Francois-eugene vidocq (1775-1857)

A venturesome, sometimes rash youth, Vidocq had bright beginnings in the army, fighting in the Battles of Valmy and Jemappes in 1792. After having spent several periods in prison, mostly for petty offenses, and having tried his hands at a number of trades, Vidocq approached the police and offered to use his knowledge of the criminal world in exchange for his freedom. The police agreed, and Vidocq founded the police de surete("security police") in 1810 and became its chief.

A convict and daredevil jail-breaker, Vidocq ran the Surete with the philosophy that to know and capture criminals one had to be criminal oneself. His experience of life among thieves contributed to the effectiveness of his organization. Vidocq directed a network of spies and informers in a war against crime that was completely successful. His knowledge of the underworld and his reliance on criminals to catch criminals were the reasons of his success.

In 1817, with only 12 full-time assistants, he was responsible for more than 800 arrests. He resigned in 1827 to start a paper and card-board mill, where he employed former convicts. The business was a failure, and he again became chief of the detective department. Dismissed in 1832 for a theft that he allegedly organized, Vidocq created a private agency, the prototype of modern detective agency. It was, however, soon suppressed by the authorities. Known all over France as a remarkable audacious (brave and shocking) man, Vidocq was a friend of such authors as Victor Hugo, Honore de Balzac, Eugene Sue, and Alexandre Dumas pere.

Several works were published under Vidocq's name, but it is doubtful that he wrote any of them. The figure of Vidocq is believed to have inspired Balzac's creation of the criminal genius Vautrin, one of the most vivid characters to appear in his The Human Comedy.

Task 1. Answer the following questions:

1. What do you know about Vidocq’s youth?

2. Why was he sent to prison?

3. What did he offer to police in exchange for his freedom?

4. What organization did he found?

5. Why was Vidocq dismissed from the detective department?

6. What famous authors were among his friends?

7. What were the reasons of his success?

8. Was the figure of Vidocq the character created by Balzac?

Task 2. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1. Vidocq tried to become rich and socially important using dishonest and immoral methods.

2. Vidocq created the security police in England.

3. Vidocq was always ready to take risk.

4. Vidocq sometimes did something too quick, without thinking carefully about whether it was sensible or not.

5. People called Vidocq a coward because he would not fight.

6. Vidocq spent many years in prison for serious crimes.

7. Vidocq's war against crime was completely unfortunate.

8. Vidocq is someone who enjoys adventure.

Al capone

Al Capone (1899-1947) is the most famous American gangster who dominated organized crime in Chicago from 1925 to 1931. Capone's parents immigrated to the United States from Naples in 1893, Al, the fourth of nine children, quit school in Brooklyn after the sixth grade and joined Johnny Torrio's gang. In a silly quarrel in a brothel-saloon, a young hoodlum slashed Capone with a knife or razor across his left cheek, prompting the later nickname "Scarface".

Torrio moved from New York to Chicago in 1909 to help run the brothel business there and, in 1919, sent for Capone. It was either Capone or Frankie Yale who assassinated Torrio's boss, Big Jim Colosimo, in 1920, making way for Torrio's rule. As Prohibition began, new bootlegging operations opened up and brought a lot of money. (Prohibition is the period from 1919 to 1933 in the US when the production and sale of alcoholic drinks was forbidden by law. Bootlegging is illegally making or selling alcohol.)

In 1925 Torrio retired, and Capone became crime czar of Chicago, running gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging. He expanded his territories by the gunning down of rivals and rivals gangs. His wealth in 1927 was estimated at close to $ 100,000,000. The most notorious of the bloodletting was the St.Valentine's Day Massacre on Feb.14, 1929. Disguising themselves as policemen, members of the Al Capone gang entered a garage at 2122 North Clark Street, lined their opponents up against a wall, and machine-gunned them in cold blood.

In June 1931 Capone was indicted for income-tax evasion and in October was retired, found guilty, and sentenced to 11 years in prison and $ 80,000 in fines and court costs. He entered Atlanta penitentiary in May 1932 but was transferred to the new Alcatraz prison in August 1934. In November 1939, suffering from the late stage of syphilis, he was released and entered a Baltimore hospital. Later he retired to his Florida estate, where he died in 1947, a powerless recluse.

Task 1. Answer the following questions:

1. When did Capone's family immigrate to the United States?

2. Why did he get the nickname "Scarface"?

3. What is Prohibition?

4. What criminal activities did he direct in Chicago?

5. What happened on Feb.14, 1929?

6. What was he convicted of in 1931?

7. Why was Capone released from prison?

8. When did Capone die?

Task 2. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1. Capone was the most famous American actor.

2. Capone's parents immigrated to England in 1931.

3. A young hooligan cut Capone with a sword across his right cheek.

4. Capone ran a loan business in Chicago in 1919.

5. In 1920 Capone murdered one of his bosses accidentally.

6. Capone kept company with his rival gangs.

7. Capone became bankrupt in 1927.

8. Capone was tried and sentenced to 19 years in prison where he died of starvation.