Story of Easy Eddie and his son: Are evil traits really passed on to children?
Easy Eddie was notorious, but his son went on to do big things. (Content warning: Graphic images)
Let me tell you a story. Meet Easy Eddie.
Easy Eddie was an Irish dude in Missouri. He had humble beginnings and was an ambitious chap.
He passed the bar exam and became an able lawyer. Easy Eddie was accomplished, for sure, but he had that naivety and certain ingenuousness in him that made him excitable and prone to making unscrupulous decisions.
In the early ’30s, he met a gentleman- a close friend who introduced him to arguably the most remarkable and commanding gangster and crime lord of Prohibition. The OG Scarface.
Yes, dear reader, Easy Eddie was introduced to Al Capone- the one and only.
Al Capone had use of men like Easy Eddie. To get away with his delinquencies and frequent law-breaking, Scarface needed a top-notch lawyer. The best of their kind. The alpha of the pack.
And he found the perfect person in Easy Eddie. He drafted documents, provided solid arguments, and gave legal counsel like a wizard. Easy Eddie was the reason why Al Capone dodged jail for so many years.
After a few years of this Corleone-esque living, Easy Eddie had a change of heart.
He knew that he was setting a poor example for his son, a fine young chap. He reformed. He decided to turn Al Capone in.
He collected evidence against Scarface, got in contact with the Internal Revenue Service, and had him arrested.
On the 18th of October, 1933, Al Capone was shipped to Alcatraz.
Easy Eddie was relieved that he had finally let it all unravel, but he could not enjoy his newfound peace and tranquility for long.
On his way home from a racetrack on November 8th, 1939, Eddie was shot by two men in a neighboring car. These two men were most likely trying to avenge Al Capone’s arrest. (T.W.)
Easy Eddie was gone, but his legacy wasn’t.
Here’s a totally unrelated story now. Setting: World War 2
On February 20, 1942, a young fighter pilot, Butch O’Hare and his crew received notice that the Japanese were transporting freight into Rabaul. The USS Lexington, led by Lieutenant Commander John Thach, headed toward Rabaul to attack the Japanese, but they were discovered on the way by an enemy craft. Before long, numerous Japanese bombers had attacked the ship.
Butch O’Hare and his wingman were the only two bombers close enough to fight the Japanese. It became crystal-clear that no other American plane was in range.
Instead of retreating, Butch O’Hare took on the Japanese planes singlehandedly. With excellent precision and accuracy, he had taken down five Japanese bombers. He kept attacking them until he ran out of ammunition.
Butch had held out alone for quite a long time, and by the time he was done, the other American planes had caught up with him, allowing him to return to the base safely.
This breathtaking display of gallantry resulted in Mr. O’Hare being awarded the Medal of Honor by then-US president Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was the first naval recipient of this award during WWII.
In his honour, the main airport in Chicago was renamed as O’Hare International Airport. A model of the plane that he flew in WWII remains on display in Terminal 2 of the airport, an ode to his valour and service to his nation.
Do you know what’s fascinating about both these stories?
Butch O’Hare was the son of Easy Eddie.
Evil traits are not hereditary. We may argue that Easy Eddie was not evil because he had a change of heart, but no one can do anything to undo the damage he did along with Al Capone.
Immorality is not hereditary — it is an acquired trait. People aren’t born evil- circumstances make them evil. (“Ill wind”, as the proverbial old wives’ would say)
(Originally answered on Quora: https://qr.ae/pGx332)
