Bismarck Tribune, 17 October 1931, page 1: Capone income tax case is given to Chicago jury
Capone Income Tax Case Is Given to Chicago Jury
- Paper
- The Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, N.D.)
- Date
- 1931-10-17
- Page
- Page 1
- Headline
- Capone Income Tax Case Is Given to Chicago Jury
- Rights
- Post-1930 issue. The Library of Congress title record for this newspaper states that it is believed to be in the public domain or to have no known copyright restrictions; this archive treats that statement as a no known restrictions mark, on the editor's decision of 12 October 2026, pending a renewal check. The story is wire copy; the page image is used as a record of the issue.
Front page of the Bismarck Tribune, Saturday, 17 October 1931. The story is datelined “Chicago, Oct. 17” with the Associated Press symbol, under the deck “District Attorney Pleads For Conviction to Halt ‘Sinister Influence’.” It opens: “Al Capone’s income tax case went to the jury at 2:42 p. m. Saturday.”
It reports that in closing, United States District Attorney George E. Q. Johnson asked the jury to convict Capone and rid the city of his “sinister influence,” and quotes his answer to the defense’s “modern Robin Hood” remark and his statement that “The government … has no more important function, except in times of war, than to enforce the revenue statutes.” It reports his argument that Capone had cashed a $2,500 gambling-house check and checks from Jack Guzik.
The page reports the case going to the jury; it was printed before the verdict. The prosecutor’s words are argument, not findings. The verdict and judgment are filed in this archive from the court records.