Much has been written on Al Capone. This is not about him. He had numerous interesting siblings, and one with a connection to Wisconsin. That was Rafaele, more commonly known as Ralph, or sometimes “Bottles,” though no one seems to agree on how he got that name. I’m not sure if anyone besides the newspaper ever called him that, quite frankly.
Ralph was born January 12, 1894, which makes him the older brother of Al. Their parents were Gabriele Capone and Teresa Raiola. Some say Ralph was born in Castellammare di Stabia, others say Angri, but either way it was in Salerno.
He arrived in America with his mother and older brother on the S.S. Bremen on June 18, 1895. In Brooklyn, he attended Public School No. 14 and dropped out after the sixth grade. When he was thirteen he started his first job as a messenger boy for Postal Telegraph.
In October 1915, he married Florence Moscato. They had one child together, also named Ralph, on April 17, 1917. At that time they lived at 87 Butler Street in Brooklyn and Ralph worked as a paper cutter at Standard Albion Company at 88 35th Street. He apparently worked there for about five years and then sold insurance. The couple did not get along well, and according to Ralph, she took little interest in their child and their home. One day she left their son with some neighbors and she abandoned the family. Capone sued for divorce due to desertion. Teresa Capone was granted custody of her grandson.
Ralph came to Chicago to join his brother Al in February 1922, and his first job there was tending bar in a roadhouse. He and Al and the Fischetti brothers shared an apartment at the Wolf Apartments on Wabash Avenue. Ralph later claimed he went into the beer business independent of his brother and purchased it from Jack “Greasy Thumb” Guzik. Despite his assertion of independence, he was close to his brother and lived in the family home on 7244 Prairie Avenue.
When machine gunners from the North Side gang fired at his car, driven by his chauffeur Sylvester Barton, on January 12, 1925, police believed they mistook him for his brother. Others believed it was a warning. Barton was only slightly injured when a bullet grazed him.
After squeaky clean William Dever was elected mayor on April 3, 1923, John Torrio and the Capones moved their headquarters to the suburb of Cicero. On July 2, 1926, Ralph Capone and Peter Pizzo, of 2232 South Cicero Avenue, were arrested for carrying concealed weapons and given a $1,000 bond. He was later charged with voter fraud and given a $5,000 bond, which was covered by Louis Cowen of Cicero. Capone and Pizzo were freed on November 15.
On December 20, 1927, Capone and Tony Aresso were arrested in Jack Heinan’s “soft drink parlor” at 2501 South Wabash Avenue in Chicago. Capone was found in the back room with an attractive blonde woman and all three of them were charged with disorderly conduct. Capone was additionally charged with vagrancy and Aresso with carrying concealed weapons.
On January 30, 1928, he was picked up for vagrancy in New Orleans and discharged.
On February 5, 1928, he was picked up in Memphis, Tennessee for “investigation.” What he was asked about is unknown.
On May 10, 1928, Ralph married his second wife, Velma Pheasant.
On June 30, 1929, Ralph was arrested with four henchmen at the newly re-opened Colosimo’s (2126 South Wabash). Of the four, the only notable one was bodyguard Mike Spranze. They are caught tossing pistols under the tables. Charges were later dismissed. Ralph was caught a few times gun toting, but always managed to beat the rap.
On October 9, 1929, Ralph was charged and indicted in Chicago for failure to pay income tax. Bank records showed he had deposited $1.8 million in a Cicero bank between 1924 and 1929, meaning he owed $300,000. Ralph claimed he was broke and offered to compromise at $1,000, but this offer was rejected. He was sentenced to three years in the penitentiary and $10,000 in fines. After the sentence, he told the press, “I just can’t understand it.” He appealed and was out on bond furnished by bondsman Phil D’Andrea.
On May 8, 1930, Ralph’s two Cicero clubs were raided, the Cotton Club (5340 22nd Street) and Greyhound Inn (4835 22nd Street). They had warrants for Ralph and three others, but they wanted men were not found. The others named were Art Goldie, Mike “Bon Bon” Allegretti and a man known only as “Rasputin.” Employees were arrested, but none of them notable mobsters. The government alleged Ralph was flying in booze from Windsor, Canada six days a week in a Fokker monoplane. Ralph denied owning the two clubs and a judge ordered them closed as a public nuisance.
Public Enemy #3.
On November 11, 1931, he started his term at Leavenworth Penitentiary in Kansas. Ralph is notably the first member of his family to spend time in federal prison, despite not being the worst of the lot. On December 10, he was transferred to McNeil Island Penitentiary in Washington to finish the remainder of his sentence. Ralph’s release came on February 27, 1934.
Velma Capone filed for divorce in March 1938 on the grounds of cruelty. The divorce was granted in May 1939. Ralph was subpoenaed as a witness in the tax trial of John Torrio in March 1939. He was served at his place of employment, the Waukesha Water Company (116 West Hubbard). Throughout 1940, Waukesha Water was accused of pushing its bottled water on taverns. An anonymous tavern owner said he wasn’t threatened but considered the purchase “a good idea just in case.”
Around 1940, Ralph moved to Mercer, Wisconsin and lived at a cabin called Recap Lodge on Little Martha Lake. He managed Billy’s Bar in the Rex Hotel. He was generally believed to be the owner, but did not put his name on anything for tax reasons and often used aliases like RC James and RJ Capper. His business partner was Walter Krumdick, who authorities believed helped Ralph hide his assets.
Throughout the 1940s, Ralph supported Wisconsin assemblyman William Yescheck, believing Yescheck would work to repeal the law banning slot machines. Yescheck was also in the resort business in Lac du Flambeau. This repeal did not come to pass. Ralph allegedly financially backed Yescheck’s opponent in 1950, leading to Yescheck’s defeat. Coincidentally, Yescheck died years later when his car hit a tree.
On September 19, 1950, Ralph was summoned to appear in front of Kefauver Senate Committee that was being held in Chicago. When the papers were served on him, Ralph was throwing a big party for Congressman Alvin O’Konski. The Iron County district attorney informed the marshal serving papers that Capone was O’Konski’s “right hand man” and he (the DA) did not like Capone very much. Ralph provided Kefauver nothing of value, unlike our friend Sid Brodson.
A detective with the Milwaukee Police Department, while off-duty, tracked Ralph on January 4, 1958 from the Ambassador Hotel to the Milwaukee Airport. While at the airport, Capone removed a package from a locker that the detective believed might contain dope.
Ralph entered the Milwaukee Police Department Detective Bureau on July 2, 1958 to complain to Captain Charles Nowakowski and Captain Adrian Mershon about being surveilled by the police. He told the detectives that his sole income comes from cigarette vending machines operated by his company, the Suburban Vending Company of Brookfield, Illinois. With Capone was Joseph Krasno, a Milwaukee gambler and tavern operator. Nowakowski advised Capone that if he did not want a “fatherly eye” on him, he should bypass Milwaukee when traveling between Mercer and Chicago.
Two FBI special agents trailed Ralph on July 31, 1958. Capone and two other men arrived at Mitchell Airport at 12:45pm on North Central Flight 570 from Ironwood, Michigan. At 1:00 they entered Yellow Cab 332 with their luggage. The three men dropped their luggage off at the Ambassador Hotel and then took the same cab to the Milwaukee County Stadium to catch a Milwaukee Braves game at 2:00pm.
Ralph returned to Milwaukee the first week of October 1958 for the purpose of catching some World Series games and possibly some football. (The 1958 World Series ran October 1 through October 9 and was a rematch of the 1957 Series, with the New York Yankees beating the defending champion Milwaukee Braves in seven games for their eighteenth title, and their seventh in ten years.)
Ralph came to Milwaukee on December 29, 1958 and registered at the Ambassador Hotel under the name R. C. James, along with his paramour. The FBI believed that Capone was visiting family acquaintances and was not involved in any illicit business.
On November 5, 1963, a Milwaukee informant met Ralph Capone, Tony Sciano and Ed Buchi at Tony and Dotie’s bar. Buchi was the owner of the El Dorado Supper Club (10845 West Bluemound), where Clarence “Sonny” Sommerfield was manager.
On November 8, 1963, Captain John Lavin spoke with Special Agent LeGrand. Lavin described Ralph Capone as a “troubleshooter” for the Chicago Outfit.
A Milwaukee informant spoke with the FBI on June 2, 1965 about Ralph Capone. The informant told the agents that he had met Capone many years ago and was introduced to him as an LCN member by another old-timer, either Sam Ferrara or Pete Guardalabene. The informant said that Capone was still friendly with two men in Milwaukee (both names redacted). He further said that Capone “was not a rough guy, but more of a gentleman” and had no importance in the hoodlum world anymore.
Ralph lived out his last years in his beloved Wisconsin. It was a place of peace and friends. He entertained at Billy’s and welcomed people who visited the bar and Rex Hotel. Even in his old age people said he had the air of someone who was still in charge and that commanded respect.
Ralph was pronounced dead at 1:35 pm on November 22, 1974. He died at the Sky View Rest home in Hurley, Wisconsin. Cause of death was Cardiac failure brought on by heart disease. On November 24, Ralph’s funeral was held at Engstrom Funeral Home in Hurley, Wisconsin. John Capone attended, as did Iron County district attorney Alex J. Raineri, Angelo Fazio of Milwaukee was also present. (Within a decade, Raineri would become a judge and then be convicted for involvement in prostitution.)