James Vincenzo Capone

Vincenzo Capone (Italian: [vinˈtʃɛntso kaˈpoːne]; March 28, 1892 – October 1, 1952), later known as Richard James "Two-Gun" Hart, was an American sharpshooter and prohibition agent, who was noted for his cowboy style[1] and for being the elder brother of gangsters Al, Frank, and Ralph Capone.

For other people named Richard Hart, see Richard Hart (disambiguation).
James Vincenzo Capone
Born
Vincenzo Capone

(1892-03-28)March 28, 1892
Angri, Campania, Kingdom of Italy
DiedOctober 1, 1952(1952-10-01) (aged 60)
Homer, Nebraska, U.S.
Resting placeOmaha Valley Cemetery
Homer, Nebraska, U.S.
Other namesRichard James Hart
Two-Gun Hart
CitizenshipAmerican
OccupationSharpshooter
OrganizationBureau of Indian Affairs
Spouse(s)
Kathleen Winch
​
(m. 1919)​
Children4
RelativesAl Capone (brother)
Frank Capone (brother)
Ralph Capone (brother)

Early life

Capone was born in 1892, in Angri, Province of Salerno, Italy.[2] He was the first of the nine children of Gabriele Capone, a barber, and Teresa Raiola, a seamstress. In 1895 with his family, including his brother Ralph, he emigrated in the United States, settling in downtown Brooklyn. He went by the Americanized form of his first name, James, and during his early years in America were born his siblings Frank, Al, Ermina, John, Albert, Matthew Capone and Mafalda Maritote.

Career

Capone left home at age 16 then fled New York City, joined a circus as a roustabout and eventually adopted the last name of his idol, William S. Hart, the foremost star of Western silent films in the 1920s. He also adopted the actor’s persona as much as possible, "even earning the 'Two-Gun' moniker long attached to the motion picture star".[1]

He worked to lose his Brooklyn accent and tried to disguise his Italian ancestry. He enlisted in the United States Army during World War I, served in France, and earned a commission as a lieutenant.[3]

After the war, Capone legally changed his name to Richard James Hart, partly in honor of his favorite cowboy film star, William S. Hart. He married in 1919 Kathleen Winch, and they had three sons: Richard, Sherman and Harry Hart. He soon became a federal prohibition agent, making his home in Homer, Nebraska. Following a series of successful raids against bootleggers, he gained the nickname of "Two-Gun" Hart.[4]

In 1926, Hart became a special agent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He was assigned to the Cheyenne River Indian reservation in South Dakota. While there he once had the duty of protecting President Calvin Coolidge and his family on their visit to the Black Hills.[4] He was later transferred to the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. He was credited with the arrest of at least 20 wanted killers while in that area, besides pursuing Indian law breakers and hunting down moonshiners and busting their stills. He spent some time as a law enforcement officer on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in Plummer, Idaho.[3]

He learned of his siblings' life of crime from newspapers, when their exploits became national news.[1]

Later years

He returned to Homer as a prohibition agent, in 1931. With the repeal of Prohibition two years later, he became a justice of the peace. In the early 1950s, newspaper reporters learned of his kinship to the Chicago gangster.[4] He died in Homer, Nebraska, in 1952, of a heart attack at the age of 60.

His life and career were fictionalized in the 1990 TNT TV-movie The Lost Capone, in which he is portrayed by Adrian Pasdar.

In 2017, Hart was dramatized in the science fiction television drama Timeless. In the fifteenth episode Public Enemy No. 1, Hart was enlisted by the protagonists to help defeat Capone. In the episode, Hart is depicted as living in Chicago. Hart was portrayed by Mather Zickel.

References
  1. DeArment, R. K. "'Two-Gun' Hart: The Prohibition Cowboy". History.net. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  2. User, Super (June 17, 2013). "Al Capone, il gangster americano piu' famoso del mondo era di origini angresi". Le tre scimmiette. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  3. "truTV | Funny Because it's tru". truTV. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
  4. Hendley, Nate (2016-09-06). The Big Con: Great Hoaxes, Frauds, Grifts, and Swindles in American History: Great Hoaxes, Frauds, Grifts, and Swindles in American History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781610695862.
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