Bad guy near BE! May have posted some of this before; but its interesting stuff! Al Capone in Baltimore Union Memorial Hospital 1939 Once leaving Alcatraz and a doing short stint at Terminal island, the ailing ex prohibition gangster was transported and given his unconditional release at Lewisburg penitentiary in Philadelphia at the early hours of November 16, 1939. Once getting ready to leave the penitentiary in 1939, Al Capones family was persuaded by prison officials for Al to seek treatment for his advanced paresis brought on by his syphilis. They agreed, but he was refused by John Hopkins because of his infamous reputation reported in the newspapers. Union Memorial would take Al in and give him the necessary treatment to ease the disease. Al Capone entered the hospital as a private patient on November 16, 1939. He was attended to by well-known syphilologist Dr. Joseph E. Moore. After almost eight weeks at the hospital, the Capones took up residence at 5708 Pimlico Road on January 8,1940. They figured they were going to stay for a while, so a home and family setting might be the best thing for Al and his recuperation. According to his brother John Capone, The Al Capone of today isnt the Al Capone of a few years ago. Dr. Joseph E. Moore stated The illness is a long standing nervous disorder for which he has recently undergone drastic treatment and for which further medical care is still necessary. The family members that moved into the north end home were John, Albert, his mother Theresa and his wife Mae. Ralph would come up and visit occasionally at the hospital and then the home. Al could be seen taking short walks outside assisted by family members. Even though the home on Pimlico Road was leased until April, the Capones felt that Al was health better suited his sunny home in Florida. Without telling the doctors at Union Memorial, the Capone family packed up Al on March 19, 1940 and drove 28 to 30 hours when they finally reached 93 Palm Isle. After this trip a physician handed out a written statement His physical condition following the trip may be regarded as being considerably weakened. For the present he must be kept isolated and free from contact with anyone except his immediate family. His brother John stated that Al was Tickled to death to be back home. He said Al had sat in a yard chair for over an hour. Al was weighing 230lbs compared to his 250-268 lbs. of his former healthy years. John told reporters that they had left secretly from Baltimore because they did not want anything to happen that would aggravate Als condition. Al and family never forgot the good care they were offered at the hospital and later donated two Japanese weeping cherry trees that were planted outside the hospital.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 16:04:41 +0000