| Some "Baby" Facts Background: Born in Chicago as Lester Gillis. Education: Minor. Private life: Married Helen Wawzynak in 1928. Vitals: 5' 4 3/4"; yellow and gray slate eyes; light chestnut hair; medium build. Aliases: George Nelson; Alex Gillis; Lester Giles; "Big" George Nelson; Jimmie Nelson; Jimmy Williams. Record: Robbed jewelry from a Chicago home in January, 1931. Arrested and sentenced to Joliet State Peniteniary (inmate 5437). While in prison he was convicted of bank robbery. Escaped Feb. 17, 1932. Misdeeds: Teamed up with Tommy Carroll and Eddie Green and robbed banks in several states during 1933. In early 1934 he joined forces with John Dillinger and robbed banks with him and others that year. Killings: Nelson shot and killed Theodore Kidder, a resident of St. Paul, Minn., in March 1934. He shot and killed FBI Agent W. Carter Baum near Little Bohemia Lodge, Rhinelander, Wis., on April 23, 1934. He also shot and killed FBI Agents Herman Hollis and Sam Cowley on Nov. 27, 1934, near Barrington, Ill. Nelson was wounded in the gun battle and died later that day. His blanket-wrapped body was found in a roadside ditch near a cemetery the following day. Claim to Fame: After the FBI gunned down Dillinger, "Pretty Boy" Floyd and a few others, it turned its attention to Nelson, who craved headlines. He got his wish. He was named Public Enemy Number One and made the headlines every day for several weeks until he was killed. |
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| If you just happened upon this site and don't know who "Baby Face" Nelson was, read the "Baby Facts" to the right for a thumbnail bio of one of the Depression era's most infamous bank robbers. If you are already familiar with Nelson or have visited us before, click on any of the links below for more detailed stories and photos about his life. We're always updating with information on Nelson and Depression era outlaws in general. Please visit again...and please sign our guestbook! |
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| Since December, 2000 |
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| What You See Is Not What You Get |
| The links noted above are far from the only links on this site. Most will link you to other pages within the site. In fact, there are nearly 40 pages of text, photos and illustrations for you to enjoy. You can read about Nelson's life, his crimes and the crimes of others. You can see pictures from his family's private photo album as well as offical police and FBI photos. There are even some morgue photos of Nelson and the others. Additionally, you can read about his contemporaries as well as people you probably never heard of, but who played an important role in the crime wave that swept the Midwest during the Great Depression. So put some music on the stereo, mix a drink and enjoy the visit. And remember, the information you read here is just a sampling of what we have on Nelson and the others. There's a whole lot more to the story. |
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| The Great Depression |
| (to be posted this month) |
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