Ma Barker: The Criminal Mastermind Invented by J. Edgar Hoover

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

On January 16th, 1935, federal agents surrounded a vacation cottage in Florida and, after an hours long gun battle, found two bodies inside. One was a 61 year old woman. The FBI told the country it had eliminated the most vicious, dangerous and resourceful criminal brain of the last decade. Alvin Karpis, who actually ran with her, said she could not have planned a morning breakfast. This episode untangles the real life of Arizona Donnie Clark, born in Missouri in 1873, from the legend of Ma Barker.

Her four sons, Herman, Lloyd, Doc, and Fred, turned to crime early, and she shielded them at every turn while her husband George finally walked away. After years in a dirt floor shack, she followed Fred and Karpis on the run to St. Paul, Minnesota, where a corrupt police chief helped a clumsy gang grow into a kidnapping ring. She rented the houses and made killers look like a family on a road trip. The mastermind story came later, and it served the Bureau well.

St. Paul police chief Tom Brown supplied safe houses, sat on federal warrants, and warned the gang of raids in exchange for a cut of the profits.
The gang collected a $100,000 ransom for brewery executive William Hamm Jr. and $200,000 for banker Edward Bremer.
When the gang had crimes to commit, they handed her money and sent her to the movies. No fingerprints tie her to any crime scene or ransom note.
A letter mentioning an alligator called Gator Joe led agents to the cottage on Lake Weir, where more than 2,000 rounds were exchanged.
Facing headlines about agents killing an elderly mother, Hoover fed friendly columnists a tale of a gun toting matriarch found with a submachine gun in her hands.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min