Best Yeggs

IT WAS A NICE RIDE

2010-03-02T16:18:00.004-05:00

I've been Silent since last September because I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I am going to do with this blog. I think the best thing is to leave off on writing about other people's books and such. It's just time to take my writing in a different direction.

For everyone who has told me that you enjoyed Best Yeggs and shared your stories and research with me-- THANK YOU!!! I never considered myself as much of a writer or researcher, but now with your encouragement I'll never say never.

Can't Let it Go

2009-09-08T10:06:00.004-04:00

I wish I could let it go. Things would be so much easier if I didn't take the FBI's no as a challenge. You see in each of the FBI's responses I got a pat response that "neither confirms or denies" that the files I'm looking for are still in existence. Essentially, they just hide behind a bunch of statutes that allow them to do the minimum unless something compels them to do more. Big IMO! I hate saying anything negative about anyone but I'm getting close. All it would take is a "no this file has been destroyed" or a "no this file is still within the FOIA statute of limitations" or anything that lead me to believe that yes they actually did the work in finding out whether the files are still in existence. I don't think there's any one person in the FBI's records division whose sure of what they still have; what went to the Archives; and what's been destroyed. Wait! I may have a contact I can call!!! Just thought of it!!! Actually, you know before I got the Cherryvale file by surprise; I had talked to a lot of different people who gave me no encouragement. Then the file showed up at my door one day with a bill for copying! So maybe this is part of the process? Strange.

Gloves Off

2009-09-05T16:22:00.007-04:00

Just got a reply from the FBI on my appeal for information. This time around I got a new response. Evidently, the FBI does not have to affirm or deny that files exist because

1. Affirming or denying that the files exist might provide the requester with insight into Agency internal practices; and
2. the release of such knowledge may provide the requester with information on the techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations (well duh!).

The injury served with the insult is the last sentence where if I am dissatisfied with the response I may file a law suit in accordance with 5 U.S.C. section 552(a)(4)(B).

Well, what did I expect? Did I honestly believe that getting something from them would be so easy? The only thing easy to get from the FBI are the materials in their reading room which at this point are not files that I am interested in. Why couldn't my interest in the Midwest crime wave have stopped with Dillinger? Truly, I think that basically the FBI has covered it's ass in saying no we are not going to look for the file.

So many things go through my head (I have wicked imagination!) I think the FBI is saying the following in their response to my file request:

It's been 70 years women give it a rest! We don't know where those files are and we are way too busy to look. Crime marches on and we are not the F@#% National Archives.
How were we supposed to know that our files would be the subject to historical inquiry after the statute of limitations ended! Were we supposed to keep track of where all this &#*!
Maybe we destroyed the files, maybe they are gathering mildew in some damp basement, maybe they are in a climate controlled acid free environment where they will remain until the onion skin disintegrates naturally. It doesn't matter we know were the files are and you don't need to know. Because if we told you where the files were or whether they were destroyed you might begin to infer what our internal practices are for keeping matters of historical record. Transparency does not apply to US.
God forbid we give you access to files that are 70 or more years old that we haven't carefully screened. Everything we want you to know has been made available to you.

So along with retaking an exam at the end of the month (I flunked Asset Management in December) and handling my confusing personal life I now get to look up legal code sections. It would be easy to say that I'll just give up and find another hobby. Truth of the matter is my ornery nature doesn't allow me to just slink away. Just gonna have to give it another go. Third times the charm.

FBI File Requests

2009-07-23T12:39:00.005-04:00

Another person has asked me how I go about requesting FBI case files. So I’d thought I’d post my method which is basically by the book of how the FBI tells you to request files. If you go to http://www.fbi.gov/research.htm it’s an abundant source for doing research with the FBI. If you’re interested in case files, you'll need to make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Now the first thing to remember is that if you’re interested in current case files you may be out of luck. Much of that information is still sealed. I have an interest in crimes that occurred in the 1920’s and 1930’s when the FBI was the Bureau of Investigation so it’s easier for me to get records if they still exist and have not been destroyed.

I usually just use the FBI FOIA request form and send it to the field office where the case originates. This is an important point. If you make your FOIA request directly to the headquarters in Washington, DC (FBIHQ) they will search for your records by consulting an FBIHQ list of files they have. The only problem with this is that the more obscure the person or crime you are looking for the less likely they are on the HQ list. If you are looking for information on Dillinger, you will not have a problem (except for getting access to a file that hasn’t been “redacted”). If you contact the field office first, because that’s what the rule says you should do, the field office will send your request to FBIHQ and they will do a more thorough search. I usually write on my request to search all medium available paper files, microfilm, and microfiche. I don’t know if the FBI stores anything on microfiche, but just in case. You can find the field offices on http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm .

After where to send the initial request, the next most important thing is how to ask for the file. As with any confidential information there are rules as to what available to you. Also, never take for granted that the FBI personnel know your subject. The person involved must be deceased (death is assumed if 100 years have passed since birth). Information about an individual may actually be in a case filed under the crime itself, or the leader of the criminal gang and not the individual’s name. If you have the file number (lucky you), include it. Sometimes I’ve included old newspaper clippings that demonstrate that the FBI was active in investigating the crime. Whatever you have that will help them find your info include.

Now if you’ve included everything and you still get a letter saying that the FBI doesn’t see any reason why they would have ever done an investigation on your subject—DON’T GIVE UP! I always take that letter to mean that they don’t think I’m serious about getting the information. You have the right to appeal so do so. Something tells me that there is some ‘Public Information Officer’ at the Dept. of Justice who got a chuckle when I sent in my appeal for the Cherryvale Bank Robbery file because I said I was appealing because I didn’t think they looked for it hard enough! If you get a letter back saying the files have been destroyed that’s when cussing is allowed. How about going to the National Archives first? Don’t unless you know that the file you want is already there and what it’s filed under and if that’s the case make arrangements for the file to be waiting at the archives for you when you visit so you don’t have any nasty surprises.

Charles Arthur Floyd

2009-07-21T20:52:00.007-04:00

Funny, I don't know much about Pretty Boy Floyd. Of course I know that he was shot down in 1934. I know that in the pantheon of A List depression era desperadoes he ranked up there with Dillinger. In fact, he might have been bigger than Dillinger (at times). So it's odd that I am only vaguely aware of the details about his criminal career.

So reading Jeffery S. King's The Life and Death of Pretty Boy Floyd gave me an education. Truthfully, if you want to know about “Charles A. Floyd-Criminal” it's all here. From the beginning to the end, King concentrates on Floyd's criminal career in succinct prose. He discusses Floyd’s early life and early exploits and the period when “they just wouldn’t leave him alone”. As an ex-con, Floyd was subject to multiple arrests for ‘suspicion’. From what I understand suspicion was a catch all to arrest people whether they’d committed a crime or not. They looked like the type who might commit a crime or they associated with ‘known police characters’ or they just hadn’t paid the bribe money to be left alone.

It’s funny how one colossally bad decision can define the remaining periods of your life. King relies on the FBI files about the Kansas City Massacre and gives convincing evidence that yes Floyd did participate. Basically, Verne Miller and two other gunmen attempted to free Frank "Jelly" Nash from federal custody when he was being escorted back to Leavenworth. In the attempt, five men including Nash were mowed down in a torrent of gun fire. Floyd denied having anything to do with the Kansas City Massacre, an event which turned public opinion against depression era bank robbers. In his book King relates credible witnesses such as Vi Mathis (Verne Miller's woman) and James "Jimmy Needles" LaCapra (Kansas City underworld power) who detail Floyd and his sidekick Adam Richetti's participation in the massacre. Excellent evidence although Floyd's family continually denied that he participated in the killing, it looks like he was there.

I picked this book up on Saturday and was done by Sunday afternoon, not because it's short --it's not short on anything. It's excellently researched and perfectly paced. King never gets lost describing characters or events that are immaterial to Floyd. The book is an excellent narrative about Floyd's life and the chapter on his death is great. Even though I knew how Floyd's life ends, King provides a wealth of detail that made the story fresh. He also includes details about the aftermath of Floyd's death and the various reactions. There were a few people who objected to ambushing a man and shooting him in the back…but only a few.

Robbin' Banks & Killin' Cops

2009-07-05T21:47:00.007-04:00

Yeah! It's always fun to find a book on someone whose a little off the beaten path and Lawrence DeVol is about as off as the come. So in our roster of bad guys we have a bio on someone who usually merits about a paragraph when people write about the Barker-Karpis Gang. Robert R. Ernst has written a detailed account of Lawrence DeVol's life in the book Robbin' Banks & Killin' Cops.

If you want to read a bio on someone who appears completely unrepentant then this is the book for you. It was a good read, but it does get slow in the middle. But I think that's due more to my being familiar with the Barker-Karpis Gang thank anything else. There's nothing new about the Barkers in this book so it was almost a relief when DeVol's story separates from the gangs. DeVol's final years in Minnesota are very detailed as is his last shoot out. I'm still not sure whether DeVol was insane enough to be institutionalized. Maybe it was men like DeVol who could and did kill whenever he got the chance who made society and the justice system say OK simply being immoral is not crazy. See back when DeVol was captured in St. Paul they judged him 'criminally insane' and he was sentenced to the state mental hospital. Where he, with five other men who were 'criminally insane' broke out. Ernst makes it a point to show that this sentence is what DeVol was hoping for. He knew he'd have an easier time breaking out of the mental institution. Hey what am I doing? I'm not going to give the story away. Let's just that he who lives by the gun is headed for a bloody shootout that probably inspired Hollywood.

Speaking of Hollywood I've decided to wait for the DVD for Public Enemies. I just can't get a definite yes from anyone that the film is worth spending precious weekend hours on. Oh..the FBI and I are beginning our dance again. I sent FOIA requests to the Kansas City, MO offices who promptly sent it to HQ who sent me a letter saying to paraphrase 'we see no reason why you would believe the FBI has files on these individuals. You may appeal....' I send death certificates I sent news clippings FINE!!! FINE!!! Here we go again. You know in my vision of Utopia every file that the FBI has is in order and digitized and easy to access. I love my utopia but since it only exists in my head appeal I will.

Decisions Decisions

2009-07-01T09:00:00.005-04:00

OK, I have to decide if I'm going to see the new Public Enemies movie with Johnny Depp. I know it sounds silly but making up my mind about this isn't easy.

On the one hand, I've always wanted to see a movie about Dillinger that was true to the historical facts. You know you really don't have to add anything to this tale. I know 'artistic licence'. UGH! Honestly, if you want to make up dialogue that's one thing but please don't make up events... At least that's my viewpoint.

Then there's Johnny Depp as Dillinger. Well, I think Johnny Depp (he really should start asking to be called John now!) is a wonderful actor. I'm sure he's believable in the role as he's been in all of his roles. I just don't really see him as Dillinger. He's 10 years too old and he lacks the simplicity I always felt Dillinger possessed. I know Depp will bring an intensity to the role, but what about the lightness. In the beginning Dillinger enjoyed his work!

Well, maybe I'll see it this weekend if I get the chance. I usually get to see at least one movie a summer. Haven't seen one yet. If I can just empty my mind of my preconceived notions I might just enjoy the flick!

Murder at the Brown Palace

2009-06-12T09:16:00.018-04:00

I had time so I picked up a book on a murder that occurred in Denver around 1911. Murder in the Brown Palace is about Frank Henwood's murder of two men, Tony Von Phul and George E. Copeland. In all honesty this murder case goes down as one of the more stupid examples of misguided chivalry leading to tragedy than any other I've read. Evidently, Henwood killed Von Phul to prevent himself being beaten publicly by the much larger man. Copeland was an innocent bystander. The reason for the animosity between the two men was one Mrs. Isabel Springer the wife of a prominent man. Mrs. Springer had asked for Henwood's assistance in retrieving some love letters from Von Phul. Von Phul was using the letters to black mail Mrs. Springer into continuing to see him. Henwood let his testosterone get the better of him and gave into Von Phul's baiting and refused to drop the matter even after being asked to do so by Mrs. Springer. As payment for his misguided gallantry (and the death of an innocent bystander) Henwood gets to die in prison.

It's a pleasant read, but even this completely unrelated book got me to thinking about Vivian Chase! (can you say obsessed!) I was thinking about Isabel Springer and her privileged existence and the very different circumstances that Vivian was (more likely than not) born into. Although Springer is at least 20 years Vivian's senior I don't think there was that dramatic a difference in the expectations of either woman about marriage. Marriage was your primary occupation and you married the best provider you could get.

In the 1920 Kansas City, MO census Vivian Davis (prior to her marriage to George Chase) is listed as a waitress. I really didn't think too much about that because I didn't fully grasp where that put her in the American "egalitarian" social structure. I've been trying to find ways to learn what her life might have been like and it hasn't been easy. There's loads of material on Jazz Age women but usually from the viewpoint of middle class expectations and experience. Vivian wasn't middle class (although she could fake it). I stumbled upon an e-book Four Years in the Underbrush Adventures of a Working Woman in New York . Reading this provided me with a new perspective of what it would have been to be an unskilled woman working in Vivian's time. Marrying George Chase and becoming a housewife/gun moll is definitely easier. More than likely she ate better too!

ODDS&ENDS

2009-06-07T09:14:00.005-04:00

Right now my path doesn't leave me much time for active research. Which means that I have any number of ideas running through my head waiting for a time when I can try to find out if the idea has any merit.

It's not that I can put something else aside to do research I'm dealing with circle of life issues that I can't ignore and remain the person I want to be. So here is a list of things that are going by the wayside for now:

John Langan & Vivian's relationship there is always speculation that Langan and Vivian carried on but I've never been able to figure out the truth of the matter. Vivian and Langan's wife Margaret were physically similar; I've always wondered if the idea that Langan and Vivian were together stemmed from confusing the 2 women. Also, if Clarence Sparger did shoot Vivian and she and Langan were an item John Langan seems the type who would have retaliated against Sparger. In fact Langan and Sparger continue partnership until they are captured.
I think I know what Vivian was doing for the period after the Cherryvale Robbery newspaper articles have her living with Dorothy Flournoy in Picher, OK until she's hauled in 1928. Since their 2 men were killed each women had a direct share in the haul meaning that Vivian could have lived well for quite awhile if she were smart.
Earl McDowell I always wonder if Vivian shot him herself! But I also wonder if he was killed in retaliation for talking to police or if it was an execution ordered as repayment for one of his hot headed acts.
Was McDowell in on the Liberty bank job and did Vivian decide to play an active role because of his death. Or did the plans include her from the beginning.
George M. Chase's death. Did he die in a car accident in California around 1923 or did he die during a robbery attempt at that time. These days I wonder if Vivian's first? husband wasn't the member of the Flournoy/Mays gang killed on the highway during a bootlegging venture. Or maybe he died in Mexico MO about that time.
Vivian's escape from the Liberty jail. She obviously had to have had help. Now did she still have money left over from the robberies for the bribes necessary? Did she go directly to St. Joseph MO after the escape? Did she know the Spargers before that time?
Did Clarence Sparger shoot Vivian the way it's described in the FBI files or was it John Langan?

BAD SEED in the BIG APPLE

2009-05-13T16:56:00.005-04:00

OK, every once and a while it’s important to have a little fun. I imagine that Patrick Downey the author of Bad Seeds in the Big Apple: Bandits, Killers, and Chaos in New York City, 1920-40must have had a blast researching his book. Reading it was most enjoyable! The book starts out with a synopsis of Gentleman Gerald Chapman (Yippee- cause I still can’t find my book!) and moves on to other notable criminals who are seldom heard about anymore such as the Whittamore gang. Then there are a number of well known and less well known punks such as Two Gun Crowley who weren’t stand up criminals but who were glorified or vilified in the press. In one respect, the book is sad – it’s sad to have one story after another of boys/men who have barely begun life throw their lives away for a thrill. It’s funny why don’t I consider it sad that someone as bright as Gerald Chapmen chose a life of crime, but some pimply faced adolescent whose only claim to fame is killing policemen in an amazing shootout (Crowley) is really depressing to me. I guess because guys like Chapman at least had a chance to live for a bit. Sure, they made bad choices but they lived the life they chose. A kid like Francis Crowley— I don’t think he was mature enough to have thought through what he did. I’m not trying to excuse him. Everyone has to pay the price of his or her actions and that’s one thing this book demonstrates time and time again. Some of these men deserve to be better known (professionalism has its merits) and the rest of Downey’s subjects make great cautionary tales. All in all a good read for the summer. BUT, don’t buy this book expecting a who’s who of NYC’s criminal world if you want to read about Owney Madden, Legs Diamond, etc. You’ll have to look elsewhere—but then you’d miss reading about all of these interesting screw-ups you never heard of before!

Maybes

2009-04-07T20:37:00.008-04:00

Well my idea maybe half-witted but I think it's as good a hunch as anyone has ever had to figuring out Vivian's past. My idea that Vivian's maiden name may not have been Davis has been fun to research. Since Vivian had listed Springfield, Mo as her hometown, I started with some old school records from Greene County Mo. Luckily of the 2 other Vivian's that I found who were an appropriate age one was very easily eliminated. Vivian Gaunt was alive and well with her family in the 1920 census the same year that Vivian Davis is found living in KCMO in January of that year and by April marries George M. Chase.

So I have one other canditate. Vivian Byrne, who became more frustrating with every step (that is so like Vivian Chase)! I find Vivian Byrne in the 1912-1913 school year Springfield attending the Liberty School. I can't find her at all in the 1920 census, but in the 1910 census I find her with her family. She is the adopted daughter of G.W. Byrne and Susannie Byrne. I can find the Missouri death certificate for George Washington Bryne in 1928 but no further record for Susannie. I'm hampered because I am only guessing at Susannie's name. The 1910 census takers penmanship was not neat. I have no success with Susannah, Susan, or Susamie. Was the diminutive Susie used back then?

Well while it's too soon to tell if Vivian Byrne and Vivian Chase are the same people it is promising to me. The FBI and police tried hard to find out about Vivian's background. Maybe the reason that they got nowhere was that there wasn't any family left that she knew about. In some ways this is good in some ways it's frustrating. There's a good chance that I may learn all about another woman who turns out not to be Vivian Chase. Nothing beats a failure but a try. Oh yeah, start praying now because accessing adoption records is going to make getting Harry Pierpont's competency information seem easy.

$#!#

2009-04-04T09:47:00.003-04:00

I've misplaced my copy of Robert Alcorn's Count of Gramercy Park. "Gentleman "Gerald Chapman has been mentioned in the last couple of books I read.
I guess he was the first 20th century celebrity criminal. My copy is old and moth eaten. I suffer from an allergy to dust mites so I figured I let it air out for awhile. Been over a year now, the book should be readable. If only I knew where it was.

Mr. Chapman was an extraordinary thief who escaped from federal custody (several times); while on the lam he committed a robbery in CT. A policeman was killed. Caught and sentenced to hang, the Gentleman's attorney argued that he could not be executed by a state because technically he was still a ward of the federal prison system. Lepke Buchalter's lawyer argued the same thing. It's surprising that Buchalter's attorney went that route. They hung Chapman and the public certainly liked him a lot more than they did Mr. Buchalter.

If I were to write a book, I think I would write it on Gentleman Gerald or someone like him. My understanding is that Alcorn's book isn't a definitive work. I haven't been able to find another bio on Chapman.

Lepke Buchalter

2009-04-03T22:05:00.004-04:00

It's funny after finishing Paul R. Kavieff's biography of Lepke BuchalterThe Life and Times of Lepke Buchalter: America's Most Ruthless Labor Racketeer I can honestly say that I feel no sympathy for Louis Buchalter. I've felt more sympathy for serial killers than I did for Lepke. It stands to reason though. Lepke could not have been who he was if a wuss like me could identify with him! Let's see...started out as your basic pick pocket. Discovered more money in busting heads for or against labor unions. Discovered the real money was in taking over the businesses that he'd worked for. A lot of times the prior owners were killed or maimed when they protested. On the side he was the CEO of Murder, Inc. a group of hit men who specialised in killing people who displeased the mob. He did it all so well, too. In the end, he was taken down by a ruse conceived by Lucky Luciano and eventually paid the ultimate price for ordering the murder of a hapless trucking company owner he had hounded out of his business and never adequately compensated. Never pays to be cheap.

I've got mixed emotions about this book. I'm not sure if my lack of enthusiasm isn't because hoods aren't thieves.

Vivian Again

2009-03-30T14:36:00.005-04:00

so far I actually have 2 candidates for my little theory that Vivian was born or raised in Springfield but her maiden name was not Davis...Vivian Gaunt 11 years old in 1911 and Vivian Byrne 12 years old in 1911. Both in Springfield for the right time frame. In fact Vivian Gaunt moved from Springfield around 1917. It may be a wild goose chase but hey...nothing ventured nothing gained.

Hmmm...

2009-03-23T18:52:00.006-04:00

OK, so for a while now Vivian's kind of had me stumped. It's like the more I learn the less I know. I'd been thinking that maybe Vivian Davis wasn't her maiden name. The marriage certificate to George Chase listed her maiden name as Vivian Davis from KC, MO and her age as 19. I can find Vivian Davis earlier in that year (1920) in the census as a single waitress in KC, MO. When she was booked for her fight with Mrs. Flournoy in 1926 she listed her hometown as Springfield, MO. Now, I've looked for Vivian Davis in Springfield and I found one. But she died in 1920 at 15 years old.

Vivian was most likely born around 1901; unfortunately, birth certificates were not required in MO until 1910. (For now, I'm sticking to MO as a birth place) The MO state archives has a wonderful website with digital vital records and indexes for the period before 1910. But no luck. I'm more than likely going to need to travel for what I'm looking for in KC (school records and such)to determine if there was a Vivian Davis who at school there during the right time period. That is going to have to wait for a while until I can afford to get away. So while I'm waiting to pursue that angle I'll see if I can't find another Vivian in Springfield during the right time frame. I found some old school records online so.... It's just one possibility and it won't hurt. Might not help but it won't hurt.

The Starker Big Jack Zelig

2009-03-19T21:09:00.015-04:00

Anyone who's followed my blog is aware that I enjoy Rose Keefe's work so it won't come as any surprise that I think The Starker: Big Jack Zelig, the Becker-Rosenthal Case, and the Advent of the Jewish Gangster
is much better than good.

What surprised me was Keefe's ability to bring Zelig to life. While I was excited when I heard about the book (research on a period that deserves a more detailed look), I had my doubts that someone who has been dead for over 90 years and who has NOT been studied in depth could be “brought to life” {clichés exist for a reason}. As much as I love her work, I honestly wondered whether Rose Keefe could pull it off. She did!

“Big Jack Zelig” is only a marginal figure in most crime histories. He rose to prominence as ‘the” NYC Jewish Gang leader in the first decade of the 20th century. Here’s a man who died in 1912 and, in most histories, whose chief claim to fame had been the circumstances of his death. He was murdered by Red Phil Davidson in order to keep him from testifying for the defense in the Herman "Beansy" Rosenthal murder trial. The Rosenthal murder was the crime of the century during this time period. Charles Becker a NYPD Lieutenant was railroaded and executed for the murder. Zelig was to testify in his defense but was killed to prevent his naming the true killers and exonerating Becker.

Keefe introduces readers to Zelig Zvi Lefkowitz more person than myth. A young, bright child, who did not understand why the money that he drew wouldn't ease his family and neighbors' lives, Zelig, was a bright kid from a respectable family who chose to steal (how familiar). In his teens he became an accomplished "gun" as pickpockets were called then. When he was younger he could bring tears to his eyes at will when he was caught to feign hunger and desperate need so his victims would have sympathy for him. Oddly enough, he was only a peripheral member of Monk Eastman's gang, while he was a good thief, Zelig wasn't a standout thug. He actually chickened out on the first murder he agreed to do. A trip to Chicago and a severe beating at the hands of gamblers changed that. He returned to NYC a hardened man who would not back down. Keefe writes about Zelig's world detailing an array of colorful gang members, seedy gamblers, and corrupt politicians with just enough detail to be enjoyable with out ever getting too scholarly.

To me a good historical biography knows what to leave out. The book never stopped being about Big Jack Zelig. It would be easy to let the Herman Rosenthal murder and the Becker trials overwhelm Zelig's story. I could go on and on but in a nutshell Rose Keefe did a lot better than I would have thought possible. She takes her subject a man who has become a marginal figure in the 90 years after his death and lets the reader understand just who Big Jack Zelig is and why some people called him great. This book is a lot better than good. Take a look at Rose Keefe's Zelig web page for more information: http://www.jackzelig.com/

The Jews of Sing Sing

2009-01-10T19:02:00.003-05:00

The Jews of Sing Sing by Ron Arons would have been much more enjoyable if I didn't have prior knowledge about the subject matter. The book is short on analysis. If you don't know anything about historic crime, you might find Arons' book interesting.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

2008-12-28T10:57:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, Dec 30 at 8:30 AM I have my exam. That afternoon I can start to read again! It's been so long since I've read an interesting book! I think I am going to start with the Jews of Sing Sing by Ron Arons just because I love the title!

Serenity Now!

2008-08-20T09:11:00.002-04:00

OK, here's the problem....there is just too much stuff!!! I have been trying to go through the Denver Mint robbery files; organizing the Cherryvale Bank Robbery info, take care of my family, and hold down a full time job. Oh yeah, I also have to study for another exam. So anyone waiting for me to send them a copy of something I will get to it but think Fall with the turning of the leaves and cooler temps.

MURDER CITY

2008-08-01T12:49:00.006-04:00

Michael Lesy's book Murder City is a great read if your looking for something light but still dealing with historical crime for vacation reading. He doesn't tell you about every murder in Chicago during the 20's. He avoids the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and the Leopold & Loeb's murder of Bobby Franks because both have had extensive coverage.

The book shines in the chapters discussing the cases that are forgotten today. Cases like the first one of Carl Wanderer a war veteran who murdered his wife and an out of luck stranger that he had hired to look like a mugger. When I showed an acquaintance wanderer's picture he said "he doesn't look like a murderer". I think that's the point of Lesy's book for the most part he concentrates on the cases concerning people who are ordinary people who carry through a bad idea. Some of the stories are spooky because the details are the things I've heard about as anecdotes but never thought it happened, but it did! The transvestite Fred Thompson who married both a man and a woman and is falsely accused of a murder. He asked for a "white man's chance", but was actually better off being thought of as a white woman. Charles Church who murdered two men and then butchered them because he wanted a new Packard. He led the police on a merry dance telling them what they wanted to hear with as many different versions of what happened as there were investigators. When he's brought to trial he withdraws so far into himself that he becomes the walking dead. The original cases that spawned the musical Chicago and the the fact that battered women syndrome was a very effective defense in Chicago during the 20's. This book is a great read. My only complaint are the chapters spent on Chicago's beer wars there's nothing new here and a couple of facts are a little off. I'd have rather the space been given to some other long forgotten murder case.

FBI Makes a Funny!

2008-07-12T18:01:00.003-04:00

OK, I enjoy a good joke just as much as the next guy; so I have to give the FBI their props--they got me good (in a good way). I picked up my box from the post office. I didn't even rush to get home because while the Denver Mint robbery interests me I'm not obsessed with it. I run some errands, chat on the phone, clean the kitchen, etc...then I open the box. What do I find, but 500 pages on the Cherryvale Bank robbery!!!! The FBI told me they had found 20 pages related to Vivian! I am now doing a mental dance of joy!

The pages are interesting too. Some of it can't be read of course (microfilm images deteriorate over time) but nothing is red lined. I'm not even 100 pages through yet but the information is tantalizing (George M. Chase was probably still living during Cherryvale & Picher). I know it won't answer all of my questions BUT IT'S GREAT!

2008-07-11T08:54:00.004-04:00

Wooohooo! I got my little orange slip in the mail saying I have a parcel from the FBI that I need to pick up! Yeahhh! I think it's those files on the Denver Mint Robbery, but I'm also hoping they combined it with the 20 pages on Vivian Chase that they say they found. It's so completely cool. I'm giddy with anticipation. It takes so little to make me happy!

Depravity

2008-06-30T10:17:00.007-04:00

I thought I would try something in a later time period than I read normally. The mid 1940's murder of the Black Dahlia has always fascinated me. I think the fascination is a combination of horror and amazement. Horror at the level of violence inflicted on Elizabeth Short and amazement that such a crime was never solved.

So, I got hold of a copy of John Gilmore's Severed the True Story of the Black Dahlia. Gilmore's good. The book is well paced. Gilmore provides a lengthy depiction of Short's personal life and the marginal existence she led prior to her murder. Severed is incredibly graphic. So much so that I was way over my head! Give me simple straight forward thieves any day of the week. I'm not sure if I agree with Gilmore about who the murderer is. If you Google the Black Dahlia you'll find multiple sights dealing with the crime. There are also several different men named as the murderer including two children who have named their fathers and written books about why they believe their Dad it. {Boy you'd really have to hate your Father to think him capable of doing these things} One woman named Orson Welles as the murder. It's sad that the case is going to remain unsolved. So many theories with no satisfactory answers.

I haven't got anything new to read. So I may go back to reading some old favorites. I'm not supposed to buy any new books until I finish reading all of the mysteries I've accumulated and let sit. But we'll see....

Lee and Linn Flournoy

2008-06-22T12:39:00.004-04:00

This is Linn Flournoy, Lee Flournoy's twin brother, I couldn't locate a decent picture of Lee Flournoy, so since the two were identical a photo of Linn will have to do. Lee Flournoy, if you are not aware, was Charlie Mays partner for the Cherryvale Bank robbery. So far from what I've read Lee may have been the leader of the gang, but then again.... I've received articles on Lee including a more detailed version of what actually happened in Picher, OK in 1926 when Charlie and Lee were killed in a gunfight with lawman. It always seemed strange to me that they would be killed in the wee hours of the morning carousing as opposed to breaking and entering someplace.

If the picture of Linn, above looks a little hapless, it's because he owes his trip to the MO penitentiary to his twin, Lee. Linn, along with Lee's wife Dorothy, attempted to break Lee out of jail while Lee was waiting for trial on murder charges. Actually, they might have gotten away from it if they hadn't decided to make Dorothy their third man. It seems she became rattled waiting for them (she was the driver). She drove away leaving them to make do. They were caught. Lee and Linn were sent to the MO Pen. Now that photo exists now because Linn was arrested for theft (of groceries) in 1926. Only 3 months after the deaths of his parents and Lee. He admits that the crime was due to stupidity. Since the crime occur ed in KS where he did his time a file, and pictures, still exist.

I think I'm going to try to write something on the Cherryvale bank robbery. It wasn't the crime of the century but the players and circumstances of the event are worth telling. BTW, I got a call from the FBI about some files for the Denver Mint Robbery of 1922. It will be interesting to hear what they've found.

No Joke!

2008-05-13T09:13:00.004-04:00

Evidently, the FBI has located 20 pages on Microfilm about Vivian Chase! Woe, Friday I got two letters telling me no there's nothing. So of course I'm excited even if it's only 20 pages. The files have to be processed which means they will go through a classification review. The information is over 70 years old if I get one blacked out name I'm appealing. I've been through too much to get very little to put up with that BS.

I also have to decide whether I will appeal one of the 'no information' letters I received. Essentially, the letter said that it was FBI HQ policy to limit searches to HQ folders and indices in order to save time. The FBI has essentially refused to search through it's field office information. Now if the letter had said 'there's no information relevant in the field office files' I would give up with out any argument. But of course in order to tell me that they would have to know what the FO records contain. I also need to ask them to tell me if the records have been destroyed. As anal as the FBI is with information I'm sure that they could tell me definitively if those records are lost. What records you ask? Well, Vivian's autopsy file is referenced in the Luer kidnapping file and there are also Kansas City FO reports referenced that would provide information on the FBI's search for her after the Luer kidnapping and a report that might illuminate the Cherryvale Bank Robbery.

I realize that after 80 years (Cherryvale) there's a good chance something happened to the records but just tell me they are no more and I'll be gone.

Well...

2008-05-10T08:54:00.007-04:00

Well, I've hit the wall. Friday I received a letter from the FBI basically saying they can't find any other records for Vivian Chase other than the file numbers I was previously given. Those files turned out to be perfectly worthless to me containing no information. I guess it's possible that the information was misfiled and may turn up but it's equally possible that it was stolen or destroyed. I say stolen because it wouldn't be the first time that someone walked out with a file. Of course it would have happened before there was so much security in place to prevent that.

So where do I go from here? I guess I just keep trying to close the gaps on the information I have. You know Vivian was not a major criminal (although as a female she was major) but her associates were incredibly interesting. For now I'm concentrating on Lee Flournoy and Charlie Mays. They are an interesting pair particularly Flournoy. Something tells me if I keep researching their robbery and bootlegging gangs I might just find out what happened to George M. Chase.

Truthfully, I admit to myself, I may never have all the answers to the questions I have about Vivian's life. Vivian was notoriously closed mouthed about herself. Somehow I think the problems with finding information about her have a lot to do with her karma! But you never know...maybe I'll find an answer here and there despite the cosmic interference!

The Devil's Gentleman

2008-04-04T12:18:00.005-04:00

The Devil’s Gentleman by Harold Schechter…where to begin? First like most people I read the book because I enjoyed Schechter’s earlier work. He’s written several historical books on famous serial killers. Schechter is that rare historian who has a knack for story telling. His books read more like novels as opposed to dry historical text. He creates atmosphere and fleshes out characters better than many popular novelists and his books aren’t fiction but well researched history.

Enough of the praise! While I enjoyed the book the subject matter is a departure from Schechter’s earlier works. Previously, he wrote about serial killers including H.H. Holmes; Ed Gein; and little Jesse Pomeroy. Lurid tales in the best sense of the word! This time around he covers the sensational murders involving Roland Molineaux and the poisoning deaths of a Mrs. Adams during the turn of the century in NYC.

It’s odd…Schechter uses terms like libertine to describe Molineaux, but there isn’t a lot of detail to back up that description. He had an affair at 15 with a married woman. In his 20’s he seduced a 13 yr old child. He was rumored to have tried Opium while slumming in a hop house. Even so, I just did not get the sense of deviance that Schechter accuses Molineaux. But maybe that is Schechter’s device. Molineaux is convicted and sentenced to death largely because of circumstantial evidence and evidence that he was a degenerate. In the world of Victorian America degenerate evidently was used as a euphemism for homosexual. Molineaux, although no evidence was ever introduced that he was homosexual, was not manly enough. A century and change before the term “metro-sexual” was employed, Molineaux grooming, bearing, and choice of stationary condemned him in the eyes of the prosecution. Was he guilty? Most likely. Would they have convicted him on the same evidence today? No. But they did have sufficient evidence to charge Molineaux for the murder of his romantic rival, but never pursued the case. Why? Read the book and tell me what you think

Here we go again...

2008-03-13T19:18:00.003-04:00

These mugs are on the inside cover of Run the Cat Roads by L.L. Edge. A book I will not be able to read because I'm too busy studying and procrastinating. (Not that anything that I'm studying is actually sticking too my brain)

I got an email from the FBI again telling me that the files I want are at the NARA and the file numbers I should request. The file numbers are the same file numbers that I requested on my last visit. If you recall I was woefully disappointed.

So, I guess it's back to square one with NARA. I forward the email, explain the tragedy of my last visit, and ask for confirmation that NARA destroyed the files after they were sent over from the FBI. If NARA did destroy the files then they did so with out the FBI's knowledge because my email says that the documents have not been destroyed. Maybe they still exist but they are just lost. So let's all say a collective prayer that what is hidden in the dark comes to light. I know I will. My one consoling thought is that if this proves to be my worst problem this year then I am truly blessed!

John Langan

2008-03-04T10:37:00.003-05:00

So this is John Langan; he was pointed out as Vivian's accomplice when she when on her KC, Mo crime spree. They held up a series of small stores (shoe stores, drug stores, etc) for some small change. Langan was also involved with Clarence Sparger and a couple of robberies that put him on the FBI radar. I had requested the FBI to search to see if they still maintained the files on him. No such luck. Evidently "records responsive to my request were destroyed on 2/1/1990; 3/1/1993; and 3/1/1998. Oh well...all is lost.

The FBI may still have Vivian Chase's file...they have searched through records still in their possession and have found files that were microfilmed that may be relevant. Just one problem the FBI's microfilm readers are broken! A very nice Public Information Officer explained that they would not know if these were the files that I sought for at least another month by which time the microfilm machines would be fixed. I wish I had become interested in Vivian earlier in the 80's or 90's.

The Pickpocket's Tale

2008-02-28T19:07:00.007-05:00

Let me gush I really really liked this book! Once in a while I read a book that makes me say "WOW"; sometimes a historian/writer is able to combine excellent research, seamless writing, cohesive arguments and an interesting subject. (You know something that makes me think with out it hurting!) A Pickpocket's Tale: The Underworld of Nineteenth Century New York is Timothy J. Gilfoyle's biography of George Appo, a 19th century thief. I've always been interested in 19th century criminal history it's a period that appeals to my love of lurid material. This book is a stunner because it satisfies my curiosity about NYC Police Court, life in the Tombs, and the abject wickedness of Sing Sing during this period. The author uses Appo's short autobiography and expands upon it by giving details about NYC courts and jails, the criminal lifestyle, prison life and reform concerns.

George Appo, was the son of a Chinese immigrant Quimbo Appo and an Irish mother. During a dismal childhood (his father is convicted of murdering a woman and sent to Sing Sing when Appo is 3; after which his mother abandoned him) Appo learns to steal. He becomes one of the most accomplished pickpockets in NYC. The book takes you through his early incarcerations. Appo was not only sentenced to traditional detention centers but spent time on one of the experimental detention sea vessels. The Author describes them all. Gilfoyle provides a considerable amount of detail about Appo's world without hindering his narrative. He doesn't lose his focus so he doesn't lose his voice. I never had to hurry through a chapter because it was boring me to distraction.

The author argues that the 19th century crime world is the embryo for organized crime in America. You have criminals who are capable of organizing on a national scale for theft while at the same time gambling, prostitution, and other vices are already establishing teritories and protection networks. While I don't agree with Gilfoyle's every argument I did enjoy reading them. BTW if any one would like to Read first hand news accounts about Appo and other 19th century crimes the Brooklyn Eagle has an archive for newspapers from 1840 to 1902 available online.

Sin in The Second City

2008-02-23T06:53:00.007-05:00

I had a snow day (more precisely an icy road day) so I used it to read a book that's off my usual path of thieves. I'm glad that I picked Karen Abbot's Sin in the Second City. It's a fun, fast paced read. I was surprised it was so enjoyable. Probably because the stars of the books are the self named Everleigh sisters Mina and Ada. Prostitution has never been an easy job for it's workers particularly in earlier periods when abuse and other degradation were thought their due as "fallen women". According to Abbot, the Everleigh sisters not only ran the most exclusive brothel in Chicago's Levee district. The two were enlightened pimps who ran a humane brothel. Decent pay for the workers, decent working conditions (hey they even had medical) no brothel enforcer to keep the women in line. And all women had to prove they were over the age of 18. Hey this at a time when it was not unusual to find young teen 'working girls' and not unusual for them to be sold into the position.

Abbot takes readers through the Levee district in Chicago. Readers see the outrageous characters, political, criminal, and religious. She gets as far as anyone can in explaining the Everleigh sisters past. The book is salacious, informative, and well written. I couldn't put it down yesterday and I'm glad I picked it up.

The Bobbed Haired Bandit

2008-02-18T15:55:00.004-05:00

Stephen Duncombe and Andrew Mattson have written a wonderful book about the 1920's exploits of Celia and Ed Cooney in Brooklyn, NY.

The Bobbed Haired Bandit as Celia was dubbed with her "cake eater" accomplice held up 10 mom and pop establishments in Brooklyn during 1924. They never made $300 during a robbery and once netted as little as $17, but they were hunted by the NYPD as if they were netting millions each robbery. It seems that it was bad for publicity that a little girl could outwit the police.

The book is as much about how the "PRESS" can create a celebrity by manipulating public sentiment. Besides being great social history it's also a fast paced read that is hard to put down.

Harvey Bailey

2008-02-12T10:33:00.001-05:00

J. Evetts Haley's book Robbing Banks Was My Business...the Story of J. Harvey Bailey was difficult to get hold of. Not only has it been out of print for some time, but it is also now a collectors item. Signed copies in good condition are going for over $1,000. Only 7 libraries in the country have a copy for circulation including the El Paso, TX Library system. They sent me a copy via inter-library loan thereby saving me the $75 bucks a "friend" was going to charge me for their dog chewed mildewy copy. Sometimes I do get lucky.

Since I only wanted to read the book and I am not a collector I am so glad I did not have to pay anything for the book! Because it's not that great. Honestly J. Evetts Haley's narrative prevents the reader from actually enjoying the book. Harvey Bailey deserves another biography. If Haley had just let the tape recorder go and transcribed Bailey's recollections the book probably would have been more enjoyable. I found myself skipping past much of the narrative to get to the quotes.

Harvey Bailey was one of the best; he was a part of one of the greatest heists during the 20's the Denver Mint Robbery. Bailey says that he and his gang had no intention of knocking over the mint courier truck when they were in Denver. They were casing another job when he was called away by a family emergency. The gang left to their own devices thought the Mint's courier truck would be a much better score. I'm not sure if I completely believe that since one of the guards was killed during the robbery he may have been deflecting unwanted legal action. But then again I wasn't there so maybe he wasn't either. He also worked with many of the A list in robbers during his time only to snagged for something he didn't do. Oh well...

Lyman Ford

2008-02-09T08:46:00.001-05:00

This is Lyman Ford, one of the conspirators of the Cherryvale Bank robbery, along with Charley Mays and George C. Robertson

Like Robertson, Lyman surprises me because of his age but for the opposite reason. He gives his age at the time as 58 which is considerably older than I would have thought. Ford's the one who gave up the details on the Cherryvale robbery. He was caught soon after the robbery in New Mexico and brought back to Kansas. The robbery was an "inside" job. Vice President Robertson, cashier Clarence Howard, and H.H. Zittle of Springfield, MO planned the job to cover certain irregularities with the banks deposits. They brought in Lee Flournoy and Charley Mays to go through the motions of the staged heist. Ford was brought in later. Only problem was that Mays and Flournoy decided to actually rob the bank (they showed up at an earlier time). Never wise to trust thieves. In return for his cooperative nature Lyman received only 2 years for the robbery. I'm having a little bit of a trouble finding out what happened to Lyman after his release from Leavenworth. I have a vague memory that someone told me that they had read that Lyman Ford committed suicide in the OK pen, but I'm not able to verify that because getting information from some State prisons is not easy. Did you know that Missouri did not keep inmate files until the 1930's? Ford really did not want to go back to OK; he contested his extradition. I don't think he felt welcome there...in the McAlester warden's letter to Leavenworth Warden Newell called Lyman Ford a "bad egg".

Satan's Circus

2008-01-28T21:43:00.000-05:00

You know I was really prepared to love Mike Dash’s Satan’s Circus when I brought it at Borders (paid full price too). Which is why I feel perfectly fine trashing it now! No honestly, it’s an OK book.

Satan's Circus was one of the more salacious terms for New York City's turn of the century tenderloin district. I was hoping for a spicier telling of Charles Becker's sad story. The inside flap promises that Satan's Circus brings to life an almost forgotten Gotham. However, this book like all good history books is well researched but not spicy. Dash does an excellent job of dramatizing the role that the press plays in Becker's downfall. I think this book would serve as a good primer for anyone not acquainted with the Becker case. The NYC policeman was executed because his death was convenient for a lot of people. Becker wasn't a saint, not by a long shot but he didn't deserve to be executed even by the lax standards of his day.

Patience is a virtue...Virtue is over-rated

2008-01-25T09:07:00.000-05:00

I spoke with 3 representatives of the FBI records only to be told that since I was not an FBI employee I can only recieve information about files in FBI custody through FOIA. I learned that it is actually NARA that decides what files the FBI sends to them are destroyed and which kept. So if Vivian Chase's file was definately destroyed then it's the archives fault. They just can't tell me whether the file was sent to NARA , but I do have a FOIA request outstanding so I'll find out that way. So there is hope.

The photo at left is Clarence Sparger's Alcatraz mug. Sparger is according to one FBI informant responsible for Vivian's death. He shot her because she said something that Sparger did not like. Vivian seems to have had a thing for hot heads. Sparger, Mayes, McDowell and her husband all seemed to enjoy acting before thinking things through. Speaking of her husband, George Chase, I'm having no luck with Missouri Archives in getting his prison record. Archives employees consulted a penitentiary admissions index and that index did not include his name. However, as I pointed out to them George Chase is clearly listed as an inmate in the 1920 Census. I don't think the Census taker made the record up. I gave Missouri a copy of the Census and I'm waiting to hear if they will look any further. I'm having the worst trouble with old lists.

Alvin Karpis Story

2008-01-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

After the disappointing experience at the archives I wanted to read something fun. The Alvin Karpis Story is so much fun to read because it's quick paced and Karpis doesn't have any remorse about anything. If your not familiar with the Barker-Karpis (or Karpis-Barker gang as Alvin Karpis puts it)then you won't be bogged down with keeping track of the bodies.

It's funny that in the Video interview ,Karpis says that he thinks he killed around 13-14 men. You won't find out who Karpis murdered from this book he lays the blame for every death on someone else, usually Freddy Barker. It makes sense, because there's no statue of limitations on murder like there is for bank robbery. No one ever accused Karpis of being stupid. But as I read the book, I wonder which of the murders Karpis actually did himself. Karpis' other book about life on Alcatraz is a great read too maybe I'll read it tonight. The only thing I wish were different about this book is that I wish it had an index of people and heists.

Too Sad....

2008-01-18T16:30:00.000-05:00

Well my worst fears came true...when I got the box that should have contained the Vivian Chase file...nothing. The HQ FBI index lists Vivian's file number as 91-866-20 which according to the NARA file listing should be located at RG 65 230/A/15/02 box 60; well box 60 contains information about the Bank of Cairo robbery in 1937. The thieves netted all of $446.50. So was Vivian's file destroyed? Why would they keep a file on such a small time job, but destroy the file on one of a stand up criminal like Vivian? I'm truly blue now because my research is at an impasse. I was hoping that the FBI file might contain information such as the interviews with Dorothy Flournoy and Lyman Ford's wife. Interviews that were referenced in the Luer kidnapping file; I was also hoping that it might contain a more thorough explanation about how she made bail for the Cherryvale robbery and maybe the autopsy photos. Yes, I'm morbid...

Well, I got the information for contacting the person at the FBI who is responsible for transferring eligible files to the archives. I'm just hoping that maybe the old FBI indices aren't reliable for finding the file transferred to the archives. I know it's stupid but I'm hoping that the file wasn't destroyed and somehow some benevolent spirit will lead me to it. Or maybe they can give me a list of the files that were destroyed. You know it would save me a lot of time, trouble, and money.

I need chocolate but I'm out; so I'm gonna have a couple of shots of vodka. Medicinal you know...

Panic

2008-01-17T10:39:00.000-05:00

It's snowing! UGH! Tomorrow is my day at the archives! Hopefully this won't amount to anything...and all will be well. I'm not worried. Snow wimps like me just have to trust God.

There is one slight glitch...all FBI files requested from the Archives now have to go through a review to make sure that the files are appropriate for copying. Because the class 91 records contain files up to 1960's they need to make sure that no one is copying prohibited records. I wish they would just take my word for "she died in 1935". It's just going to mean a longer wait for the file. I'm not patient!

Verne Sankey

2008-01-13T10:14:00.000-05:00

I picked up Timothy W. Bjorkman's book Verne Sankey America's First Public Enemy because of the title. America's first Public Enemy? Since the cover photo is of a man in modern dress, I was intrigued. I thought I pretty much knew all of the major criminals from the 30's. I was wrong and the book is great reading.

For the unaware, Verne Sankey committed 2 kidnappings in the 1930's. One in Minnesota, Haskell Bohn, and another in Denver, Charles Boettcher. It' s the Boettcher kidnapping that gave Sankey his notoriety.

Bjorkman manages to do what many historian's have difficulty accomplishing. He seamlessly weaves economic realities into his discussion of Sankey. He also manages to use the economic realities of the 20's and most importantly the 30's without using those realities as an explanation of Sankey's crimes.

Honestly, the image of Sankey is one of a personable, but domineering individual (to those he could dominate) who thought he was smarter than the police. He was a caring family man who supplemented his income first by running a lucrative bootlegging operation in the 20's. He loved excitement and gambling. Crime suited him. He was smart. He chose his home in Denver and built a ranch in S. Dakota so that both included features that would allow him to know if Police were coming. He chose men who were not criminals as his associates. But the men he chose were down on their luck and easily led. Sankey's tale isn't a typical gangland drama with loads of gun play, but Bjorkman relates the history of the players in thoughtful detail. Sankey comes across as a true rogue. He threw away a secure respectable lifestyle for one that was thrilling, but he didn't throw away his life. He went to school functions for his kids, assisted his neighbors, and if it wasn't for the discovery of his kidnappings he could have been elected mayor or sheriff in many a small town.

Nothing Much....

2008-01-11T13:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't been doing much lately...went to the archives New Year's eve. I found Vivian Chase's case file record information. Finally! Believe it or not the FBI indexes (indices for snobs) are still on 3x5 index cards! Yes, for class 91 (bank robbery) there are 64 card file boxes. Each index contains a name (and if your lucky) cross references. I'd be happy to input that stuff on an excel spread sheet; but according to one NARA employee the FBI is going to give NARA a copy of their electronic index SOMEDAY soon. I wonder how many of those cards actually made it to the electronic index! Call me paranoid if you like. I've been called worse and a few people actually meant it!

So my boss has been so kind as to let me take Jan. 18 off so off to the archives I'll be in my comfortable shoes so I can make loads of copies.

Needless to say if Vivian's file only has congratulatory letters to Hoover I will be heartbroken.

Charlie Mays

2007-12-14T20:07:00.000-05:00

Chas. Mays circa 1919 when admitted into Kansas State Penitentiary for robbery.

You know my first reaction was that he looked a little like Charlie Birger, but no my senses are a little off these days so I'll reserve that comparison for another day.

Charlie doesn't really seem to have been a very nice guy but he appears to have known how to play the system. His original sentence was for 10 to 21 years. He got that commuted to 1 to 5 by having one of the men he robbed Arthur Henderson write a letter saying that he was never certain of the robber’s identity. In fact once Henderson got a good look at Mays close up (you see Henderson through dumb luck of his own happened to get incarcerated also) he could tell that Mays just wasn't the guy! Henderson writes that he was pressured to identify Mays by the court. Since the robbery occurred in a box car it's hard to believe that he didn't get that close but hey I wasn't there. Well things just fell into place after that. After serving a year and eight months he received parole on 6/12/1921. The Kansas parole board was very understanding: even though Mays did not report to his parole officer during 1922 and had been arrested for vagrancy repeatedly in Joplin, MO he received a full commutation in early 1923. Which I'm sure he appreciated (it's so stressful having to keep up with these small details when your casing banks).

I do wonder if this is the right Charlie Mays though; I mean supposedly he murdered a man in that box car when he was robbing them. His papers don't mention the murder although there is a statement that one of his victims can't be found.

Earl McDowell

2007-12-09T09:01:00.000-05:00

Finally got to LOC newspaper reading room again. Found articles on Earl McDowell in the Chicago Tribune when he murdered a young woman who had the bad fortune to be in the bullets way. One night, McDowell went to a "beer flat" in Chicago, IL with some friends. While there, he took an intense dislike to the radio station being played. In order to register his displeasure he shot the radio. Unfortunately, the bullets found Dorothy Evelyn Renshaw, a 23 year old mother from Sioux City, IA, killing her. McDowell fled to Kansas City, MO after this incident.

It's his Kansas City exploits that concern me and proved to be the death of him. Once there he began living with Vivian Chase who began using his name. It's evident McDowell was a handsome man, but evidently he had a nasty temper. He once shot at his wife but missed her. It's always been said that Luther Jordan , another of Vivian's paramours, was intensely jealous of McDowell, but Jordan always denied any relationship with Vivian or jealousy resulting from her affections for McDowell. It makes since that Jordan would deny his involvement with her. McDowell was found dead in a ditch outside of Kansas City shortly after his arrival.

Crash Out!

2007-12-08T08:19:00.001-05:00

The time frame for this book is just on the cusp of period I usually read. The story begins in 1939 with the Shopping Bag Gang from Hell's Kitchen, their exploits and capture for robbery, and the gang leaders' attempt to escape from Sing Sing.

It's a great read. Goewey has provided meticulous details for every facet of the book. He really shines describing the break out and the gang's capture. The 3rd degree given to the captured suspects is described in graphic detail. He also manages to be fair in his assessments of all the characters involved- police, criminals, guards, family members. The details in the book make it easy for the reader to have sympathy for Whitey Riordan (executed for the murder of a guard and a policeman during the robbery but not the actual killer); but, Goewey doesn't just gloss over the escape attempts victims and it's a rotten deal that they were killed in what was supposed to be a clean break.

UGH!

2007-12-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm mad at everyone. No getting around it; today is one of those days that I'm sure I exist because people need to say the word NO.

The FBI can't find the record for the Cherryvale Bank Robbery investigation. Although the file is referenced in the Luer documents, it appears that it no longer exists. I was looking forward to reading that file on my next day off. But it's not to be. I'll make another request using the names of the other principals in the case, Charlie Mayes, Lee Flournoy, Lyman Ford, & Clarence Howard. I thought that since the agent referenced a file called George C. Robertson, Montgomery National Bank....that one must surely exist. Silly me.

It's a shame that so many records from the past were destroyed or are put someplace where no one can find them. I've been trying to find out if any original materials still exist for Vivian's arrest following the Picher, OK shootout. No such luck. If they do exist there isn't anyone in OK who knows where they are. But at least everyone I talked to was polite when they said no to me.

I'll look at it in the positive think of how much copying fees I'm saving by not having access to that file!

Trudging Along

2007-11-27T18:55:00.000-05:00

Well I found George Chase in the Missouri Penitentiary in 1920. Whether or not he is Vivian's George Chase is the question. I wrote the archives to see if I could get some information. Hopefully they have intake papers and a mugshot. It will take them 8 weeks to get back to me. It would be great if it turned out to be Mr. George M. Chase.

I also think I have found the right Vivian Davis. 18 years old in 1920 living in Kansas City working as a waitress. Rooming in a household of older men. Yes that sounds like Vivian. The marriage certificate states that she is from KC and 19 years old. The date of the certificate is April 1921.

When she was arrested in 1923 Vivian gave her place of birth as Springfield, MO.; I don't know. Births prior to 1910 in Missouri are harder to trace. Not impossible though.

I guess the only thing for certain is that Vivian is a product of Missouri and Kansas during Prohibition. It would have been so much easier if she had been from Chicago. There's loads of information on Chicago. It's so funny so much happened all over the country but historians typically focused on New York and Chicago so if you go looking for information on who, what & where for some other area you have to cross your fingers and hope.

William Radkay

2007-11-21T06:44:00.001-05:00

I really enjoyed this book because it written very informally. When I was reading it, it was easy to imagine that Willie Radkay was telling me all of these stories himself.

First hand accounts are great because the stories that people tell explain what it means when someone says a "town was wide open" and it explains more than a researched book what the culture and attitudes were during the time discussed.

The book really shines in two places. The first is Willie's account of growing up in the Strawberry Hill Section of Kansas City, KS and the second is his description of doing time in Alcatraz and Leavenworth. It's not that the rest of the book lacks anything. It's just hard to keep reading about an obviously bright man making the bad decision to follow a life of crime. It's a value's thing.

Oh yeah, and the book is good because for once another criminal has something decent to say about Machine Gun Kelly (George Barnes). Radkay and Kelly were friends. While I don't think Kelly as a bank robber was in Alvin Karpis' or Harvey Bailey's league as a bank robber. He's not the blow hard doofus that Karpis makes him sound like in his book.

Oh S#!#

2007-11-18T13:01:00.001-05:00

A years work down the toilet. Evidently, I have been completely and utterly wrong. There's no way that the Vivian Davis who married George M. Chase in 1921 is Vivian G. Davis of Springfield, MO. That Vivian died a year and a month before the wedding!

Time to take another look at the sources or perhaps I could interest one of those mediums, who are always bothering dead people, to visit the graves and find out the truth from the source.

I have learned a valuable lesson. I will never trust someone else's research at face value. I will always do my own or verify as if it were my own. Truthfully, piecing together someone's information from old census records when they have a common name is not easy. It is easy to trip up when you can't find everything at once i.e. birth, marriage, and death data scattered everyplace. I just have to look at this as part of the process and not give up.

George C. Robertson

2007-11-18T07:57:00.000-05:00

G.C. Robertson, was one of the inside guys on the Montgomery County National Bank robbery. I was a little surprised to find out that he was 35 at the time of the robbery. Because I read that he was the bank Vice President, I was expecting an older man with a paunch like Lionel Barrymore.

There's more to this story than is commonly known. Mr. Robertson, who served 1 year and a day in Leavenworth for his role, is originally from Springfield, MO. The address he gave for his father's home is on the same street, Kimbrough, that Vivian Chase's family occupied. Hmmm.

So where is my fertile mind going with all of this? Did Vivian actually know Robertson prior to the robbery? Did she set him up? Or was he in on the double cross from the beginning?

There is something odd in Robertson's Leavenworth file. Supposedly he had no prior arrests to the Cherryvale robbery, yet there's an FBI arrest record for in his file for a Clarence Griffin dating back to 1918. Maybe it's a mistake someone else's information in his file. Maybe not.

Dead or Alive

2007-11-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

This book has merits for a lot of reasons; chief among them (for me) is that since I'm unacquainted with the details of Harry Tracy's tale I was surprised at the ending. Gulick doesn't give anything away in earlier chapters; he lets the reader know what happens only at the point of the narrative when it happens. No value judgements about not being surprised at what awaits Tracy.

It's interesting I think this is one of the better prison escape tales that I've read. Mainly because there isn't an attempt to explain the why. There no exhausting analysis about who could have provided the guns for the escape. No onerous details about Tracy and Merril's associates outside of the Oregon pen or the conditions inside the penitentiary. A good tale. I think what makes the story surprising is that the crimes that Tracy was convicted for gave no indication that he would be capable of eluding a posse for months. He seems more like a bully than a professional thief. Definitely, not a yegg. He stole yes, but with a senseless brutality that if he hadn't been able to escape from the pen and actively dodge capture for so long he could have been dismissed as unintelligent.

Another thing that makes this story interesting is that this occurs during a time when the American West is moving into the modern age but it's not quite there. It's 1902, men are traveling by horse and buggy. But there are electric cars and telephones. This is the twilight for the old fashioned badman and the civilian posse. It's also great to see how intrusive the media could be even in 1902 to a criminal investigation and how even then people could have a dreadful awe for a man who kills 7 people in the pursuit of his freedom and escapes one trap after another. Sometimes it's not clear who's the fox or whose the hound. It's not a tale that is going to end well.

Hunting Vivian

2007-11-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

Well for the second time I was directed to Startling Detective's June 1936 article on Vivian Chase so I decided to read it. No small job since the magazine I have is so fragile that it crumbles with the slightest touch.

I got a copy of the obituary for Vivian's father Alfred W. Davis. The obit listed surviving siblings. It might be possible that there are descendants living. I could end up knowing more about Vivian's genealogy than I do about my own.

I've requested the FBI Cherryvale Bank robbery file and the Leavenworth file for the inside guys convicted. I'll never understand why the FBI is so stingy with documents that are over 70 years old. They have an index of files but they won't make it available. They are the keepers. I understand about stuff that's current. Hell I understand about stuff that's 40 years old (MLK & Kennedy files) but honestly making information concerning prohibition and the 30's accessible to the public is not going to harm anyone now!

Off the soapbox...if the FBI does give me the file location I'll be able to go to the archives again..ooooh!

BTW, I don't think Luther Jordan and Vivian ever had anything going. At the time of the KC bank job Vivian had been using Earl McDowell's last name as an alias. She tended to do that when she was living with a man. McDowell ended up eating lead on a lonely road. I guess it is possible that she and Jordon hooked up afterwards but he denied it.

Vincent Coll

2007-10-27T10:29:00.001-04:00

Brendan Delap's Mad Dog Coll: an Irish Gangster begins with an examination of Coll's Irish roots and asks the question of what would have happened to Coll had they never left Ireland. Hmmm...well probably Coll would have been an unknown Irish thug with a shorter career and a longer stretch in the pen if he didn't make it too the gallows sooner. Really.

Delap reveals that Coll had been diagnosed with schizophrenia which goes a long way in explaining his explosive temper and his odd habit of laughing during his mug shots. It also explains how he could have no remorse for the life he led. Most of the criminals I read about don't have such a great excuse or maybe they do (who knows). Anyway, the book is a little long probably because it does spend so much time on Coll's early life. Coll really doesn't become interesting until later in his life when he breaks from Schultz and takes on Schultz, Madden, and the other big sharks. Coll's early life is incredibly similar to Legs Diamond's which may explain why their abbreviated partnership came about. The book picks up momentum when it begins discussing Coll's flirtation with death in the form of taking on Owney Madden while carrying on a war with Dutch Schultz. Coll had more guts than brains which is the primary reason his candle was snuffed in a hotel phone booth at 24.

Dutch Schultz

2007-10-23T18:50:00.000-04:00

I found a great site that will allow you to read Paul Sann's Kill the Dutchman.

The book is out of print so unless you want to shell out for a used book ( a decent copy is running around $20) then this is a great deal. I'd been looking for the book forever and here it is!

Vivian Grace Davis

2007-10-17T12:40:00.000-04:00

LDS family search shows that Vivian Grace Davis died in 1920. I wonder where they got this information because there is no death certificate in Missouri vital records to support the claim. MO required death certificates for all deaths after 1910 so a 16 year old girl could not just die without some formal record. So where does this information originate? I wonder if I write the LDS if they keep records of who tells them what. I can try. Vivian married George M. Chase April 1, 1921. Maybe she left home, under less than favorable circumstances, in 1920. Maybe someone knows the story and after 87 years I can find out what it is.

As Brian Beerman (thanks Brian!) suggested I am trying to find obituaries for Vivian's parents Alfred and Sarah Davis. Unfortunately LOC doesn't have any holdings for Springfield, MO during the time of their deaths. So I'm contacting various MO organizations and MOGENWEB. It would be interesting to get an idea of where Vivian came from....

Egan's Rats

2007-10-16T12:08:00.000-04:00

Egan's Rats, Daniel Waugh

St. Louis, Missouri. Somehow when I hear those words I see Judy Garland sing "meet me in St. Louie" and I imagine that St. Louis must be a place of clean cut, Hollywood sanitized, decency. After reading Daniel Waugh's book I think "SO NOT"!

Waugh does a great job detailing The Egan's Rats origins. Showing the relationship between Tom Egan and Snake Kinney; two Progressive Era fixers who were unapologetically part thug and part politician. Waugh gives the reader both atmosphere and details in his compelling description of a bourgeoning St. Louis and the various characters in the gang during that era. Before his death, Tom Egan set up what could have proved to be incredibly lucrative booze routes and affiliates in other cities; after he died the Rat's increasingly moved from being a confederation of illegal businessmen to being a gang of thieving trigger-happy goons. While they did make money from bootlegging their preferred occupation was robbing banks and company payrolls. Murder could be described as a past-time for the Egan's under Dint Colbeck. There were so many intra-gang executions that it’s amazing that the gang avoided self destructing. The body count in this book is staggering showing that St. Louis in the 1920's was as dangerous as anyplace in the country including Chicago.

Newton Brothers

2007-10-09T18:31:00.000-04:00

Alright! First person accounts without (seemingly) much editing. It's hard for an author to convey second (often third) hand the urgency and stealth necessary to pull off a successful robbery. Willis & Joe Newton describe the life first hand.

It's a good thing that technology has changed so much since these guys were operating because Willis Newton's descriptions could be a primer for the novice yegg. How much nitroglycerin do you need to blow a steel pete? Keep reading and you'll find out. Some time's it's a little amazing how little security there was back then. Basically, I think people believed that their money was safe until someone tried to steal it. Never mind what happened in other places. So in a warped way the robbers of yesterday have done us a favor. If it wasn't for them our money would be a lot more vulnerable.

It's amazing that the Newton Brothers were as successful for such an extended period of time, but I think they would say it was easier then. The gangs best years were the early 1920's and they concentrated on safe blowing (true Yeggs), Canadian couriers, and trains. They were sent to Leavenworth for a mail train heist in 1924. This was before the FBI, concrete vaults, and trained professional local police departments. It was also during the time when most householders in small towns and cities had guns so it many a robbery had the Newtons being shot at by irate citizens. It's actually amazing that more people don't die in this tale. I believe the count was 2 gang members, no police, and a civilian grazed.

I wish Doc Newton had been able to be interviewed for the book. Evidently he was the true original among the brothers. I would have loved to have read a first hand account of his escape from a Texas prison farm. He stole a guards horse and gun and let hundreds of men out while he rode to safety. Some one should do a book on original escapes.

Harry Tracy

2007-10-05T18:53:00.001-04:00

The details behind the story

Dave Merrill

2007-10-05T18:41:00.001-04:00

I got this Dave Merrill mug shot from the LOC a while ago. I had no idea who he was. But one look at that kisser and I knew he was not a good guy. I finally found out who he was (never felt like just Googling his name) by reading a book on the Newton Boys. A little over a hundred years ago Merrill was a fairly well known outlaw and he escaped from the Oregon State Penitentiary with Harry Tracy. After the two escaped to Washington state Tracy shot Merrill in the back. Mmmm...maybe I will Google this tale.

Endings

2007-09-22T09:06:00.000-04:00

Well, finished reading the copies I made at the archives. Always enlightening but this time just a little sad. One of the documents that I copied was a report on Vivian Chase's funeral. At the end of the report there's an addendum detailing what happened the night she was killed.

Vivian and other members of her gang had finished a robbery. They decided to have a few drinks. Vivian said something to one of the men, Clarence Sparger, and he shot her then he ran away from the group. Evidently the remaining gang members took Vivian to St. Luke's Hospital. They left her inside the car at the hospital's parking lot. She died a couple of hours before anyone found her body.

There has always been speculation that Vivian was executed because of a double cross. The truth is it was a drunken quarrel.

Vivian again

2007-09-21T16:54:00.000-04:00

Ah..today I went to the Archives again. I can't believe this is my last day of vacation.

I'm almost positive that I was wrong about Vivian and Pearl Loge being the same person. I took a close look at the original photograph and Pearl Loge seems less hardened; she also talked up a storm. Vivian Chase was notoriously closed mouth when questioned. Also, agents noted the resemblance to Vivian right away so I'd tend to think that they would have tried to match fingerprints with Vivian's first thing.

Another thing, Percy Fitzgerald, one of the August Luer kidnapping team stated that Vivian was only used to gain entry into the house. Some how that makes me feel better about her because it was an incredibly unprofessional job. I like to think she did her part and then let the rest of them make a mess. Looks like I have some fun reading tonight.

Mmmm...

2007-09-19T10:34:00.001-04:00

Well, I know it's been a while since I've posted. Largely my silence has been due to multiple personal/professional disruptions that no one except for the parties involved care to know.

Anyway yesterday I went to the LOC to look up Vivian Chase articles. I was disappointed to find out that the LOC does not have issues of the Kansas City Times microfilmed. The Kansas City times was the morning edition of the Kansas City Star for the years I'm interested in. I'm convinced that the truly interesting stuff is in the Times (only because it is unavailable to me)! I did get some great articles about the 1932 bank robbery with Luther Jordon. She was actually implicated in the murder of Earl McDowell a union organizer and thug wanted in Chicago for the murder of some unfortunate female. The article stated that Jordon may have killed McDowell because he was jealous of Vivian's affections for him. Jordan always denied he was ever romantically involved with Vivian Chase. I don't doubt that Chase and McDowell were paramours (as the FBI likes to call such relationships) because an alias she used at the time was Vivian McDowell. Vivian seems to have taken the last name of her lovers when propriety dictated it as the most prudent course. After all it was the 20's and 30's.

So loads of information from this trip; unfortunately I didn't get all the articles I was looking for. The next trip in I will concentrate on the 20's. Tomorrow or Friday I'm going to make a trip to the Archives again to copy more of the Luer Kidnapping file. I was going to go to the FBI reading room to read some of the Karpis gang file, but this week off is going by fast. Again amazing how personal time goes much quicker than professional time.

Well I've got a bunch of stuff I wanted to accomplish today, important stuff like getting a pedicure so I'm off again.

Same Woman?

2007-08-04T08:18:00.000-04:00

Well I had my field trip to the Archives yesterday and actually spent the whole day with the Luer kidnapping file. I'm pretty sure that this file contains everything the FBI knows about Vivian Chase since this Kidnapping is the only federal crime she was ever wanted for.

I got some miscellaneous dope on Vivian that I can add to my biography. I also took the liberty of making photo copies of her mug shot for a mere $5.75. Doing the research your self is whole lot better than buying the book!

Anyway take a look at the pictures to your left. These 3 women are not the same woman according to the FBI. The 2 pictures to the right (mug shots) are Vivian Chase the picture on the left is Pearl Loge. According to the FBI file Pearl Loge was captured with the other Luer kidnappers and questioned. Supposedly, Pearl shared a room with Vivian at another suspects' rooming house and that's how Pearl knew the kidnappers. I'm thinking Pearl and Vivian are one in the same! And that means that when I get another day off with pay I take a second look at that particular file. While there are mention of Vivian's fingerprints I not completely sure that Pearl was fingerprinted. Maybe they aren't the same...I'm going to have some breakfast and read my copies. I love it when things get interesting and complicated!

Yippee

2007-07-31T15:34:00.000-04:00

I am so EXCITED! I get a day off so I am going to the Archives to look at the Luer kidnapping file! I can't wait. I've been wanting to do this forever and now I finally have the chance. It has to be done during a week day because the archives doesn't pull files on the weekend. There are supposed to be 3 boxes so we'll see if I can get anything interesting!

Fleagle Gang

2007-07-24T19:23:00.001-04:00

This book is interesting because I'm not sure how much I enjoyed it! The book is about the 1928 robbery of the First National Bank of Lamar Colorado committed by the "Fleagle Gang". The Fleagle's were a group of brothers. There were 4 of them, Ralph, Fred, Little Jake, and Walter. Whether they were all thieves or whether it was just Ralph and Little Jake isn't easily determined by the book. It's definite that the other 2 brothers knew of Ralph's and Little Jake's activities and offered assistance that 8 years later would have had them thrown in jail.

While I'm not sure I enjoyed the books reliance on old newspaper articles to tell the Fleagle's history; the use of the articles brings the reader into the dramatic events. A traditional narrative would have told the story much quicker and still have been interesting.

This book is the first I've read about a robbery that was prior to the depression. The Lamar robbery was violent: 2 deaths during the robbery; a hostage murdered; a doctor kidnapped and murdered. A comparison with some of the depression bandits who were both vilified and praised in different circles would make for interesting commentary.

Ralph Fleagle or maybe it was the sire Jake Fleagle made the commentary that they didn't steal from anyone who couldn't afford it. Sound Familiar? Crime was on the increase and local police were at a disadvantage because of jurisdiction problems and inferior transportation. Hmmm....

Anyway, one of the things that I liked about this group of cold blooded murdering thieves is that they took a very pragmatic approach to gang membership. While Ralph and Little Jake were the corner stones they actually hired other gang members for each job for a set fee. The hired men in the Lamar, Co. robbery, Abshier and Royston, each got $1500 for their part and a date with the hangman.

Oh yeah, this case is also great because it's one where forensic science really brought the killers to justice. One fingerprint brought the whole gang down during a time when there was a huge amount of scepticism on the science.

NYC VICE

2007-07-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

I wanted a really good book to read after all that studying and Ellen Poulsen's the Case Against Lucky Luciano hit the spot.

This book is not an homage to Charles Lucky Luciano (thank God); it's an analysis of the vice trials that finally convicted him. The central players in the book are the madame's ,prostitutes and bookers who acted as material witnesses and the prosecution's methods of obtaining witnesses and material.

Prostitution is an old story and I really didn't think this book was going to shed any new insights on it's history in the US. I was wrong. The start of the book details a racket in setting up innocent women to be charged with prostitution that was carried on with cooperation from police officers, bailsman, and judges. The book shows how Luciano's racket wasn't simply owning a house; he essentially saw that the money was in making the workers pay for protection against being jailed. He found a way to make the protection racket apply to Prostitution. Madame's and prostitutes were used to paying off police, janitors, cab drivers, etc to steer in business and look the other way; no one had ever made them pay insurance against getting arrested and making bail. A super pimp to make a bad situation worse.

It's a fast read but with great details. Poulsen sums up the trial, the convictions, and the attempt of the 2 main material witnesses to go straight and Luciano's war effort. Buy the book it's new and easy to find.

Studying for CEBS 8

2007-05-08T09:33:00.000-04:00

Won't be posting for a while; I have to study for my exam in 2 months.

Reading a B Movie

2007-04-28T18:11:00.000-04:00

I picked this up at a used book sale. Let's just say that the history books I've read on Dillinger don't support the character of Dillinger portrayed in the book. Homer Van Meter is portrayed as a sniveling coward.

It' funny because the story of Dillinger and his associates is so interesting when you just stick to the facts. Yeah I can see where you would want to put words in his mouth, but it could be so much more believable. Read Handsome Harry by James Carlos Blake instead.

I guess I shouldn't be so critical; I get the feeling from talking to Spanish that if she ever does write her version of Pierpont and Dillinger; Pierpont is going to come out as a repressed homosexual that Claudy had the hots for. Yes I know...the thing about it is that Dillinger is a great story on his own with just the hard facts that can be verified. So when you throw in other stuff that can't be verified and doesn't ring true with historical writing and such it's just icky. Yes, icky.

Mad Dog Coll

2007-04-25T20:11:00.000-04:00

Just got finished watching this video on Mad Dog Vincent Coll. While I don't think Coll was "the most notorious gangster during the Prohibition era" he is a name that people recognize. I think the video was a good introduction, but I'll have to get the biography to determine where he fits in the baby faced killer pantheon.

Let's face it; it's hard to really have some one's personality come through when they are this notorious bad ass. Let's face it I compare everyone to Panzram ! Coll seems just regular raised in the slums... fights his way through institutions and life... kills an innocent child in the crossfire... gunned down at 24. Maybe in Coll's case the book will be more interesting will see.

On a more upbeat note: the National Archives has located the FBI's Luer kidnapping files for me and are checking them for privacy violations. So I should be able to get a gander soon. Cool.

You Can't Win: Jack Black

2007-04-21T20:11:00.000-04:00

It was time for a re-reading of You Can't Win, Jack Black's autobiography. Maybe because I often wonder why intelligent people make bad choices in life. Why someone raised in a "decent" family will choose to go wrong. This book pretty much answers my questions and it's entertaining to boot. The timing of Black's adventures are the 1890's and early 20th century. A completely different time from Dillinger and Capone but I think with some of the same sensibilities. Thieves saw themselves as professionals. It's also easy see that many of the same social problems that abound now, homelessness and addiction, were much the same.

It's telling to admit that I had to buy another copy of this book. I had loaned my copy to someone who moved away and took the book with him. I usually wish that most of the characters that I read about had written an autobiography explaining the why they chose crime. I think as to the choice, if not the methodology and experience, they might say the same thing Jack Black says. The honest life the pay is too little and the demands too great; the criminal life excitement and "easy" money for the high life.

This book gives great descriptions of jails, penitentiaries, flop houses, hop houses, and other places in plain language that rivals any novel. Ah, to go on a binge with Salt Chunk Mary and to attend a "convention".

On the Spot Journal

2007-04-21T09:20:00.000-04:00

Read the article on Dopey Benny Fein; so good. It had to be because it was written by Rose Keefe. Who as I said before is wonderful. It's funny how in a lot of history accounts Benny Fein is written off. But really he just became more involved with garment manufacturing and stealing. Funny how stealing doesn't get the respect from mafia historians that it should. They write Bugs Moran off for the same reason. A yegg is a yegg...

There's a great mug shot of James Clark, of the Michigan City prison break, in the story on handsome Jack Klutas. The Klutas story is good in substance, but really needs better editing. Youse no Ise caint stand lousy graimer!

Any way this journal is great because it gives the reader shorter articles about subjects that won't necessarily ever get books written about them. For the person interested in pre-WWII crime there isn't anything else like it that I've found.

The Big Bankroll

2007-04-14T05:09:00.000-04:00

David Pietrusza's biography of Arnold Rothstein is a good read. Pietrusza has a gift for story telling making this book more enjoyable than I anticipated.

For the layman, Rothstein is usually mentioned in a few sentences when reading an article about Lucky Luciano, et al or maybe a paragraph when discussing the "black sox". Well, I'm only a quarter of the way through this book and there is so much more to Rothstein's career. (Not that Luciano and the black sox are not important; I'm looking forward to reading about them.) Rothstein is perfect for the time he was born the quintessential fixer; a prolific gambler, and an unabashed cheat! In the first third of the book when Pietrusza is writing about Rothstein's early career he discusses the Becker affair (wonderful detail)Becker was executed because he was found guilty of ordering "Beansie" Rosenthal's murder. But did he? Or was a dishonest cop who had done so much damage the perfect fall guy for Tammany? I'd read much about how corrupt old New York was but Rothstein's life really makes me understand how corrupt it was! Imagine if all politicians were as corrupt as we believe them to be. Imagine if you could kill someone and have the police look the other way for the right price. Imagine if Reformers had to choose between the devil they knew and the devil they couldn't see. Ferocious class division, poverty and racism. If you think everyone cheats then this world is for you!

Evidently, Rothstein reveled in having people know he was smarter than they were and he wasn't adverse to cheating. What I didn't know before was that Rothstein founded American international drug trafficking. Evidently, Drugs were his last big endeavor before he was murdered. It's amazing how someone so smart could be so smarmy in his morals! I think Rothstein knew the Volstead Act's days were numbered by the late 1920's and he wanted something more viable. I don't agree with Pietrusza's assessment that bootlegging had too many variables for Rothstein. I do agree that the risks stopped being acceptable with so many players in the mix, but I think that Rothstein wanted something that would continue his income once America regained it's senses. That's my take anyway. All in all an enjoyable read.

Legs Diamond

2007-04-09T19:57:00.000-04:00

While I can't say much for the cover of Gary Levine's Jack "Legs" Diamond Anatomy of a Gangster, it was a good read. I really didn't know much about Diamond other than he was a bootlegger in NYC so it was interesting to read about his exploits. He was Arnold Rothstein's bodyguard. Levine makes a brief statement that Diamond may have had something to do with Rothstein's death but he doesn't elaborate. One thing is clear fidelity was not one of Diamond's strong points. With the exception of his brother he pretty much cheated on everyone (wives, lovers, associates, gang members). People made much of Diamonds ability to take a bullet surviving 5 attempts on his life until fatally shot in a rooming house but I'm not so much surprised that he survived those 5 times I'm just surprised that with the number of people he cheated that there wasn't an attempt on his life every other day. Diamond comes off as probably the worse crime manager I've read about so far. He came close to being absolutely huge but the endeavor always fell through. I finally got Rothstein's biography so it will be interesting to compare Diamond's characterization.

St. Valentines Day Massacre Theories

2007-03-31T18:33:00.000-04:00

Helmer and Bilek's book goes into the different theories that abounded about the St. Valentines Day Massacre. One of the earliest was that rogue cops who were on the take and angry at not being paid off actually hit Moran's gang.

It's funny but the book points out that Capone was not immediately associated with the murders. In fact NYC papers began to link Capone to the crime before Chicago papers did.

Much of the stuff that I had heard about the massacre turns out to be false. For instance no one knows exactly why the Moran gang was meeting that morning in that garage; but it was not to accept delivery for booze hijacked from Capone. The authors write logically that the men assembled in the garage for the most part were Moran's top men. His men in charge of racketeering and gambling and his top hit men. They also weren't dressed for labor (with the exception of the mechanic who was there for his daily job). Definitely a set up.

You know the thing about history is that hind sight is 20/20 vision. I wonder what I would have thought if this were 1929 and I was reading about this for the first time. Would I have believed everything I read? I guess in a way the newspaper coverage of the murders was excessive, but it doesn't seem like overkill. I mean there wasn't TV coverage yet and even with newsreels I think the public was able to forget about what happened until they picked up the newspaper again. I guess I'm trying to say something about how the innocent simpler time wasn't all that innocent but the evil and the bad didn't bombard you the way it does now. So was having mass communication on a smaller scale better? Hmmmm?

St. Valentines Day Massacre

2007-03-29T19:07:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm in a weird mood so that's why I'm writing about a book I haven't finished yet. I think this is going to be the last of my Chicago books after that I'm going back to reading about my bank robbers and such. You'd think I'd be saturated by now, but it is a topic that rarely becomes dull.

I think this book is great because of the perspective that it provides on Capone and the effect of the St. Valentine's day massacre. For a criminal there is such a thing as too much publicity. This book explains the role that the massacre played in bringing down Capone. Public opinion is not a thing to be trifled with and let's face it if something could turn Chicago's lenient public against a gangster it had to be pretty bad. Bad enough to make a public that put gangster killings on the inside pages of the news believe there is a limit even if they are only killing one another.

I'm looking forward to getting to the parts about the 'American Boys' the imported hit men who carried out the massacre. They were alumni of the Egan Rat's gang in St. Louis. I've got to get that book about the Egan Rats. Missouri and Kansas criminals have not received the ink they deserve.

The Chicago Outfit

2007-03-25T09:13:00.000-04:00

I LOVE old photographs! So I love this book...Images of America The Chicago Outfit John Binder's photographic essay on organized crime in Chicago.

I enjoy the first couple of sections that deal with the old days and wish these sections comprised the whole book. It's no secret that my interest in criminals ends with the 40's. There are loads of pictures in here that I haven't seen someplace else and they are good quality. I literally drooled over the photo of inside of Colisimos and there's a very early photo of Jake Guzik where he almost looks normal!

Crime scene photos, vacation photos, mug shots this book pretty much covers Capone's group. Cool.

Karpis Interview

2007-03-23T13:35:00.000-04:00

Well I enjoyed the interview I got to watch it for the first time last night. I mainly enjoyed just seeing an older Karpis. The interview set up was a joke: they had these actors dressed up as the 70's version of 30's gangsters. Silly. The interview itself wasn't substantial. There was so much that guy could have asked. Honestly, he asks Karpis about Doc Moran's death and doesn't probe further. What about the time Moran refused to treat John Hamilton? I guess that's the way the world works you can't have someone who is too into the criminal asking questions because I guess mainstream gets too upset. It's not about glorifying his acts it's just about information.

I wish I could get a hold of the FBI interviews with Karpis after his capture.

Cool Mail!

2007-03-19T20:42:00.000-04:00

Just got this Karpis VHS tape in the mail! I am so looking forward to seeing this interview (if only I could kick my nephew out of front of my only TV set!) Alvin Karpis has a rep as one of the smarter thieves from the 30's. Unlike Dillinger, Nelson, and Floyd he was not gunned down by FBI agents. He's got a couple of books that are great reads too.

I got a letter from the FBI saying that the Luer files have been transferred to the archives so I am in search there. The National Archives actually have a great web site , but not much of the stuff that I am interested in is on there. Although it you would like to see prison profiles from the Federal Prison system you can probably find them. We'll see. The good part is that the files are stored close by so if I have to I can add them to the ever extending list of things I gotta do. So much to know so little time.

Gangsters & Gold Diggers

2007-03-15T19:54:00.000-04:00

Well, this is more like history lite Gangsters & Gold Diggers affectionately browses through the underworld in NYC in the early 20th century. It touches on interesting characters like Arnold Rothstein and Owney Madden with little detail and much opinion. But it's fun. So that's a good thing. I read this and then ordered Rothstein the Life,Times and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series by David Pietrusza.

Cool Mail!

2007-03-12T18:50:00.000-04:00

Ooh! Look what I got in the mail today! I'm excited but turning the cover it looks like I may already have this stuff, besides I was looking for a magnitude of pictures. Loads of text. I'm always hoping that when I get a new book there will be loads of photos I haven't seen. Photo's are the best because they bring everything to life (DUH!).

Too Skinny! Yes there was a time

2007-03-11T08:50:00.000-04:00

Bugs Moran

2007-03-10T17:27:00.000-05:00

Rose Keefe has done it again! I got this book (even though I had been waiting for the paperback version)because I enjoyed her work on Dion O'Banion. While the meat of this book covers much of the same territory as Guns and Roses there's more her on Bugs Moran than I've found anywhere else.

Most histories that I've read discount Moran as mainly a wannabe. Let's face it he was the last in line of the Northsider's to go head to head with Capone and pretty much gets dismissed after the Valentine's Day Massacre. Keefe's book is an eye opener. "Bugs" Moran's real identity is Adelard Cunin. He was born in St. Paul, MN to French Canadian parents. He wasn't even Irish! George Moran was one of the identities he adopted while evading Prison. There's copious detail in the book about O'Banion and the yegg gang that started the Northsiders out. Right thieves the lot of them! What's great about the book is that Keefe gives the full picture of Moran's career and she gives a decent enough portrayal of him as a man. After reading this book, I believe that it is short sighted to dismiss Moran. His criminal career was extensive and largely successful. (I'm not saying that crime pays: read the book to see why) But as criminal lives go he was a success for a longer period of time than many of his 20's counterparts. If you see a Rose Keefe book buy it! She is a great writer. She's got one coming out soon about Jack Zelig one of the 1900's gang bangers. Can't wait.

On a personal note the FBI has sent me notice that they are searching their files to determine what information remains of the August Luer kidnapping. Cool!

More Leads

2007-02-24T08:35:00.000-05:00

Just when I think I've figured out which direction to go in I get a lead that leads me in a new direction! V. informs me that there are some documents that I will find very interesting about the Michigan City break. Information from the Board of Charities, overseers of the prison back in the day, that finger Joseph Burns as the ring leader for the escape. I'll definitely request the documents to take a look, but I wonder if they aren't referring to the December 1929 escape. I'd always figured Burns for the ring leader in that escape attempt.

I have a day off on Monday. My choices are LOC newspaper archives searching for articles related to Vivian Chase or being lazy and reading Rose Keefe's The Man Who Got Away: the Bugs Moran Story. I'm lazy by nature....

Bonnie & Clyde Sidekick

2007-02-18T10:28:00.000-05:00

I've always thought that the most interesting thing about Raymond Hamilton was his 1934 escape from the Texas penitentiary death house. Depression Desperado written by Syd Underwood supports this assertion. Until the escape Hamilton is a sidekick, a less important player in the Clyde Barrow chronicle. I just never got a sense of Hamilton's individuality from this book. Underwood doesn't play up the differences or the rift that developed between Clyde and Hamilton.

Underwood disperses Barrow's shadow when he begins the narrative of the Huntsville escape. Absolute desperation and almost certain death are the elements that make any death row escape attempt fascinating. This attempt takes place in Huntsville, TX a prison with a vicious reputation. It occurs on a sunny day when a prison baseball came is in progress. All in all a fascinating story. Besides Hamilton, players in the escape are Blackie Thompson, Joe Palmer, Whitey Walker, and Joe Frazier. Walker originated the escape plan to save his partner Blackie Thompson and invited the others along for the ride. It was partially successful: Palmer, Hamilton, and Thompson did make it over the walls. Walker was killed. Thompson would die a short time later and both Palmer and Hamilton would be recaptured to keep a date the electric chair.

It's the escape and Hamilton's death watch that the book gives the reader an idea of Hamilton's individuality. Was he the cold hearted repeat offender whom society would be much better with out? Even though he didn't pull the trigger was the fact that he was definitely an accessory (hell he planned the escape that resulted in Major Crowson's death) did he deserve the death penalty? Hamilton certainly didn't think so. At the end of the book when I read his date of death May 10, 1935 and remembered his year of birth 1913 the realization Hamilton was 11 days shy of his 22nd birthday made me think one thing. What a stupid waste.

Gold!

2007-02-17T07:14:00.001-05:00

Yes! Office politics rule no 7: when you can't get information directly from the source you go to another source who has access to the information. I now have the information that I was looking for from Harry's Central State Hospital file.

I would not have to go through all of this if Harry had ever been given the attention he deserves as a case study. The only book that has good information on him also was very poorly fact checked. Consequently, I have to piece together information on my own. Personally it's more fun this way. Authors are human so either they are too detached or too involved with their subjects. Interpretation as to motive and history are always subjective with the exception of cold hard facts. I mean the where, when, how. Why is always subjective and why is almost never fully known unless you get an untainted confession. (Untainted no coercion, no diminished capacity, etc)

So here's the skinny; the information may not seem like much but it does explain some things, raise more questions about others and make me see Mrs. Lena Pierpont in a much more favorable light.

Harry was diagnosed with dementia praecox. That diagnosis is available on the inquest papers that are available to the public. In the Central State file it list that his illness was of the Hebephrenic type. A form of schizophrenia that typically onsets after puberty and involves a progressive disintegration of behavior. Characteristics include inappropriate mannerisms and emotional responses (such as grimacing or grinning at improper times).
Harry suffered a head injury at age 9, which was not though serious and a severe injury at 18 when he was hit in the head with a baseball bat and rendered unconscious for about 5 minutes.
Harry was not sexually active at 18, in fact he avoided the company of girls except his sister Fern who he was close to. He was not a good mixer and became more stubborn and irritable as he grew older.
Fern died when she was 19 years old of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Harry would have been 17 at the time (1910 census records for the family show a 2 year difference). Harry did not tend to Fern during her illness; however he "was round her quite a bit". No sanitary precautions were used during his time with her.
Examination of his lungs and breathing lead doctors to suspect a T.B. condition existed.

"Patient expresses no delusions. He guards well all that he says and will not let out anything. Declares at all times that there is nothing wrong with his mental condition. It is conceded that he is normal but the nervous system does not present a very favorable condition."

Even before he truly began his criminal career Harry knew when it was to his advantage to keep his mouth shut. It would become harder for him to keep outbursts at bay as evidenced at the Sarber trial and during his stint on death row. So why is this important? To me at least it shows several things:

Had Harry been in any criminal trouble prior to his visit at Central State it would show up in this file. So, unlike Dillinger, Karpis, Nelson, and hosts of others Harry doesn't start showing a criminal tendency until after childhood which is consistent with his diagnosis.
Harry's mother was genuinely concerned about her son's health and she had every reason to be. Her letter writing campaign is genuine not a ruse developed to spring Harry early.
Harry was crazy enough to develop an escape plan where the inmates went out the front door and think it would work. His paranoia aided him in changing the date.

I love this stuff!

Harry and HIPAA

2007-02-16T15:58:00.000-05:00

Now for those of you who have ever had occasion to do research at the IN archives recently you know that the place is staffed with wonderful helpful people. Until you request to see the medical file from Harry's stay a Central State (the state mental institution). When you request to see that file you will meet with the proverbial brick wall!

Now the IN Public Records Act states that confidential information, with the exception of adoption records. is available to the public after 75 years. Harry's Central State records should have been available around 1996. Nope. If you request the records now and you are not a relative, then you will be told that those records are not available to the public because of HIPAA.

Now for those of you who don't know The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule is the first comprehensive Federal protection for the privacy of personal health information. Well here's my beef. I deal with HIPAA every day and I do understand some of the nuances of the law. What I don't understand is how the archives can stretch that law to deal with individuals who have been dead 72 years! The dead don't have privacy issues. Since members of Harry's immediate family are also dead (may be a nephew living in AL, but no spouses, children, parents, or siblings) I think applying HIPAA to his records is more than a stretch.

Only one thing to do...write Health & Human Services and get a ruling as to whether the archives is correct in their assessment. I wish I was as dedicated in my professional life as I am in my hobby life! http://privacyruleandresearch.nih.gov/pdf/HIPAA_Booklet_4-14-2003.pdf

Jack McGurn

2007-02-11T10:54:00.000-05:00

Amanda J. Parr's biography of Vincenzo Gibaldi (aka "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn) is better than most of the genre. Jack McGurn is another individual whose story is so much better than fiction.

Most people who follow 30's crime know that Jack McGurn began his career as a boxer and eventually caught the eye of Al Capone and became Capone's chief bodyguard. What isn't usually told is the story of how McGurn became a criminal. His father was a victim of a Black Hand shake down that ended his life. McGurn methodically tracked down is father's killers and exacted vengeance. According to Parr it was this act that brought McGurn to Capone's attention.

Parr manages to flesh out McGurn's character; her portrayal is a man who is decidedly human. She writes about McGurn's transformation from hardworking family man to lethal "family" man. The man who orchestrated the largest hit during prohibition comes across as more than a cold calculating killer. Don't get me wrong, Parr doesn't sugar coat McGurn's story or motives. A complex individual- yes: a good person -no.

I almost felt sorry for McGurn in the end when Nitti (who comes across as a jealous bastard) kicks McGurn out after Capone is jailed for tax evasion. Almost but not quite, it's impossible to read the book to the end and forget how much blood is on McGurn's hands. In my book McGurn goes down as yet another person who made a bad choice about how to live life and he died like he lived.

Dary Matera John Dillinger

2007-02-10T14:09:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished reading Dary Matera's John Dillinger The Life and Death of America's First Celebrity Criminal ; actually I reread it. Books like this usually take a couple of reads because they have so much information. What's great about it is that it is not as biased as some of the earlier works and it appears to be well researched and has good notes. The only thing that bothers me is that much of the work is based upon personal archives that aren't accessible to the general public. I'd love to see that stuff.

Anyway Johnny D. comes off as believable in this book. Some of the books seem hell bent on making sure that you know what a swell guy Dillinger was or they want to demonize him. This book presents a balanced portrait. A human being who made some bad decisions. Not good not evil: human.

I enjoyed the fact that the book paid some attention to Dillinger's relationship with Billie Freschette and what she meant to him. The book demonstrates Billie's humor and guile. It's also one of 2 books that I know that dispute that Dillinger ever slugged Freschette. There are a few errors but minor not glaring. Errors such as Helen Gillis in the riding outfit at Little Bohemia (it wasn't Helen), some things that don't really mean much.

2007-02-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

I lost out on this photo on ebay. It's a great picture of Harry Pierpont being interrogated when the gang was captured in Tuscon!

I guess it 's for the best. I have to stop spending money on this stuff!! But I hate the fact that I was beat out by $0.50! Just when you think you got it made BOOM a faster gun gets you.

Maybes and What ifs

2007-01-07T11:27:00.000-05:00

So Spanish and I disagree to an extent about Harry Pierpont.

I think these guys were bound together by friendship and their choice of occupation. But I don't think that Harry's reputation is wholly made up by sensationalist journalist. I don't think he is the psychopathic killer they like to make him out to be. He was schizophrenic yes; no disagreement there. But let's face it; he wasn't the menace he was made out to be. That said I don't want anybody to think that I think he was a good guy. He was a good con. He chose a life of crime. In the course of those crimes people got hurt and he was directly responsible for the death of Jess Sarber. I think that he was a leader of the group, but among friends everyone leads sometimes.

Spanish thinks that the Sept 1933 wasn't Harry's Plan. She thinks that it was primarily Detrich who planned it and Harry signed on for it. She also thinks that Van Meter was the outside contact and not Dillinger. She's really going to need to do some convincing for me to buy that one! It goes against everything everyone else has ever written and if she finds documentation for it then she will create a huge stir.

I tried to get in contact with Lori Hyde who has been researching Pierpont for sometime now. No success. I was wondering if she ever found out information about Harry as a child. Simply because I want to know if his delinquent tendencies ever surfaced prior his schizophrenia.

Did you know that if a person is diagnosed with schizophrenia then the probability of that person going to jail rise exponentially! Maybe I want to blame everything on his illness or maybe I just want to understand him better. Why is it the things we can't answer are so more tantalizing than the things we can?

Harry Pierpont wants Parole

2007-01-04T20:35:00.000-05:00

Spanish sent me some letters that were written on Harry's behalf for parole. One letter was from Harry. They are fascinating and get me to wondering. His mother, Lena, did a whole letter writing campaign about how much he was needed on their large farm and so forth. Which is to be expected. He was also having Jesse Levy take care of getting letters from the judge and prosecuting attorney from his bank robbery case. The more information I get; the more I begin to wonder. It's a pity Harry didn't write down his memoirs at his death!

Reading Lena's letters I wonder how much is fact and how much is fiction? On the one hand I see a definite attempt to manipulate the system on the other I understand that she wants her son home with her. So it is hard and I think it is because I don't have all the pieces of the puzzle. With just the pieces that I have; I think Harry was tasking his Mom to do the letter writing campaign. Just as he had Levy broker the letters from the prosecutor and such.

I wonder if his Dad had TB and I wonder if Harry also suffered from it like Lena writes in her letters. I know that soon after the trial Lena brought a bar-b-cue stand. So maybe her husband was as ill as she writes he was and he and passed away soon after the trial. But I don't think she ever honestly believed Harry would come home to work on that farm. Those days left when he woke up from that baseball bat incident. But I think she wanted him home.

She alludes to something about Claudy. Supposedly he was obsessed with Harry. Was it because Harry was so defiant? Or was he sexually obsessed with him? Which would have made Harry really defiant! As much as people write that Harry was intolerant of homosexuals; sometimes I think maybe it was more he was intolerant of any man who had a sexual interest in him. That's why he allowed Dillinger in his gang (Dillinger didn't go for blonds. Also, James Jenkins was in with the Dec 1929 escape attempt. Jenkins was notorious from all accounts but Harry still let him in the group.

Again, I wonder too about the timing for the escape attempt. Harry had been planning that escape for a long time. Even while he was doing his parole campaign. I wonder when he made friends with Detrich. Detrich's having that job in the receiving department was key to the whole thing. Makley had it before but lost it for a discipline reason.

Just a bunch of musing on the puzzle.

Harry Pierpont's First Case

2007-01-02T18:44:00.000-05:00

My friend V.C. sent me a news article on Harry Pierpont's first conviction. I enjoy the tale because it makes me laugh. It's funny enough to have been in a situation comedy, but it really happened.

V.C. had been searching for the article because a certain author (who I won't name) did a piss-poor job citing his Dillinger book. It wouldn't have been so bad if the book had been from the 1940's through 1960's; however, the book is recently published. I'm going to stop writing about it because it's upsetting how poor scholarship makes it in print.

Anyway, Harry's first big bust was for assault&battery, that's what his intake papers for Indiana State Prison state; however, they don't give the details. It's a great story and I was thrilled to get a copy of a contemporary account. Here goes my synopsis of events as related in the January 9, 1922 Indianapolis Star:

Harry Pierpont decided to go to Indianapolis for reasons known only to him. First he stops in Greencastle and steels a car from Ora Chileon. Next because )as his mother said in his mental competency inquest)he has a mania for guns, he breaks into Cooks Hardware store in Greencastle and steals nine guns. He made his way to Terre Haute IN then went to Indianapolis where he ditched the stolen car. He decided he needed another car. In the middle of Indianapolis during the rush hour home Harry spots just the right car parked in front of the Indianapolis Water Company. He hops in and commences to start the car. The owners of the car, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Devine, leave the butcher shop and return to their car. Seeing Harry in the car Mr. Devine rushes to the drivers side and attempts to dislodge Harry. Harry tells him to let him go since "he's out of work". Harry and Mr. Devine struggle; Harry whips out one of the four guns he is carrying at the time and aims for Mr. Devine's stomach; Mr. Devine forces Harry's aim to lower and Harry shoots at him three times hitting him once in the leg. Mrs. Devine then hits Harry over the head with the roast just purchased from the butcher shop. A Mr. Sartell comes to Mrs. Devine's aid with his help she is able to hold Harry until the police arrive.

She hit him over the head with a roast! LOVE It! So begins the career of one of the most notorious criminals during the Mid-west crime wave. The guy Dillinger looked up to! Hey we all have to start somewhere.

On a more serious note, what is really interesting is that Harry was so forthcoming after his arrest. He told the police everything. Now you have to remember, Pierpont gained a reputation for not cooperating even under coercion (beatings from guards) so I think his talking now is interesting.

PASSED CEBS 4

2006-12-30T17:31:00.000-05:00

Busy Bee

2006-12-23T08:35:00.000-05:00

2 days y from Christmas and I have a list of stuff to do. I've already been to the grocery to get the ingredients for Peach Pie. I've decided that I must have at least 2 desserts at Christmas dinner. The store was quiet since it was so early. More people than usual, but not a mad house.

I have laundry, sauces, table setting, and vacuuming on my list. At least the house is reasonable orderly. This festivity can be done. Just got a great book to add to my list of others in the mail Pubic Enemies America's Criminal Past by William Helmer with Rick Mattix. I got the book because the authors have a much more complete encyclopedia of criminals coming out but unfortunately it's been delayed for 6 months now so I will make do with this. I've come to the conclusion that there is much more to writing a book than slapping together some facts. There must be...otherwise the books that I wait for would not take so long.

I am doomed. I just can't bear to look at that junk again. Executive Retirement Arrangements--Bah Humbug! Oh well, maybe God has something better planned for me. But I will take the test who knows maybe this will be a miracle again. There is just so much boring stuff. I guess I wasn't meant for top management? I feel that if I don't pass this test then I will be stuck where I am at. Is that good? Who knows. We have a new player with the New Year. Maybe the chemistry will improve and it can be a winning situation?

Good Mail

2006-12-18T19:56:00.000-05:00

Yeah! I got Walter Detrich's prison file from the Indiana Archives. Detrich is best known as one of the men who escaped from the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City in September 1933. It was a huge escape in itself and became more newsworthy as escapees Harry Pierpont, Charles Makley, Russell Clark, and Edward Shouse freed J. Dillinger from the Lima, OH jail.

I'm looking forward to writing about Detrich because he was a good yegg. Very professional. Supposedly, while in the pen with Pierpont et al, he taught the gang the Lamm bank robbery process. Which must have been really helpful, because the "Terror Gang" as Dillinger's group was known after the escape did much better than could have been anticipated by their individual records. Really, one of my posts is going to have to be funniest stories from Dillinger Gang members heists.

You know cleaned up I think Detrich probably was quite the ladies man. Supposedly, he was connected enough in Michigan City to have trysts with his mistress while incarcerated. At least he didn't have to settle for boys like J. Dillinger! I love getting stuff like this. I wish I was as interested in the FASB 35 and IPG contracts. The Exam is in 2 WEEKS. Doomed am I.

NOT Vivian

2006-12-17T11:06:00.000-05:00

FBI Woes

2006-12-17T10:45:00.001-05:00

Violet is insisting on sleeping where I normally do my studying so in deference to the boss I thought I'd just post my latest "crisis".

I've been trying to get the FBI information on Vivian Chase. Well even though she is a well known dead hood (at least to those of us who study dead hoods), the FBI would not consider my request unless I provided her death certificate. So I got a copy of her 1935 death certificate and sent it to them. Well, the FBI does not like this death certificate, because the coroner listed her approximate age as opposed to listing date of birth. How inconsiderate of him (it was always a him back then). Well you know in those days everyone figured if you were alive once and lying on a slab then obviously you were born and exact dates weren't all that necessary.

So, OK, do I give up on the G-men? Well, the head of the records dept. sent me a rather lengthy FOIA law that I can look up to see if I can find some common sense approach when the death certificate is 70 years old. I also have to ask my self what do I hope to find; those old files more than likely won't give me any added insight into her life. Let's face it they are mostly surveillance history and Vivian did an astounding disappearing act. They would have had to have found her to watch her. After the Luer kidnapping she didn't surface again until they found her corpse. Maybe I will just ask for the Luer kidnapping files.

Choosing Crime

2006-12-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

I read Confessions of a Jack Roller by Clifford R. Shaw; it's a sociological case study showing the life history of a juvenile offender written in the early 1930's. For me one of the most startling aspects of the book (OK the only startling aspect) was the part where there describing his childhood. His mother died when he was young. He didn't get along with his stepmother (old tale right?) so the six year old kid takes to staying out on the streets sometimes for days on end. Remember the child is SIX. Policemen finds him and takes him home. Kid stays for less than a night (evidently enough time to get a beating) and takes to the streets again. Over and over it happens. What's startling for someone reading this in 2006 is that never is there a concern by officials that something could be wrong with the child's home life. He's branded incorrigible. A six year old who would rather live in the street and eat out of the trash than go home and no one thinks to put him foster care!

For those who don't know a "jack roller" is a term for rolling drunks and homosexuals of their money. It's a particular form of petty larceny (not high on the criminal hierarchy). I started thinking about some of our more famous yeggs from the 1930's. Those whose home life we know something about. Take John H. Dillinger, Alvin Karpis, and Baby Face Nelson. Well all of these thieves came from decent homes. Hardworking parents. Fairly comfortable surroundings. Dillinger's home appears to have been slightly more affluent; both Karpis and Nelson came from rough neighborhoods in Chicago.

Writers who tell the Dillinger story, must have a very hard time reconciling his childhood. On the one hand you have family members who describe the young Johnny D. as a normal high spirited boy, who enjoyed hunting and the tales of Jesse James. Then you have a litany of petty offenses: such as stealing coal, getting other children drunk (which led to some shady business with a few farm girls), destruction of property. All for laughs. It seems clear to me from an early age John Dillinger enjoyed being bad. I don't think anyone was that surprised when he mugged that grocer with Ed Singleton! Surprised at the harshness of his sentence yes, but not surprised that he'd finally landed in jail.

I am trying to decide which delinquent was worse: Alvin Karpis or Lester Gillis (Baby Face Nelson). It's a hard choice. Both just didn't seem to enjoy the normal activities associated with childhood playing games. Each seemed to enjoy activities with a more unlawful bent. Gillis was a member of a kiddie gang that enjoyed stealing and such. Karpis enjoyed riding the rails and stealing. Each had picked up these habits before their tenth birthday. Both went to reformatories and came out unreformed. Confessions of a Jack Roller is great in it's description of the various types of juvenile corrections facilities. I think that's important because it does show that as much as these individuals chose a life of crime their stays in reformatories aided that choice.

The sexually predatory nature of these institutions is public knowledge (and was back in the day); but what is so surprising to me again is the fact that very young children were thrown into these institutions. If you place a child in a world where might prevails and that child is on the low end of the food chain I don't think you can expect the child to choose to reform. The child has to live on it's instincts and do what's necessary to survive. I'm not just talking sexually, but morally. Lying, cheating, stealing (really just different forms of deception) become the things that are necessary for survival. The task is to become an expert at these arts. For extreme cases of this take a look at Carl Panzram . I honestly believe that Clyde Barrow is another one.

Vivian Chase Bio

2006-12-11T17:14:00.003-05:00

This is a picture (mug shot) of Vivian Chase taken in 1926; supposedly, she was much prettier. The circumstances of her arrest (she'd been drinking and participated in brawl) may have something to do with her looking so mean!!

Born in Nebraska around the year 1905, Vivian Davis was the youngest child of Alfred and Sarah Davis. She had three sisters Hazel, Laura and Ella and she had three brothers Lewis, Frank, and Marshall. Soon after her birth her family moved to Greene County Missouri where her father worked as a moderately successful farmer.

When she was sixteen years old she married George Chase on April 1, 1921. She had to lie about her age (stating that she was 19 at the time) in order to marry with out her parents consent.

The circumstances of her marriage are unknown; however, George Chase by this time was considerably older (30) and had begun to make a name for himself as a thief. {unfortunately there is no documentation about her home life. Nothing to determine if she ran away with George to escape a bad home or whether she was already on her own at the time. During the 20's it wouldn't have been unusual for a 16 y.o. girl to leave home to start working. But we just don't know}

Vivian Chase first gained notice as George’s wife. On December 23, 1923, George Chase was arrested for an altercation during which he was shot by Ella Keller. Ms. Keller stated that George and his companions attacked her because she had reported them to the police and that she had to shoot George in self-defense. After arresting George, the police went to his home where they found Vivian wearing six diamond rings. Since she could not explain possessing the rings, Vivian was arrested for “suspicion”. She was released after three days.

Vivian does not surface again for three years and when she does she is in the company of Charlie Mayes, also known as Pighead Hardman. {I can't find a definitive reference for George's death. He is believed to have been killed in a bank robbery soon after the Dec 1923 escapade) On February 15, 1926, Vivian, Mayes, Lee Flournoy and Flournoy’s wife were arrested after a free for all fight in a rooming house in Wichita, KS. During the arrest Vivian refused to talk. The investigation led investigators to her brother in law Charles Chase and allegations of involvement with the Joe Bratton liquor gang. { Charles' wife Grace was also arrested it is telling that Vivian maintained contact with them. She also used Grace's name from time to time as an alias.} On June 9, 1926, following a “drunken party and joy ride”, Flournoy and Mayes were fatally shot in a Picher, OK gun battle. Vivian Chase was with them. {this is the second man with whom Vivian has been involved who is shot down during a crime. It's interesting to note that we don't know if Vivian participated in Mayes' and Flournoy's crimes or whether she was just the girlfriend. }

The three of them had been under surveillance by Ottawa County Oklahoma officers for several days because the deputy sheriff informed the Sheriff of Montgomery County, KS that he had found the people who robbed the Cherryvale Bank on May 29, 1926. Vivian was placed in jail where she refused to talk to reporters.She was released on June 13, 1926, after insufficient evidence was found to charge her with a crime.

Once again the record goes silent on Vivian Chase. {It's unknown what she was doing with herself after Picher, OK. The money from the robbery was never recovered; but no one has ever said that she had it. She was known to live in style though. R.D. Morgan says that she worked at prostitution during this time in a well known road house; but she was never charged with the crime. Besides if she was comfortable making a living selling herself why steal?}

She resurfaces in June 1932. She is arrested with Jackie Forman and Enos Weeks for the robbery of the First National Bank in North Kansas City on April 9, 1932. She is held on $50,000 bond. It was a small robbery; no more than $1,500 was taken. Vivian was held at the Clay County Jail in Liberty, MO. She escaped after four months by sawing through the bars of her cell and lowering herself down with a rope made of bed sheets.{Conditions in County Jails were particulary grim during this period. It's surprising that she had sufficient bedding, but it would have been easier to bribe the guards to get more as was the custom (see Crucibles of Crime)}

After her escape from the Liberty County Jail, Vivian fled to St. Louis, MO. She became involved with Walter (Irish) O’Malley. On July 10, 1933, Vivian participated in the Kidnapping of banker August Luer. Vivian, O’Malley, Percy ‘Dice Box’ Fitzgerald drove to Mr. Luer’s home in Alton, IL. Vivian accompanied by O’Malley rang the doorbell and requested to use the phone. When she was let in and shown the phone’s location she cut the line. O’Malley wrestled August Luer to the floor and gagged his mouth. Mr. Luer was taken to a farm where he was hidden in a damp underground cellar while his captives tried to ransom him. Mr. Luer was not a well man and fearing that he would die before they were able to receive any ransom his kidnappers released him after 123 hours. Both Vivian and O’Malley fled from Illinois back to Missouri after the bungled kidnapping. O’Malley managed to elude capture for two years until he was apprehended in Kansas City on May 23, 1935. Vivian eluded capture.

In the early fall of 1935, Kansas City experienced a series of drug store robberies. The robbers were described as a man and a woman. The woman was further described as approximately 5 ft. 6 in. tall, slender, with hennaed hair. When victims were shown a photograph they identified Vivian as one of the robbers. On November 3, 1935, Vivian’s body was found in a parked car at St. Lukes Hospital in Kansas City, MO. She had been shot in the neck with the bullet exiting through her chest.

Newspapers speculated that she had been double crossed by an accomplice and was shot before she could him. She had a .22 caliber pistol on her with .45 caliber bullets in her handbag. She was shot with a .45 caliber gun. When she was found the coroner estimated that she had only been dead 2 hours or less leading to speculation that her killer drove her to the hospital while she was still alive expecting her to be found before her death.

She seemed destined for burial in a potter’s field. The owner of the funeral home she had been removed to received an anonymous call asking about the cost of providing her with a funeral. The next morning the funeral home received an envelope of money for the costs; also received were a blue dress and undergarments (her own) for Vivian to be buried in. Nine mourners outside of reporters and law officers attended her funeral. No one signed the guest book.

SOURCES

1910 USA Census Missouri State Greene County
Marriage License Jackson County MO at Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Times December 26, 1923
Wichita Beacon February 16, 1926
Wichita Eagle February 17, 1926
Miami News Record June 10, 1926
Miami News Record June 13, 1926
Kansas City Times June 8, 1932
Startling Detective Magazine June 1936
R. D. Morgan: “Irish O’Malley & the Ozark Mountain Boys” (unpublished)
Kansas City Journal-Post November 4, 1935
Kansas City Times November 9, 1935

Verne Miller

2006-12-03T08:23:00.000-05:00

I gave myself a treat this Saturday and read Brad Smith's Lawman to Outlaw: Verne Miller and the Kansas City Massacre. I enjoyed the book because Mr. Smith provides a comprehensive look at a complex individual. Individuals who have never heard of Verne Miller should know that he was on the A list of criminals in the Mid-West crime wave during the prohibition era.

The book details Miller's lawman period and shows him to be a dedicated professional; however, the book does not shed any light on why Miller embezzled funds from Beadle County, South Dakota. It is interesting to note that Verne Miller never provided a reason to anyone for this character lapse; he plead guilty at his trial and never spoke of it again.

Although he provides no fresh insight about Miller's initial crime, Smith does provide a concise analysis of Miller's character. Smith states that Miller is a "natural soldier" a man who is excited by his mission who will kill if the mission calls for it. Natural Soldiers also place a high premium on male bonding. It's telling that killings attributed to Miller outside of a job were done to avenge a friend. Smith shows how Miller's loyalty to good friend Frank "Jelly" Nash precipitated both men's deaths. Smith also points the finger at Lepke Buchalter (another person Miller considered a friend) as the person responsible for ordering Miller's death. The attempted rescue of Nash (Kansas City Massacre) was a pivotal point in crime history because it marks the turning point for public opinion against criminals and it provides Herbert Hoover with the basis for turning the Bureau of Investigation into an armed national police force. After the massacre Hoover made sure that all criminals received so much heat that it was impossible for them to function. Buchalter ,who controlled an enforcement group commonly known as Murder, Inc., had Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss kill Miller.

Smith also relates the story of Vivian Mathis, Verne Miller's consort through his criminal period. Most interesting is the treatment she received from the Bureau of Investigation. She was kidnapped and tortured until she signed an "official" statement about the Kansas City Massacre. Hoover's G-men don't come out well in Brad Smith's book he gives proof that it was Nash's escort that killed him, not Verne Miller.

All in all a good read. For pictures on Verne Miller take a look at the Verne Miller Photo Gallery.

Crazy?

2006-11-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

Maybe I am a little crazy to be obsessed with early crimes! That is the conclusion I come to after being away from work for a week. I did the Thanksgiving Dinner thing and during the work that was involved I think that time was the only time I wasn't thinking about old dead criminals!

Man, talk about a nut! Oh well, we all need a hobby. I also believe it's in my nature to be obsessive about topics. So I won't sweat it. I will sweat an hour a day studying Trust Fund arrangements and such. Ain't I the lucky one!!

I got the Barker-Karpis Cd's from the FBI. It's so funny because before they sent them out the records assistant called to let me know there had been a mistake. The letter the FBI sent me to let me know that I could get the Barker-Karpis gang information for $30 bucks was a mistake. $30 would get me the individual files on the Barkers and Alvin Karpis not the files on the gang. Those files take up over 20 Cd's and cost in excess of $400. Needless to say I will not be getting those. You can see all of those files on the FBI FOIA website . The Karpis file is really Hoover congratulatory file. Loads of letters and newspaper clippings congratulating Hoover for Barker's capture.

I think I have enough to write a couple of paragraphs on Vivian Chase. We'll see...