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This podcast episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states by the
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mid-1920s, Al Capone was the undisputed kingpin of Chicago, which at that time was one of the most powerful crime syndicates on planet Earth. And what's more, he was expanding operations. Not only did Capone install a satellite crew in Sioux City, Iowa, but he also took control of the rackets down in Omaha and Kansas City. To Paraphrase Historian Jeff MacArthur, the only thing truly standing in the way of Al Capone's Midwest ambitions was an overzealous Nebraska law man known as Richard Two Gun Hart, a man said to be both fearless and incorruptible. The mysterious Heart had cut his teeth working cattle down in Oklahoma, where he claimed to be half Native American. He served with Fowler during the Great War and once back stateside he pinned on a Marshall's badge in the tiny town of Homer, Nebraska. And even in Nebraska, Hart stood out like a sore thumb, like something straight out of a Hollywood Western. Rather than dressed in fedoras and polished shoes, Harden Stid opted for a 10 gallon cowboy hat and riding boots. He preferred traveling via horseback as opposed to automobiles, and even his weapons of choice were throwbacks to the old days. A pair of well oiled single action revolvers slung low around his hip. And when the Volstead act made the production of alcohol illegal, Hart began hunting down bootleggers with a wild abandon. So much so that he'd go down in history as one of the most effective Prohibition agents of all time. And yeah, like I said earlier, by the mid-1920s, Richard Two Gun Hart was all that stood between Al Capone and his ever expanding Midwest empire. Maybe. Turns out Richard Two Guns was harboring a secret, one that even his wife and children weren't aware of. You see, Richard wasn't really part Native American. In fact, he was born in southern Italy. His family migrated to New York City when he was still a child and he ran away from his Brooklyn home at the age of 16. Hart initially adopted an American last name due to anti Italian discrimination, but he continued hiding his true identity for decades to come. Mostly on account of his little brother being none other than the aforementioned Alfonso Capone, AKA Public Enemy Number One. Two brothers on opposite sides of the law, both of them deadlier than hell and neither willing to cede control of their prospective territories. Only question is, what happens when their worlds finally collide? Who was Richard Two Gun Hart? What caused him to flee New York for a life of a frontier lawman? What'd he do prior to becoming marshal? Did he miss calzones or gabagool while he was living out West? And what happened when Al Capone found out that his long lost brother was a rising star in the Bureau of Prohibition? My name's Josh, and this is the Wild West Extravaganza. Vincenzo Capone was born in Southern Italy on March 28, 1892. His parents, Gabriel and Teresina, migrated to the United States just a few years later. During the summer of 1895, just like thousands of other Italians flee in poverty, they'd settle in the slums of Brooklyn, where Gabriel found work as a barber. And before it was all said and done, he and Teresina would have a total of nine children. Six boys and three girls. Now, although the Capones never Anglicized their family name, they would take on American nicknames, or at least most of them would. Their firstborn, for example, Vinzo went by James, Raphael went by Ralph. Salvatore was known as Frank, and Alfonso became Al, and so on and so forth. Today's story is mostly going to focus on Vino. And early on I will refer to him either as James or Vinzo. And then later on, I'll call him by his alias, Richard Hart. Just wanted to point that out. Hopefully it's not too confusing. And also, before we go any further, I would like to discuss the state of organized crime there in New York City during the early 1900s. Keep in mind that this was before the advent of what we now consider the modern American Mafia. And most of what we'll be discussing took place prior to the formation of the so called Five Families. That said, even as early as the turn of the century, there were various Italian groups there in New York fighting over the rackets. You had the Morello Terranova clan, who originated from Sicily. You had the Gomara. And you even had extortion groups like the Black Hand. And then of course, there were other non Italians doing the same sort of stuff. Guys like Monk Eastman. And just like nowadays, there were a lot of young men who looked up to these criminals as role models. Not for Chinzo. James Capone, though, he was far more Interested in the big wide world outside of New York City. Horses and trees and wide open spaces, just like in the silent Westerns that he was such a big fan of. And rather than spend time hanging around with hoodlums, James instead found work at the horse stables over in Staten island, same place he saw Buffalo Bill Cody perform when he was a young child. Per historian Jeff MacArthur, quote, James spent so much time at the stables that his family saw little of him. He took jobs when he could, either tending to the animals, helping to load ice on horses that went to Staten island, or working with the shows that were put on, such as Wild west programs or other stunt shows that involved horses and guns. Occasionally, Scouts came through hiring individuals and buying animals for shows that would go on tour nor transfer to a ranch out west where ongoing performances were keeping the Old west alive in stunt shows and theatrical productions. End of quote. And, yeah, it was almost certainly one of those scouts that persuaded Vicenzo to leave the big city behind and pursue his dreams of becoming a cowboy. That said, we don't know that for certain. And there are apocryphal stories of James killing a man that was abusing one of his brothers. There's even a rumor about him and his father getting into a big fight. Fight. And that's what ultimately caused him to leave home. Or, like I said, it could have simply been one of those scouts that I mentioned a moment ago. Vicenzo's movements after leaving New York are likewise a mystery. His own family wouldn't even hear from him until a year later when he sent a postcard from Wichita, Kansas. He said that he was traveling the country with a circus and for his family not to worry, that he was in his element and doing exactly what he wanted to do, which, according to him, was working as a wrestler in a roustabout. He had also taken to calling himself James Hart, after the famous actor William S. Hart. Remember what I said earlier about Vicenzo being a big fan of the Westerns? Now, if you're not familiar, William S. Hart was sort of like a John Wayne of the early silent films. He, too, was from New York, but he spent time out west in his youth. He was allegedly friends with Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson and was said to have been especially obsessed with realism. Hart considered the usual depictions of the west to be totally inaccurate, or at very least, they didn't line up with the frontier that he experienced as a child. As such, he always did his best to appear as authentic as possible on screen. And what's more, whenever he was in the Big Apple. He would visit the same stables where young Vicenzo was working. Whether or not they truly knew each other at that time is completely unknown. But one thing's for certain, Vicenzo Capone was obsessed with. Not only did he start dressing like William Hart, but he even adopted his last name. And as I mentioned in the intro, part of this was due to Italian American discrimination, which was a very real thing in the early 1900s, especially leading up to World War I. Hell, James would even claim to be half Native American as a way to explain his dark hair and natural tan. But, yeah, we really don't know a lot about what he was up to when he first left home. But he would definitely tour with the Miller brothers while the Wild West Show. He also worked at the Miller's ranch down in Oklahoma doing everything from punching cattle to working on oil rigs. Or at least he did until 1917 when he enlisted in the United States Army. I can only imagine his surprise when he found out they didn't serve big ziti at the chow hall. No, in all seriousness, James would serve on the Texas border for a spell before being sent to Europe to take on the Kaiser. Just to give you an idea of the type of action that Hart saw, he'd later describe the Battle of Katini as follows. I know now that I was afraid, but nevertheless, when the whistle blew, I leaped up and was over with the first wave. The shelling to me was terrific at the time, but it was nothing compared to some other engagements in which I took part. Later I stumbled and fell down, but did not know that I had been hit until sometime later when we had gained our objective and found my knees saturated with blood. I have been asked how it felt to be hit by a bullet at the time you were hit. There is no feeling but a slight numbness. And many a man never knew for hours afterwards, especially if they were in rapid advance. This is one of the first engagements in which the Americans took part independently. And it was the first wedge which was driven into the Hindenburg line, end of quote. James was eventually sent to an officer school in Paris before being assigned to the Military police investigating crimes among the American Expeditionary Forces. He also worked in Italy in support of the 332nd Infantry. He saw action at the Battle of Piave and was even awarded a Distinguished Service Cross from General Pershing himself. But here's the catch. Due to James enlisting under an assumed name, there is no official documentation showing that he actually served in the military. And we can't even look up his alias due to the St. Louis fire of 1973, which destroyed around 80% of the records for army personnel discharged between 1917 and 1960. He did have other forms of proof, though, mostly photographs. You can see pictures of James in uniform over in Europe. Hell, there's even a photo of General Pershing pinning that medal on his chest. A medal that he would keep for the rest of his life. So I just wanted to point all that out. I do personally believe that James Hart did serve, but whether or not he was wounded or whether he took part in the battles that he claimed, I have no idea. Just wanted to toss it out there. He was definitely stationed in Europe at some point during the war, that. That much is certain. But I really can't vouch for the other details. Thankfully, he does get much easier to track following his discharge. That's when he moved to Nebraska and started calling himself Richard. According to biographer Jeff MacArthur, Richard James Hart strolled into the town of Homer, Nebraska, in the spring of 1919. Quote, A stranger in a strange land. He knew no one, and best of all, no one knew him. He could start over yet again, creating himself in whatever image he wanted. Only problem was, there wasn't a decent cannoli within 200 miles. And when Richard finally broke down and tried Nebraska's version of lasagna for the very first time, he took one bite, spit it out in disgust, and declared, mamma mia. Alfredo, Spaghettio, Mario, Luigi. He then reportedly stormed away, muttering something about the quote, unquote, goddamn Yankees. No, I added that last part about the cannolis and mamma mia. But Richard did move to Homer, Nebraska. That. That part was true. And this is really when he started leaning into that cowboy Persona. While everyone else was wearing suits and bowler hats, he was walking around looking like Buster Scruggs. Be that as it may, though, Hart was said to have at least attempted to keep a low profile. He also took pretty much any odd jobs he could find, doing everything from repairing appliances to working on a road crew and even painting houses. His big break into law enforcement was really just an accident. You see, one day came a real turd floater there in Nebraska, a real frog strangler. And Richard was able to save an entire family from being washed away in the flood waters. Matter of fact, that's how he met his future wife, Kathleen. She watched in great admiration. His heart saved the lives of her mother and little brother, in addition to a young girl who was also caught up in the rising waters. So, yeah, not only did Richard become an instant hometown hero. But he also got the girl. He and Kathleen started courting, and just four months later, they tied the knot. What's more, Richard's heroics soon garnered the attention of then Nebraska Governor Samuel McKelvey. So impressed was McKelvey that he went ahead and made Hart the town marshal. Baron Homer. Now, I don't have much in the way of specifics. I don't even know if Homer had a marshall prior to Richard Hart. But there was something else that occurred during the same period that would have a major impact on his future. A little something known as the Volstead Act. Long story short, Volstead was an act of Congress designed to enforce the 18th Amendment, which went into effect in 1920 and prohibited the manufacture, sell and transportation of alcoholic beverages, also known as Prohibition. And yeah, our very own Richard Hart applied for and was accepted as an agent with the Bureau of Prohibition. Only thing is, he still continued dressing like a cowboy. Even took to sport in a set of pearl handled revolvers. Once again, per hart biographer Jeff MacArthur, Richard quote struck a dramatic appearance as he strode along the wood plank sidewalks of Homer in his studs of yesteryear. His appearance contrasted greatly from other men of the town. Mostly adorned in the new fashions of silk and rayon shirts and slacks, polished shoes and flat hats or modern fedoras, Richard stood out both in demeanor and appearance. No one could mistake their local federal officer for anything else as he appeared to have just marched out of a motion picture screen. Even in traffic, he conspicuously rode his horse, Buckskin Betty, a brown and white sorrel among a sea of automobiles. Though he owned a car, he chose to ride more often, cutting cross country when the roads did not suit him. End of quote. Now, Nebraska was unique. And they didn't just stop at making it illegal to manufacture or sell alcohol. They took it a step further and criminalized even so much as carrying alcohol. That being the case, Prohibition agents really weren't all that popular. But hey, I guess Richard Hart didn't care all that much about making friends. At long last, he was finally living out his childhood dream of being a western lawman. And I gotta give this guy some credit. He really would have fit in just as well back in the 19th century, riding with the likes of Heck Thomas or Bass Reeves. And much like Reeves, Hart preferred to work alone, going places on horseback that other agents couldn't reach in their cars. Hart rarely utilized partners, and he damn sure wasn't able to call for backup. Just one lone Prohibition agent in a community that boasted of somewhere between 50 to 100 moonshine stills. So, needless to say, Hart quickly began to make a name for himself. In addition to chasing down moonshiners, he also apprehended gamblers, counterfeiters, embezzlers, and on at least one occasion, an entire gang of train robbers. He could use his guns if need be, but he also knew how to use his hands. Matter of fact, his signature move was just to knock the hell out of the first suspect he encountered. If Richard walked into a room, he was slugging the first man he saw. Same thing if he pulled you over in a vehicle, you got outside to talk, he'd just smack you in the face. According to Hart, quote, you've got to get in the first lick, end quote. Now, while Hart did prove to be an extremely effective agent, he did have his flaws. For instance, he absolutely hated doing paperwork. And that would be a constant thorn in the sides of his bosses, as many of the men he arrested were left unprosecuted. Hart was also known to get a little carried away when it came to using unnecessary force. Imagine that, the guy that hits everybody in the face. And he really was legendary when it came to delivering ass whoopings. Like there were generations of people there in Nebraska. Fathers, sons, uncles, who had all been on the receiving end of Richard Hart's fists. He also refused to play ball with crooked cops. At one point, he had inadvertently arrested the town marshal of Spencer, South Dakota, for selling hooch. Or at least he tried to. There was a big showdown with the marshall's deputies, and Hart ended up leaving town empty handed. But it was stunts like that that didn't garner him a whole hell of a lot of goodwill with his brothers in blue. It was that and his tendency towards violence, coupled with his disdain of paperwork, that ultimately cost him his job with the bureau in the early part of 1922. Luckily for Richard, a local Indian agency just so happened to be in dire need of help. Right around that same time, the superintendent even petitioned the commission of Indian affairs to have hard assigned to the reservation. Quote, I know of but one man in the vicinity whom I can recommend for appointment as special officer, and that is Mr. Richard J. Hart. Mr. Hart is a young man who until recently was in the employ of the state of Nebraska as a prohibition officer. He is extremely active and somewhat harsh in his methods. And for the latter reason, according to my information, he was let out of state service. But I know of no man who would put the energy and resourcefulness into the work of running down and apprehending law breakers that I believe Mr. Hartwood, if he can be secured for the service. End of quote. Meanwhile, back east, little brother Alfonso was likewise beginning to make a name for himself. Keep in mind that Richard hadn't seen his family since 1907, when Al was just 8 years old. And in his older brother's absence, young Al found solace in the streets, even as his own little gang of hoodlums known as the Navy Street Boys. It wasn't long before he caught the attention of a local shot caller. And by 1917, right about the same time that Hart was enlisted in the army, then 18 year old Al Capone was working for a racketeer known as Frankie Yell. Matter of fact, it was while working for Yell that Capone earned the nickname Scarface. Stories differ, but apparently Al insulted a woman, either on purpose or on accident, and the girl's brother knocked him down and started slashing his face with a knife. Just so happened that the brother worked for Lucky Luciano. So this caused a whole series of sit downs. But in the end, Capone and his assailant were both given a pass, with the understanding that if Al even so much as tried to retaliate, he would not be protected. Skip ahead a couple years later to 1919, and Capone was sent to Chicago in order to assist Johnny Torrio, who at that time was working for Big Jim Colosimo. Or at least he was until Colosimo was gunned down in May of 1920. Torrio was next in line to take over the rackets and young Al Capone was right there with him as his second in command. In time, Al would bring some of his other brothers to Chicago as well, like Frank and Ralph. More on them in a bit. But meanwhile, back in Nebraska, Richard Hart was settling into his new position over at the Winnebago and Omaha reservations. And he really did seem to excel in this new environment, taking great pains to assimilate to the local indigenous culture. He learned how to speak their languages, how to address them all by their traditional names. He treated the elders with the utmost respect, and he offered his assistance to the tribal police. Hell, he'd even joined the natives in doing manual labor stuff like clearing land or tended to crops. And in turn, they gave him a nickname, Two Guns, on account of those two cults that he wore around his waist. They also provided valuable intel regarding the moonshiners and other criminals. Hell, Hard ended up doing such a great job that his temporary assignment was extended another three months. And when that three months was nearing its end, he got another extension, this time for Six months. He was also able to expand his area of operations all the way up to Sioux City, Iowa. And just to give you an idea of how dedicated Hart was when he was placed on temporary furlough on account of the Bureau of Indian affairs running low on funds, he just kept right on working for free. He was still a little too heavy handed, though. A fatal flaw that would once again seek him on the chopping block. You see, In July of 1923, he and another agent were staking out a bootlegging operation up in Sioux city. Around about 10:30 at night, some men arrived and allegedly purchased some contraband liquor. Soon as they got in their car and departed is when Hart and his partner gave chase. And you got to keep in mind that this was before police had sirens or flashing lights. So in order to get the suspect's attention, Richard literally climbed on the running board of the car and began screaming and motioning for him to pull over. And when they refused, he and his partner pulled out their guns and started shooting. Now, Hart would later claim that these were warning shots and that he was just aiming for the tires. But nonetheless, one of his rounds did strike the driver in the back of the neck. Hart rushed the man to the hospital, but he died shortly thereafter. This turned out to be a pretty big deal. The guy who Hart killed was not some criminal mastermind or gangster or even a bootlegger. He was just a regular guy, a mechanic, just doing the same thing that regular guys do, even nowadays. He was buying himself a drink after a long day at work. And to make matters worse, he was also a highly respected war veteran with a seven month old baby at home. So yeah, there was a ton of public outcry, and rightfully so, in my opinion. You know, if Richard Hart was a regular everyday citizen and he just drove up behind a random car and put a bullet in the back of the driver's head, he'd have been buried under the prison. But because he had a badge, he pretty much just got off scot free. Now, I know, I know, okay? If the guy wasn't breaking the law, then he wouldn't have been killed. Yeah, maybe. But you have broken the law before, right? I mean, I certainly have. Sometimes I drive a little bit over the speed limit. I have ran red lights at night when nobody else was around. Hell, I'm so damn maniacal that I once pulled the tag off of a mattress. We've all broken laws, both knowingly and unknowingly. And I'm sorry if this sounds radical, but I don't think breaking a law should equate to an automatic death sentence. Now, so beloved was that mechanic that angry mobs soon began calling for Richard's head, Like, literally. And this was not an idle threat. Okay? Not long before, a lynch mob in that same area had gotten their hands on a murderer and strung him up from a train trestle. And a lot of the locals were looking to do the same exact thing to Richard Hart. That being the case, he and his family were forced to go into hiding. He wouldn't emerge until a warrant was issued for his arrest. But the grand jury ultimately found that he and his partner were, quote, not guilty of any crime, end quote. And that may be the case legally. But the mob was not satisfied, and Richard continued laying low. He was also the subject of a federal inquiry and has pay cut to a dollar a month. That wouldn't last very long, though his salary was soon reinstated and even got a raise the following summer, along with free housing at the Winnebago reservation. So, yeah, despite killing a man for pretty much no reason, accident or not, by late 1923, things were going relatively well for Richard and his wife, Kathleen. They even welcomed baby number three that December. They end up having four children total, by the way. All. All of them boys. Now, speaking of family, when we last left off with Al Capone, he had recently been transferred to Chicago. And once he and Johnny Torio took out Colosimo, the entire city was basically theirs for the taking. They brokered agreements with rival gangs, they controlled gambling and prostitution. They extorted businesses, they rigged elections and bought off authorities. But more than anything else, bootlegging was their bread and butter, especially in the 1920s. And they didn't just stop at Chicago. As I touched on earlier, they installed a crew in Sioux City, Iowa, which already had the reputation as being Little Chicago. And they even took control of the rackets over in Kansas City and Omaha. So, in other words, they were very rapidly encroaching on Richard Hart's territory. And keep in mind that this was prior to Al Capone being aware of Hart's true identity. It's also worth noting that their brother Frank was shot dead by police there in Chicago in April of 1924. To quote heart biographer Jeff MacArthur, Al Capone was now the undisputed ruler, but had paid a big price with the loss of his brother in the process. It was the second one that he had lost in his lifetime, and he desperately wanted to get the other one back. The last time he has seen Vicenzo was when his older Brother was drifting away on a ferry towards Staten Island. The family had only heard from him once, a year after his disappearance, when he was apparently in Kansas. Who knew what had happened to him since then? He could have died in one of more ways than Al could count. So he had to try to find him. Utilizing the newspapers that Al now more or less controlled, he sent out a call for his brother to return to the family. End of quote. Now, Hart would have definitely been aware of all this. Al Capone was quickly becoming a household name. And I have no doubt that Hart was following the news very closely. According to journalist and photographer Tony Berardi, Richard did indeed heed the call and traveled to Chicago at some point in 1924 to meet with Capone. And per Berardi, Capone did not care one bit that his brother was a Prohibition agent. Matter of fact, he seemed to be proud of Hart's accomplishments. Richard, on the other hand, just seemed to be in awe. Know the way everybody respectfully deferred to young Alfonso, even police officers and elected officials, and especially the way everybody just drank out in the open like they weren't even trying to hide it. When asked if he'd arrest his brother for selling contraband hooch, Richard replied that he most certainly would if Al ever step foot in Nebraska. Now, all these meetings were conducted in secret, and we don't actually have any hard proof that they occurred other than the word of Berardi. By the way, if you've ever seen a photograph of Al Capone that wasn't a mug shot, it was probably taken by Berardi. This guy was definitely a part of Capone's inner circle. Also, there are stories about a rather portly man, one with scars on his face, who visited Richard Hart at the Winnebago reservation during the same period. Another thing I haven't really touched on just yet. But Hart would often disappear for long stretches of time. Sometimes this was for official business, but other times nobody knew where he was, including his own family and immediate supervisors. He was just gone. And there are many who think that he was disappearing in order to visit Capone, either in Chicago or up in Sioux City. Whatever the case, they would keep the relationship a secret for quite a while. Like I said, even Hart's own wife and children still did not know his true identity. Now, this was also when Richard was transferred to the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne river agencies of South Dakota. And this was a big opportunity for him, especially considering that his idol, William S. Hart, had once lived in the same area. And just like Before Richard did all he could to assimilate, he deferred to the elders. He absorbed the culture and languages and even volunteered as a boxing instructor for the children, at least when he wasn't scaring the hell out of them. And in turn, they gave him a new nickname, the Big Hairy Thing. Apparently, there was an incident at a powwow where Hart was hiding among the children, hoping to catch the moonshiners. And sure enough, when the moonshiners produced the shine, here comes Richard jumping out from among the kids with his guns drawn. And from that point on is when they took to calling him the Big Hairy Thang. Not just another one of my lame jokes. That was literally his name among the Lakota. The Big Hairy Thing. Which, as it turns out, was also my stage name back when I was stripping. I don't like to talk about that, though. And just like down in Nebraska, Hart continued making headlines. Hell, he was so popular that when President Calvin Coolidge visited the Black Hills, he made hard. His own personal bodyguard still wasn't filling out paperwork, though. He also was not properly keeping track of his funds or turning in receipts. He was still making those mysterious trips where nobody knew where he was. And of course, he was still being a bit too handsy when it came to making arrests. He was investigated again mostly for overt violence and the lack of paperwork. And he was ultimately transferred to the Coeur d' Alene Agency over in Idaho. This is during the summer of 1928, by which point Richard and Kathleen had welcomed their fourth and final child. A local paper would report the following Shortly after Hart's arrival there in Idaho, quote, two Gun Hart, picturesque chief of Indian reservation police. Once again is proved that he performs as the hero of any good thriller should on Uncle Sam's payroll. The name appears as Richard J. Hart, Special Federal Officer. But the Indians of the three reservations that know him as the representative of the Great White Father long ago named him Two Guns, thanks to his ambidexterity with a six shooter a beat of more than 200 square miles with supervision over more than 800 Indians, his heart's domain. He travels afoot in car, horseback, on snowshoes and skis. In summer, he has tracked men by the imprints they made in soft pine needles of the forests. In the winter, he has followed them through the snow. Under him are three Indian police. His work is different from that of regular officers or detectives, for the criminals he captures are outdoor men. And there are few informers to aid him. End quote. So, yeah, very impressive, right? Richard Hart Was tough, there's no doubt about it. And he was catching a ton of criminals. But he may not have been as squeaky clean as everyone makes him out to be. Case in point, Richard was actually arrested one night just across the state border in Washington. For any guesses? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? If you said driving under the influence, go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. Now, in Hart's defense, he did claim that the smell of alcohol was just lingering in his vehicle, due to have recently arrested a drunk. And at the DUI trial, other police officers did testify on his behalf, as police tend to do. So the judge just let him off the hook. Of course, by then, Hart was already button head with his boss, reservation Superintendent Byron Sharp. And it was mostly the same stuff that we've already discussed. You know, the lack of paperwork and being a little too quick and shoving his fist in other people's faces. But what really caused friction was Richard arresting his boss's friends. And when Superintendent Sharp told him to cut it out, he just kept right on arresting him. He was written up in December of 1929 for having an attitude problem. I myself had been written up for the exact same thing. And Sharp wrote that while Richard was both very active and successful in arresting law breakers, he just didn't work well with authority. He also complained about the frequent trips where nobody knew where he was at and that Hart was attending social functions that could be potentially misconstrued as him mixing business with pleasure. These social functions, by the way, were saloons and beer joints over in Washington state. There was also the issue with Hart's mysterious background. Folks started asking questions, a lot of questions. And finally, In September of 1930, Hart was ordered to give a full and factual account of the his life prior to working for the government. Remember, he initially changed his name due to discrimination, but now, though some two decades later, his biggest worry was people finding out that his brother was Al Capone. And this was especially true after a brazen bank robbery that occurred in Lincoln, Nebraska, just about 100 miles south of his old stomping grounds in Homer. The suspects, all of whom were associated with Al Capone and the Chicago outfit, managed to get away with nearly $3 million in cash and security bonds. According to Jeff MacArthur, quote, Richard took no part in the investigation. But now he had even more reason to keep his identity secret. All of his colleagues were wrapped up in the search for the bank robbers who might be part of his brother's gang. Though Richard kept a low profile, neither aiding police nor making contact with his family. The case would work itself out. He. He needed to figure out how to satisfy authorities back in Idaho who still wanted a report on his past. End quote. And yeah, thankfully for Hart, he was never really pressed further on revealing his true identity in Idaho. Mostly because he had the absolute balls to arrest his own supervisor, the aforementioned Byron Sharp.
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Mom, can you tell me a story? Sure. Once upon a time, a mom needed a new car. Was she brave? She was tired, mostly, but. But she went to Carvana.com and found a great car at a great price. No secret treasure map required.
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Did you have to fight a dragon?
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Nope. She bought it 100% online from her bed, actually.
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Was it scary?
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Honey, it was as unscary as car buying could be.
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Did the car have a sunroof?
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It did, actually. Okay, good story. Car buying you'll want to tell stories about. Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.
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According to Richard, Sharp was working with the bootleggers. And he was also having an affair with one of his secretaries. Now, Sharp denied all the charges. Of course he did. But he no longer demanded that Richard reveal his true identity. Opt in a stage just to terminate his position there at the reservation. Now, that was in January of 1931. But Hart wouldn't leave Idaho for several more months, not until May. He had sustained an injury on the job and refused to budge until he was fully healed. Guess nobody had the guts to force him out of his home. So there he stayed until spring, at which point the reservation reportedly fell into complete disarray. Crime shot through the roof, the moonshiners started operating out in the open, and it wasn't long before even Superintendent Sharp was forced to resign in disgrace. So, yeah, Richard Two Guns may have been a bit of a hypocrite. He may not have played well with those in authority, but at least he was on point when it came to good old fashioned police work. Certainly can't take that away from him. Now, after losing his job, he would move the family back to Homer, Nebraska. And it's worth noting that this was during the Great Depression. So he did struggle to find employment. He worked as a range detective and stock inspector when he could. He even served as a justice of the peace for a while. But none of these positions were permanent. And sometimes things got so bad that he had to go on public assistance. At one point, he even had to sell his guns just to pay the bills. His social life also began suffering. He'd become a post commander at the local American Legion. But the other veterans started asking questions and when they finally accused him of stolen valor, Hart just stormed out, never to return. He got a job as a clerk on a nearby reservation in 1935. Ironic, considering how much he hated paperwork. But he was eventually able to talk his boss into making him an unofficial deputy. Sort of like Dwight Schrute in the office. And once again, Richard Hart hit the ground running. In just his first month alone, he made over two dozen arrests. Which is great, but what's not great is locking people up when you have zero official authority to do so. And just as soon as the powers that be learned that he was apprehended criminals, he was once again out of a job, just like before. He continued doing whatever he could to pay the bills in even at one point, smuggling illegal fireworks from South Dakota to Nebraska. It was just never enough, though. They had to sell their house twice, until finally they were all living in a rundown shack on the banks of Omaha Creek. And Hart was reduced to catching catfish just to feed his family. Now, throughout all of this, he was still in contact with his brothers in Chicago. And when things got really bad, he pulled yet another disappearing act. He returned a few weeks later, dressed in a fancy panama suit and sporting a big fat wad of American greenbacks. These trips became more and more frequent, and each time Hart returned, he was flush with cash and brand new suits. He was even able to move his family out of that shack and into a much larger two story home. Well, come to find out, he had been meeting with his brother Ralph up in Sioux City. By that point, of course, Al Capone had already been sentenced to prison, but Ralph was still still involved with the outfit. Even had him a nice little cabin on Big Martha Lake, some seven or so miles east of Mercer, Wisconsin. Hart would spend a lot of time at that cabin during this period as well. I say cabin, but the place was huge. More like a resort. He would also take a lot of trips to Chicago to see his mother. And yeah, it was his brother Ralph who was providing all that money. Whether or not this was a gift, you know, just a way to help out the family, or, or payment for services rendered, or even just a safe and easy way to launder money is unknown. Apparently, Hart would occasionally pull jobs for Ralph, but I was unable to determine if these jobs were of the legal variety. And believe it or not, Richard still did not come forward and confess to his true identity, at least not publicly. He would pull his wife and children aside one by one, I think, in the 1940s, and spill the beans. But it wasn't until 1950, when Ralph Capone was being investigated by the IRS, that he finally confessed publicly. Now, like I said a minute ago, way back in 1932, Al Capone was sentenced to prison. And the day he was convicted was pretty much the day he ceased to be boss of the Chicago outfit. He'd be released seven years later, but by that point, he was just a shell of his former self. You see, Capone had contracted syphilis as a young man, something he wasn't officially diagnosed with until arriving in prison. And syphilis, if left untreated, can lead to all sorts of neurological problems. Once Capone was released, he retired to his mansion in Florida, where he'd be found to have the mental capacity of a 12 year old child. He'd ultimately passed away in January of 1947 at the age of 48. But his older brother Ralph would continue working for the Chicago outfit. He too would do a short stint in prison in the 1930s, and upon his release, he began branching out into more legitimate work, like cigarette vending machines. He still maintained control over a couple of clubs as well as a hotel, if I'm not mistaken. And he still profited from gambling and prostitution, allegedly, and even served as sort of an advisor for Capone's replacements. Matter of fact, as late as 1950, Ralph was described by the United Press as, quote, one of the overlords of the national syndicate which controls gambling, vice and other rackets. Was that somewhat of an exaggeration? Probably. But was Ralph still doing illegal stuff in 1950? Once again, probably. Hence that IRS investigation that prompted Richard Hart to come out publicly as a Capone. I'm not going to go too in depth here, but a lot of it centered around that big fancy cabin that Ralph had up in Wisconsin. You know, if he couldn't show enough legitimate income to justify being able to afford it, he could potentially be charged with tax evasion and sent back to prison. Tax evasion is the same thing that Al Capone went to prison for. For it was all said and done. Ralph was forced to testify in front of a Senate committee, during which he claimed that Richard was the true owner of the cabin and that he purchased it with money given to him by their mother. Eventually, Richard was also forced to testify. He actually insisted on wearing his trademark cowboy hat. On the stand. He described running away from home as a child, his experience in the army, and even his time as a Prohibition agent. And when they finally got around to talking finances, he did perjure himself by backing Ralph's story. Doesn't matter, though, because the case ended up not going to trial. Charges against Ralph were dropped, and the only real consequences were Richard being forced to pay around $54 in back taxes. He then returned to Homer, Nebraska, only to pass away a little over a year later in October of 1951. He was complaining of chest pains, so they sent for a doctor. But by the time the doctor arrived, Richard was already in a coma. Gave up the ghost. Later on that Evening, at just 60 years of age, to quote biographer Jeff MacArthur, Richard had been one of the bravest and most successful law enforcement officers in the country. Not only had Hart broken the stereotype of Italian Americans being gangsters and criminals, but he had also been a shining example of a truly untouchable human hero. End quote. And, yeah, I'm not sure that I agree. By the way, big shout out to Mr. MacArthur, his book on Richard Hart. It is excellent. Okay, I'll drop a link down below, but I would definitely recommend you picking up a copy if you'd like to learn more. A lot of stuff I didn't have time to mention, but like I said, though, I'm just not sure that Richard Hart was a stalwart as MacArthur makes him out to be. Hey, so I'm recording this after the fact, so my apologies if it looks or sounds a little bit different. And I'm doing this mostly because I felt like my original script was a little too harsh on Richard Hart. I just wanted to provide some extra context and hopefully sort of clarify my thoughts. So here's the thing. Richard spent the bulk of his professional career locking people up over alcohol, a vice that, it turns out he himself would also occasionally enjoy. Even if he was telling the truth about that DUI that he got over in Washington State. We do know that he spent quite a bit of time drinking in various beer joints. That's what I was referring to earlier when I mentioned him mixing business with pleasure. And this would only get worse the older he got. Once back in Nebraska, Hart began making frequent trips up to Sioux City to get his drink on. To quote biographer Jeff MacArthur, despite having fought alcohol in his heyday, he now drank on occasion to excess and forgot himself badly enough that he would shoot his mouth off and brag about the exploits of his life. When Richard went to Sioux City to drink, he tended to get even more rambunctious. Richard not only brandished his money, he alluded where it came from. He bragged that he had powerful connections and told people that they shouldn't mess with him. This behavior lost him Friends and arose forgotten angers in people he had gone toe to toe with in the Prohibition days. Several people expressed their displeasure with him and some even threatened to do something about it. End of quote. And yeah, eventually someone did do something about it. I don't have an exact date. If I'm not mistaken, this is in the late 1940s. But Richard was in a bar up in Sioux City running his mouth drunk, when two men grabbed him from behind. The bartender then went to work with some brass knuckles. And this was a very severe ass whooping. Like they continued beating hard even after he was unconscious. And then they just tossed him out in the street and just left him to die. Luckily for Richard, he was found by a good Samaritan, taken to the hospital, he'd live, but he lost sight in one of his eyes and he had to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. Once again, According to Jeff MacArthur, quote, The great federal officer, two gun Hart, it was struck fear into the hearts of criminals in the Midwest throughout the 1920s. Was now reduced to an invalid who could not even see well enough to cross the street, and who drank whenever he could get his hands on the alcohol that he had once fought to ban. End of quote. I do not fault Richard Hart for drinking. I myself was once a pretty heavy drinker. What I fought him for is sending so many other people to prison and on at least one occasion, killing a man for doing the exact same thing that he himself was doing. I get the police officers don't necessarily have a say in what laws they can or cannot enforce. But Richard's conduct, it was basically the equivalent of a modern day narcotics officer just going home every evening and snorting cocaine or retiring and then going to work for a Tijuana cartel. And then of course, there's the fact that Hart very willingly accepted all that illicit money from his brother Ralph, money that was earned through bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, extortion, and probably a little bit of murder sprinkled in for good measure. Yes, Richard Hart was desperate. I totally get that, and I am very sympathetic. At the end of the day, he was just trying to stop his family from starving. That's when he started doing some of that quasi illegal stuff like smuggling fireworks. And that's ultimately why he accepted that money from his brother. I didn't mention this earlier, but there was even an incident where Richard was accused of stealing cans of food from the grocery store just to feed his family. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And I will never judge someone for doing what they Got to do. Especially when children are involved. But devil's advocate, a lot of men and women, for that matter, commit crimes for the exact same reasons, even nowadays. I mean, think about it. Where is crime the most prevalent? It's in impoverished communities. Whether it's selling drugs or stripping copper or stealing catalytic converters, these people are often times operating from a point of desperation. Not always, but often times. Just like Hart when he was accepting all that money from his brother. And one has to wonder if Richard applied the same type of nuance or empathy to those who he spent a lifetime locking up behind bars. I mean, if you send a man to prison over moonshine, that's going to affect his entire family. All of a sudden his wife and kids got no way to pay the bills. Maybe they're evicted. Maybe the wife is forced to do certain things just to make ends meet by a crime is a crime, right? I'm not saying that you shouldn't arrest people for breaking the law. Not even close. All I'm saying is that if you're gonna take a man from his family and lock him in a cage, you better make damn sure that you're not guilty of doing the exact same thing. I don't want to be misconstrued here. I am not a hater when it comes to law enforcement by any means. I do think that police play an extremely vital role in our society. Hell, I've even donated to the families of fallen officers. The. But I do think we should probably focus a little more on protecting and serving and less on locking people up for bullshit laws. Laws that we ourselves are also guilty of committing. Sorry if it sounds like I'm beating a dead horse, but the fact that Richard Hart was so prolific as a prohibition officer only to then turn around and become a drunk, I find that to be massively hypocritical. Call me crazy, but I do think certain careers should be held to a higher standard. Especially when those careers come with a level of influence or authority. Ministers, for instance, or politicians and teachers and, yeah, even police officers. I really don't think it's all that radical to say that if you don't want to follow the rules yourself that you should just find another job, right? There's a ton of great police officers out there. I think the majority of police are just doing the best they can, trying to make a positive impact. But there are a few bad apples who just took the job so they could have authority over others. Just basically bullies. So, yeah, at the end of the day, I don't fault Richard Hart for taking money from the Capones. I don't fault him for drinking or doing whatever he had to do to feed his family. But I do fault him for being a massive hypocrite. And his hypocrisy ultimately affected hundreds, if not thousands of lives. Not saying he's a bad person. I'm just saying he's a hypocrite, that's all. I just wanted to clear that up. Okay, let's go ahead and get back to the original recording. Now. This next part is purely speculation on my part. I have zero evidence to back this up. I want to make that very clear. I'm just spitballing here, but part of me is sort of skeptical that Al Capone didn't already know who Hart was when he started expanding out west. You know, back in those days, if you were driving from Kansas City to Sioux City, you would pass straight through Homer, Nebraska. And Homer, of course, is where Hart was living when Capone started branching out. And to this day, nobody knows why Hart chose to settle there in Homer. He literally just hopped off a train one day and there he stayed. I'm reminded of another gangster you may have heard of, guy out of Boston known as Whitey Bulger. Turns out Whitey was working with the FBI for several years. He would provide them with information on the Italians, you know, the Mafia. And they in turn, the FBI pretty much just gave him immunity to keep keep on doing what he was doing on the streets. In other words, the FBI made sure that Whitey's competition was eliminated. He was able to earn massive amounts of money through extortion and other sorts of illicit activities. And Whitey ensured that they, the FBI were able to make a ton of high profile arrests. Win, win situation. So could it be that William Hart, now Capone, had a similar sort of arrangement? You know, was Hart just arresting Capone's competition while at the same time receiving promotions and making headlines and getting free housing? Like I said, I have zero proof of this being the case. It's just food for thought and that's it. At the end of the day, we're all human. Nobody's perfect. I don't think I've covered a single old west lawman that was beyond reproach. We're all just trying to make our way in this world, best as we know how. And you know, sometimes we end up being hypocrites along the way, I guess. I don't know. I myself am also a hypocrite. And that's about all I'VE got on Richard Hart. I know today's topic was not strictly Old west related, but I thought there was enough there to make it somewhat relevant. And hopefully you found the tale of Two Gun Hart as interesting as I did. Like I said earlier, please check out Jeff MacArthur's book, Two Gun Lawman, Cowboy and Long Lost Brother of Al Capone. A lot of stuff I didn't have time to cover. There's a ton of additional details concerning Al Capone and even Richard's children who served in World War II, one of whom was actually killed in combat. It's a very fascinating story. So once again, thank you Jeff MacArthur for all of your valuable research. And if you are looking for more true tales from the Old west, head on over to wildwest extra.com and peruse the 150 plus episodes I've already published. We got stuff on everyone from Billy the Kid to Jesse James, the Bloody Benders, Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Wild Bill Hickok, and even lesser known figures like Silas Soul, John Bull and a skunk fighting Arizona Ranger known as Ed Scarborough. And a lot more. That's wild westextra.com or available wherever you listen at podcast, including YouTube. While you're there, sign up for the 100 free Wild West Newsletter for bonus content, Old west photographs and just updates on the podcast. Did I mention that it's free? That's wildwestextra.com or just head there directly@wildwestnewsletter.com and that is all I've got for today. So until next time. Adios. Mamma mia. Alfredo spaghettio mario luigi.
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Have you ever wondered why songs on the radio are popular? Why do certain movies get made even though the premise seems completely random? Why are concert tickets costing you $3,000 but nobody makes any money touring? Well, on my podcast Breaking down the Biz, we answer all those questions and more. I'm Seth Schachner. I have over two decades of experience in the entertainment and the music industry, and every week I talk to insiders that lend insight and expertise on the media you know and love past, present and future. Subscribe now on your favorite podcasting platform or watch us on YouTube so you never miss a beat. Let's make sense of this industry together.