American gangsters

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Background Information

The social scene of the 1920s not only discouraged prohibition, but it also sparked new waves of gang-related crime, such as bootlegging and bank robbery. A number of criminals could become powerful in the 1920s via bootlegging and bank robbing. The Great Depression created financial hardships for the masses, but criminals found ways to make money. Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, and Lester "Baby face Nelson" Gills were among the most notorious criminals of their time. They would cover a three state area and have many people working for them in those states. Each was adept and secretive in their practices. Although each one of them spent time in jail, they found ways to continue their criminal activities.

Bootlegging and bank robberies occurred across the entire nation, but the big name criminals were usually found in the same geographic location. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Chicago was a major city that housed big banks and also a large population, and as such seemed the ideal location for criminals like Capone and Dillinger to operate their illegal activities. After they committed crimes they would flee to neighboring states such as, Indiana and Wisconsin where they had hideouts. Capone often went to his hideout in Hayward, Wisconsin, and Dillinger went to Manitowish Waters, both in northern Wisconsin. These proved to be effective safe havens for the criminals because of their remote atmosphere. Besides the criminals using Wisconsin and other neighboring states for a hideout, many of these criminals spent time in prison in these states. John Dillinger spent 8 and 1/2 years in Indiana State Prison in Michigan City for robbing a grocery store of $120 dollars with his friend Ed Singelton. His father persuaded him to admit his guilt to a judge, but later collected 800 signatures for his release from prison.

Bootlegging

In the winter of 1920 the United States Government banned the sale of alcohol in all 48 states in an attempt to control the rising crime rates in the country. The passing of the prohibition laws failed to achieve the government's goals, and crime rates increased. The number of illegal bars and saloons almost doubled during prohibition, and increasingly more people were willing to pay the Bootleggers' outrageously high prices for the illegal substance. Law enforcement was forced to use much of its resources in policing the alcohol trade, a result being that more serious crimes were overlooked. The alcohol that the bootleggers provided was often of poor quality and overpriced, and alcohol poisoning rose 400% from bootlegging.

Bank Robberies

Not only did alcohol consumption increase during prohibition, bank robberies also increased during this time. There was a lot of money in bootlegging, but the criminals found out that robbing banks was easier and more money was collected faster. The great John Dillinger was one of the best of the time at robbing banks. In 1933, John Dillinger and his gang began a streak of robberies starting with a bank in Ohio. On June, 10 1933 he posed as a bank alarm system salesman. Posing as a salesman gave him access to bank vaults and security systems. He robbed multiple banks with the same ruse. The Dillinger gang collected almost $300,000 ^[1] in loot from this string of robberies. Some of the banks they robbed during this streak included, Commercial Bank, Daleville Indiana, Central National Bank and Trust Co., Greencastle, Indiana, and American Bank and Trust Co. in Racine, Wisconsin. It was not always so easy for the criminals though, many times gangs were shot at by police and civilians. They were constantly on the run avoiding the police and looking for safe havens.

Weapons

To go along with bootlegging and bank robberies, weapons provided gangsters adequate or even more powerful weapons than the police possessed. The rise of the sub-machine gun during the 1920s gave the criminals an edge over the police. The Colt Patent Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut produced 15,000 "Tommy Guns" through a contract with the Auto-Ordance Corporation of New York. The weapon was originally meant for the army, but it was finished being developed just after World War 1. The weapon became popular with gangsters because of the light-weight properties, ease of use, and a large circular drum held almost 100 rounds. Perfect for spraying ammunition at police and other targets. After the St. Valentines Day Massacre in Cicero, Chicago a ballistics study was conducted by Col Calvin Goddard and he found that 11% of the killings in Cicero, Chicago were the result of the Tommy Gun.

The Capture

In a unique situation, J. Edgar Hoover created a special task force to capture the most wanted man in the United States. A Romanian immigrant contacted the police to become an undercover informant to help capture John Dillinger. Ana Cumpănaş was threatened to be deported, but if she helped the police she would be allowed to stay in the United States. Dillinger and Ana Cumpănaş attended the Biograph theatre and at the conclusion of the show police and federal agents were waiting for him outside the theatre. Dillinger recognized the agents and reached for his gun, but was shot three times, twice in the chest and once in the neck. Dillinger was later pronounced dead at Alexian Brothers hospital. John Dillinger and many other criminals during this era encountered the same fate in their fast-paced criminal lifestyle. Dillinger was caught after being the most wanted man for more than two years.