BOSTON - Did notorious gangster Al Capone have a soft spot? An intimate letter he penned from prison suggests the ruthless racketeer could handle tenderness almost as skillfully as his Tommy Gun.

The three-page letter is being auctioned off next week in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it's expected to fetch around $50,000.

It's addressed to Capone's son, Albert "Sonny" Capone. The mobster signed it, "Love & Kisses, Your Dear Dad Alphonse Capone #85," which was his number at the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay.

Capone wrote: "Well heart of mine, sure hope things come our way for next year, then I'll be there in your arms."

Robert Livingston of Boston-based RR Auction calls it an "exceedingly rare personal letter" that shows Capone's softer side.