Valentine's day massacre

Richard heart wife
Capone adversary
Cicero boardwalk empire

•

A boy was born on this day in 1892 in the south of Italy, James Vincenzo, the first son of a barber named Gabriele and his wife, Teresa. A second son named Ralph came along before the small family emigrated to the United States in pursuit, of a better life.

Gabriele and Teresa would have seven more children in time: Frank and Alphonse followed by Ermina who sadly died in infancy, John, Albert, Matthew and Mafalda.

Most of the brothers followed a life of petty crime but not Vincenzo, the first-born who would often take the ferry to Staten Island to escape the overcrowded mayhem, of the city.

Vincenzo got a job there with help from his father. He was cleaning stables and learning how to care for horses. He even learned to ride and preferred the more “American sounding” part of his name, of “James”.

James newfound love of horses led to a fascination with Buffalo Bill Cody and the “Wild West” shows, popular at this time. At sixteen he left the city for good. James family had no idea where he had gone until a letter, a year later. James was

•

Two Gun Hart: Law Man, Cowboy, and Long-Lost Brother of Al Capone

February 21, 2021

This book contained a lot of interesting information, not only about Richard Hart, eldest brother of Al Capone, but also about the beginning of the Mafia in Italy, the rise of gang activity and crime by the mob in America, and Prohibition among other areas. I also enjoyed learning more about the town of Homer, Nebraska back in the early 1900s, as my mother grew up there with her family knowing the Richard Hart family.

The book went into much detail about Richard ( Vincenzo Capone) after he left Italy for America to escape the gang life style his brothers were adopting. He was intrigued with the Old West and traveled with a Wild West Show for a time. He fought overseas in WWI and afterwards located in Nebraska becoming a law enforcement agent. This was during the days of Prohibition. Richard ( Two Gun Hart) was especially effective in helping Native Americans get rid of alcohol on their reservations. There is much information of his daring and ups and downs of his career.

At the same time, the

•

January 7, 1946 — Western film star William S. Hart at home in Newhall, 5½ months prior to his death.

Photo by George Watson. Original 4x5-inch negative from the Watson Archive.

Information from the Friends of Hart Park:

WHEN WILLIAM S. HART BEGAN HIS FILM CAREER in 1914, he initiated a fresh approach to Westerns that continues to influence the genre today. Although Western motion pictures were already very popular, for the most part they were exercises in mediocrity, filled with "impossibilities or libels on the West," according to Hart in his 1929 autobiography, My Life East and West. But in the course of appearing in or producing more than 60 movies over an eleven-year span, William S. Hart created a film style that revealed a more authentic vision of the Old West. At the same time, he made a major contribution to film history by developing and embodying the prototype of the frontier hero. Fame, artistic recognition, and wealth were Hart's rewards.

A CHILDHOOD IN THE WEST

William Surrey Hart was born in Newburgh, New York, probably in 186