign over the door of the 221 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: kitchen that said free soup, coffee and donuts for the unemployed. 222 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: And they served around people every day with no questions asked, 223 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: no need to prove that you qualified or whatever. They 224 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 1: even would doll out second helpings because again, I mean, look, 225 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:51,840 Speaker 1: sorry to keep going back to this. Clearly probably you know, 226 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: hyperbolic and fictionalized portrayal of al Capone in Boardwalk Empire, 227 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: but he does this is accurate. He did have a 228 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 1: son who was as disabled he was deaf, and you 229 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: do see the character kind of struggling with how to 230 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,679 Speaker 1: you know, literally communicate to his son and keep him 231 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: from being bullied and all of that. But you did 232 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 1: get a sense that he very much loved his son 233 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: and he was a family man, but he you know, 234 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: was also an unhinged kind of sociopath. So it's an 235 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: interesting dichotomy that you see. So whether it was pure 236 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: optics or pure politics that he was playing, or if 237 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: he actually did have a soft spot in his heart 238 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: for the kind of disenfranchise, I think the jury is 239 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 1: still a little bit out. But breakfast was a cup 240 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: of hot coffee that was sweetened with sugar and sweet rolls, 241 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: which would be kind of like a cinnamon roll type situation. 242 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 1: And then lunch and dinner you could get a bowl 243 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 1: of soup and a loaf of bread or a slice 244 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: of bread. And every day three hundred and fifty loaves 245 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: and a hundred dozen sweet rolls were consumed by the 246 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: folks that frequented this kitchen, and thirty pounds of coffee 247 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: that was sweetened up with around fifty pounds of sugar 248 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: were also in play. It cost around three hundred dollars 249 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 1: a day, which, in you know, nineteen thirties dollars, that's 250 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 1: a lot of money. It's a little less than five 251 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: grand exactly every single day. But it was clearly worth 252 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: it to him, whether politically or whether it gave him 253 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: a sense of purpose and made him feel like less 254 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: of a monster. But he didn't strike me as the 255 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: kind of guy that was particularly self aware of his 256 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: status as being, you know, kind of a monster. But 257 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: we do know that even though he didn't have his 258 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 1: name on the building, he was connected to it in 259 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 1: stories that were printed in the local papers. Yeah, and 260 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: his associates went on record. Someone who knew Capone, it 261 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: was like an open secret that this was a Compone operation. 262 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: One of his colleagues said, he, meaning Capone, couldn't stand 263 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: it to see those poor devils starving. Nobody else seemed 264 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: to be doing much, so the big boy decided to 265 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 1: do it himself. They're clearly leaning into this sort of 266 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: anti hero image. But then that image brings with it 267 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:11,400 Speaker 1: its own complications. Thanksgiving Campone soup kitchen is planning to 268 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 1: have a traditional Thanksgiving meal for people in need, and 269 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: they had, you know, they were serving at this point, 270 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 1: like five thousand Chicago residents a day. Here's his problem though, 271 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 1: his his criminal he's aware of his criminal past might 272 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: affect public image. Someone in the city had done a 273 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: turkey heist right four things, because they still a thousand 274 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,239 Speaker 1: turkeys from this department store. And Capone was not involved 275 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: with this crime. He was above turkey theft at this point. 276 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: But he said, I would think he would hope and 277 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 1: he said, you know, well, we don't want to be 278 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 1: blamed for this caper. So at the very last minute, 279 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: they said, look, we run a clean soup kitchen here. 280 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 1: We're not serving turkey and cranberry. We're serving beef stew, 281 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: just to keep the heat off. Yeah, and I understand 282 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: why he did that optically speaking, but it also is 283 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: kind of a cheap o move. They could have pivoted 284 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: to something like a nice ham, you know, something a 285 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: little more festive beef stew. I don't really associate that 286 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,160 Speaker 1: with the holidays very much. I would imagine that that 287 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,679 Speaker 1: came from stuff they already had lying around, because well, 288 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 1: they didn't want to be seen is having uh, you know, 289 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 1: participated in any kind of Turkey heist. They also didn't 290 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 1: want to have to go and you know, buy a 291 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: whole another however, many thousand hams they would have had 292 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: to buy. And you know, I'm gonna be honest, Uh no, Max, 293 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: if I had to choose between the two, I would 294 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: choose beef stew. I'm a beef stew guy. I don't know, 295 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:33,160 Speaker 1: I love a beef stew. I do love a beef stew. 296 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:37,920 Speaker 1: It's true. Um. So, you know, he really cared about, 297 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 1: at the very least this image of being this kind 298 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: of benevolent you know, criminal, and you know he this 299 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: included widows and orphans and the homeless of course, you know, 300 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 1: but it was a big swath because at this point, 301 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 1: because of the unemployment and the absolute disaster that was 302 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: the Great Depression, a lot of these folks were mixing. 303 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,399 Speaker 1: You know, it was not just one particular type of 304 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: individual that would have been standing in line at these 305 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:07,480 Speaker 1: at this kitchen and the Bismarck Tribune reported on this, 306 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 1: and they noted that quote, a hungry man is just 307 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: as glad to get soup and coffee from Al Capone 308 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:17,119 Speaker 1: as from anyone else. Very true, very true. And there's 309 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 1: there's an excellent piece of writing in Harper's magazine that 310 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:25,679 Speaker 1: shows the irony of this situation in Chicago, because, of course, 311 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:31,440 Speaker 1: not everybody approved of Capone's charity here. And I think 312 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 1: this is just my opinion. I think it's because he 313 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: had some other motives at play. I think that's pretty 314 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:42,199 Speaker 1: obvious anyway. In Harper's, the writer Mary Borden, she notes 315 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,919 Speaker 1: this image that really stuck with me. Says, you know, 316 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: picture this. There's a line of people without jobs that 317 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:53,200 Speaker 1: are waiting for a handout from Capone's soup kitchen. He's 318 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:56,200 Speaker 1: the most wanted man in Chicago. And picture, if you will, 319 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 1: the line for his soup kitchen stretching past the very 320 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:06,359 Speaker 1: front door of the city's police headquarters, which held evidence 321 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:11,480 Speaker 1: of the incredibly violent crimes that Campone committed or had committed. 322 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: And the press was desperate to uh to get more 323 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,440 Speaker 1: info on this. He got a lot of pr from 324 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: having a soup kitchen. The press was always trying to 325 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,920 Speaker 1: like send somebody in to catch Capone there in person, 326 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: but they never did. You won't find a photograph of 327 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: him at the kitchen today. Uh. And some newspapers were 328 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 1: negative in their press, like the Daily Independent in Murphysboro, Illinois, 329 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 1: who said, if anything were needed to make the farce 330 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,919 Speaker 1: of gang Land complete, it is the Al Capone soup kitchen. 331 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:50,680 Speaker 1: It would be rather terrifying to see Capone running for 332 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 1: mayor of Chicago. We're afraid he would get such a 333 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 1: tremendous vote. It's even conceivable that he might be elected 334 00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: after a few more stunts like his soup kitchen. But again, 335 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,879 Speaker 1: and he's just feeding people. You know, people are eating 336 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: at the end of the day. He's not poisoning them. 337 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: You know, he's not forcing them to commit crimes for him. 338 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:11,439 Speaker 1: But it is a battle of hearts and minds, and 339 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:13,959 Speaker 1: at this point he is very much winning. That's right. 340 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: And it wasn't even his idea. Uh. And speaking of politics, 341 00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: you know, I mean he was very closely embedded in politics. 342 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,160 Speaker 1: And we know about the you know, the political machines 343 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,639 Speaker 1: of Chicago and all that, and the you know, Boss 344 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 1: Tweed and all of that stuff. I mean, it really 345 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 1: is a historically corrupt political city and has has maintained 346 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,280 Speaker 1: that reputation even up until the modern day. But this dude, 347 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:42,679 Speaker 1: Daniels Sarah Tella, who was a pal of Campones, and 348 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:46,399 Speaker 1: he was also a political ally. He got elected to 349 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:49,119 Speaker 1: the Illinois State Senate in nineteen thirty and he's the 350 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:52,600 Speaker 1: one who suggested to Campone that he do this soup 351 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: kitchen stunt. For lack of a better word. Harry Reid, 352 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,080 Speaker 1: who was a newspaper reporter at the time, claimed to 353 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: have been present in an apartment with Capone and Sarah 354 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:05,719 Speaker 1: Tella when this idea kind of came up, and he 355 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: says that on November nineteen thirty November two, nine thirty, 356 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: Capone said, quote, there are so many people hungry in 357 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: the First Ward because of the depression, that Dan asked 358 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 1: me to back a free hand out joint. I'm gonna 359 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,520 Speaker 1: try to do the Al Capone voice. He's got more 360 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,440 Speaker 1: starving people down there than he can handle. All the 361 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: bums that land in Chicago go to the First War. 362 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 1: That makes it tough for the people who lived there, 363 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:29,360 Speaker 1: and so we figured if we could feed the drifters, 364 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: it would lighten the load for the regular charity rackets, 365 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: the charity rackets, and uh, the city editor there says, 366 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:40,639 Speaker 1: you know, Campone, this will make a great story, and 367 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,480 Speaker 1: Compone didn't like it. He for owed his brow and 368 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,120 Speaker 1: he said, nothing, do it, nix on that, no story. 369 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,679 Speaker 1: I'd only be panned for doing it. And he was right. 370 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: Some newspapers were inevitably gonna pan him. But also, lest 371 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 1: we paint this man is too much of a saint, 372 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: he did not invest a ton of his own money 373 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 1: into the soup kitch, and instead, as reported in biography 374 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,640 Speaker 1: on him, Campone his life, legacy and legend, he bribed 375 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: and extorted other businesses to supply the food. Like there's 376 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:15,159 Speaker 1: a ninety two trial with Sarah Tella over whether the 377 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: guy conspired with grocers to cheat customers. And in the 378 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,040 Speaker 1: course of that trial, the court discovered a load of 379 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: ducks had been donated by this chain store to Christmas 380 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 1: baskets for the poor, but they disappeared along the way 381 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:34,000 Speaker 1: and Capone's soup kitchen ended up with a lot of ducks. Yeah, 382 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:36,199 Speaker 1: I mean, even that turkey heist that he supposedly had 383 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,359 Speaker 1: nothing to do with. I wouldn't be surprised if you 384 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:40,359 Speaker 1: know some of that could have ended up in his 385 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: kitchen at some point circuitously, right like you know, fell 386 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:46,639 Speaker 1: off a truck. That whole situation. And in addition to 387 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 1: bootlegging alcohol and making a fortune off of that enterprise, 388 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: he also was hugely involved in illegal gambling and his 389 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 1: underground casinos would do about twenty five thousand dollars of 390 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: off at every month. Yeah, so he wasn't hurting for money. 391 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,920 Speaker 1: He totally could have paid for this and not miss 392 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 1: the meal himself. It would not have impacted his life 393 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 1: in a meaningful way to do so, but he still 394 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 1: didn't pay as we as we clearly outlined, he was 395 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:20,440 Speaker 1: making other businesses foot the bill and provide the supplies. 396 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:31,560 Speaker 1: You may be familiar with the city of Chicago, and 397 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: you might want to, you know, give this piece of 398 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:39,600 Speaker 1: obscure history an in person visit. But if you go 399 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 1: to nine thirty five South State Street in the South 400 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 1: Luke neighborhood today, you are not going to see the 401 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 1: Soup Kitchen because it closed abruptly in n two In April. 402 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: The owners of the kitchen claimed that it was no 403 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: longer needed because the economy was finally on the way 404 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: back up. But that's a little bit weird because from 405 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:06,400 Speaker 1: one to nineteen thirty two the number of unemployed people 406 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,920 Speaker 1: in the country had increased by four million. Not four 407 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,680 Speaker 1: million total, just four million newly jobless people. And I 408 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: just want to backtrack, ever so quickly and slightly. You 409 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:21,120 Speaker 1: may well have heard of the St. Valentine's Day massacre 410 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 1: in ninety nine on St. Valentine's Day. That was a 411 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 1: hugely public slaughter of many of Capone's competition in the 412 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: crime world, and it was squarely pinned on him in 413 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 1: the press. So this whole Soup Kitchen thing was also 414 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: an effort to kind of get the public opinion back 415 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 1: on his side, right, Yeah, absolutely, this was that was 416 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: ultimately his motive. You think, just two months after the 417 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:54,200 Speaker 1: Soup Kitchen closes, component is indicted on those crimes we 418 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:58,399 Speaker 1: mentioned before, not bootlegging, not gambling, twenty two counts of 419 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 1: income tax, the shil And this is so crazy. I 420 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 1: think about this kind of stuff sometimes, man. I know 421 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 1: it's very self centered, but Capone is this huge He's 422 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: like an international figure at this point, and his career 423 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: is over when he's only thirty three years old. He 424 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:20,639 Speaker 1: eventually gets locked up in Alcatraz while he is on 425 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: trial leading to his incarceration. He is pledging left and right, 426 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,360 Speaker 1: I'm gonna reopen my soup kitchen. But that never happens. 427 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:33,399 Speaker 1: And as you know, Capone is eventually released from prison 428 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty nine, but he is suffering from the 429 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: complications of syphilis. He is mentally and physically incapable of 430 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:48,680 Speaker 1: operating the way he once did. In fact, just a 431 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:52,040 Speaker 1: year before his death, Campone's psychiatrist would go on to 432 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,120 Speaker 1: conclude that he had the mentality of a twelve year 433 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 1: old child. He spent the last years of his life 434 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,240 Speaker 1: at his mansion and paul I in Florida, and he 435 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 1: died of cardiac arrest and suffering a stroke in nineteen Yeah, 436 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:09,719 Speaker 1: that's right. And um, obviously we still think of al 437 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: Capone today and really associate him as one of the 438 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,440 Speaker 1: kind of, you know, top figures in American organized crime. 439 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 1: And that's because he wanted it. You know. Like there's 440 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:22,119 Speaker 1: a scene in Boardwalk Empire where he, uh and his 441 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 1: cronies are all kind of gathered in a hotel suite 442 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:29,360 Speaker 1: and he forces them to repeatedly watch this newsreel kind 443 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:32,640 Speaker 1: of dramatizing his rise to prominence in the crime world 444 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,400 Speaker 1: and referring to him as a public enemy number one, 445 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:37,640 Speaker 1: and he literally makes them watch it like three times 446 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,880 Speaker 1: in a row. He's also like always high on cocaine 447 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:42,959 Speaker 1: in the show, which I didn't realize was a thing. 448 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,200 Speaker 1: But again, they did a pretty good job at sticking 449 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 1: to mostly true historical things when it comes to the 450 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: characters in Boardwalk Empire. But it's true, he definitely had 451 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 1: this reputation that lived on far after he passed away. 452 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: The Soup Kitchen, however, did have that same longevity. Yeah, 453 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: it's right, It's absolutely true. If you trace the life 454 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 1: of the Soup Kitchen after it gets closed down, you'll 455 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,639 Speaker 1: see that it also ends not with a bang, but 456 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: with a whimper. The building eventually became a flophouse, and 457 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: then in nine the authorities in Chicago said, hey, this 458 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,000 Speaker 1: is a fire hazard. They shut it down permanently. So 459 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 1: if you go there today where it stood, you'll find 460 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,479 Speaker 1: a parking lot. You know, maybe you could be the change, 461 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: fellow ridiculous historian. Maybe you could just park there with 462 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:42,159 Speaker 1: some soup, like a big tureen of soup or or 463 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:44,960 Speaker 1: a cooler of soup, a thermos. I don't know. You 464 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: probably have to have a permit though, unless you're also 465 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: a crime boss. Yeah, you would think. And it's interesting too, 466 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 1: just like the kind of nuances of of how Capone's 467 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 1: reputation sort of affected his care at the end of 468 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: his life. Right. Um, we know that he spent the 469 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:04,960 Speaker 1: last year of that prison sentence in the hospital for syphilis. 470 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:08,280 Speaker 1: After that, he was trying to get the best care 471 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: because obviously he had the money to do it and 472 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: had not been completely wiped out by the I R. S. 473 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:14,920 Speaker 1: I'm sure he had some cash stored away and some 474 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: mattresses or safe deposit boxes or what have you. So 475 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 1: he was trying to get help at Johns Hopkins University 476 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 1: because his primary care physician was an associate professor of 477 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:29,440 Speaker 1: medicine there at Johns Hopkins, and this personal doctor was 478 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:31,760 Speaker 1: trying to pull some strings to get him to be 479 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:34,359 Speaker 1: admitted to Johns Hopkins, which, as we know, is a 480 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: very illustrious university known today as being one of the 481 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: top medical schools in the world, um, in the country 482 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 1: at the very least. But the board of trustees of 483 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:47,560 Speaker 1: Johns Hopkins were not having it. They did not want 484 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 1: their reputation tarnished by having one of you know, the 485 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 1: most notorious gangsters ever to be, you know, hanging out 486 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: in their hospital, so they refused treatment to him, or 487 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:00,320 Speaker 1: at the very least, they refused to have him be 488 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: admitted for a long term stay. So he had to 489 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:06,280 Speaker 1: go with Baltimore's Union Memorial Hospital, who I guess had 490 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 1: slightly lower standards, and they did admit Capone for treatment, 491 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 1: and they even took it a step farther and allowed 492 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:18,240 Speaker 1: his entourage bodyguards, a barber, personal barber, and massur also 493 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: food tasters. I mean, it's crazy, dude. Capone really was 494 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 1: like gangster royalty, you know, and he was super paranoid. 495 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: He always thought people were out to get him. He 496 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 1: didn't trust anybody, and he employed food tasters to protect 497 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,560 Speaker 1: him from being poisoned by his enemies, of which numbered 498 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: in the you know, incalculable right. Yeah. Yeah. Capone also 499 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 1: had a soft side. He wrote a love song in prison, 500 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,920 Speaker 1: which I feel like could be its own episode. And 501 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,720 Speaker 1: he and he's the he is the reason that the 502 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: phrase money laundering is popular the modern days. So yes, 503 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 1: was he criminal? Absolutely? Was he ruthless? Absolutely? Did he 504 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 1: run a soup for self serving reasons, you bet you. 505 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:07,200 Speaker 1: But he also left us with tons and tons of 506 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: things of ideas, concepts, and pieces of history that remain 507 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,400 Speaker 1: with us in the modern day. So I gotta tell you, 508 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: you know, I think it's just because of the culture 509 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,720 Speaker 1: I grew up in. But I've always been one of 510 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: those people who digs the anti hero vibe. You know, 511 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: if I were in Chicago at that time, I might 512 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: think it is a plus that the guy who sells 513 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:32,080 Speaker 1: me underground booze has also given me free soup, you 514 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: know what I mean? Totally And just to backtrack a 515 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,680 Speaker 1: split second to his uh you know status is like 516 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:41,400 Speaker 1: a huge music buff. He did write that song UM 517 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 1: entitled Madonna Mia. But he also he actually kidnapped the 518 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: famous jazz musician Fats Waller Thomas Wright Fats Waller, who 519 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:54,080 Speaker 1: was a very prominent jazz musician at the time in 520 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:58,400 Speaker 1: ninety six. They basically black bag the guy UM at gunpoint, 521 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:00,320 Speaker 1: forcing him into the back of a limb some of 522 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: his associates. He wasn't present because he was at his 523 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 1: seven Good Lord seven birthday party. Uh And and basically, 524 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 1: you know, this is just the other way he does business. 525 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 1: He doesn't ask he tells, and he had Fats Waller 526 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 1: to do a non consensual birthday performance, a private showing 527 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:22,160 Speaker 1: at his party, And of course is a final bit 528 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 1: here to wrap up the money laundry. Think. The reason 529 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,840 Speaker 1: we're mentioning that the phrase does come to us in 530 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 1: the modern day because when al Capone needed to funnel 531 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:35,840 Speaker 1: his illegal cash, his ill gotten gains, its literal ill 532 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:39,640 Speaker 1: gotten gains, he would use laundromats because it was hard 533 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,160 Speaker 1: for the Johnny law of the day to keep track 534 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 1: of how cash was flowing into those businesses. So the 535 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:51,440 Speaker 1: you know, some people still use laundromats today. But more importantly, folks, 536 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:53,840 Speaker 1: tell us what you think. What do you What do 537 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 1: you think about the career of al Capone? And I 538 00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,960 Speaker 1: think you can call it a career he was running 539 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,760 Speaker 1: in an empire. What do you think about the idea 540 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:07,400 Speaker 1: of criminals or organized crime stepping in to assist the 541 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 1: public when it feels like the ordinary governing structures have 542 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:15,480 Speaker 1: not or are incapable or unwilling to do so. We'd 543 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:17,760 Speaker 1: love to hear all these thoughts. Please let us know 544 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:23,080 Speaker 1: at our officially hopefully working email address Ridiculous at I 545 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: Heart radio dot com. No, we gotta test that one 546 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 1: too when we get off air, just to make sure 547 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:31,480 Speaker 1: we definitely do bead. But hopefully all is right in 548 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:34,440 Speaker 1: email world and we will be hearing from you shortly. 549 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 1: Huge thanks to super producer Max Williams and his brother 550 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:40,640 Speaker 1: Alex Williams who composed our theme. Huge thanks to sup 551 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,840 Speaker 1: producer Casey Pegram, Jonathan Strickland Quister should be seeing him 552 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,959 Speaker 1: against soon one of these days, and Christopher haciotis here 553 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 1: in spirit yes, as well as Eve's Jeff Coach. Check 554 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 1: out our Turbentine episode and all the other great shows 555 00:32:55,240 --> 00:33:00,600 Speaker 1: Eaves creates, and of course thanks to our own our capone, 556 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 1: Gay Bluesier, who is entirely working as our research associate 557 00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 1: as a very complex money laundering scheme which does, as 558 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:14,120 Speaker 1: far as I understand, does involve regular heist of ducks, 559 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,320 Speaker 1: turkeys and beef stew. Stay safe out there, Gabe, We'll 560 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:27,360 Speaker 1: see you next time. Folks. For more podcasts for my 561 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 562 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.