Original subtitles

Visitor for you, Capone.

It's your lawyer.

But no word yet on when, huh?

I think it's coming today.

It's got to be today!

I've got to know exactly when

that train pulls out of here.

You're gonna make a break from the train, aren't you?

Who said anything about that?

Oh, I've been hearing a lot more than you think.

If you make a break,

I'm going with you, or else!

Or else what?

Or else I get my sentence cut when I go tell the warden.

Tonight's episode: Part one of "The Big Train."

Starring Robert Stack as Eliot Ness".

Co-starring Bruce Gordon.

With special guest star Neville Brand.

And narrated by Walter Winchell.

It is the decision of this court that the defendant,

Alphonse Capone,

shall pay a fine of $56,000...

and that he shall serve a term

of 11 years in the federal penitentiaries.

He's forthwith remanded to the custody

of the United States Marshal.

On October 17, 1931,

In a federal district courthouse,

the trial of Scarface Al Capone,

which had lasted 11 days, came to an end.

The man responsible for the arrest

and conviction of Capone was Eliot Ness.

Ironically, the two men,

opposing chiefs in a bitter warfare, had never met.

And although Capone,

as he was taken from the Chicago courtroom

on November 24, 1931,

passed within a few yards of Ness,

he did not recognize the leader of the Untouchables.

At the old Dearborn station, Chicago,

on the night of May 3, 1932,

a crowd of curiosity seekers awaited the arrival

of the nation's most publicized mobster,

America's first public enemy number one.

Also present were Frank Nitti, "The Enforcer",

and the men who would carry on

with the gang's multi-million dollar racketeering interests

during their chief's absence as a guest of the government.

Eliot Ness and the Untouchables had provided armed transport

for the prisoner from Cook County jail

across Chicago to the railroad station.

United States Marshals Robert Brady

and Leonard D. Snyder received custody

of the 33-year-old Neapolitan emigrant

who had become the most notorious criminal leader

in all American history.

I am instructed to deliver the body

of one Alphonse Capone,

which has been done.

Look at all these people, will you?

You'd think it was Mussolini passing through.

Rico, Jack, go on in and check the train.

Do you think Mr. Capone would say hello to my little boy?

Why, sure, lady.

He's crazy about kids.

Go ahead. Rudy...

Rudy, now you take him these.

Tell him it's something for the train.

Well, hello, sonny!

Hey, what's that?

Something for me?

Yeah, you guys better be sure

that you make a thorough investigation.

This kid's one of my mob.

He's sneaking me a tommy gun!

All right, sonny, that's enough.

Go on back to your mother, hmm?

Well, what are you so mad about, copper?

I've paid out a couple million dollars for people like this...

Soup kitchens, handouts, donations, picnics,

free toys for the kiddies.

I'm a saint to these people.

They don't think I'm a... a monster,

like Uncle Sam does.

Everything on the train is okay.

You can board now.

Thanks for all your help, Mr. Ness.

You bet. Ness?

You're Ness?

I never ever saw the guy!

Now, ain't that a laugh!

A man gets the drop on Capone

and Capone doesn't even know what he looks like!

Hey, this is the bull

that finally brought me in on the income tax rap!

Come on.

Well, here I go.

11 years.

I gotta do it, so I do it.

I ain't sore at anybody. Nobody!

Not even you, Ness.

That's very big of you.

So long, Al. So long, Al.

Hey, good luck in Atlanta!

Don't you worry, Al!

You'll own the joint when you get there!

You'll be a king!

You think he won't?

Ha!

At the Federal Penitentiary, Atlanta,

on May 5, 1932,

Alphonse Capone began an 11-year sentence

for income tax evasion.

He was given the convict number 40886,

and assigned to cell number 39 in cell block D.

The name of Everett Lafferty, a cell block officer,

had significance for Al Capone.

It was one of six names

which had been furnished to him by former Atlanta inmates,

names of guards who could

and would deliver important services to prisoners

who paid bribery money.

Capone's cell mates were:

Tony Diaz, doing life

for murder of two women in Washington D.C.;

and Benny Marcus, former railroad detective,

serving the last of a three-year sentence

for fraud and embezzlement.

As the months passed,

Big Al would make effective use of Benny Marcus

in planning the most daring and audacious stratagem

of his entire career.

On April 21, 1933,

members of the House Appropriations Committee met

with Homer S. Cummings,

the newly appointed attorney general of the United States.

Ask Mr. Ness to come in.

Hello, Mr. Ness. Good to see you.

Mr. Cummings.

Mr. Chairman, this is Eliot Ness. How do you do?

May I introduce Congresswoman Kahn...

How do you do?

Congressman Kerry...

and Congressman Oliver.

I'm glad you're here.

They've been giving me a rough time.

I need a friend in court.

Sit down, Mr. Ness. Thank you.

Nobody likes us.

We're misers.

It's our function to say "no" almost every time anybody wants

to spend government money these days.

Well, I'm for that, within reason.

There is one sentence in a letter

that Mr. Ness wrote to me some time ago

that convinced me that he was on my side.

May I see that, please?

"A special institution should exist

"for confirmed criminals

"who have neither the desire

nor the ability to be reformed."

Well said?

Very well said.

We just don't happen to agree

that we should recommend spending big money

for a new prison.

Oh, this is not just "a new prison."

All right, it's a fancy hotel for big shots

to be all on one social level.

What's the matter with Atlanta and Leavenworth?

I'll tell you what's the matter with them.

May I, Mr. Cummings? Go to it, Mr. Ness!

I wrote that letter last May,

when we put Capone on the train to Atlanta.

The crowd there in the station was treating him

as if he were a visiting royalty.

One man yelled at him, "Don't worry, Al!

"You'll own the joint when you get to Atlanta!

You'll be a king!"

I thought about that a lot.

Well, some crackpot.

No, sir, the man was right.

As long as the Capones go on being big shots

to the public and to the other inmates in institutions

like Atlanta and Leavenworth,

they're going to "own the joint".

Well, that's just a matter of opinion.

It's not a matter of opinion, sir,

it's a matter of record.

I'm not talking about corruption or dishonesty

in any particular prison.

We all know that exists.

That isn't the point.

What is vital is to reduce these big shots in size,

and to remove the possibility of their infecting other inmates

and the potentially criminal elements in this country

with the desire and the fever to be an Al Capone,

a Machine Gun Kelly!

You can only do that by isolating them,

just as you'd isolate an incurably diseased group

that was a threat to society!

That's fine theory, but what about facts?

He's just getting started!

I said it was a matter of record. It is.

I can cite you cases by the score in this past year

of crimes that wouldn't have been committed,

if small time hoodlums and racketeers

hadn't wanted to get to be Al Capones!

That's the point.

Dethrone these big shots.

Take them out of circulation,

remove them from the spotlight,

sterilize their reputations!

Then you'll be a long way

toward stamping out a contagious disease.

Knock the ego out of them with psychology, huh?

Yes!

That might be the modern way of putting it.

And as far as the money goes,

it would cost us practically nothing.

We get the land free.

We take it over on a transfer

from the War Department.

Where is this again?

It's in San Francisco Bay.

12 acres of rock.

There are these old military buildings.

We can modernize those.

We'll put in our own safety devices,

the cells, the steel...

Which is estimated at $537,450.

That isn't bad, really.

I'll tell you this.

We spent nearly $13 billion last year

in controlling rackets and law enforcement.

If this prison cuts that by a fraction,

it's more than paid for itself.

Well, what do you think?

I guess it makes sense, doesn't it?

Uh-huh.

I'll go for it.

All right.

We'll recommend it.

What's the name of the place?

A-L-C-A-T-R-A-Z.

Alcatraz.

Alcatraz!

An escape-proof island prison

for confining the deadliest murderers

in this country's history.

The list of the prisoners to be transferred,

compiled in the greatest possible secrecy,

included such men as Machine Gun Kelly, Al Bates,

Big Bill May, Roy Gardner,

and the biggest big shot of them all.

May 20th brought two of Capone's original bodyguards

from Chicago on a visit,

Joe Giambatista and Three-Fingered Jack White.

Happy Birthday, Al!

Oh, thanks. We brought you a couple of presents.

They made us check them outside.

We were gonna bake you a cake, with a file in it.

Well, did you bring me my ten bucks?

Sure thing, Al.

I got it all in ones

so it would feel like a big roll.

Al, uh, how do you like living on ten bucks a month

after what you've been used to?

Oh, you learn to make adjustments.

Hand it over to my guard pal, will you?

Two, four, six, eight, nine, ten.

Correct. Ten bucks.

So, put it in my account, will you?

Well, now, what's going on in Chicago?

Well, well, well!

What's the boss gonna say about all this,

your loving brother-in-law?

About what? I've been waiting for this, Lafferty.

For what?

My, my, my!

Ten bucks, huh?

Just look at that!

Like magic it turns into a grand!

Anybody with your talent for making money

I've got to make a partner of.

You off tonight?

New Deal Bar and Grill, around 9:00.

We'll talk things over.

We've got a big fat chicken by the heels there

and we're gonna make him lay plenty of golden eggs

and we get everything we can while the getting's good.

He's only going to be here a couple of months.

What do you mean?

Alcatraz!

I hear they're shipping him out

as soon as The Rock gets finished.

Him and 52 other guys.

Come on.

This repeal and, um, liquor becoming legal,

well he thinks maybe,

maybe we ought to unload the breweries...

Nitti thinks!

Nitti thinks! Nitti thinks!

I'll tell Nitti when to think!

When I want to unload the breweries, I'll let...

Well, what do you want?

That guard!

He-he knows about us!

He knows about the money. He wants his cut!

What am I gonna do?

I'm supposed to meet him tonight,

because he said we gotta talk,

because you're gonna be shipped to Alcatraz.

I'm going where?

The Rock, when it's finished.

What am I gonna do?

Shut up, will ya?!

All right... first thing's first.

You're supposed to meet him tonight, huh?

Yeah. A bar and grill on Stillman Street, at 9:00.

All right, you go ahead and meet him.

Well, you've, uh...

you boys sure helped to make it a nice birthday.

Well, well, well,

my distinguished colleague, Mr. Lafferty.

Hello, Charlie.

Big celebration tonight, eh, Lafferty?

Blue champagne, maybe? On you.

Sure, Charlie, but look.

Let's have our little talk first, huh?

It's gonna be mobbed in there,

so let's get our business over with out here,

where it's nice and private,

then we'll go inside and have a drink, huh?

On me.

By all means, let's be private.

Where do you have in mind?

Well, uh... let's go over here.

Uh, look, Charlie, this is a good place to talk.

All right, now this is how we operate.

Capone is in your cell block... Hey!

We got room for just so many partners,

and you ain't one, friend.

Ahh!

This guy just ain't never gonna learn.

Here, this is yours.

You're working for Capone now,

and don't you ever forget it.

The next thing he'll want

is all the dope on this Alcatraz deal.

You find out everything you can and keep him posted.

Okay?

Pretty, ain't he?

The road to Alcatraz,

like every road Al Capone ever traveled,

was destined to be paved with the dead bodies

of those who stood in his way.

Two days after the murder

of Atlanta prison guard Charles Ravetch,

convict 40886 was granted an interview with Warden Hubbard.

I've been waiting for two days

for this interview, Warden.

Is that a fact?

What's this about sending me to Alcatraz?

Where'd you hear that?

Well, I can't do it!

I don't wish to discuss the subject, Capone.

Is there anything else?

Warden, this Alcatraz is for tough guys, not people like me!

What did I ever do?!

Just show me on my record!

I'm here on a... on a lousy income tax rap.

It's just not right! They can't do it!

We're flattered you like Atlanta so much,

you don't want to leave.

Warden, it's for the worst men in the country.

That's what is says in the paper... the worst men!

You got yourself named Public Enemy Number One,

maybe you deserve that honor.

That's all, Capone.

June 15, 1934.

The construction of the island prison of Alcatraz

moves steadily toward completion.

And just as steadily Al Capone,

with his pipeline to the front office, was kept informed

of plans for the transportation

of eastern prisoners to The Rock.

Hey, how about this?

"Dillinger in Sensational Indiana Jail Break!

"$10,000 Reward Offered for His Recapture."

Boy, that Dillinger... Imagine him breaking out.

Did you read...?

But why did he break out... That's the thing.

You know why?

Because he's on the list for Alcatraz, that's why.

He figures anything's better than getting sent to that place.

Do you think they'll get Dillinger?

Sure they will.

Well, so what?

You're better off on the outside, anyway,

even if it is only for a couple of weeks.

Man, it's better than living in...

here the rest of your life!

Do you call this living?!

Come on, Charley, calm down!

You'll get the screws on us.

Let's play a game, huh?

You only got 11 more days to beat me.

I don't want to play a game!

Better play while you can.

You won't get a chance in Alcatraz.

You'll be in a little old cell all by yourself.

Hey, where is this Alcatraz, anyway?

I'll show you.

It's way over here.

See, that old little train comes into here.

That's Napa Junction.

And then switches over, up to Tiburon,

then they barge the cars across the bay to The Rock.

Look, I'll show you.

Here's where we are.

So, Atlanta to Birmingham,

Memphis, Kansas City, Denver...

Hey, that's right...

You used to be a railroad dick, didn't you?

I know every inch of track there is on this route,

every water stop, every freight yard...

You're getting out in 11 days?

Yeah, I sure am.

Uh... where you gonna go when you get out?

I don't know. I haven't decided.

I don't care much. I'll be on parole.

How about Chicago?

I got a lot of friends there.

I could see that you got a real good paying job.

Best dough you ever made.

Hey, Al, what are you getting at?

I don't know myself yet, kid.

Now, uh, how did you say

that train's gonna be running again?

Atlanta to Birmingham,

Memphis, Kansas City, Denver...

Chicago, June 29.

In the office of the Capone gang

over the old Montmarte Café,

Benny Marcus, parolee from Atlanta relayed

his ex-cell mate's plan

for the most spectacular delivery

in all criminal history.

It's crazy, I tell ya.

How can you spring somebody from a train like that?

There'll be guards and bulls all over the place.

Say you get him off, you make the delivery.

Say you make it, what does Al do after?

You ain't been listening, Frank.

We fly him from here down to Mexico.

Get him over to the east, and before you know it,

he's on a boat to Italy.

How do we know this train is gonna stick

to its regular stops?

Suppose they-they cross us, change the route,

just to be safe?

Al brought that up, too.

That's why I figure, this is the spot that fits the bill.

They have to arrive here if they're going into Alcatraz.

See, they come into Cloverville,

then they switch over to Northwestern Pacific Line.

That way, they avoid going into Oakland.

Now, the switchover's got to take a good ten minutes.

Now, another thing, it's just a little hick town.

Ten or 20 guys can take over the whole joint as easy as pie.

Now if... Let's not go through all the details tonight,

shall we, gentlemen?

I have a previous engagement.

It's apparent that Benny here knows what he's talking about.

Now we must assume that Mr. Capone has thought

this all out very carefully before he made his decision.

We do it, right?

Everybody. Yeah.

Okay, it's unanimous.

Now when does this train make that trip?

As soon as they get Alcatraz finished.

Yeah. And when's that?

A month, maybe two months... maybe only three weeks.

Aah, this whole thing is nuts.

We got to know exactly when that train leaves Atlanta.

Yeah, and that ain't gonna be easy.

They probably won't let that leak until the last minute.

We must go under the assumption

that it's better to have things ready too early than too late.

Now, take money for instance,

Mr. Capone is going to want plenty waiting for him

when he gets to the old country.

So we'd better start converting things to cash.

I have here a list of the holdings and assets.

Suppose we start with the hotels.

July 4th, while the city celebrated Independence Day,

a family gathering was taking place at the suburban home

of Vito DiMarco, wealthy hotel owner

and chairman of the realty board.

Mr. DiMarco?

Yes?

Happy Fourth of July.

On July 10th, a newspaper item aroused the interest

of Eliot Ness and caused the Untouchables to pay a visit

to the DiMarco home.

They really put the pressure on him, didn't they?

They sure did.

Let's go.

Mr. Ness?

That's right.

This is Mr. Hobson, Mr. Rossi.

I'm Gennaro DiMarco.

This is my brother, Paul.

If it's about the murder,

we've already told the police everything we know.

Please, we can't talk about it anymore.

It's... Well, we've thought of nothing else.

It's too painful.

And yet not so painful as to prevent

your having business dealings yesterday,

authorizing the expenditure of over a million dollars.

What was the hurry?

That was a transaction that...

We were carrying out Uncle Vito's wishes.

Oh, really?

On July 3rd, your uncle told the realty board

that he'd been approached about these hotels,

and that he definitely was not interested

in adding to his chain.

He changed his mind.

Overnight?

We took advantage of a very low price.

The hotels have always operated at an excellent profit.

If they've operated at a profit,

why should the owners want to sell at a low price?

We don't know.

That's the truth... We don't know.

You paid for these hotels in cash.

Isn't that a rather amazing way to conduct business these days?

One-and-a-half million dollars paid in cash

to the Volpone Corporation?

The cash was the reason...

was the reason for the low price.

Do you know that the Volpone Corporation is one

of the holdings of Al Capone and his associates?

Mr. DiMarco,

you loved your uncle and your aunt, didn't you?

Yes.

Yes, they were the closest ones we had.

They were wonderful to us.

They were so good.

Tell us, then...

So that more good people won't die this way...

He was threatened, wasn't he, when he wouldn't buy the hotels?

That's why he was killed. You know that.

Gennaro!

I... We know nothing.

Nothing more!

Please.

All right, Mr. DiMarco, thank you.

Excuse me.

They're scared to death.

Yeah.

I can hardly blame them.

What are they up to, Capone's boys?

Why do they need all this cash in such a hurry?

I wonder.

And now back to The Untouchables.

During the days following,

the Untouchables uncovered evidence

of a highly concentrated drive by the Capone interests.

Huge deposits were withdrawn from banks.

Gambling palaces, bookie joints

and houses of prostitution were put up for bargain prices.

The pattern of converting assets into cash,

which had begun with the DiMarco murders,

was consistent and unmistakable.

On July 21st, Eliot Ness in Washington,

revealed his findings.

And all of it being sent out of the country to Naples.

Four, almost $5 million.

Cash and negotiable securities transferred

to the Banca di Sicilia and held in trust

for the San Carlo Oil Company

and/or its governing officer, Mr. Paolo Spechanne.

Now, we find

there is no San Carlo Oil Company, not as yet anyway.

Well, there may not be

a San Carlo Oil Company,

but there is a Mr. Paolo Spechanne.

I know, because I arrested him in Kansas City

in 1930 for carrying a gun.

Spechanne? You arrested him?

Now, that was the name he was using.

He always had a sense of humor.

You got to give him that.

And he loved word puzzles and codes and anagrams.

He was delighted with himself about this one,

showed me how it worked.

Now, just change a few letters around, and you've got...

So, if there are $5 million waiting

for Mr. Paolo Spechanne in Italy...

I guess that clinches it, doesn't it, Mr. Cummings?

A delivery for Capone?

Where would they try it?

Well, the most logical time would be

while the prisoners were being taken from the pen

to the railroad station in Atlanta.

Well, there's one way to prevent that.

How? Simple.

Don't bring the prisoners to the train.

Bring the train to the prisoners.

You mean move this train right into the prison yard?

Why not?

And so, in an unprecedented action,

the tracks of the Southern Railway

were extended from a spur

and laid directly into the prison yard

of the Atlanta pen.

Hey, pretty smart.

Very smart.

If somebody was planning it

the way they think he was planning it,

this could cause him a lot of trouble.

Visitor for you, Capone.

It's your lawyer.

But no word yet on when, huh?

I think it's coming today.

It's got to be today! I got to know

exactly when that train pulls out of here.

You're gonna make a break from the train, aren't you?

Who said anything about that?

Oh, I've been hearing a lot more than you think.

If you make a break,

I'm going with you, or else!

Or else what?

Or else I get my sentence cut when I go tell the warden.

Okay, kid.

You want to go to Italy with me?

You mean that, Al?

No monkey business?

You're in, kid.

My word of honor.

I'll give you all the moves when we get on the train, okay?

Here.

On August 11th,

the day on which the newspapers announced the completion

and the readiness of Alcatraz Prison,

a meeting was held behind locked doors

in the office of Warden Hubbard of Atlanta.

The railroad officials discussed the route

of "The Big Train", as it had come to be known,

and received instructions from the government agents.

At the same hour,

Al Capone was also conducting a secret conference,

and on the very same subject, with Archy Devlin.

Lafferty hasn't heard about his application yet.

But with his in with the assistant warden,

it's in the bag.

There's one thing we're still missing,

and that's the Big One.

Sure. When?

It's got to be soon. It's got to be.

They're laying that track out there now.

The Rock is completed, Al.

It's open for business!

Any time now. Any time!

And we've got to know soon so our men can move in out there

and be ready for me when I get...

You're wanted in the warden's office.

I'll take over.

How long has this visitor been here?

He just arrived.

18 minutes more,

and you'd better cram all your news

for the next couple of weeks into it.

All visiting days have been canceled until further notice.

Well, how about mail?

How about sending letters out?

No more mail, either, until further notice.

Now go on. You guys are wasting your own time.

Hey, Lafferty, you'd better get back here

and relieve this guy before my 18 minutes are up!

He don't like us!

What happens now, Al?

No visitors.

No letters going out!

Shut up, will you? Let me think.

I've got to get word out to Chicago.

Just as soon as I get that date.

How? How can you get word out, Al? How?

A wire. That's it... a wire. An emergency wire.

They let you do that if you've got

an emergency!

What emergency?

So what do you say on the wire, "I've got an emergency"?

It leaves Friday at 6:30 p.m.?

A code. A code.

A code like they got in the books.

Just a couple of words.

They look legitimate.

Here!

I got it.

Well, these are the men from Atlanta

who will be aboard with me.

Bailey, Levine, Lafferty and Evans.

Gentlemen, this is Mr. Ferguson from Washington.

How are you, sir?

Now, you men have been accepted

from the volunteer applications

to be aboard the train

that will take certain prisoners

from this institution to Alcatraz.

Now, as of immediately,

you will not be allowed

outside the penitentiary grounds.

Your wives and families will be informed

that some confidential assignment

has rendered you incommunicable for a short period.

Are there any questions?

Well, yes, sir, there is one thing

that we'd all be interested in knowing

so that we could make plans.

What-what I mean, uh, could you tell us the date

that we'll be leaving here for The Rock?

As you can imagine, it was vital

to keep this completely secret

until it was too late for any of the inmates

to communicate with the outside,

but now it seems impossible that word could get out

in time to do us any harm.

All right, gentlemen.

We think that on a Sunday would be the best,

and very early in the morning,

because we must arrive at our destination

during daylight hours.

Very well, then.

Here it is.

The Big Train will leave Atlanta at exactly...

That's it. Time.

Okay, Archy.

Couldn't be simpler, could it?

Yes, yes, I guess we're all set.

So long, Al.

You'll hear from me.

Hmm.

All right, Capone.

Open up!

What's up?

Just walking through.

Here's that book.

He wanted me to get him a book on Italy from the library.

Well, thanks.

Looks like I'll really enjoy it.

Would you mind putting it in my cell for me?

I, uh, kind of got my hands full right now.

Sure.

Machiavelli, no less!

What's it worth to you

to spend a couple of days in solitary?

Are you kidding? Cut it out, will you?

I mean it!

I'll give you $100 a day, five C's in advance.

They may only throw you in for a day or two.

You keep it anyway. A deal?

Yeah, sure, okay.

Here. Take this.

This will be the preliminaries.

Tomorrow's the main event.

I'll tell you later.

Yeah, fine, but, listen...

Pick a fight with me! Huh?

Pick a fight with me!

No muscles, just an argument. Now!

Hey, look what you did to my shoes?!

There, I washed them off for you!

Oh, that's it. Why, you...

What's the matter with you guys?

Well, make him leave me alone, will you?

Been picking on me all week!

You're stir crazy!

Just because I like to play my radio at night!

Stir crazy! What?!

Now, you just keep quiet and get back to work!

Okay. I won't cause any more trouble.

Forget it, huh?

Let's shake, huh, Al?

At 9:45 on the morning of August 16th,

a front page news story was made

in the basement barbershop at the Atlanta pen.

Well, was the radio loud enough for you last night,

you little punk?!

Ooh!

Oh, guard!

Guard!

Guard!

The wounded prisoner was allowed to send a short message

to his worried colleagues and relatives in Chicago,

a privilege set forth

in prison regulations for such emergency cases.

Just a couple of words, you know, short.

But it ought to sound like me so they'll know I sent it.

It just didn't come from the prison, right?

Right. Oh, you just dictate it, and I'll send it.

Well, it goes to Frank Nitti.

That's N-I-T-T-I.

1180 South Street, Chicago, Illinois.

You got that?

Yes. And the message?

Now, take this down, just like I say it.

You ready?

Right. Go ahead.

"Not hurt bad.

Don't worry."

And then sign it "Alphonse."

"Not hurt bad." How about badly?

It sounds a little more grammatical...

"Not hurt bad," just like I said.

Never mind the grammar.

It ought to sound like me.

Right. Okay.

"Not hurt bad. Don't worry."

Signed "Alphonse".

You want to say something like love

or regards or anything?

No, no, no! I don't mean to be fussy, but just like I said.

Okay.

Hey, give me another shot of that water.

Al Capone had performed a feat

considered by federal men to be impossible.

He had gotten word to the outside

from the bolted and barred confines of his prison.

He had transmitted the final, essential information,

which could implement a sensational escape

and insure him a lifetime of luxurious freedom.

And Capone does not appear to be in any danger

from the wound that was inflicted during this quarrel.

The telegram which he sent

to his friends here in Chicago reads:

"Not hurt bad. Don't worry."

And it's signed, "Alphonse."

Not the best grammar, perhaps,

but that's the way he dictated it.

So Al Capone will undoubtedly be off the sick list

in Atlanta within a few days.

Turn it off, Jack.

Turning to the political news...

That's quite a coincidence, Capone getting hurt.

And that train scheduled to leave Atlanta

for Alcatraz any day now.

Probably just a scratch,

so he could pose as a hospital case

to avoid being sent down there.

Yeah. Well, he'll be sent to Alcatraz

regardless, right, Eliot?

Sure hope so, Lee.

Why'd he send it to Nitti?

Why not his wife?

Why so formal, "Alphonse"?

Why, when he could send

ten words for the same price?

Got it.

Got it! I'm positive.

This one was so simple, it was hard.

Rico, get me Warden Hubbard in Atlanta.

Use the direct line.

What's the date?

The 17th, Friday.

Yeah, that figures.

That would make it Sunday.

Do you think this is a code?

Last time I was in Washington,

they mentioned Capone's hobby was word games and codes.

Warden Hubbard, please.

Thanks.

Hello, Warden. Ness.

Have you set a date and time yet for the start of the train?

Yes, we have.

It's all hush-hush, of course.

Let me see if I can guess this big secret.

The 19th at 5:00.

Well, that's correct.

Absolutely accurate, Mr. Ness.

But how...?

The wire Capone sent,

19 letters, five words.

The 5:00, is it a.m. or p.m.?

A.M.

That's what the "Alphonse" meant.

If it had been p.m., he probably would've signed it Al.

Well, it's too late now to change the time.

As you can imagine, it's an enormously complicated...

Yes, I understand.

It might be an idea to put Capone in a cell by himself

in case he's been hatching plans.

He is alone.

We moved the man that was with him, Diaz.

Capone only had one other cell mate,

but he was released on parole over a month ago.

To Chicago, I believe.

To Chicago?

Yes, uh, Benny Marcus.

Benny Marcus, a month ago, eh?

We'll check him.

Yes, he was released on June 29th, after serving two years

of a two to four for theft and embezzlement.

What's he look like?

Well, he's a small man, dark.

Has a limp from a leg injury

he received on his job before he came here.

What job was that?

A railroad detective.

Say, maybe... Maybe, indeed.

At the Capone office, the wire from Atlanta

had galvanized the gang's preparations

into speedy action.

The three senior hoods, Giambatista, White and Menken,

made ready to fly to Salt Lake City,

from where they would proceed by private plane

to Cloverdale, California,

the rendezvous for the big delivery

of Al Capone from The Big Train.

Two younger henchmen, Geller and Herrmann, were detailed

to go to San Francisco by train in company

with Benny Marcus.

Well, everything's set.

Let's go.

Uh, you two are gonna pick up Marcus.

Yeah, we're picking him up at his place

on our way to the station.

I was wondering something.

Why do we need Marcus anymore?

That's a good question, Frank.

Yeah. It sure is.

We got all the dope out of him we could use.

We got the complete layout

of the railroad yards out there.

That's right.

From here on, that nervous little guy

would be nothing but a liability.

The parole board will start nosing around

when he don't check in.

You're 100 percent right, Frank.

Right? Right.

So do we pick him up or not?

Oh, you'll pick him up like he expects,

but he don't go with you.

He don't go no place.

Right? Right.

Salud! Salud!

The Untouchables, informed by the parole board

of the address of Benny Marcus,

converged on a boarding house at 169 Carvan Street.

Mr. Marcus, your people are here!

Come right in.

He's all ready to leave.

His bags is packed and everything.

You mean Benny Marcus?

Who else?

Second floor front.

You can't miss it.

If he's expecting someone,

maybe I'd better stay down here.

Right.

Come in.

Have a seat a second, fellas.

I'll be through in a minute.

Just bought me a nice, new map.

I thought I'd make us a nice, clean...

Going someplace, Benny?

Who are you guys?

Ow!

Give me that!

You got no right to...

Benny, you're a two-time loser.

We know you're in on the attempt

to get Capone off the train.

If you go up this time, it'll be for good,

So come on, talk.

I don't know what you mean.

Who's coming here to meet you? Who's picking you up?

All right, we'll go downstairs and wait.

A couple of guys are coming.

Don't come in! The cops are here!

This one's in bad shape.

Can't move.

Jack, give Rossi a hand.

He's paralyzed.

The lady's calling an ambulance.

He'll never make it.

Benny, can you speak?

Lee, the map.

Benny, listen, you're not going to make it.

We know they're going to try

to deliver Capone from the train. Where?

Where will it be?

Now, here's the map.

Just point.

Point to where it will be.

Let me through, please.

Eliot, I found this on that other guy.

Two clues, slender clues, only,

to guide the Untouchables.

Benny Marcus had attempted to pinpoint

the rendezvous location,

for the delivery of Capone.

He had traced the route as far as Denver, Colorado,

but had died before he was able to complete

the information.

And a card.

"Lone Eagle Flying Service, Salt Lake City.

Chartered Flights in Comfortable Private Airplanes."

All right, sir, I understand.

Good night, Mr. Cummings, thank you.

He says it's impossible to change

the route of the train beyond Denver.

All the arrangements are made,

every railroad employee's been checked out for honesty.

They try to alter anything now,

it'll just cause a big mess of confusion.

So, we're on our own.

He wants us to stick with it

and do whatever we think best.

Which means we fly to Salt Lake.

It's the only lead we've got.

On Sunday, August 19, 1934,

at 2:30 in the morning, The Big Train

was backed into the prison yard

of the United States Pen, Atlanta.

Let it open.

Capone?

Capone! Yeah, yeah.

What do you want?

If you got any trinkets or keepsakes

you want to take with you, get them together

so they can be inspected.

You're going out.

Out? Out where?

Not Alcatraz?

You guessed it.

Well, golly.

I didn't think that'd be for weeks yet.

Come on, get into your clothes.

Okay, all right, all right.

During the next two hours, the 54 hardened criminals

who were being sent to The Rock,

were taken to isolation wards.

They were examined, bathed and dressed in new uniforms.

Oh, three days on that thing, kid, and then...

Do you really think we're gonna make it, Al?

Trust me, kid.

All right, men, move it along!

Move along! Come on, move along!

All right, Tallman, see you in about ten days.

Bye, Warden.

All right, snap on these leg shackles.

Come on!

At the precise minute of 5:00 a.m.

on August 19th, exactly on schedule,

The Big Train moved out of the Atlanta prison yard.

Come on, snap them on.

Snap on those leg shackles. Come on, wake up.

Snap on the leg shackles.

Leg shackles, snap them on.

Put on the leg shackles, Mr. Capone.

Come on!

Okay.

Come on, snap on the leg shackles.

Snap them on, come on.

At some western spot at some time within the next 72 hours,

the Capone mob planned, with violence and bloodshed,

to free the most famous criminal

in all American history.

Eliot Ness and the Untouchables were faced with the task

of preventing a national disaster,

which was scheduled for a place and an hour

unknown to them.