She was able to bypass Baby Face Nelson, who was following them, and mail the letter. Three nights later, he stole the jewelry of the wife of Chicago mayor Big Bill Thompson, valued at $18,000. He roamed the Chicago streets with a gang of juvenile hoodlums during his early teens. McDade and Ryan were unaware that one of their bullets had punctured the water pump of Nelson's Ford. Through his contacts within the Touhy Gang, Nelson fled west to Reno, where he was harbored by William Graham, a known crime boss and gambler. A police officer was killed by the gang during the crime. Baby Face Nelson. [28], A day after the Little Bohemia raid, Dillinger, Hamilton, and Van Meter ran through a police roadblock near Hastings, Minnesota, drawing fire from officers there. He was given the nickname Baby Face Nelson due to his small stature and somewhat youthful appearance, although few dared call him that to his face. [51][52] After surrendering on Thanksgiving Day, Helen, who had been paroled after capture at Little Bohemia, served a year in prison for harboring her husband. [29][30] Hamilton reportedly died in hiding on April 30 or May 1, 1934, and was secretly buried by Dillinger and others, including Nelson, who had rejoined the gang in Aurora, Illinois. On the morning of November 27, Nelson, along with his wife Helen Gillis and associate John Paul Chase, headed south in a stolen V8 Ford towards Chicago on U.S. Highway 12 (now US-14). Nelson, always keen to spot federal agents, caught sight of a sedan driven in the opposite direction by agents Thomas McDade and William Ryan. Over the next few years, he was in and out of juvenile facilities. The salesman exited his vehicle to protest, whereupon Nelson shot him dead. Nelson was shot a total of nine times; a single (and ultimately fatal) machine gun slug had struck his abdomen and eight of Hollis's shotgun pellets had hit his legs. [33], On the morning of June 30, Nelson, Dillinger, Van Meter, and one or more additional accomplices robbed the Merchants National Bank in South Bend, Indiana. Baby Face Nelson was a famous American gangster, who was born on December 6, 1908.As a person born on this date, Baby Face Nelson is listed in our database as the 98th most popular celebrity for the day (December 6) and the 120th most popular for the year (1908). Baby Face Nelson Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), known by the alias George Nelson and Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber. He started his life in crime at the age of 13. George "Baby Face" Nelson (6 December 1908-27 November 1934), born Lester Joseph Gillis, was an American bank robber who was active in the Midwest during the Great Depression.. In the ensuing gunfight, three people were killed and three wounded. [27], At the time of the Little Bohemia shootout, Nelson's identity as a member of the Dillinger gang had been known to the FBI for two weeks. When Dillinger won a round and raked in the pot, Wanatka caught a glimpse of Dillinger's pistol concealed in his coat, and noticed that Nelson and the others also had shoulder holsters. Cumberland House Publishing. 203–255. Two days later, Tommy Carroll was cornered by two detectives and opened fire, killing Detective H.C. Perrin and wounding Detective Al Hartman. Nelson was later quoted as having said that Baum had him "cold" and could not understand why he had not fired. Lester Joseph Gillis, better known to the world as Baby Face Nelson, was among the most notorious bank robbers in America in the 1930s. Both parties simultaneously recognized each other and after several U-turns by both vehicles, Nelson wound up in pursuit of the agents' car. As Berg retreated into his store under a return volley from Nelson, a man in a parked car was wounded. Nelson and the remaining gang members were labelled as public enemy number one. In the din of the gun battle, Chase heard Nelson complain that his weapon was jamming, and the wounded Nelson swapped it out for either a .351 Winchester or a Colt Monitor machine rifle. At a different hospital, Cowley lived for long enough to confer briefly with Melvin Purvis and have surgery, before succumbing to a stomach wound similar to Nelson's. pp. [53], Baby Face Nelson and his wife Helen are buried at Saint Joseph's Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois.[54]. The agents quickly opened fire on them, instantly killing Boisneau and wounding the others, and alerting the gang members inside. A month later, Nelson and his gang netted $25,000 worth of jewelry from home invasions. This job netted approximately $50,000 worth of jewelry. Despite his grievous wound, Nelson moved from behind the car and advanced toward the agents while firing his weapon. When Nelson's powerful Ford caught up to the agents' slower sedan, Chase opened fire on the agents. Nelson had been severely wounded — hit by 17 bullets — in the standoff, but he, Chase and his wife managed to get away. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Soon after, Melvin Purvis, the local FBI agent, was contacted. Biography of Baby Face Nelson. Emerging from the woods ninety minutes later, a mile away from Little Bohemia, Nelson kidnapped the Lange couple from their home and ordered them to drive him away. Nelson was driving in a stolen car with his wife and Chase near Barrington, Illinois, when they were spotted by FBI agents. [12], The Grand Haven bank robbery convinced Nelson he was ready to lead his own gang. His specialties were car theft, bootlegging and armed robbery. He received average grades in school but left after eighth grade. Nelson was almost caught that April while he was hiding out with the Dillinger gang in northern Wisconsin. Witnesses reported that Nelson wildly sprayed sub-machine gun bullets at bystanders as he made his getaway. Biography. 1.[39]. Nelson, who had been outside the lodge in the adjacent cabin, characteristically attacked the raiding party head on, exchanging fire with Purvis, before retreating into the lodge under a return volley from other agents. The pair engaged in numerous criminal activities over the next few years. Joseph 'Fatso' Negri On the night of Monday, Nov. 26, 1934, George "Baby Face" Nelson, his wife Helen and his partner John Paul Chase were just outside Chicago in … Accosted by the agents, Reilly and Cherrington backed out and escaped under fire. He started his life in crime at the age of 13. Nelson was born Lester Joseph Gillis on December 6, 1908 in Chicago, Illinois. Upon their return to Chicago on July 15, the gang held a reunion meeting at a favorite rendezvous site. These include: Nickel, Steven; William J. Helmer (2002). He was later appointed vice president under President Gerald Ford. Nelson staggered over Hollis's body, aimed his weapon at the agent's fallen form for a moment then limped toward the agents' Hudson. According to biography “Baby Face Nelson: Portrait of a Public Enemy,” young Lester soon fled from St. Pat’s, hitching his way home. A ricocheting bullet struck Hamilton in the back, fatally wounding him. Sentenced to a year in jail, he escaped from custody while being transported to be tried on another bank robbery charge in February 1932. On one occasion in early 1930, he and come accomplices raided the home of a wealthy magazine owner and made off with jewelry that’d be worth about $3 million today. Shop for Vinyl, CDs and more from Baby Face Nelson at the Discogs Marketplace. On March 13, a week after the robbery in Sioux Falls, the gang robbed the First National Bank in Mason City, Iowa. Several buckshot pellets from Hollis's shotgun then struck Nelson in the legs and knocked him down. John Dillinger was an infamous gangster and bank robber during the Great Depression. Willie Nelson is a country singer-songwriter known for hit songs like "Crazy" and "On the Road Again.". He was succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. Nelson eventually earned the nickname "Baby Face" for his youthful appearance by his fellow street thugs. Fritsch's quartered body was said to have been thrown down an abandoned mine shaft,[23] and was never found. According to Bryan Burrough's book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34, this most likely happened when Wanatka was playing cards with Dillinger, Nelson, and Hamilton. In 1934, he participated in robberies with John Dillinger and his gang. 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