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 million.
His career
Born in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
, Bailey robbed his first bank and his last in
Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Kingfisher is a city in and the county seat of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma,. The population was 4,903 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the former home and namesake of Kingfisher College. According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History ...
on September 9, 1933. He was incarcerated in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
on July 8, 1932, until he escaped on June 1, 1933, during a breakout in which the warden was kidnapped and used as a human shield. He was recaptured and found guilty of complicity in the
Urschel Kidnapping and was
sentenced to life in prison on October 7, 1933. Originally sent to
Leavenworth, he was transferred to
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 ...
on September 1, 1934. He was returned to Leavenworth in 1946 and transferred in 1960 to
Seagoville Federal Correctional Institution in Texas, where he remained until he was released on March 30, 1964.
One of the many possible suspects listed as one of the four assassins in the
St. Valentines Day Massacre is Fred "Killer" Burke. In his 1973 autobiography, however, Bailey insisted that he and Burke were planning a bank robbery together in
Calumet City
Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409.
Etymology
The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq and French word for a ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, about 20 miles south of the massacre site, at the time the massacre took place. In 1966, Bailey married the widow of Herbert Allen "Deafy" Farmer and found work as a woodworker in a furniture factory. Esther Farmer Bailey died in 1981.
Bailey died peacefully in
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jas ...
, on March 1, 1979, at the age of 91.
See also
*
List of Depression-era outlaws
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According to Jay Nash's famous book BLOODLETTERS AND BADMEN, Bailey was holed up in a separate part of the ranch where
Machine Gun Kelly was holding kidnap victim Charles Urschel, unaware of the kidnapping and unable to travel because of a bullet
wound in the leg sustained during his prison escape.
As the Kelly gang was preparing to pull up stakes, one of the minor players in the gang visited Bailey and peeled
off some bills from his ransom and gave them to Bailey for doctor bills.
The marked ransom money was found on Bailey when he was arrested, and he received extra years on his sentence as an
"accomplice" in a kidnapping he had no part of.
Further reading
*Breuer, William B. ''J. Edgar Hoover and His G-Men''. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 1995.
References
External links
*
1887 births
1979 deaths
American bank robbers
Depression-era gangsters
Fugitives
Inmates of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
People from Joplin, Missouri
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