Monday, January 30, 2023

Homer's Ice Cream, Wilmette, Illinois, Fabricated (Fiction) a "Legend" about Al Capone.

THE AL CAPONE LEGEND PER HOMER'S ICE CREAM: 
From Homer's website: "In 1935, restaurant owner Gus Poulos created his first batch of homemade ice cream that was far richer and more satisfying than any other in that era anywhere in Chicago."


"Word traveled fast about the quality of Homer's Ice Cream. Its humble beginnings as a two-table ice cream parlor lasted only briefly. Soon people from all around, up and down Chicago's North Shore, came to Homer's. In fact, Homers Wilmette Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor, located at 1237 Green Bay road in Wilmette, IL, is the original location."

"Legend has it, Al Capone, having a lakefront house in nearby Glencoe, was a frequent visitor and most appreciative customer. Al Capone spent many hours in the Wilmette location and always had an unusual entourage. He was one of Gus' most pleasant customers."
Screen Capture 02/25/2023 - Click to Enlarge.





Questionable (marketing) statement on Homer's website: "Today, many prominent dignitaries and entertainment stars religiously request varieties of Homer's Ice Creams sent to hotel suites, private homes, and assorted entourages when in Chicago." 


THE FACTS:
Al Capone NEVER stepped foot in Homer's Ice Cream at 1237 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, Illinois. 


In 1931, Al Capone was tried and convicted of not paying taxes in an effort by authorities to put him behind bars for a long time, finally sentencing Capone to 11 years in federal prison. On May 4, 1932, Al Capone was put onto a special rail car on the Dixie Flyer, under heavy guard, en route to the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia. By bribing the guards, he lived in a cell with amenities other prisoners didn't get.

It was decided that Capone needed reforming, so he was transferred to  Alcatraz "The Rock" Federal Prison in San Francisco Bay's Golden Gate Area in California on August 22, 1934. Al Capone was in the first group of inmates incarcerated on The Rock, a year BEFORE Homer's Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor opened in 1935.
 
Inmate № 85, Al Capone, 35 years old, immediately tried to assert his dominance and bribe his way to control. Alcatraz's first warden, James A. Johnston, shut down that idea, to which Capone said: "It looks like Alcatraz has me licked."
 
Al Capone served a total of 4 1/2 years at Alcatraz. Suffering from paresis (partial paralysis) derived from syphilis, his brain significantly deteriorated during his confinement. He was transferred to Terminal Island Prison in Southern California for the remainder of his sentence. Capone was released from Alcatraz on January 6, 1939.
 
Capone had purchased a house on Palm Island, Florida, in 1928. Once released from Alcatraz, Capone returned to Palm Island and lived there until he died in 1947. 

His wife, Mary "Mae" Josephine Capone, sold the Florida house in 1952. Mae died in Hollywood, Florida, on April 16, 1986.

case-in-point
Dr. Gale exposes Pabst's false claim of winning a Blue Ribbon (or Gold Medal) at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Pabst finally, after 124 years of deception, Pabst Brewery, Pabst Mansion, and the  Wisconsin Historical Society corrected or removed the 1893 information on their websites in 2017.  Pabst couldn't argue any longer with the proof I provided.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.



KEYWORDS: Homer's Restaurant & Ice Cream, 1237 Green Bay Rd, Wilmette, Illinois, Homer's Restaurant and Ice Cream,  1237 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, Illinois, Homer's Ice Cream Parlor, Homer's Restaurant, 1237 Green Bay Road Wilmette Illinois, Al Capone fabrication, Lied about Al Capone as a customer, www.homersicecream.com,  Homer's Restaurant, Homer's Ice Cream, Homer's Restaurant and Ice Cream, 1237 Green Bay Rd, Wilmette, IL, 1237 Green Bay Road Wilmette, IL

2 comments:

  1. Nice follow up with the facts, though it made a good scoop of a story, so to speak. And I don't suppose Baby Face Nelson stopped in the night the Feds chased after him from Barrington to Wilmette, where he died on Walnut Avenue if I have that right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Story of the Battle of Barrington, Illinois - John Dillinger.
      MY ARTICLE ─► https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-story-of-battle-of-barrington-illinois.html

      Delete

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