The Gangster Who Taught Al Capone Everything

American gangster Johnny Torrio, born Giovanni, grew up without a father.

He and his mother moved from Orsara, Italy, to New York City in 1884 when he was still very young. Money was tight, so as a teenager, Torrio started "running errands" for the James Street Gang and later became the leader of his own illegal operations.

To understand the rise of Al Capone as one of America's most infamous gangsters, we must first look at the life of Torrio, the man who gave Capone his start in organized crime.

THE MAKINGS OF A GANGSTER

During his time with the James Street Gang, Torrio made enough money to start his own gambling operation inside a local pool hall. It was then that he met Five Points gang leader Paul Kelly, who took him under his wing and taught him how to carry himself as a legitimate businessman, or at least someone posing as one.

Torrio eventually struck off on his own and fronted additional illegal operations like hijacking, bookmaking, opium trafficking, and prostitution.

According to the Alcatraz East Crime Museum, the gangster moved to Chicago in 1909 after his gang murdered the members of the Black Hand, a criminal extortion racket that was blackmailing his uncle, crime boss “Big Jim" Colosimo.

MENTORING AL CAPONE

And who would follow Torrio to the Windy City but Al Capone, a young New Yorker who joined Torrio's crew as his operations expanded. Capone stood out to Torrio, who gave him special jobs and eventually became someone the criminal looked up to, apparently enough to follow him to Chicago.

Torrio launched more illegal operations in the Midwest metropolis, running "prostitution rackets," filling houses with women "from the White Slave Trade," which led to the slaying of two victims who threatened to call the police and get the operation shut down. Meanwhile, by 1910, Colosimo, who also moved to Chicago, had built a crime network known as the "Chicago Outfit," asking Torrio to help him manage it with Capone’s assistance. 

As the Outfit grew, Torrio and Capone had a run-in with American mobster Dean O’Banion, whom they considered partnering with, until they discovered he was hijacking their liquor trucks and setting them up for a murder that occurred at one of the Outfit's clubs.

Seeking revenge, Torrio and Capone allegedly hired Frankie Yale (the same man Torrio hired to kill Colosimo in 1920 after the crime boss divorced his aunt) to murder O'Banion. O'Banion was killed in 1924, but a suspect was never identified.

Members of O'Banion's crew "ambushed" Torrio to get back at him for their leader's murder, shooting him four times and severely wounding him. Capone stayed at the hospital with Torrio as he recovered, after which Torrio spent nine months behind the walls of a bulletproof jail cell.

Upon his release, the gangster retired and relocated to Italy with his wife, giving Capone full control over the Chicago Outfit. He would later return to the States to become an advisor to Capone, his once-young pupil who surpassed his legacy and emerged as "the most notorious gangster of all time."

Capone passed away in 1947 after suffering a stroke. Ten years later, Torrio died of a heart attack.

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