Amityville and its resident Al Capone Capone lived in Amityville, then went to Chicago!

Al Capone moves to Chicago from Amityville in 1919, then commits massacres and goes insane claiming he was tormented by supernatural entities!

It has been an old legend in Suffolk County, NY that Al Capone "sold his soul" to the devil while living in Amityville. Is there any truth to this legend? Al Capone came to the Amityville waterfront to help set up the bootlegging operation. The southern coast of Long Island was called "Rum Row" and was the main entry point of illegal alcohol into America. (www.amityville.com/thePast/Org/ahs.chrono.htm) Amityville being situated where it was on the south shore was a perfect location to set up shop. South shore Long Island would be Al Capone's main source of liquor.

Capone while in Amityville went from being a 20 year old complete nobody, to becoming rich and famous overnight. He immediately, in some people's words, "Owned Chicago" which was America's 2nd largest city. Many people in Suffolk County thought his instant rise was strange, which was the source of the "Sold his soul" legend.

Al Capone committed massacres that even put Ron DeFeo to shame. Bodies, blood, and guts filled the streets of Chicago after Capone's arrival. He was known to say "Kill Them!" over and over. It was not just killing, but people were also tortured. According to Mechelle Martz (http://www.cocktailtimes.com/history/al.html) "Many of the patrons and musicians who drank the liquor supplied by Capone suffered from side effects from the poisonous brews such as blindness, insanity, and even death in some instances."

It is well known that Al Capone started going crazy during the late 1920s. Most books attribute this to Syphilis. Capone claimed his torments were caused by spirits, some would call "demons." These claims were attributed to his insanity. The Capone family never said he had syphilis. He supposedly contracted it when young, but how come his wife never got it when it?

Troy Taylor said in "The Haunting of Al Capone" (http://www.prairieghosts.com/capone.html) that "Capone certainly believed that he was haunted during his final years on earth." and "Jake 'Greasy Thumb' Guzik, who was running the mob in Capone's absence, was asked by a reporter if Capone would take over control again after his release. 'Al, ' said Guzik, 'is nuttier than a fruitcake.'"

Furthermore, Troy Taylor said "There were many times when Capone's employees would hear him begging for the ghost to leave him in peace... and this was in his lucid pre-Alcatraz days." Like George Lutz, Al Capone claimed whatever was tormenting him followed him to California.

In 1931 he called for help to then well known psychic Alice Britt. Troy Taylor said, "he contact(ed) a psychic named Alice Britt to get rid of the ghost.... in 1931, years before the ravages of the disease would effect his mind?"

Tim Yancey wrote (http://users.adelphia.net/~timyancey/articles/alcatraz.html) that while in Alcatraz, "Capone began hearing voices tormenting him at night... often begging for whatever the thing was in his cell to leave him alone. Al Capone would finally spend the last year of his sentence in the hospital section, until he was released in November of 1939." and "Other inmates there would often experience strange phenomenon as well. On one occasion, an inmate was locked in the hole for violating prison rules. Seconds after the door was closed, he began to scream in terror that someone was in the cell with him... someone with glowing red eyes. The guards thought it was a prank, and left the prisoner to endure whatever tortures awaited."

Al Capone's story is classic Amityville. He arrives in Amityville and spend his time on Ocean Ave., becomes ultra violent, goes crazy, commits massacres, claims he is being tormented by supernatural forces, and even that this supernatural force follows him out to California. There are also claims of glowing red eyes!

Capone Timeline:

1899 Born on Long Island, (Brooklyn).

1919 Arrived in Amityville as a nobody. Spent time on the Amityville bay front, including Ocean Ave., to set up bootlegging operations.

1919 Left Amityville for Chicago, then immediately became rich and powerful at the age of 20.

1928 Reputation of being biggest mass murderer in American history. Turned Chicago into a "Hell."

1929 Started complaining of being hounded by spirits.

1931 Seeks help of Psychic Alice Britt.

1934 Alcatraz guards begin to see "Crazy" behavior in Capone, including claims he was hounded by "Phantoms."

1940 Capone is considered insane. His madness centers around claims of being tormented by spirits, some would call "demons."

1947 Capone dies.