Posted on by

About Al Capone’s stay at the Eastern State Pen in Philadelphia

About Al Capone’s stay at the Eastern State Pen in Philadelphia

One of America’s most notorious criminals spent time behind bars in a Philadelphia prison that now hosts haunted houses during the Halloween season.

Here’s how to watch

Regard Philly murder Saturday, October 26th at 9/8c on Oxygen.

Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone, the organized crime boss suspected of being behind the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, was surprisingly never convicted of a violent crime, despite the high body count during his reign as a Mafia boss in Chicago’s gang era in the 1920s and 1930s.

However, a conviction led to him being jailed in Philadelphia, a city at the center of the upcoming trial oxygen original series, Philly murderpremiere Saturday, October 26th at 9 p.m

Here’s an in-depth look at Capone’s imprisonment in a city also known as the birthplace of American freedom.

Was Al Capone in a Philadelphia prison?

Yes, the man nicknamed “Scarface” worked at the historic Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, as described on the official website of the former prison, now a National Historic Landmark and Museum. It was his first conviction, but it wouldn’t be his last.

On May 17, 1929, Capone and his bodyguard were apprehended in Philadelphia on their way back to Chicago from Atlantic City, New Jersey. They were arrested outside a movie theater on concealed weapons charges when Capone was found with an unlicensed .38 caliber revolver.

Justice was swift and within 16 hours of the double arrest, both were sentenced to one year in prison.

Some, loudly The Patriot Newsaccused the gangster of tipping off authorities and orchestrating his own arrest after he was believed to be behind the Valentine’s Day massacre that occurred three months earlier. During the massacre, seven rival gangsters were lined up against a wall and killed with machine guns. According to the FBI, Capone was in Florida at the time of the mass shooting. But suspicion that he was the leader made him a target for rival gangs.

RELATED: How to watch Philly Homicide, Oxygen’s new series about horrifying murders in America’s birthplace

Capone was eventually transferred to Eastern State Penitentiary, where he spent just over seven months. According to the FBI, he was released on March 17, 1930 for good behavior.

The History of Eastern State Penitentiary

The prison operated between 1829 and 1971 and now serves as a public museum in the Fairmont neighborhood of Philadelphia. The sprawling landmark is known for its neo-Gothic architecture and hosts events each Halloween season, including haunted houses, Themed bars and lounges, plus live entertainment within the walls of the gated 10-acre prison.

“Once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, Eastern State Penitentiary now lies in ruins, an eerie world of crumbling cell blocks and empty guard towers,” the museum’s website says. “Known for its magnificent architecture and strict discipline, this was the world’s first true ‘prison,’ a prison designed to inspire remorse or true regret in the hearts of prisoners.”

Capone was not the only high-ranking prisoner serving his time within its walls. Bank robber William “Slick Willie” Sutton received 25 to 50 years in prison for the attempted robbery of the Corn Exchange Bank in Philadelphia in 1933. He and 11 others brazenly fled Eastern State through a tunnel in April 1945, but were captured, according to the FBI arrested him the same day.

RELATED: New true crime show ‘Philly Homicide’ covers harrowing murders as told by the city’s toughest detectives

The English writer Charles Dickens, known for his classic works such as A Christmas story, Oliver TwistAnd Great expectationsattended Eastern State Penitentiary in 1842. After the visit, he was critical of what he described as the “cruel and wrong” treatment of prisoners. In his travel diary he wrote in detail about the prison and its “suffering” residents: American banknotes for general circulation.

What was Al Capone’s prison cell like?

“He spent his time at Eastern State in relative luxury,” the former prison’s website says. “His cell on the Park Avenue block had fine furniture, … carpets and a closet radio.”

Today, Capone’s cell can be viewed by visitors to Eastern State Penitentiary and is included in the price of admission to the historic site.

While Capone’s cell was often portrayed as a luxurious, suite-style confinement room compared to the cells of other prisoners there, some today dispute this notion.

A 1929 article in the Philadelphia Public Ledger said: “The entire room was bathed in the glow of a desk lamp set on a polished desk…The once-dark walls of the criminal chamber hung tasteful paintings and the sounds of a waltz. “were broadcast by a powerful housing radio receiver with an attractive design and fine workmanship.”

But in 2019, conservationists tasked with a replastering project to preserve the prison cell’s deteriorating condition learned a little more about Capone’s cell block. Sean Kelley, director of interpretation at the museum, shared The Associated Press that the cell block where Capone lived was known as “Park Avenue” thanks to its high-profile inmates, and that today no one can be sure which cell exactly was Capone’s.

RELATED: Florida firefighter’s wife found naked, beaten to death, stabbed and the killer was someone they knew

“As we began to explore what the cell looked like at the time, we began to wonder whether his treatment was as luxurious as portrayed,” Kelley said.

It turned out that just a day after Ledger‘s glowing review of Capone’s Cell Phone, the rival newspaper The Philadelphia Record also described Capone’s cell, but described it as fairly average for a prisoner at the time The Associated Press. The RecordHis article also states that Capone shared his cell with an embezzler and that it did not “look like the cozy lair of a leisure king.”

The most notable feature was a “smoking stand,” an antiquated (often wooden) piece of furniture that resembled a pedestal with an ashtray in the center.

RELATED: After finding her mother dead on patio and learning ‘disturbing’ truth, teen’s life ‘turned upside down’

What happened to Al Capone after his time in Eastern State Penitentiary?

In 1931, Capone was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison after being found guilty of tax evasion. He spent time in Alcatraz, the prison off the coast of San Francisco, where his health began to deteriorate due to the effects of neurosyphilis.

He was released in 1939 and lived out the remainder of his years at his home in the Miami area before dying in 1947.

What you should know Philly murder

Philly murder – hosted by Chris McMullin, now a lieutenant with the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office – delves into the twists and turns of the most harrowing murders committed in one of the country’s most historic regions, told by Philadelphia’s toughest homicide detectives.

The series premieres with the “End of Watch” episode on Saturday, October 26th at 9pm ET/PT. The synopsis for this first episode reads: “When a veteran police officer is shot in the line of duty, detectives make it their mission to bring his killer to justice. While investigating a troubled Philadelphia suburb, they soon uncover a crime that is the ultimate betrayal.