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IINiir SM6SXER true to wife
was greatest killer of all
.... — O JL
S IX men were gathered in a lonely shack in the wild hills of South
Dakota on March 6, 1934. Known as the Dillinger Gang, they
were dividincr un 49.500 dollars in loot from a bank hold-up in the
i nearby town of Sioux Falls. One of them a
silent, diminutive, boyish-looking thug with a
machine gun under his arm — - stood,
' apart from the others, unsmiling:
and menacing. "Come on you guys," his voice rasped sud-i
denly. "Quit the stalling and give me my cut. Y ou know;
how Helen hates me to be out after dark. Young Ronnie;
won't go to sleep till I get back to tell him a bed-time story.";
fTHE speaker - was "Baby Face"
Nelson, probably the most
vicious, blood-thirsty and trlgger-
happy Public Enemy of them all.
Handed his share of more than
8000 dollars, he strode out to his
car without another word and
roared away.
The rest of the gang then
breathed more easily. None of
them had felt sure that he would
not machine-gun them and take
the lot.
Dillinger laughed uncomfort
ably. "A good fellow, Jimmy," he
£aid placatingly, "always a handy
man to have along."
The others said nothing, but
exchanged amused glances. They
knew that Dillinger, although he
tried to hide it, was just as scared
of Nelson as they were.
Twelve people, including three
Federal G-Men, were slain by
gaby Face Nelson's barking guns,
with a round, cherubic face and
pink and white cheeks, he looked
like a 14-years-old boy, but at
heart he was a human rattle
snake.
There is only one redeeming
feature in his whole life of mur
derous villainy — his adoration of
his wife and little son.
Unlike the other gangsters,
Nelson had no "molls" or good-
time girls upon whom he "squan
dered his blood money. After his
Sarriage, in his 'teens, he never
oked at another woman.
. Baby Face was born and bred
as Lester Gillis in the slum meat
packing district of Chicago. He
acquired his nickname early, be
cause of his runtish stature and
boyish appearance.
Before he was 20, he had a. wife,
a baby son, an alias (Jimmy Nel-
fcon) and had served terms In re
formatories for car stealing and
petty hold-ups. By the time he
was 21, he had developed into an
accomplished and successful ban
dit. mfllrinp- SO 000 dollars a vear.
In September,
1931, he . was
Captured during
6 bank robbery
t Hillside, Illi-
hois. His sen
tence was one
. fcrear to life in Joliet Penitentiary.
Within the next year he failed
in three escape attempts. He
knight still be in the prison, had
the authorities not decided to put
|iim on trial for another bank
jobbery they had traced to him.
Returning by train to Joliet, in
Custody and with a fresh 20-years'
sentence on his head, Nelson was
Slipped a gun by a friend.
He bided his time until taken
1>ff the train and into a car for
ihe last few miles out to the peni-
entiary. Then his guards, sitting
>ack serenely in the limousine,
leard- his snarling voice.
"Eve got you covered from my
ocket," he grinned; "Take these
uffs off or I'll plug you."
It says something for Baby
Face's reputation that all in the
Car knew he was not bluffing.
The guard to" whose arm he was
attached by handcuff . did not
hesitate in unlocking him.
With typical bravado, he waited
until they arrived at the gates be
fore he bundled his prisoners out,
took over the wheel and drove
away to freedom.
However, he was not fool
enough to remain long around
Chicago. ' Shortly after, with
Helen and Ronnie, he set off for
California.
As Jimmy Burnett, he joined up
with a bootlegging gang. For a;
while he worked quietly at this
(to him) comparatively lawful
occupation. With the coming of
Repeal, however, the bottom-drop
ped out of the business and he
decided to return East.
In Minneapolis, Baby Face Nel
son then started recruiting the
collection of murderers, bank-
robbers, hijackers and hold-up
men wno. later merged into the
Dillinger Gang.
But Baby Face was a killer and
little more. Under his leadership,
they never advanced further up
the criminal scale' than minor
banditry., .
When Dillinger - escaped, from
gaol and joined them early in
1934, however, they turned to. big
ger things. He provided under
world contacts that could supply
arms,' ammunition, bullet-proof
vests and armored cars.
Soon, under Dillinger's direc
tion, they began to hit the na
tional headlines, with bank rob
bery after bank robbery and loot
running "into nearly a million dol-
l&rs '
They were given the honor of-
being tabbed "Public Enemies." In
the parlance of the underworld,
they were in the "big time".
On April 22, 1934, the phone
rang in the Chicago office of In
spector Sam Cowley, the FBI offl-
cer specially deputed by J. Edgar
Hoover to hunt down the Dillin
ger Gang.
It was the
police. They had
a report from a
tourist resort
called Little Bo
hemia, -in up-
country Wiscon-
sin, that the six members of the
gang had moved in and practical
ly- commandeered the place two
days before.
In company with their women,
they were staging a wild, roister
ing party;
A couple of hours later, two
planes, loaded with G-Men, mach
ine guns, tear-gas bombs and all
the other paraphernalia of mod
ern crime hunting, touched down
at Rhinelander Airport.
A procession of cars conveyed
the G-Men to Little Bohemia.-
Inside the resort hotel, the
gangsters were occupied with
dancing, drinking and card play
ing. As usual, Baby Face Nelson
and Helen Gillis, as she preferred
to be called, were sitting- together,
a little apart from the others,
with their son. '
Suddenly the barking, of dogs
outside - give a-
warning. Jit
tery, their
nerves and per
ceptions worn to
razor - e d g e
sharpness, t li e
six men jumped
toi their feet.
Machine- guns
were grabbed as
they ran to the
windows.
It was. early
evening, and
they could see
t h e menacing
shadows of the
G-Men moving
in the dim light.
In such an
e m e r gency, it
w- a s always
Baby Face Nel
son who gave
the o r ders.
Above the pan
demonium and
terrified whim
pers of the
vw o m e n, he
shouted: "L e t
.'em have it!"
To the officers outside, the win
dows became rattling bursts, of
flame. A/ leaden hail mowed,
through them as they ' dived for
cover. J, >"
At a disadvantage in the open,
the G-Men answered the fire, but
were forced to fall back tempor
arily. Immediately Nelson gave the '
order to make a: break for the
cars, through the back door.
Needing no second bidding, Dll-
Jinger and the other four were off
like sprinters. Their women, cow
ering in a corner, were left to fend
for themselves.
Baby Face, machine gun at the
ready, followed./ He was trying
to shield as best he coifid- the.
crouched .figure of Helen Gillis,
baby in her arms, at his side!
There had, hot been enough
officers to surround Little Bohe-
mia completely, and the way at
the back was clear. However, with
the cessation, of fire 'at the win
dows, a dozen of them came run
ning, realising a getaway jvas
afoot.
Two, Officers Carter Baum and
Jay Newman,, outstripiped the
others and appeared around the
corner first.' r ; v /
At hia car now. Baby Face-turn
ed as Helen tumbled inside. His
lips partedjn: a wolfish snarl.
"They say you guys wear bullet
proof vests#, he shouted. "Well,
take this where 'they don't
reach." A deadly, withering burst'
struck bothfheh in stomach, groin
and thigh, ' - . ' J
Baum "died within a few sec
onds; Newman lapsed into uncon
sciousness, . but ..later recovered. -
Meanwhile, the tiny killer, hug
ging the ;wheel of his huge, 16-
cylinder sedan; - was tearing down
a nearby road ;to safety. :
Between curses at the men who-
hunted him, he offered / tender
words of comfort to the sobbing,
frightened girl at his iside.
Although all escaped, the at
tack on Little Bohemia was the
beginning of the end for the Dil
linger Gang. They split up for
safety's sake, and one by one were
hunted down by the FBI. All
were either killed or captured for-
later execution in the electric
chair. .
On the morning of July 23,
1934, Baby Face Nelson got up
early and went out to get a news
paper. In a few minutes he was
back, shaking .his sleeping wife
and ordering her to get up and
get dressed.
In screaming headlines the
paper, announced the killing the
previous evening, outside a Chic
ago picture theatre, of John Dil
linger.
With Dillinger dead, Baby Face
knew he was on his own. He was
the only one left, and upon him
would be turned now the full at
tention of the FBI. He was "Pub
lic Enemy No. 1," the G-Men's
, main quarry.
"Hurry upj Helen/' he kept say-
ing as s h ,«
packed, "we've
got to beat it
out of here — .
quick"
Leaving Ron-
i nie with rela-
/tlves of. Helen ,
Gillis, the pair .
began a wild,
zig-zag flight,
back and forth
across the coun-
try, mat was to last lor months.
In San Francisco, they stopped
whil6 Baby Face looked up a
young ; hanger-on and criminal
hero-worshipper named John
Paul Chase, whom he had met
there in his boot-legging days
Dazzled by' the romance of big-
time gangaterdom he believed
Nelson typified, he eagerly threw
I in his lot with him. , uaa
; Unknown and uriphotographed,
' Chase- was used by Baby Face to
I drive into towns for petrol. and
oil, engage rooms after dark at =
/roadside tourist "c a mp s and
'.secluded hotels and put throrigh
telephone calls to underworld
friesrids iri Chicago. loi news. C;
. His nerves at breaking ( point,
' the desperate Baby Face's life was
a misery. At night he /would, 'flriake.
trembling with premonition . of
danger, arid rout Helen arid Chase
;out Of the bdds they had only
/ fallen thankfully into an7 hour or
so before
; "Come on," / he would Irisist.
"Get out to the car. Wte've got
to keep going." ' - HI „
They went back to Chicago in
November, 1934, .and moved ipto a
small holiday/ hotel just outside
,,the cifcy.v' Nelson did not know
that every;;$Srich establishment ,
' bad been visited by G-Meri;': pro
vided with .; photographs / arid
warned toiphone;the FBI, the jii-
starit he appeared.
On November 17 -Inspector Cow
ley got the proprietor's, tip that he
had arrived.' Most of; his men
were out, s"o, with but one other
officer, Herman Hollis, : he went
out himself to investigate. /;
As they came, up the road to
the hotel, they saw Nelson's car
sweep past them on its way to
wards Chicago. He had taken
fright agaifiiprid' decided to movfc.
Cowley turned and set off ; in
pursuit. His car was faster than
Nelson's and he gradually over
took it. — /; > : '
The alert little gunman had- no
doubt who ' was - speeding closer
every, second behind him. A
weight seeriied to drop from his
shoulders at the prospect of
action after, months of .nerve-
racking; running and: hiding. "
He ordered Chase to pull up and
: swing the car around to block the
road. Machine guri in hand, he
jumped out; and waited for his
hunters to catch up. ,
' With brakes shrieking; the FBI .
car , grourid to a stapdstiU. - Baby
Face was ready. Before Cowley
and Hollis could alight, he w$s
spraying them with remorseless
fire. ::V"' /\-\'. - .// .
Hollis was killed almost instant
ly, but Cowley leapt out, gun in
hand for action. ' A- fresh burst
from Baby Face thudded -into his
chest. . : ' ;<'/
He sank; to one knee. Through
a mist of pairi, he saw. the midget
killer grinning, evilly at him. .
His guri wasfstill clutched, in his'
hand. Mindghtirig/;his ebbing;
strength, Copley raised- it ana-
fired.; I _ :._.v .
Another /rat-tat-tat shattered
the country;/ silence. Baby Face
fell/ clutching/ his stomach and:
bleeding from a dozen wounds.
The dying Cowley slipped to the.
ground. His gun fell from his
grasp unheeded, but he did not
need it riiorei /He kriew Baby Face
was finished, too; .. ;
: Late that night, on the back
seat of his / car, as Chase drove
around vainly seekirig shelter and
medical aid- Baby Face Nelson
died in the arriis of his grief-
stricken wife.
Helen; Gillis
took his blood-
caked b o d y,
sieved like a
colander with
Cowley's bullets,
and left it: o,n a
blanket outside
a cemetery
Then she re
turned to Chic
ago to give her-i
self mi to 'ihfl
police. Later she served a short;
prison term.
John Paul Chase fled to Califor
nia, but; was soon, captured. His '
few months' association with the
snarling, pint-sized killer- he re
vered earned him a life' sentence
in Alcatraz.
[?]
"PARADE" 7
: Selections of these "DAILY MIR- 1
I ROR" Special" Feature articles ;
; - are published in permanent book-/ >
-let form each; second month!;
II . under the title of > ;
: - : AiMkOEr' ' : -
; - All Newsagents and .Bookstalls. '
-i I ; ..Price, 1/6. .
!"Boby Face" N«l- son, Killer No. 1 to the Dillinger gang, and, below, | his devoted wife lin whoso arms ho died when he. was shot by G «Men. His one redeeni- ;ing feature was > his -affectionate constancy to hor.' Help
!"Boby Face" N«l-
son, Killer No. 1
to the Dillinger
gang, and, below,
| his devoted wife
lin whoso arms ho
died when he. was
shot by G «Men.
His one redeeni-
;ing feature was
> his -affectionate
constancy to hor.'
none Help
When. on. the riin Nelson hunted up a hero - worship ping stooge nam-, ed Chase who drove his car in the final fatal odyssey. Chase, above, was captur ed and received a life sentence. Help
When. on. the riin
Nelson hunted up
a hero - worship
ping stooge nam-,
ed Chase who
drove his car in
the final fatal
odyssey. Chase,
above, was captur
ed and received a
life sentence.
$