| Reconsidering History |
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| Private Collection |
| Private Collection |
| Private Collection |
| Baby Face Nelson: Mad dog or aggressive puppy? |
| Just who was Lester Gillis, aka Baby Face Nelson? According to J. Edgar Hoover, Nelson was a crazed killer with yellow eyes who enjoyed watching people die at his hands and made a hobby of killing without reason. His wife Helen described him as a loving, loyal husband and attentive father. His mother, Mary Gillis, said he quiet and kind, didn't use foul language and never drank to excess. His fellow bandits knew him as trustworthy and fearless. His friends said he was generous, loyal and had a good sense of humor. So who was Nelson? Well, he was all of the above, in one form or another. Unlike the others of his era, however, Nelson was never interviewed and had no one to speak for him while he was alive. In fact, most of the public had no knowledge of him until Hoover pushed him into the spotlight after Nelson killed an agent during the raid on Little Bohemia (see "The FBI Gets a Black Eye" link on the homepage). We are able to learn a lot about Nelson, however, by seeing him in the same light as his contemporaries. So lets see how he stacks up, and then you be the judge. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker Bonnie and Clyde terrorized the Southwest for nearly two years before they were gunned down on a hot, muggy May morning in 1934. While on the run, their families served as their "press agents" and public protectors. The families were quoted in news stories of the day explaining away a lot of what the pair had been accused of doing. They usually told the stories as they were relayed to them by Bonnie and Clyde, so a lot of facts surrounding the shootings and crimes were no doubt glossed over. Additionally, despite the death the pair left in its wake, there was a certain public sympathy for them. They were viewed by some as lost lovers on a one-way road to destruction. Unlike others bandits of the era, Bonnie and Clyde didn't commit many major robberies. They were basically nichel-and-dime thieves who hit gas stations and small stores. They survived on a mostly hand-to-mouth existence. In fact, John Dillinger once said the pair gave bank robbers a bad name. Although their crime spree no doubt caused sleepless nights for many people, the romantic image of the two young lovers dying together in a blaze of gunfire was not lost on the public's imagination. Their deaths gave birth to their legend. They would forever be seen as a surreal modern-day Romeo and Juliet. How bad were they? Although research shows it's unlikely Bonnie ever killed, or even shot at anyone, Clyde has been linked to at least a dozen murders, including the shooting of an unarmed man in front of his wife and children on Christmas morning in 1933. The man saw Clyde attempting to steal his car and when he went outside to confront Clyde, Clyde simply shot him. There are a few versions as to what happened that morning, all with minor differences, but the bottom line is Clyde gunned down an unarmed man. Clyde was also directly responsible for at least five other murders. The other shootings were committed by members in his gang, but certainly with Clyde's knowledge, and mostly likely in his presence. There's no indication anywhere of Clyde, or even Bonnie, ever trying to prevent a killing. They usually professed sorrow afterward, but Clyde Barrow always seemed willing to pull the triger and then make excuses. Although Bonnie never killed anyone, it's generally agree by historians that as they neared their end, Bonnie because obsessive about protecting Clyde and might well have killed if it meant protecting him. On a danger scale of 1 to 10, Bonnie and Clyde would have to be ranked at nine. Alvin Karpis/Barker Brothers Montreal-born Alvin Karpowicz and Fred and Arthur (Doc) Barker were among the most accomplished - and deadly - bandits of the 1930s. Their crime spree span the Mid and Southwest and left a trail of bodies unequaled by any of the other gangs. Karpis himself, in a Canadian documentary on his life done shortly before his death, admitted to "about 12 or 14 deaths. Something like that. I didn't keep count." Like Barrow, they had little problem pulling a triger - and they killed unarmed men. |
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