Kate Barker (born
Arizona Donnie Clark; October 8, 1873 – January 16, 1935), better known as Ma Barker (and sometimes known as Arizona Barker and Arrie Barker), was the mother of several American criminals who ran the
Barker–Karpis Gang during the "
public enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...
era" when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
gripped the American people and press. She traveled with her sons during their criminal careers.
Barker gained a reputation as a ruthless crime matriarch who controlled and organized her sons' crimes.
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...
described her as "the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal brain of the last decade." She has been presented as a monstrous mother in films, songs, and literature. However, those who knew her insisted that she had no criminal role and also allege that Hoover created such accusations in order to excuse the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
for her subsequent death in a shootout in 1935. Current reports as of 2022 are consistent that Kate Barker's role in her sons' crimes were falsely created by the media to increase newspaper and media sales margins.
Family life
Barker was born Arizona Donnie Clark in
Ash Grove, Missouri
Ash Grove is a city in Greene County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,512 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Ash Grove was laid out in 1853. The city was named from ...
, the daughter of John and Emaline (Parker) Clark; her family called her "Arrie". In 1892, she married George Barker in
Lawrence County, Missouri
Lawrence County is located in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, in the area of the Ozarks. As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,634. Its county seat is Mount Vernon. The county was organized in 1845 and named for Jame ...
, and the couple had four sons: Herman (1893–1927), Lloyd (1897–1949),
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...
(1899–1939), and
Fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...
(1901–1935). The 1910 to 1930 censuses and the
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
City Directories from 1916 to 1928 show that George Barker worked in a variety of generally low-paying jobs. From 1916 to 1919, he was at the Crystal Springs Water Co. In the 1920s, he was employed as a farmer, watchman, station engineer, and clerk. An FBI document describes him as "shiftless" and says the Barkers paid no attention to their sons' education, and they were all "more or less illiterate".
[Hoover, J. Edgar, "The Kidnapping of Edward Bremer", November 19, 1936](_blank)
/ref>
Barker's sons committed crimes as early as 1910, when Herman was arrested for highway robbery after running over a child in the getaway car. Over the next few years, Herman and his brothers were repeatedly involved in crimes of increasing seriousness, including robbery and murder. They were inducted into major crime by the Central Park gang. Herman died on August 29, 1927 in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, after a robbery and confrontation with police that left one officer dead. He shot the officer at point blank range in the mouth. He killed himself to avoid prosecution when he was seriously wounded after crashing his car. In 1928, Lloyd Barker was incarcerated in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, Arthur "Doc" Barker was in the Oklahoma State Prison, and Fred was in the Kansas State Prison.
George is last listed living with his wife in the 1928 Tulsa city directory. Either she threw him out, as some say, or he left when life became intolerable with his criminal family. According to writer Miriam Allen deFord
Miriam Allen deFord (August 21, 1888 – February 22, 1975) was an American writer best known for her mysteries and science fiction. During the 1920s, she wrote for a number of left-wing magazines including ''The Masses'', '' The Liberator'', a ...
, George "gave up completely and quietly removed himself from the scene" after Herman's death and the imprisonment of his other sons. The FBI claimed that George left Ma because she had become "loose in her moral life" and was "having outside dates with other men". They noted that George was not a criminal, but he was willing to profit from his sons' crimes after their deaths by claiming their assets as next of kin. However, a family friend recalled that the couple argued about their children's "dissolute life". Arrie "countenanced their wrongdoings" while George refused to accept them. The crunch came when George refused to support Lloyd after his arrest, insisting that he should be punished for his crime. Arrie did everything that she could to get her sons off, no matter what they had done.[Mahoney, Tim, ''Secret Partners'', p. 15. ]
From 1928 to 1930, Ma lived in "miserable poverty" in a "dirt-floor shack" with no husband and no job, while all her sons were in jail. This may have been when she became "loose" with local men, as the FBI suggested. By 1930, she was living with a jobless man named Arthur W. Dunlop (sometimes spelled "Dunlap"). She is described as his wife on the 1930 census of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Things improved for her in 1931 after her son Fred was released from jail. He joined former prison-mate Alvin Karpis
Alvin Francis Karpis (born Albin Francis Karpavičius; August 10, 1907 – August 26, 1979), a Depression-era gangster nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, was a Canadian-born (naturalized American) crim ...
to form the Barker–Karpis Gang. After a series of robberies, Fred and Karpis killed Sheriff C. Roy Kelly in West Plains, Missouri on December 19, 1931, an act that forced them to flee the territory. Ma and Dunlop traveled with them, using various false names during their itinerant crime career. A wanted poster issued at this time offered $100 reward for the capture of "Old Lady Arrie Barker" as an accomplice.[Claire Bond Potter, ''War on Crime: Bandits, G-Men, and the Politics of Mass Culture'', Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 1998, p. 175 ] After this, she was usually known to gang members as "Kate".
Saint Paul and Wisconsin
Arthur was released from prison in 1932 and joined Fred and Karpis, and the core gang was supplemented by other criminal associates. The gang moved to Chicago but decided to leave because Karpis did not want to work for Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...
. Racketeer Jack Peifer suggested that they move to St. Paul, Minnesota which had a reputation at the time as a haven for wanted criminals. The Barker–Karpis Gang's most infamous crimes were committed after the move to St. Paul, during their residency in a string of rented houses. The gang operated under the protection of St. Paul's police chief Thomas "Big Tom" Brown, and they went from being bank robbers to kidnappers under his guidance.
Ma's common-law husband Arthur Dunlop was said to be loose-lipped when drunk, and he was not trusted by members of the gang; Karpis described him as a "pain in the ass". While at one hideout, a resident identified the gang from photographs in ''True Detective
''True Detective'' is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. The series, broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States, premiered on January 12, 2014. Each season of the ...
'' magazine and told the police, but Chief Brown tipped them off and they escaped. The gang apparently believed that Dunlop's loose lips had given them away, and they murdered him while traveling. His naked body was found near Webster, Wisconsin with a single bullet wound to the head. Chief Brown's involvement in the gang's escape could not be proven, but he was demoted to the rank of detective and was later dismissed from the police force altogether.
The gang relocated to Menomonie, Wisconsin
Menomonie () is a city in and the county seat of Dunn County in the western part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city's population was 16,843 as of the 2020 census.
Named for the original inhabitants of the area, the Menominee, the city fo ...
, and Fred Barker hid Ma in a variety of hotels and hideouts during their stay there. The purpose was to keep her from learning much about the gang's crimes, as well as to separate her from their girlfriends, with whom she did not get along. The FBI later claimed that she would try to break up any relationships, so that "other women in the gang" did their best to avoid her. By 1933, most of the gang were back in St. Paul where they carried out two kidnappings of wealthy businessmen. They obtained $100,000 in ransom by abducting William Hamm, then arranged the kidnapping of Edward Bremer
The kidnapping of Edward Bremer was the last major criminal enterprise of the Barker-Karpis gang. Though successful in netting the gang a large ransom, it brought down the full force of the FBI on the gang, resulting in the death or capture of i ...
which netted them a $200,000 ransom. The FBI first connected the gang to the William Hamm kidnapping by using a new method of latent fingerprint
A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...
identification. The gang decided to leave St. Paul with the FBI on the case and without Tom Brown supplying information; they moved to the Chicago area, renting apartments for Ma while they tried to launder the ransom.
Death
FBI agents discovered the hideout of Barker and her son Fred after Arthur was arrested in Chicago on January 8, 1935. A map found in his possession indicated that other gang members were in Ocklawaha, Florida
Ocklawaha (also spelled Oklawaha) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marion County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,508. The community is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statis ...
. The FBI soon located the house where the gang was staying after identifying references to a local restaurant named "Gator Joe", who had a taste for gangsters, but not for cops, mentioned in a letter sent to Doc. They had rented the property under the pseudonym "Blackburn", claiming to be a mother and sons wanting to vacation in a country retreat.
Agents surrounded the house at 13250 East Highway C-25 on the morning of January 16, 1935. The FBI were not aware that Karpis and other gang members had left three days before, leaving only Fred and Ma in the house. The agents ordered them to surrender, but Fred opened fire; both he and his mother were killed by federal agents after an intense, hours-long shootout. Allegedly, many local people came to watch the events unfolding, even holding picnics during the gunfire.[Stuart B McIver, ''Touched by the Sun'', Pineapple Press, 2008, pp. 71ff. ] Gunfire from the house finally stopped, and the FBI ordered local estate handyman Willie Woodbury to enter the house wearing a bulletproof vest. Woodbury reported that there was no one inside alive.
Both bodies were found in the same front bedroom. Fred's body was riddled with bullets, but Ma appeared to have died from a single bullet wound. According to the FBI's account, a Tommy gun
The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", “Trench Sweeper” or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by United Stat ...
was found lying in her hands.[Burrough, Bryan (2004). ''Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–1934''. Penguin Press, New York, pp. 508–509. ] Other sources say that it was lying between the bodies of Ma and Fred. Their bodies were put on public display, and then stored unclaimed until October 1, 1935, when relatives had them buried at Williams Timberhill Cemetery in Welch, Oklahoma
Welch is a town in northern Craig County, Oklahoma, United States. It is south of the Kansas state line, at the intersection of state highways 2 and 10 with U.S. Highway 59. The population was 619 at the 2010 census, an increase of 3.7 percent ...
, next to the body of Herman Barker.
Controversy over her leadership of the Barker gang
The popular image of Ma as the gang's leader and its criminal mastermind is often portrayed in films such as ''Ma Barker's Killer Brood
''Ma Barker's Killer Brood'' is a neo noir crime film, released in 1960. The low-budget film was directed by Bill Karn and starred Lurene Tuttle as the title character, Ma Barker.
The film is a highly fictionalized account of the life of Ma B ...
'' (1960), ''Bloody Mama
''Bloody Mama'' is a 1970 American exploitation crime film directed by Roger Corman and starring Shelley Winters in the title role, with Bruce Dern, Don Stroud, Robert Walden, Alex Nicol, and Robert De Niro in supporting roles. It was very lo ...
'' (1970), and '' Public Enemies'' (1996). However, this is widely regarded by historians as fictitious, and some have been skeptical that she participated in the shoot-out in which she died. Karpis has suggested that the story was encouraged by J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...
and his fledgling Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
(FBI) to justify his agents' killing an old woman. After her death, Hoover claimed that Ma Barker was "the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal brain of the last decade". He also claimed that she enjoyed the lifestyle that was the fruit of her sons' crimes and supposedly had a string of lovers.
Ma Barker's children were murderers and their Barker–Karpis gang committed a spree of robberies, kidnappings, and other crimes between 1931 and 1935, but there is no conclusive proof that Ma was their leader. She certainly knew of the gang's activities and even helped them before and after they committed their crimes, and this made her an accomplice, but there is no evidence that she was involved in planning them. Her role was in taking care of gang members, who often sent her to the movies while they committed crimes. According to Claire Bond Potter, "Her age and apparent respectability permitted the gang to hide out 'disguised' as a family. As 'Mrs. Hunter' and 'Mrs. Anderson', she rented houses, paid bills, shopped, and did household errands." Alvin Karpis
Alvin Francis Karpis (born Albin Francis Karpavičius; August 10, 1907 – August 26, 1979), a Depression-era gangster nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, was a Canadian-born (naturalized American) crim ...
was probably the real leader of the gang, and he later said that Ma was just "an old-fashioned homebody from the Ozarks
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...
… superstitious, gullible, simple, cantankerous and, well, generally law abiding".[Paul Maccabee, ''John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks' Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul, 1920–1936'', Minnesota Historical Society, 1995, p. 105.] He concluded:The most ridiculous story in the annals of crime is that Ma Barker was the mastermind behind the Karpis–Barker gang. … She wasn't a leader of criminals or even a criminal herself. There is not one police photograph of her or set of fingerprints taken while she was alive… she knew we were criminals but her participation in our careers was limited to one function: when we traveled together, we moved as a mother and her sons. What could look more innocent?
This view of Ma Barker is corroborated by notorious bank robber Harvey Bailey
Harvey John Bailey (August 23, 1887 – March 1, 1979), called "The Dean of American Bank Robbers", was an American criminal who spanned a long career and was one of the most successful bank robbers during the 1920s, walking off with over $1 mill ...
, who knew the Barkers well. He observed in his autobiography that Ma Barker "couldn't plan breakfast" let alone a criminal enterprise. Writer Tim Mahoney argues that the real force behind the gang was the corrupt St. Paul law-enforcement system, especially under Police Chief Tom Brown. Before they met him, the gang were nothing more than a "bumbling band of hillbilly burglars" who would have been captured or killed long before becoming nationally notorious. "Had the Barker gang never come under Brown's protection, Ma Barker might have died lonesome in the Ozarks, an impoverished obscure widow."
Summary of the Barker sons and Barker–Karpis Gang's activities
1900–1920
* 1910Herman Barker arrested for highway robbery in Webb City, Missouri.
* March 5, 1915Herman Barker arrested for highway robbery in Joplin, Missouri. (Herman and Lloyd Barker reportedly involved with the Central Park Gang of Tulsa, Oklahoma.)
* July 4, 1918Arthur "Doc" Barker involved in US automobile theft in Tulsa, Oklahoma; arrested (#841) (escaped).
1920–1929
* February 19, 1920Arthur Barker arrested in Joplin, Missouri (#1740); returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
* 1921Lloyd "Red" Barker arrested for vagrancy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
* January 15, 1921Arthur Barker aka "Claude Dade" involved in attempted bank robbery in Muskogee, Oklahoma; arrested (#822).
* January 30, 1921Arthur Barker aka "Bob Barker" received at the Oklahoma State Prison (#11059); released June 11, 1921.
* August 16, 1921Arthur Barker and Volney Davis involved in killing of night watchman Thomas J. Sherrill in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (According t
other sources
, Thomas J. Sherrill. was a night watchman at St. John's Hospital in Tulsa.)
* January 8, 1922 Central Park Gang involved in attempted burglary in Okmulgee, Oklahoma; shootout results in one burglar dead while police Captai
Homer R. Spaulding
dies of his wounds on January 19, 1922. One gang member is sentenced to life in prison while another had his sentence overturned.
* January 16, 1922Lloyd Barker received at Leavenworth Prison
The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth (USP Leavenworth) is a medium security U.S. penitentiary with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp in northeast Kansas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the Unite ...
(#17243) after arrest for robbing mail at Baxter Springs, Kansas and sentenced to 25 years; released 1938.
* February 10, 1922Arthur "Doc" Barker received (#11906) at Oklahoma State Prison for the murder of Sherrill.
* 1926Fred Barker robbed bank in Winfield, Kansas; arrested.
* March 12, 1927Fred Barker admitted to Kansas State Prison.
* August 1, 1927Herman Barker cashed stolen bank bonds at the America National Bank in Cheyenne, WY. Sheriff Deput
Arthur Osborn
flagged down Barker's car. Barker picked up a gun from the vehicle's seat and shot Osborn. Osborn died as a result.
* August 29, 1927Herman Barker commits suicide in Wichita, Kansas after being pulled over by a motorcycle cop with a sidecar. (Wichita Policema
J.E. Marshall
had been killed on August 9, 1927 by the Kimes–Terrill Gang that Herman was associated with. Five other policemen were killed by the Kimes gang. Se
ODMP
.
1930–1939
* March 30, 1931Fred Barker released from Kansas State Prison after serving time for burglary; met Alvin Karpis
Alvin Francis Karpis (born Albin Francis Karpavičius; August 10, 1907 – August 26, 1979), a Depression-era gangster nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, was a Canadian-born (naturalized American) crim ...
in prison.
* June 10, 1931Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis (alias George Heller) arrested by Tulsa, Oklahoma Police investigating burglary. Karpis sentenced to 4 years but paroled after restitution made; Fred Barker also avoided jail sentence.
* November 8, 1931Fred Barker killed an Arkansas police chie
Manley Jackson
* December 19, 1931Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis
Alvin Francis Karpis (born Albin Francis Karpavičius; August 10, 1907 – August 26, 1979), a Depression-era gangster nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, was a Canadian-born (naturalized American) crim ...
robbed a store in West Plains
West Plains is a city in, and the county seat of Howell County, Missouri, United States. The population was 12,184 at the 2020 census.
History
The history of West Plains can be traced back to 1832, when settler Josiah Howell (after whom Howell ...
, Missouri and involved in the killing of Howell County, Missouri sherif
C. Roy Kelly
* January 18, 1932Lloyd Barker received at Leavenworth Prison.
* April 26, 1932Body of A.W. Dunlap found at Lake Franstead, Minnesota; killed by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis.
* June 17, 1932Fred Barker, Karpis and five accomplices robbed Fort Scott, Kansas Bank.
* July 26, 1932Fred Barker, Karpis (with an augmented gang) robbed Cloud County bank at Concordia, Kansas.
* August 13, 1932Attorney J. Earl Smith of Tulsa, Oklahoma found killed at Indian Hills Country Club north of Tulsa; he had been retained to defend Harvey Bailey over the Fort Scott bank robbery, but the man was convicted.
* September 10, 1932Arthur "Doc" Barker released from prison.
* December 16, 1932Fred and Arthur Barker, Alvin Karpis and gang robbed Third Northwestern National Bank in Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, killing policeme
Ira Leon Evans and Leo Gorski
and one civilian. (One gang member Lawrence DeVol
Lawrence DeVol (17 November 1903 – 8 July 1936) was an American criminal, bank robber, prison escapee and Depression-era outlaw. He was connected to several Midwestern gangs during the 1920s and 1930s, most often with the Barker-Alvin Karpis and ...
in this shooting was also involved in four other police killings-two police officers, Sherif
William Sweet
and City Marsha
Aaron Bailey
in Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, Iowa in June 1930 an
Marshall John W. Rose
in Kirksville, MO on November 17, 1930 and killing office
Cal Palmer
and wounding another officer before being gunned down in Enid, OK in 1936.)
* April 4, 1933Fred and Arthur Barker, Alvin Karpis and gang members Eddie Green (criminal)
Harold Eugene "Eddie" Green (November 2, 1898 – April 10, 1934) was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw during the 1930s, best known as a member of the John Dillinger gang. He was also associated with Frank "Jelly" Nash, Volney ...
of th
Dillinger Gang
Jess Doyle, Earl Christman, Frank "Jelly" Nash, Volney Davis, robbed a bank in Fairbury, Nebraska
Fairbury is a city and county seat of Jefferson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,942 at the 2010 census.
Fairbury has been closely connected with railroading for much of its history. It was founded on the projected route of ...
. Christman was badly wounded during the robbery and Green drove him to Verne Miller
Vernon C. "Verne" Miller (August 25, 1896 – November 29, 1933) was a freelance Prohibition gunman, bootlegger, bank robber and former sheriff in Huron, South Dakota, who, as the only identified gunman in the Kansas City massacre, was found ...
's house in Kansas City to recover. Christman eventually died from his wounds and was buried in an unmarked grave outside town.
* June 1933William Hamm of the Hamm's Brewery
The Theodore Hamm's Brewing Company was an American brewing company established in 1865 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Becoming the fifth largest brewery in the United States, Hamm's expanded with additional breweries that wer ...
family kidnapped by Barker–Karpis Gang; Hamm released June 19, 1933 after ransom paid. It is believed by some that the gang turned over half of the Hamm ransom money to the Chicago Mob under Frank Nitti
Frank Ralph Nitto (born Francesco Raffaele Nitto, ; January 27, 1886 – March 19, 1943), known as Frank Nitti, was an Italian-American organized crime figure based in Chicago. The first cousin and bodyguard of Al Capone, Nitti was in charge of ...
after Nitti discovered that they were hiding Hamm in suburban Chicago and demanded half the ransom as "rent".
* August 30, 1933Barker–Karpis Gang robs a payroll at Stockyards National Bank of South St. Paul
South St. Paul is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, Dakota County, Minnesota, United States, located immediately south and southeast of Saint Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul. It is also east of West St. Paul, Minnesota, West St. Paul. The population ...
, Minnesota in which one policema
Leo Pavlak
is coldly executed and one disabled for life.
* September 22, 1933Two bank messengers held up by five men identified as Barker–Karpis Gang; Chicago policema
Miles A Cunningham
is killed by the gang after their car crashed during the getaway. (Barker–Karpis Gang associate Vernon Miller
Vernon C. "Verne" Miller (August 25, 1896 – November 29, 1933) was a freelance Prohibition Gunfighter, gunman, Rum-running, bootlegger, bank robber and former sheriff in Huron, South Dakota, who, as the only identified gunman in the Kansas Cit ...
was allegedly involved in the killing, and reportedly also involved in the Kansas City Massacre in which four lawmen were killed).
* January 17, 1934Gang kidnaps Edward George Bremer, Jr.; Bremer released on February 7, 1934 after ransom paid.
* January 19, 1934Gang wounds M.C. McCord of Northwest Airways Company, thinking he was a policeman.
* March 10, 1934Barker gang member Fred Goetz (also known as "Shotgun George" Ziegler, a participant in the Bremer kidnapping) killed by fellow gangsters in Cicero, Illinois.
* April 1934Doc Barker and associate Volney Davis get a surprise visit from John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...
and Homer Van Meter
Homer Virgil Van Meter (December 3, 1905 – August 23, 1934) was an American criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson.
Biography
Early life
Van ...
, helping them bury their comrade John "Red" Hamilton after Hamilton died from gunshot wounds sustained in a shootout in St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...
.
* July 1934Underworld doctor Joseph Moran last seen alive.
* January 6, 1935Barker gang member William B. Harrison killed by fellow gangsters at Ontarioville, Illinois.
* January 8, 1935Arthur "Doc" Barker arrested in Chicago; Barker gang member Russell Gibson
Russell "Slim Gray" Gibson (died January 8, 1935) was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw associated with Alvin Karpis and the Barker Gang during the late 1920s and 1930s. Gibson spent much of his early criminal career with the Centra ...
killed and his colleague Byron Bolton captured at another address.
* January 16, 1935Fred and Ma Barker killed by FBI in Ocklawaha, Florida (Marion County). The FBI found Ma Barker by tracking her letters sent to her other son. She was writing to him to tell him about a large gator
Gator is a slang word for alligator.
Gator may also refer to:
People nicknamed Gator
*Mike Greenwell (born 1963), American Major League Baseball player nicknamed "The Gator"
*Ron Guidry (born 1950), former Major League Baseball pitcher
*Gator H ...
in Lake Weir that everyone had called "Gator Joe", which led to the name of the local restaurant known as "Gator Joe's".
* September 26, 1935The supposed body of underworld doctor Joseph Moran found in Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...
; believed killed by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis
Alvin Francis Karpis (born Albin Francis Karpavičius; August 10, 1907 – August 26, 1979), a Depression-era gangster nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, was a Canadian-born (naturalized American) crim ...
. (However, Karpis himself said that Moran had been buried.)
* November 7, 1935Karpis and five accomplices robbed an Erie Railroad mail train at Garrettsville
Garrettsville is a village in northeastern Portage County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,449 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. The village was formed from portions of Hiram, Nelson, and Freedom townshi ...
, Ohio.
* May 2, 1936Karpis and accomplice Fred Hunter arrested in New Orleans, Louisiana.
* October 29, 1938Lloyd Barker released from prison.
* January 13, 1939Arthur Barker killed trying to escape from Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...
Prison. Among his accomplices in unsuccessful escape is Dale Stamphill who was involved in the killing of Oklahoma State Reformatory Guard James Payton Jones February 17, 1935
(Of Barker–Karpis Gang/associates: 19 arrested; 4 killed by lawmen; 3 killed by gangsters)
1940–1949
* During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Lloyd Barker was a US Army cook, ironically, he was employed at POW
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
camp Fort Custer, Michigan; received a US Army Good Conduct Medal and an Honorable Discharge
A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and th ...
.
* On March 18, 1949Lloyd Barker was killed by his wife; he was the manager of the Denargo Market in Denver, Colorado. She was sent to the Colorado State Insane Asylum.
Popular culture
In film and television
* "Ma Webster", played by Blanche Yurka
Blanche Yurka (born Blanch Jurka, June 19, 1887 – June 6, 1974) was an American stage and film actress and director. She was an opera singer with minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera and later became a stage actress, making her Broadway debu ...
in the 1940 film ''Queen of the Mob
''Queen of the Mob'' is a 1940 American film (also known as ''The Woman from Hell''), directed by James P. Hogan.
The source material here was a book attributed to Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover entitled ''Persons in ...
'' is based on Barker. Changes in the names and depiction of events were at the request of the FBI.[Hardy, Philip (ed), ''The BFI Companion to Crime'', British Film Institute, 1997, p. 42.]
* The character of "Ma Jarrett" in the 1949 James Cagney film ''White Heat
''White Heat'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly and Steve Cochran. Written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, ''White Heat'' is based on a story by Vi ...
'' is thought to be based on Ma Barker.[Woodiwiss, Michael, ''Organized Crime and American Power: A History'', University of Toronto Press, 2001, p. 238.]
*Ma was played by Jean Harvey in 2 episodes of the TV series ''Gang Busters'' (1952).
* In the 1957 docudrama ''Guns Don't Argue
''Guns Don't Argue'' is a 1957 low-budget feature film about the early achievements of the FBI in defeating the most notorious criminals of the 1930s. The film involves dramatizations of the crimes and eventual demise of various gangsters, along w ...
'' Ma is portrayed by Jean Harvey.
* "Ma Barker and Her Boys", an episode of the 1959 fictional TV series ''The Untouchables
Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to:
American history
* Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness
* ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley
* ''The Un ...
'', pits Federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
Politics
General
*Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies
*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
Agent Eliot Ness
Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He was the leader of a team of law enforcement agents, nicknamed The Untouchables. H ...
against the Barker clan, and depicts Ness as leading the assault on Ma Barker and her sons at their Florida hide-out. In this version, Lloyd, Fred and Doc are all present at the final shootout. Ma was played by Claire Trevor
Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nomina ...
. In real life Ness worked for the Bureau of Prohibition
The Bureau of Prohibition (or Prohibition Unit) was the United States federal law enforcement agency formed to enforce the National Prohibition Act of 1919, commonly known as the Volstead Act, which enforced the 18th Amendment to the United St ...
, not the FBI, and he had nothing to do with the Barker/Karpis case. The FBI objected to the fact that Ness was depicted as the leader of the attack on the gang.
* The 1959 movie ''The FBI Story
''The FBI Story'' is a 1959 American drama film starring James Stewart, and produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Richard L. Breen and John Twist is based on a book by Don Whitehead.
Plot
John Michael ("Chip") Hardesty (James S ...
'', starring Jimmy Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
, portrayed a number of deaths of 1930s-era criminals, including Ma Barker. In the scene, she was shown firing at law officers before finally being shot. (She was portrayed by Jane Crowley
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fi ...
, though the role was uncredited.)
* Lurene Tuttle
Lurene Tuttle (August 29, 1907 – May 28, 1986) was an American actress and acting coach, who made the transition from vaudeville to radio, and later films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's more versatile a ...
portrayed Ma Barker in the low-budget feature film ''Ma Barker's Killer Brood
''Ma Barker's Killer Brood'' is a neo noir crime film, released in 1960. The low-budget film was directed by Bill Karn and starred Lurene Tuttle as the title character, Ma Barker.
The film is a highly fictionalized account of the life of Ma B ...
'' (1960). The film's scrolling text refers to her as a "sadistic ... master of crime" and "evil genius". It portrays her controlling a gang that includes John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...
and Baby Face Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), also known as George Nelson and Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber who became a criminal partner of John Dillinger, when he helped Dillinger escape from prison, in Crown P ...
, and constantly outwitting their rival Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thomps ...
.
* Ma was played by Joan Blondell
Joan Blondell (born Rose Joan Bluestein; August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years.
Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on ...
in an episode of the 1961 TV series The Witness, which took the form of a mock-trial of historical individuals before a "committee" of lawyers. Her son Lloyd and various accomplices appear as witnesses.
* In the 1966 ''Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'' series, one of the villains in series one was "Ma Parker" (played by Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...
), a villainous mob boss who was based on Ma Barker. Ma Parker along with her three sons and one daughter almost managed to defeat the Dynamic Duo in the series.
* Barker's story was also adapted in the low-budget film ''Bloody Mama
''Bloody Mama'' is a 1970 American exploitation crime film directed by Roger Corman and starring Shelley Winters in the title role, with Bruce Dern, Don Stroud, Robert Walden, Alex Nicol, and Robert De Niro in supporting roles. It was very lo ...
'' (1970). The movie starred Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...
as Ma Barker. In this film her criminality is the result of childhood sexual abuse by her family.
* "The Ma Gantry Gang", featured in the first episode of the 1974 TV series ''The Manhunter
''The Manhunter'' is an American crime drama that was part of CBS' lineup for the 1974–1975 television season. The series was produced by Quinn Martin and starred Ken Howard as Dave Barret, a 1930s-era private investigator from Idaho.
Syno ...
'' was based on Barker and her sons. Ma Gantry was played by Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was an English-American actress, singer, director, writer, and producer. T ...
.
* Eileen Heckart
Anna Eileen Heckart ( Herbert; March 29, 1919 – December 31, 2001) was an American stage and screen actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years.
Early life
Heckart was born Anna Eileen Herbert in Columbus, Ohio. The daughter of Esther (), w ...
played Ma in the 1974 film ''The FBI Story: the FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One''.
* The ''DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four seas ...
'' version of Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's Beagle Boys
The Beagle Boys are a group of cartoon characters created in 1951 by Carl Barks for the Donald Duck universe. They are a family clan of Organized crime, organized criminals who constantly try to rob Scrooge McDuck. Their introduction and first a ...
(the series lasted from 1987–1990), a gang of criminals, is led by their mother Ma Beagle, who is based on Ma Barker. She is absent from the original comics which were written by Carl Barks
Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck ...
.
* In the 1978 film ''Stingray'', Lieutenant Hershal stated to one of his colleagues that Abigail Britowski, played by Sherry Jackson, made Ma Barker look like a nun, in a reference to the notorious alleged criminal.
*In the 1985 film ''The Goonies
''The Goonies'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on a story by Steven Spielberg. In the film, kids who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astori ...
'' Ma Fratelli is loosely based on Ma Barker.
* Another retelling of the legend occurred in the 1996 movie '' Public Enemies'' starring Theresa Russell
Theresa Lynn Russell ( Paup; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress whose career spans over four decades. Her filmography includes over fifty feature films, ranging from mainstream to independent and experimental films.
Born in San Diego, R ...
. As in ''Bloody Mama'', she is depicted as a victim of sexual abuse which brutalizes her.
*In the 2007 film '' Resident Evil: Extinction''
In literature
* Maw Famon and her thug sons who battle it out with Dick Tracy
''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...
in a December 1935 comic strip are based on Ma Barker and her boys.
* While The Daltons of the ''Lucky Luke
''Lucky Luke'' is a Western ''bande dessinée'' series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René Goscinny. Their par ...
'' comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series were originally based on the real Dalton Gang
The Dalton Gang was a group of outlaws in the American Old West during 1890–1892. It was also known as The Dalton Brothers because four of its members were brothers. The gang specialized in bank and train robberies. During an attempted double ...
, their mother, Ma Dalton, is clearly inspired by Ma Barker. Coincidentally, their gang consists of four instead of three Dalton brothers.
* Crime author James Hadley Chase
James Hadley Chase (24 December 1906 – 6 February 1985) was an English writer. While his birth name was René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, he was well known by his various pseudonyms, including James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Raymond ...
based some of the characters in his first novel, '' No Orchids for Miss Blandish'' (1939), on Ma Barker and her sons.
In music
* John Eaton John Eaton may refer to:
* John Eaton (divine) (born 1575), English divine
*John Eaton (pirate) (fl. 1683–1686), English buccaneer
*Sir John Craig Eaton (1876–1922), Canadian businessman
*John Craig Eaton II (born 1937), Canadian businessman an ...
composed an opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
, ''Ma Barker'', in 1955, to a libretto by Arthur Gold.
* In 1977, disco band Boney M.
Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...
released a hit single titled "Ma Baker
"Ma Baker" is a song by disco group Boney M., released as a single in 1977. It was the first single off their second album '' Love for Sale'' and their third consecutive chart-topper in Germany.
The song was a huge success in Europe and Lati ...
" (Barker was changed into Baker because it sounded better), which was later covered by German Comedy Rock
Comedy rock is rock music that is comedic in nature. Oftentimes it is mixed with satire or irony.V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine, ''All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul'' (Backbeat Books, 3rd Edition. ...
band Knorkator
Knorkator is a German band from Berlin that combines heavy metal with comical elements. They proclaim themselves to be "Germany's band in the world" (german: Deutschlands meiste Band der Welt), as the title "The best band in the world" was al ...
, and has since been covered by German heavy metal band Axxis
Axxis is a German heavy metal band that was founded in 1988. Their debut album, ''Kingdom of the Night'', became the best-selling debut album by a hard rock band in Germany in 1989.
Biography
Axxis' musical roots lie within the traditional h ...
, Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut album, '' All or Nothing'' in Europe, reconfigured as ''Girl You Know It's True'' in ...
in 1988, and sampled by Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
in her single " Poker Face". The song's title and lyrics are clearly about Ma Barker.
* The band Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is an American heavy metal band from Birmingham, Alabama. The group were founded in 2004, shortly after vocalist Dallas Taylor's departure from Underoath. In 2005, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster signed to Mon ...
(formed in 2004) are named after the group of criminals and their songs are based on the gang's history. Band member Dallas Taylor has said: "Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is made up of five dudes who play the role of the Barker sons, and in these songs we speak as though we were them, telling any who would listen that a life lived unjustly will meet divine justice on the other side. We also wanted to think of the most crazy backwoods theme possible for this band. Since Ma was backwoods, and we are backwoods, this is the way it had to be."
* Former wife of gangsta rap pioneer Kool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as ...
and fellow MC also goes under the name of Ma Barker. They had at one point formed a group called 5 Family Click, releasing a collective album and surfacing on mixtapes.
* Composer Michel Wintsch
Michel Wintsch (born 1964) is a Swiss avant-garde jazz composer and pianist who has worked with musicians such as Franz Koglmann and Gerry Hemingway
Gerry Hemingway (born March 23, 1955) is an American drummer and composer.
Hemingway was a me ...
and writer Gérald Chevrolet adapted the writings of Marguerite Yourcenar
Marguerite Yourcenar (, , ; born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie Ghislaine Cleenewerck de Crayencour; 8 June 1903 – 17 December 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist, who became a US citizen in 1947. Winner of the ''Prix Fem ...
to create the opera "Ma Barker" in 1996.
Other contexts
* Gator Joe's Beach Bar and Grill in Ocklawaha, Florida, was named after a large alligator that lived in Lake Weir. The FBI killed Fred and Ma Barker in Ocklawaha, Florida (Marion County), after it discovered "Ma" by tracking letters which she had sent to her other son, in which she told him about the existence of "Gator Joe". The restaurant's website displays a wanted poster for the Barker–Karpis Gang.
* Lake Weir Chamber of Commerce stages an annual "Ma Barker Shootout" on "Ma Barker day" in a building near the actual location of her death.
* The Barker deathhouse in Ocklawaha, Florida, was listed for sale on August 16, 2012. The bidding began at one million dollars and included the original furnishings, but the house ultimately went unsold. In 2015, the Florida state senate proposed a bill for $500,000 to repair and preserve the house as an historic landmark, but the bill was rejected. The house is currently listed as off-market.
* In October 2016, the Ma Barker home in Ocklawaha, Florida, was relocated across Lake Weir to Carney Island in Marion County via a barge in preparation for being opened to the public as a museum in late 2017 or 2018. The land where it had sat since 1930 was sold by its owners. Just prior to the relocation of the house, a vintage ring which bears the initials, "F.B" was found when a team using metal detectors gained permission to scan the location. The ring is presumed to have been owned by Fred Barker and it has been added to the collection along with several bullet casings and assorted paraphernalia.
See also
* List of Depression-era outlaws
This is a list of the Great Depression-era outlaws spanning the years of Prohibition and the Great Depression known as the "Public Enemy" era. Those include high-profile criminals wanted by state and federal law enforcement agencies for armed ro ...
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
* Hornberger, Francine (2002) ''Mistresses of Mayhem: The Book of Women Criminals'' Alpha, Indianapolis, IN,
* Hamilton, Sue, and Hamilton, John (1989) ''Public Enemy Number One: The Barkers'' Abdo and Daughters, Bloomington, MN,
* Winter, Robert (2000) ''Mean Men: The Sons of Ma Barker'' Routledge, Danbury, Connecticut,
* deFord, Miriam Allen (1970) ''The Real Ma Barker: Mastermind of a Whole Family of Killers'' Ace, New York
* Morton, James (2012) ''The Mammoth Book of Gangs'' Running Press Book Publishers, Philadelphia, PA,
* Perkins; Jack; Drummond, John; and Cara, Mark (1996) ''Ma Barker Crime Family Values'' (television documentary on VHS tape) A & E Home Video, New York,
* Federal Bureau of Investigation. ''Barker-Karpis Gang (summary)''. Washington: GPO, 1937.
External links
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Barker Gang
Alvin Karpis
Barker-Karpis Gang Summary FBI file
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Ma
1873 births
1935 deaths
Deaths by firearm in Florida
Depression-era gangsters
People from Ash Grove, Missouri
People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States
American female organized crime figures