In the 1920s and 30s crime was keeping all law officers, including the FBI, busy During Prohibition, bootlegging (illegally supplying alcohol) ran wild. When the law was repealed, those most dedicated to a life of crime turned to bank robbing.
lBy 1945 some had become notorious.Two especially bad ones were BonnieParker and Clyde Barrow. They and their gang operated mostly in Texas and killed nine law officers and a few civilians. They were killed in Lousianna in 1934. Years after their death, they were romanticized in a ballad sung by British singer George Flake.
Charles (((Pretty Boy) Floyd was another to meet his fate in 1934, He was a back robber and somewhat popular with the public because he often destroyed mortgage papers while committing the robbery. This relieved many borrowers from further payments. He was killed in a shootout with the FBI.
John Dillinger was also a bank robber.. His two escapes from jail made him a popular subject for the media, In 1934 he was killed in Chicago by the FBI after being identified by his escort who who a red dress.
Babyface Nelson (((Lester Joseph Gillis also known as George Nelson) got the nickname “Babyface” because of boyish features and small size. He was hunted as both a bank robber and murderer. His main claim to fame was his association with John Dillinger. He died in1934 in a shootout with the FBI.
With the death of these five criminals, the nation felt relief, but the reign of gangsters was not over. Ma Barker reportedly ruled her sons’ gang ruthlessly and was killed inn 19935. Machine Gun Kelly was still alive, but in jail He and his gang were kidnqpers, among other crimes, and were successful in collecting ransoms from two different kidnappings. He was captured and jailed .After 21years there, he died of a heart attack.
Congress took action in 1934 and passed the National Firearms Act banning machine guns and other firearms adapted to automatic fire.
Thanks to the Lloyd Sealy Library for furnishing this information from its records of the Great Depression.
