Al Capone Becomes "Scarface" From Knife Fight

Back in 1917 young burly Al Capone was working in the Harvard Inn on Coney Island for Frankie Yale.

Frankie Yale was a mob boss in New York.

On one particular evening back in 1917 a New York hood by the name of Frank Galluccio entered the dance hall/speakeasy with his sister Lena and his date by the name of Maria Tanzio. Al Capone was a bouncer/waiter at the Inn. Al noticed Galluccio's young sister and began smiling at her. Lena became annoyed and embarrassed at Capone's constant staring and advances that she asked her brother Frank to kindly ask Capone to stop it.

Frank was just about to ask Capone to stop when Capone leans over to Lena and tells her "Honey, you got a nice ass and i mean that as a compliment, believe me". Frank hears this and goes ballistic, he quickly tells Capone that he won't take this shit from anybody and demands that Capone apologize immediately to his sister or else.

Al tells Frank with his arms extended "Come on buddy,I'm only joking". Galluccio responds, "This is no fucking joke." Capone at this moment stops smiling and comes charging at Galluccio who quickly takes out a pocket knife and slashes Capone three times.

After his initial stint with small-time gangs, including The Junior Forty Thieves, Capone joined the Brooklyn Rippers and then the notorious Five Points Gang. He was mentored by and employed as a bouncer and bartender in a Coney Island dance hall and saloon called the Harvard Inn by racketeer Frankie Yale. It was in this field that Capone received the scars that gave him the nickname "Scarface"; he inadvertently insulted a woman while working the door at a Brooklyn night club, provoking a fight with her brother Frank Gallucio. Capone's face was slashed three times on the left side. Capone apologized to Gallucio at Yale's request and would hire his attacker as a bodyguard in later life. When photographed, Capone hid the scarred left side of his face and would misrepresent his injuries as war wounds.