Machine Gun Kelly

Bootlegger, bank robber, and kidnapper. Born George Kelly Barnes on July 18, 1895, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Some sources state that he was born in 1897. A book by one of his sons stated that he was born in Chicago in 1900.) Despite the nickname "Machine Gun," Kelly was a relatively minor criminal until a 1933 kidnapping made him infamous. Before starting his life of crime, he was a student at Mississippi A & M College. He married Geneva Ramsey when he was 19, but the couple later divorced. His first wife told The New York Times after his arrest that she divorced him because he was "running in bad company." They had two sons together.

Involved in bootlegging as a teenager, Kelly returned to the profitable illegal enterprise after several failed attempts at legitimate work. He was caught selling illegal liquor in 1927 and spent a few months in jail in New Mexico. Nabbed again, this time for selling liquor on an Indian reservation, Kelly did time at Leavenworth Prison in Kansas. While incarcerated, he made friends with several bank robbers-including Charlie Harmon, Frank Nash, and Francis Keating, and Thomas Holden-and is believed to have helped Keating and Holden escape.

After his release from prison in 1930, Kelly traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota, with his girlfriend Kathryn Thorne. (The two later married in the fall of that year.) There he reunited with Keating and Holden and participated in a bank hold-up with the pair. Continuing his crime spree, Kelly was involved in bank robberies in several states, including Iowa, Texas, and Washington. According to legend, Kelly's wife helped build his reputation, buying him a machine gun and nicknaming him after the weapon. She also reportedly gave away shell casings from his exploits to people as souvenirs to increase his notoriety.

Along with bank robbing, Kelly tried made several attempts at kidnapping. With his wife and longtime associate Albert L. Bates, Kelly hatched a plan to kidnap wealthy Oklahoma oil man Charles F. Urschel. On July 22, Bates and Kelly entered the Urschel's Oklahoma City home and abducted Urschel and one of his friends, Walter R. Jarrett, leaving their wives behind. Jarrett was soon let go, but Urschel was held for ransom. Kelly and his gang wanted $200,000 for the oil man.

They set up an elaborate system for the handling of their captive and the delivery of the ransom. But they didn't count on Urschel's sharp mind and the authorities keeping track the ransom money's serial numbers. The ransom was delivered on July 30 in Kansas City and Urschel was released the next day. He was unharmed and, although blindfolded some of the time, he was able to provide a number of clues to authorities. From Urschel's descriptions of what he heard and saw while being held hostage, the authorities were able to figure out that he must have been near Paradise, Texas. Earlier there also had been a tip that the Kellys were involved.

Kathryn Kelly's mother, Ora Shannon, lived on a ranch near Paradise. The place was raided and several suspects, including Shannon, her husband, and his son, were arrested on August 12. Bates was caught that same day in Denver, Colorado, on an unrelated charge, but he was found to have money from the kidnapping on him. But the Kellys eluded capture for several weeks. They were discovered in Memphis, Tennessee, and taken into custody on September 26, 1933. They were quickly tried and convicted; both were sentenced to life in prison on October 12.

The once notorious Machine Gun Kelly was mocked in the news as "Pop Gun Kelly." He was sent to Alcatraz Prison, home to many hardened criminals, such Al Capone. Moved to Leavenworth in the 1950s, Kelly died there on July 17, 1954, of a heart attack.

Today Kelly is remembered along with the likes of "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, and "Baby Face" Nelson as one of the criminals that made up the Midwest crime wave of the early 1930s

An investigation conducted at Memphis disclosed that the Kellys were living at the residence of J.C. Tichenor. Special Agents from Birmingham, Alabama, were immediately dispatched to Memphis, where, in the early morning hours of September 26, 1933, a raid was conducted. George and Kathryn Kelly were taken into custody by FBI Agents and Memphis police. Caught without a weapon, George Kelly cried, "Don't shoot, G-Men! Don't shoot, G-Men!" as he surrendered to FBI Agents. The term, which had applied to all federal investigators, became synonymous with FBI Agents. The couple was immediately removed to Oklahoma City.

On October 12, 1933, George and Kathryn Kelly were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Investigation at Coleman, Texas, disclosed that the Kellys had been housed and protected by Cassey Earl Coleman and Will Casey, and that Coleman had assisted George Kelly in storing $73,250 of the Urschel ransom money on his ranch. This money was located by Bureau Agents in the early morning hours of September 27, in a cotton patch on Coleman's ranch. They were both indicted at Dallas, Texas, on October 4, 1933, charged with harboring a fugitive and conspiracy, and on October 17, 1933, Coleman, after entering a plea of guilty, was sentenced to serve one year and one day, and Casey after trial and conviction, was sentenced to serve two years in the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas.

J.C. Tichemor and Langford Ramsey were indicted at Jackson, Tennessee, on charges of conspiracy and harboring and concealing a fugitive, for their part in concealing the Kellys at Memphis, Tennessee. On October 21, 1933, they were each sentenced to serve two years and six months imprisonment.

Investigation also disclosed that while the Kellys were in Chicago, Illinois, they were shielded by Abe and Charles Kaplan.

During the time in which Urschel was being held a kidnap victim, Kathryn Kelly maintained a residence at Fort Worth, Texas. She had been living with Louise Magness. Shortly after the payment of the ransom money, and in response to a telegram, Louise Magness flew from Fort Worth, Texas, to Des Moines, Iowa, where she joined George and Kathryn Kelly. She then drove the Kellys to Brownwood, Texas, and posing as the sister of George Kelly, purchased for Kelly and his wife a 1928 Chevrolet sedan.

On February 22, 1934, Magness was indicted at Fort Worth, Texas, charged with harboring George and Kathryn Kelly. On April 30, 1934, she entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced to serve one year and one day in the Federal Industrial Institution for Women at Alderson, West Virginia.

Investigation disclosed that Albert Bates had married Mrs. Clara Feldman, who had a son, Edward George Feldman. Clara Feldman had a brother-in-law, Alvin H. Scott, who was also a close associate of the above-mentioned parties. After the Urschel kidnapping, Bates joined Clara and Edward Feldman in Denver, Colorado, and later visited relatives in Portland, Oregon. Bates then returned to Denver, Colorado, where he was arrested shortly thereafter.

Clara and Edward Feldman had no knowledge of Bates' arrest until a prisoner, who had recently been released from the county jail in Denver, left a message at the Feldman apartment to the effect that Bates was in custody and that Clara Feldman should "look in the suitcase." The suitcase was found to be filled with $20 bills. Clara and Edward Feldman then proceeded to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they buried this money.

Shortly thereafter, Ben Laska, a Denver attorney, communicated with the Feldmans, advised them that he was defending Bates, and that he would get in touch with them when he needed some money. Laska then took from Edward Feldman all identifying papers and told Feldman to use the fictitious name of Axel C. Johnson. Laska advised Edward and Clara Feldman to go east and live in large cities where their identities would not become known. Thereafter, at Laska's request, Clara and Edward Feldman paid Laska $8,000 of this ransom money to cover his expenses in the defense of Bates. Laska then asked for a diagram of the place where the remaining ransom money was buried. Edward Feldman furnished him with a fictitious diagram.

Laska subsequently demanded of Edward Feldman an additional $2,000. By prearrangement, Edward Feldman met Laska at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where $2,000 of the Urschel ransom money was delivered to Laska.

On December 4, 1934, Clara Feldman advised Special Agents of the location of additional ransom currency in the sum of $38,460 which had been cached away. On November 2, 1934, Alvin H. Scott, a brother-in-law of Clara Feldman was seriously injured in an automobile accident at Roseburg, Oregon. At the time of this accident, Scott had in his possession $1,360 in Urschel ransom money. A search of the premises of Alvin Scott disclosed the location of an additional sum of $6,140 in Urschel ransom money. Clara Feldman and Edward Feldman were taken into custody at Dunsmuir, California, November 9, 1934, $1,100 in ransom money being recovered from their possession. Immediate questioning of them by Special Agents disclosed the location of $1,520 additional ransom currency which these parties had cached at a point near Woodland, Washington. Continued questioning of Alvin H. Scott disclosed the location of additional ransom money in the sum of $5,000.

On December 14, 1934, the following persons were indicted by a Federal Grand Jury at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, charging them with conspiracy to violate the Kidnapping Statute: Ben B. Laska, James C. Mathers, Clara Feldman, Edward Feldman, and Alvin Scott. Accordingly, Clara and Edward Feldman and Alvin Scott were removed to Oklahoma City. On December 17, 1934, Ben Laska was taken into custody by Agents in Oklahoma City. It was alleged that Mathers had accepted from Laska $2,000 of the Urschel ransom money, with knowledge of the character of the money.

On December 17, 1934, Clara Feldman entered a plea of guilty to the indictment. Edward Feldman and Alvin Scott pleaded guilty on January 2, 1935. Alvin Scott, Clara Feldman, and Edward Feldman were sentenced on June 15, 1935, to serve five years each in a federal penitentiary. These sentences were suspended for five years, and each placed on probation.

James C. Mathers and Ben Laska were tried in Federal Court at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 10, 1935. On June 14, 1935, Mathers was acquitted by a directed verdict. On June 15, 1935, Laska was sentenced to serve ten years in a federal penitentiary.

Laska was released on a $10,000 bond pending an appeal. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit at Denver, Colorado, on March 27, 1936, rendered a decision affirming the District Court at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Laska surrendered to the U.S. Marshal at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on August 1, 1936, and was removed to the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, on the same date.

Mrs. Mollie O. Bert, a Denver, Colorado, attorney, furnished some untruthful testimony during the trials of Laska. As a result of this testimony, a complaint filed against Mrs. Bert at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 15, 1936, charging her with perjury. She was released on a $5,000 bond after a plea of not guilty.

On October 1, 1936, Mrs. Bert withdrew her plea of not guilty and entered a plea of nolle contendere and was sentenced on the same date to serve one year and one day imprisonment, which sentence was suspended pending good behavior for one year.

Twenty-one persons were convicted in this case, the sentences being: 6 life sentences and other sentences totaling 58 years, two months, and three days.

George "Machine Gun" Kelly died of a heart attack at the Federal Penitentiary, Leavenworth, Kansas, on July 17, 1954. Kathryn Kelly was released from prison in Cincinnati in 1958; she was last known to be residing in Oklahoma.