Michael Thomas Barry's Blog, page 71
August 25, 2012
Old West Outlaw Bill Doolin is Killed - 1896
On this date in 1896, outlaw Bill Doolin is killed by a posse at Lawson, Oklahoma.
Born in Arkansas in 1858, William Doolin was never as hardened a criminal as some of his companions. He went west in 1881, finding work in Oklahoma at the big ranch of Oscar D. Halsell. Halsell took a liking to the young Arkansan, taught him to write and do simple arithmetic, and eventually made him an informal foreman on the ranch. Doolin worked for several other ranchers in the next decade and he was widely considered trustworthy and capable. By the 1890s, however, Doolin had become at least a part-time thief. For six years, he participated in a variety of bank and train robberies, sometimes in partnership with the infamous Dalton gang. A careful and methodical man, Doolin planned his robberies well. Though he was shot several times, the wounds were never serious. Success inevitably brought increased pressure from law enforcement. In 1895, Doolin and several of his partners went into hiding in New Mexico. Doolin made several offers to surrender in exchange for a light sentence, but his offers were rejected. In January 1896, the famous lawman Bill Tilghman single-handedly captured Doolin at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The outlaw, who was at the springs to take in the medicinal waters, was caught by surprise, and Tilghman arrested him peacefully. Jailed at Guthrie, Oklahoma, while awaiting trial, Doolin escaped on July 5, 1896. Doolin managed to elude the pursuing posse for nearly two months. When the posse finally caught up with him at Lawson, Oklahoma, Doolin apparently decided he was not going to be captured alive. Badly outnumbered, Doolin drew his gun. A rain of shotgun and rifle fire instantly killed him. He was 38 years old. Doolin was buried in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Born in Arkansas in 1858, William Doolin was never as hardened a criminal as some of his companions. He went west in 1881, finding work in Oklahoma at the big ranch of Oscar D. Halsell. Halsell took a liking to the young Arkansan, taught him to write and do simple arithmetic, and eventually made him an informal foreman on the ranch. Doolin worked for several other ranchers in the next decade and he was widely considered trustworthy and capable. By the 1890s, however, Doolin had become at least a part-time thief. For six years, he participated in a variety of bank and train robberies, sometimes in partnership with the infamous Dalton gang. A careful and methodical man, Doolin planned his robberies well. Though he was shot several times, the wounds were never serious. Success inevitably brought increased pressure from law enforcement. In 1895, Doolin and several of his partners went into hiding in New Mexico. Doolin made several offers to surrender in exchange for a light sentence, but his offers were rejected. In January 1896, the famous lawman Bill Tilghman single-handedly captured Doolin at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The outlaw, who was at the springs to take in the medicinal waters, was caught by surprise, and Tilghman arrested him peacefully. Jailed at Guthrie, Oklahoma, while awaiting trial, Doolin escaped on July 5, 1896. Doolin managed to elude the pursuing posse for nearly two months. When the posse finally caught up with him at Lawson, Oklahoma, Doolin apparently decided he was not going to be captured alive. Badly outnumbered, Doolin drew his gun. A rain of shotgun and rifle fire instantly killed him. He was 38 years old. Doolin was buried in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
August 24, 2012
Mark David Chapman is Sentenced for Murdering John Lennon - 1981
On this date in 1981, Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of John Lennon, a founding member of The Beatles, one of the most successful bands in the history of popular music.
On December 8, 1980, Chapman shot and killed the 40-year-old singer, songwriter and peace activist, outside Lennon’s New York City apartment building, the Dakota, where he lived with his wife Yoko Ono and their young son Sean. Lennon, who was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, shot to fame in the 1960s with The Beatles, whose multiple best-selling albums and hit films, such as A Hard Day’s Night (1964), turned the group into hugely influential global pop icons. After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Lennon embarked on a successful solo music career, writing and performing such songs as “Imagine” and “(Just Like) Starting Over.” He also directed a 1972 documentary film, also titled Imagine, which was a sometimes-surreal glimpse at a day in the life of Lennon and Ono, set to their music. On the day of Lennon’s murder, Chapman, a Beatles fan who was born in 1955, spent the day hanging out near the musician’s apartment on West 72nd Street and Central Park West. Late that afternoon, a photographer captured a shot of Lennon as he stopped to autograph his Double Fantasy album for Chapman before walking with Yoko Ono toward a limousine waiting to take them to a recording session. Later that night, shortly before 11 p.m., the couple returned to the Dakota, where a waiting Chapman shot Lennon four times as the musician walked toward his building. Chapman stayed at the scene, reading The Catcher in the Rye, a book he was obsessed with, until the police arrived and took him into custody. Lennon was pronounced dead at Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hospital around 11:15 p.m. Chapman initially entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity; however, he later decided to drop the insanity defense and plead guilty to second-degree murder. At his sentencing hearing on August 24, 1981, Chapman read from The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman’s requests for parole have all been denied and he continues to serve time at New York’s Attica State Prison. Lennon’s iconic life, and his untimely death, have in recent years inspired several films, including Chapter 27 (2007), which starred a bloated Jared Leto as Chapman and chronicled the three days leading up to the assassination. The visual artist Sam Taylor-Wood will reportedly direct a Lennon biopic, Nowhere Man, to be filmed partially in Lennon’s hometown of Liverpool.
On December 8, 1980, Chapman shot and killed the 40-year-old singer, songwriter and peace activist, outside Lennon’s New York City apartment building, the Dakota, where he lived with his wife Yoko Ono and their young son Sean. Lennon, who was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, shot to fame in the 1960s with The Beatles, whose multiple best-selling albums and hit films, such as A Hard Day’s Night (1964), turned the group into hugely influential global pop icons. After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Lennon embarked on a successful solo music career, writing and performing such songs as “Imagine” and “(Just Like) Starting Over.” He also directed a 1972 documentary film, also titled Imagine, which was a sometimes-surreal glimpse at a day in the life of Lennon and Ono, set to their music. On the day of Lennon’s murder, Chapman, a Beatles fan who was born in 1955, spent the day hanging out near the musician’s apartment on West 72nd Street and Central Park West. Late that afternoon, a photographer captured a shot of Lennon as he stopped to autograph his Double Fantasy album for Chapman before walking with Yoko Ono toward a limousine waiting to take them to a recording session. Later that night, shortly before 11 p.m., the couple returned to the Dakota, where a waiting Chapman shot Lennon four times as the musician walked toward his building. Chapman stayed at the scene, reading The Catcher in the Rye, a book he was obsessed with, until the police arrived and took him into custody. Lennon was pronounced dead at Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hospital around 11:15 p.m. Chapman initially entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity; however, he later decided to drop the insanity defense and plead guilty to second-degree murder. At his sentencing hearing on August 24, 1981, Chapman read from The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman’s requests for parole have all been denied and he continues to serve time at New York’s Attica State Prison. Lennon’s iconic life, and his untimely death, have in recent years inspired several films, including Chapter 27 (2007), which starred a bloated Jared Leto as Chapman and chronicled the three days leading up to the assassination. The visual artist Sam Taylor-Wood will reportedly direct a Lennon biopic, Nowhere Man, to be filmed partially in Lennon’s hometown of Liverpool.
Mark David Chapman Sentenced for Murdering John Lennon - 1981
On this date in
1981, Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of
John Lennon, a founding member of The Beatles, one of the most successful bands
in the history of popular music.
On December 8,
1980, Chapman shot and killed the 40-year-old singer, songwriter and peace
activist, outside Lennon’s New York City apartment building, the Dakota, where
he lived with his wife Yoko Ono and their young son Sean. Lennon, who was born
on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, shot to fame in the 1960s with The
Beatles, whose multiple best-selling albums and hit films, such as A Hard Day’s
Night (1964), turned the group into hugely influential global pop icons. After
The Beatles broke up in 1970, Lennon embarked on a successful solo music
career, writing and performing such songs as “Imagine” and “(Just Like)
Starting Over.” He also directed a 1972 documentary film, also titled Imagine,
which was a sometimes-surreal glimpse at a day in the life of Lennon and Ono,
set to their music. On the day of Lennon’s murder, Chapman, a Beatles fan who
was born in 1955, spent the day hanging out near the musician’s apartment on
West 72nd Street and Central Park West. Late that afternoon, a photographer
captured a shot of Lennon as he stopped to autograph his Double Fantasy album
for Chapman before walking with Yoko Ono toward a limousine waiting to take
them to a recording session. Later that night, shortly before 11 p.m., the
couple returned to the Dakota, where a waiting Chapman shot Lennon four times
as the musician walked toward his building. Chapman stayed at the scene,
reading The Catcher in the Rye, a book he was obsessed with, until the police
arrived and took him into custody. Lennon was pronounced dead at Manhattan’s
Roosevelt Hospital around 11:15 p.m. Chapman initially entered a plea of not
guilty by reason of insanity; however, he later decided to drop the insanity
defense and plead guilty to second-degree murder. At his sentencing hearing on
August 24, 1981, Chapman read from The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman’s requests
for parole have all been denied and he continues to serve time at New York’s Attica
State Prison.
Mark David Chapman Sentenced for Murdering John Lennon - 1981
On this date in 1981, Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of John Lennon, a founding member of The Beatles, one of the most successful bands in the history of popular music.
On December 8, 1980, Chapman shot and killed the 40-year-old singer, songwriter and peace activist, outside Lennon’s New York City apartment building, the Dakota, where he lived with his wife Yoko Ono and their young son Sean. Lennon, who was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, shot to fame in the 1960s with The Beatles, whose multiple best-selling albums and hit films, such as A Hard Day’s Night (1964), turned the group into hugely influential global pop icons. After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Lennon embarked on a successful solo music career, writing and performing such songs as “Imagine” and “(Just Like) Starting Over.” He also directed a 1972 documentary film, also titled Imagine, which was a sometimes-surreal glimpse at a day in the life of Lennon and Ono, set to their music. On the day of Lennon’s murder, Chapman, a Beatles fan who was born in 1955, spent the day hanging out near the musician’s apartment on West 72nd Street and Central Park West. Late that afternoon, a photographer captured a shot of Lennon as he stopped to autograph his Double Fantasy album for Chapman before walking with Yoko Ono toward a limousine waiting to take them to a recording session. Later that night, shortly before 11 p.m., the couple returned to the Dakota, where a waiting Chapman shot Lennon four times as the musician walked toward his building. Chapman stayed at the scene, reading The Catcher in the Rye, a book he was obsessed with, until the police arrived and took him into custody. Lennon was pronounced dead at Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hospital around 11:15 p.m. Chapman initially entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity; however, he later decided to drop the insanity defense and plead guilty to second-degree murder. At his sentencing hearing on August 24, 1981, Chapman read from The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman’s requests for parole have all been denied and he continues to serve time at New York’s Attica State Prison.
On December 8, 1980, Chapman shot and killed the 40-year-old singer, songwriter and peace activist, outside Lennon’s New York City apartment building, the Dakota, where he lived with his wife Yoko Ono and their young son Sean. Lennon, who was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, shot to fame in the 1960s with The Beatles, whose multiple best-selling albums and hit films, such as A Hard Day’s Night (1964), turned the group into hugely influential global pop icons. After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Lennon embarked on a successful solo music career, writing and performing such songs as “Imagine” and “(Just Like) Starting Over.” He also directed a 1972 documentary film, also titled Imagine, which was a sometimes-surreal glimpse at a day in the life of Lennon and Ono, set to their music. On the day of Lennon’s murder, Chapman, a Beatles fan who was born in 1955, spent the day hanging out near the musician’s apartment on West 72nd Street and Central Park West. Late that afternoon, a photographer captured a shot of Lennon as he stopped to autograph his Double Fantasy album for Chapman before walking with Yoko Ono toward a limousine waiting to take them to a recording session. Later that night, shortly before 11 p.m., the couple returned to the Dakota, where a waiting Chapman shot Lennon four times as the musician walked toward his building. Chapman stayed at the scene, reading The Catcher in the Rye, a book he was obsessed with, until the police arrived and took him into custody. Lennon was pronounced dead at Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hospital around 11:15 p.m. Chapman initially entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity; however, he later decided to drop the insanity defense and plead guilty to second-degree murder. At his sentencing hearing on August 24, 1981, Chapman read from The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman’s requests for parole have all been denied and he continues to serve time at New York’s Attica State Prison.
August 23, 2012
Gunslinger John Wesley Hardin is Arrested (1877) & Sacco and Vanzetti are Executed (1927)
On this date in 1877, Texas Ranger John Armstrong arrests gunslinger John Wesley Hardin in a Florida rail car, returning the outlaw to Texas to stand trial for murder.
Three years earlier, Hardin had killed Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb in a small town near Austin, Texas. Webb's murder was one in a long series of killings committed by the famous outlaw-the 39th by Hardin's own count. Killing a lawman, however, was an especially serious offense. The famous Texas Rangers were determined to bring Hardin to justice. For three years, Hardin was able to elude the Rangers. Moving between Florida and Alabama, he adopted an alias and kept a low profile. Nonetheless, the Rangers eventually unmasked his secret identity and dispatched John Armstrong to track him down in Florida. On this day in 1877, Armstrong, acting on a tip, spotted Hardin in the smoking car of a train stopped at the Pensacola station. Armstrong stationed local deputies at both ends of the car, and the men burst in with guns drawn. Caught by surprise, Hardin nonetheless reacted quickly and reached for the gun holstered under his jacket. The pistol caught in Hardin's fancy suspenders, giving the lawmen the crucial few seconds they needed and probably saving Hardin's life--instead of shooting him, Armstrong clubbed Hardin with his long-barreled .45 pistol. Technically, the Texas Rangers had no authority in Florida, so they spirited Hardin back to Texas on the next train. Tried in Austin, a jury found Hardin guilty of killing Sheriff Webb and sentenced him to life in the Texas state prison at Huntsville. He served 15 years before the governor pardoned him. Released in 1894, an El Paso policeman killed him the following year.
On this date in 1927, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed for murder.
On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard. The murderers, who were described as two Italian men, escaped with more than $15,000. After going to a garage to claim a car that police said was connected with the crime, Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and charged with the crime. Both men carried guns and made false statements upon their arrest, neither had a previous criminal record. On July 14, 1921, they were convicted and sentenced to die. Anti-radical sentiment was running high in America at the time, and the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was regarded by many as unlawfully sensational. Authorities had failed to come up with any evidence of the stolen money, and much of the other evidence against them was later discredited. During the next few years, sporadic protests were held in Massachusetts and around the world calling for their release, especially after Celestino Madeiros, then under a sentence for murder, confessed in 1925 that he had participated in the crime with the Joe Morelli gang. The state Supreme Court refused to upset the verdict, and Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller denied the men clemency. In the days leading up to the execution, protests were held in cities around the world, and bombs were set off in New York City and Philadelphia. On August 23, Sacco and Vanzetti were electrocuted. In 1961, a test of Sacco's gun using modern forensic techniques apparently proved it was his gun that killed the guard, though little evidence has been found to substantiate Vanzetti's guilt. In 1977, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation vindicating Sacco and Vanzetti, stating that they had been treated unjustly and that no stigma should be associated with their names.
Three years earlier, Hardin had killed Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb in a small town near Austin, Texas. Webb's murder was one in a long series of killings committed by the famous outlaw-the 39th by Hardin's own count. Killing a lawman, however, was an especially serious offense. The famous Texas Rangers were determined to bring Hardin to justice. For three years, Hardin was able to elude the Rangers. Moving between Florida and Alabama, he adopted an alias and kept a low profile. Nonetheless, the Rangers eventually unmasked his secret identity and dispatched John Armstrong to track him down in Florida. On this day in 1877, Armstrong, acting on a tip, spotted Hardin in the smoking car of a train stopped at the Pensacola station. Armstrong stationed local deputies at both ends of the car, and the men burst in with guns drawn. Caught by surprise, Hardin nonetheless reacted quickly and reached for the gun holstered under his jacket. The pistol caught in Hardin's fancy suspenders, giving the lawmen the crucial few seconds they needed and probably saving Hardin's life--instead of shooting him, Armstrong clubbed Hardin with his long-barreled .45 pistol. Technically, the Texas Rangers had no authority in Florida, so they spirited Hardin back to Texas on the next train. Tried in Austin, a jury found Hardin guilty of killing Sheriff Webb and sentenced him to life in the Texas state prison at Huntsville. He served 15 years before the governor pardoned him. Released in 1894, an El Paso policeman killed him the following year.
On this date in 1927, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed for murder.
On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard. The murderers, who were described as two Italian men, escaped with more than $15,000. After going to a garage to claim a car that police said was connected with the crime, Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and charged with the crime. Both men carried guns and made false statements upon their arrest, neither had a previous criminal record. On July 14, 1921, they were convicted and sentenced to die. Anti-radical sentiment was running high in America at the time, and the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was regarded by many as unlawfully sensational. Authorities had failed to come up with any evidence of the stolen money, and much of the other evidence against them was later discredited. During the next few years, sporadic protests were held in Massachusetts and around the world calling for their release, especially after Celestino Madeiros, then under a sentence for murder, confessed in 1925 that he had participated in the crime with the Joe Morelli gang. The state Supreme Court refused to upset the verdict, and Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller denied the men clemency. In the days leading up to the execution, protests were held in cities around the world, and bombs were set off in New York City and Philadelphia. On August 23, Sacco and Vanzetti were electrocuted. In 1961, a test of Sacco's gun using modern forensic techniques apparently proved it was his gun that killed the guard, though little evidence has been found to substantiate Vanzetti's guilt. In 1977, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation vindicating Sacco and Vanzetti, stating that they had been treated unjustly and that no stigma should be associated with their names.
Gunslinger John Wesley Hardin is Arrested for Murder (1877) & Sacco and Vanzetti are Executed (1927(
On this date in 1877, Texas Ranger John Armstrong arrests
gunslinger John Wesley Hardin in a Florida rail car, returning the outlaw to
Texas to stand trial for murder.
Three years earlier, Hardin had killed Deputy Sheriff
Charles Webb in a small town near Austin, Texas. Webb's murder was one in a
long series of killings committed by the famous outlaw-the 39th by Hardin's own
count. Killing a lawman, however, was an especially serious offense. The famous
Texas Rangers were determined to bring Hardin to justice. For three years,
Hardin was able to elude the Rangers. Moving between Florida and Alabama, he
adopted an alias and kept a low profile. Nonetheless, the Rangers eventually
unmasked his secret identity and dispatched John Armstrong to track him down in
Florida. On this day in 1877, Armstrong, acting on a tip, spotted Hardin in the
smoking car of a train stopped at the Pensacola station. Armstrong stationed
local deputies at both ends of the car, and the men burst in with guns drawn.
Caught by surprise, Hardin nonetheless reacted quickly and reached for the gun
holstered under his jacket. The pistol caught in Hardin's fancy suspenders,
giving the lawmen the crucial few seconds they needed and probably saving
Hardin's life--instead of shooting him, Armstrong clubbed Hardin with his
long-barreled .45 pistol. Technically, the Texas Rangers had no authority in
Florida, so they spirited Hardin back to Texas on the next train. Tried in
Austin, a jury found Hardin guilty of killing Sheriff Webb and sentenced him to
life in the Texas state prison at Huntsville. He served 15 years before the
governor pardoned him. Released in 1894, an El Paso policeman killed him the
following year.
On this date in 1927, anarchists Nicola Sacco and
Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed for murder.
On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in
South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard. The
murderers, who were described as two Italian men, escaped with more than
$15,000. After going to a garage to claim a car that police said was connected
with the crime, Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and charged with the crime. Both
men carried guns and made false statements upon their arrest, neither had a
previous criminal record. On July 14, 1921, they were convicted and sentenced
to die. Anti-radical sentiment was running high in America at the time, and the
trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was regarded by many as unlawfully sensational.
Authorities had failed to come up with any evidence of the stolen money, and
much of the other evidence against them was later discredited. During the next
few years, sporadic protests were held in Massachusetts and around the world
calling for their release, especially after Celestino Madeiros, then under a
sentence for murder, confessed in 1925 that he had participated in the crime
with the Joe Morelli gang. The state Supreme Court refused to upset the
verdict, and Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller denied the men clemency. In
the days leading up to the execution, protests were held in cities around the
world, and bombs were set off in New York City and Philadelphia. On August 23,
Sacco and Vanzetti were electrocuted. In 1961, a test of Sacco's gun using
modern forensic techniques apparently proved it was his gun that killed the
guard, though little evidence has been found to substantiate Vanzetti's guilt.
In 1977, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation
vindicating Sacco and Vanzetti, stating that they had been treated unjustly and
that no stigma should be associated with their names.
Gunslinger John Wesley Hardin is Arrested for Murder (1877) & Sacco and Vanzetti are Executed (1927(
On this date in 1877, Texas Ranger John Armstrong arrests gunslinger John Wesley Hardin in a Florida rail car, returning the outlaw to Texas to stand trial for murder.
Three years earlier, Hardin had killed Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb in a small town near Austin, Texas. Webb's murder was one in a long series of killings committed by the famous outlaw-the 39th by Hardin's own count. Killing a lawman, however, was an especially serious offense. The famous Texas Rangers were determined to bring Hardin to justice. For three years, Hardin was able to elude the Rangers. Moving between Florida and Alabama, he adopted an alias and kept a low profile. Nonetheless, the Rangers eventually unmasked his secret identity and dispatched John Armstrong to track him down in Florida. On this day in 1877, Armstrong, acting on a tip, spotted Hardin in the smoking car of a train stopped at the Pensacola station. Armstrong stationed local deputies at both ends of the car, and the men burst in with guns drawn. Caught by surprise, Hardin nonetheless reacted quickly and reached for the gun holstered under his jacket. The pistol caught in Hardin's fancy suspenders, giving the lawmen the crucial few seconds they needed and probably saving Hardin's life--instead of shooting him, Armstrong clubbed Hardin with his long-barreled .45 pistol. Technically, the Texas Rangers had no authority in Florida, so they spirited Hardin back to Texas on the next train. Tried in Austin, a jury found Hardin guilty of killing Sheriff Webb and sentenced him to life in the Texas state prison at Huntsville. He served 15 years before the governor pardoned him. Released in 1894, an El Paso policeman killed him the following year.
On this date in 1927, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed for murder.
On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard. The murderers, who were described as two Italian men, escaped with more than $15,000. After going to a garage to claim a car that police said was connected with the crime, Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and charged with the crime. Both men carried guns and made false statements upon their arrest, neither had a previous criminal record. On July 14, 1921, they were convicted and sentenced to die. Anti-radical sentiment was running high in America at the time, and the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was regarded by many as unlawfully sensational. Authorities had failed to come up with any evidence of the stolen money, and much of the other evidence against them was later discredited. During the next few years, sporadic protests were held in Massachusetts and around the world calling for their release, especially after Celestino Madeiros, then under a sentence for murder, confessed in 1925 that he had participated in the crime with the Joe Morelli gang. The state Supreme Court refused to upset the verdict, and Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller denied the men clemency. In the days leading up to the execution, protests were held in cities around the world, and bombs were set off in New York City and Philadelphia. On August 23, Sacco and Vanzetti were electrocuted. In 1961, a test of Sacco's gun using modern forensic techniques apparently proved it was his gun that killed the guard, though little evidence has been found to substantiate Vanzetti's guilt. In 1977, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation vindicating Sacco and Vanzetti, stating that they had been treated unjustly and that no stigma should be associated with their names.
Three years earlier, Hardin had killed Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb in a small town near Austin, Texas. Webb's murder was one in a long series of killings committed by the famous outlaw-the 39th by Hardin's own count. Killing a lawman, however, was an especially serious offense. The famous Texas Rangers were determined to bring Hardin to justice. For three years, Hardin was able to elude the Rangers. Moving between Florida and Alabama, he adopted an alias and kept a low profile. Nonetheless, the Rangers eventually unmasked his secret identity and dispatched John Armstrong to track him down in Florida. On this day in 1877, Armstrong, acting on a tip, spotted Hardin in the smoking car of a train stopped at the Pensacola station. Armstrong stationed local deputies at both ends of the car, and the men burst in with guns drawn. Caught by surprise, Hardin nonetheless reacted quickly and reached for the gun holstered under his jacket. The pistol caught in Hardin's fancy suspenders, giving the lawmen the crucial few seconds they needed and probably saving Hardin's life--instead of shooting him, Armstrong clubbed Hardin with his long-barreled .45 pistol. Technically, the Texas Rangers had no authority in Florida, so they spirited Hardin back to Texas on the next train. Tried in Austin, a jury found Hardin guilty of killing Sheriff Webb and sentenced him to life in the Texas state prison at Huntsville. He served 15 years before the governor pardoned him. Released in 1894, an El Paso policeman killed him the following year.On this date in 1927, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed for murder.
On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard. The murderers, who were described as two Italian men, escaped with more than $15,000. After going to a garage to claim a car that police said was connected with the crime, Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and charged with the crime. Both men carried guns and made false statements upon their arrest, neither had a previous criminal record. On July 14, 1921, they were convicted and sentenced to die. Anti-radical sentiment was running high in America at the time, and the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was regarded by many as unlawfully sensational. Authorities had failed to come up with any evidence of the stolen money, and much of the other evidence against them was later discredited. During the next few years, sporadic protests were held in Massachusetts and around the world calling for their release, especially after Celestino Madeiros, then under a sentence for murder, confessed in 1925 that he had participated in the crime with the Joe Morelli gang. The state Supreme Court refused to upset the verdict, and Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller denied the men clemency. In the days leading up to the execution, protests were held in cities around the world, and bombs were set off in New York City and Philadelphia. On August 23, Sacco and Vanzetti were electrocuted. In 1961, a test of Sacco's gun using modern forensic techniques apparently proved it was his gun that killed the guard, though little evidence has been found to substantiate Vanzetti's guilt. In 1977, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation vindicating Sacco and Vanzetti, stating that they had been treated unjustly and that no stigma should be associated with their names.
August 22, 2012
Fein Fein Leader Michael Collins is Assassinated (1922) & Ma Barker Gange Robs Federal Reserve Truck (1933)
On this date in 1922Irish revolutionary and Sinn Fein politician Michael Collins is killed in an ambush in west County Cork, Ireland.
In the early part of the century, Collins joined Sinn Fein, an Irish political party dedicated to achieving independence for all Ireland. From its inception, the party became the unofficial political wing of militant Irish groups in their struggle to throw off British rule. In 1911, the British Liberal government approved negotiations for Irish Home Rule, but the Conservative Party opposition in Parliament, combined with Ireland's anti-Home Rule factions, defeated the plans. With the outbreak of World War I, the British government delayed further discussion of Irish self-determination, and Collins and other Irish nationalists responded by staging the Easter Up-Rising of 1916. In 1918, with the threat of conscription being imposed on the island, the Irish people gave Sinn Fein a majority in national elections, and the party established an independent Irish parliament, Dail Eireann, which declared Ireland a sovereign republic. In 1919, Collins led the Irish Volunteers, a prototype of the Irish Republican Army, in a widespread and effective guerrilla campaign against British forces. Two years later, a cease-fire was declared, and Collins was one of the architects of the historic 1921 peace treaty with Great Britain, which granted autonomy to southern Ireland. In January 1922, Sinn Fein founder Arthur Griffith was elected president of the newly established Irish Free State, and Collins was appointed as his finance minister. He held the post until he was assassinated by Republican extremists in August 1922.
On this date in 1933, the notorious Ma Barker gang robs a Federal Reserve mail truck in Chicago, Illinois, and kills Officer Miles Cunningham.
Netting only a bunch of worthless checks, the Barkers soon returned to a crime with which they had more success—kidnapping. A few months later, the Barkers kidnapped wealthy banker Edward Bremer, demanding $200,000 in ransom. After Kate Clark married George Barker in 1892, she gave birth to four boys: Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Freddie. Ma Barker, as Kate was known, was ostensibly responsible for discipline in the family, but she let her boys run wild. She defended her children no matter what they did, saying, "If the good people of this town don't like my boys, then the good people know what they can do." All the Barker boys became involved in crime during their childhood: In 1922, Lloyd robbed a post office and received a 25-year sentence in federal prison; that same year, Arthur "Doc" Barker got a life sentence in Oklahoma for killing a night watchman, though later it would turn out that he was innocent; Freddie was next to see the insides of a holding cell after robbing a bank. While he was serving time in Kansas, Herman committed suicide in the midst of a heated gunfight with police after robbing a bank in Missouri. Herman's death inspired Ma Barker to pressure authorities to release her other sons, and Doc and Freddie were set free. With Ma masterminding their criminal enterprise, the Barkers were at the center of the Midwest's burgeoning criminal community. When they tired of bank robberies, the Barkers tried their hand at kidnapping. Their first victim, William Hamm, earned the gang $100,000 in ransom. Although the Bremer abduction in 1933 produced twice as much, it brought them a lot of heat from federal authorities. With the FBI on their trail, Doc and Freddie attempted plastic surgery. But this half-baked idea left them only with disfiguring scars, and Doc was captured in early 1935. Doc, who was later killed while attempting to escape from Alcatraz in 1939, refused to talk to authorities, but police found papers in his hideout that led them to Ma and Freddie in Lake Weir, Florida. After a ferocious shootout lasting 45 minutes, the Barkers lay dead from the fusillade, machine guns still at their sides. Twelve years later, Lloyd Barker was finally paroled. He too met a violent demise, but not at the hands of the police, his wife shot him dead in 1949. Father George Barker, who was never part of the Barker gang, was the family's sole survivor.
In the early part of the century, Collins joined Sinn Fein, an Irish political party dedicated to achieving independence for all Ireland. From its inception, the party became the unofficial political wing of militant Irish groups in their struggle to throw off British rule. In 1911, the British Liberal government approved negotiations for Irish Home Rule, but the Conservative Party opposition in Parliament, combined with Ireland's anti-Home Rule factions, defeated the plans. With the outbreak of World War I, the British government delayed further discussion of Irish self-determination, and Collins and other Irish nationalists responded by staging the Easter Up-Rising of 1916. In 1918, with the threat of conscription being imposed on the island, the Irish people gave Sinn Fein a majority in national elections, and the party established an independent Irish parliament, Dail Eireann, which declared Ireland a sovereign republic. In 1919, Collins led the Irish Volunteers, a prototype of the Irish Republican Army, in a widespread and effective guerrilla campaign against British forces. Two years later, a cease-fire was declared, and Collins was one of the architects of the historic 1921 peace treaty with Great Britain, which granted autonomy to southern Ireland. In January 1922, Sinn Fein founder Arthur Griffith was elected president of the newly established Irish Free State, and Collins was appointed as his finance minister. He held the post until he was assassinated by Republican extremists in August 1922.
On this date in 1933, the notorious Ma Barker gang robs a Federal Reserve mail truck in Chicago, Illinois, and kills Officer Miles Cunningham.
Netting only a bunch of worthless checks, the Barkers soon returned to a crime with which they had more success—kidnapping. A few months later, the Barkers kidnapped wealthy banker Edward Bremer, demanding $200,000 in ransom. After Kate Clark married George Barker in 1892, she gave birth to four boys: Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Freddie. Ma Barker, as Kate was known, was ostensibly responsible for discipline in the family, but she let her boys run wild. She defended her children no matter what they did, saying, "If the good people of this town don't like my boys, then the good people know what they can do." All the Barker boys became involved in crime during their childhood: In 1922, Lloyd robbed a post office and received a 25-year sentence in federal prison; that same year, Arthur "Doc" Barker got a life sentence in Oklahoma for killing a night watchman, though later it would turn out that he was innocent; Freddie was next to see the insides of a holding cell after robbing a bank. While he was serving time in Kansas, Herman committed suicide in the midst of a heated gunfight with police after robbing a bank in Missouri. Herman's death inspired Ma Barker to pressure authorities to release her other sons, and Doc and Freddie were set free. With Ma masterminding their criminal enterprise, the Barkers were at the center of the Midwest's burgeoning criminal community. When they tired of bank robberies, the Barkers tried their hand at kidnapping. Their first victim, William Hamm, earned the gang $100,000 in ransom. Although the Bremer abduction in 1933 produced twice as much, it brought them a lot of heat from federal authorities. With the FBI on their trail, Doc and Freddie attempted plastic surgery. But this half-baked idea left them only with disfiguring scars, and Doc was captured in early 1935. Doc, who was later killed while attempting to escape from Alcatraz in 1939, refused to talk to authorities, but police found papers in his hideout that led them to Ma and Freddie in Lake Weir, Florida. After a ferocious shootout lasting 45 minutes, the Barkers lay dead from the fusillade, machine guns still at their sides. Twelve years later, Lloyd Barker was finally paroled. He too met a violent demise, but not at the hands of the police, his wife shot him dead in 1949. Father George Barker, who was never part of the Barker gang, was the family's sole survivor.
Sein Fein Leader Michael Collins is killed (1922) & Ma Barker gang robs Federal Reserve Truck (1933)
On this date in 1922Irish revolutionary and Sinn Fein
politician Michael Collins is killed in an ambush in west County Cork, Ireland.
In the early part of the century, Collins joined Sinn
Fein, an Irish political party dedicated to achieving independence for all
Ireland. From its inception, the party became the unofficial political wing of
militant Irish groups in their struggle to throw off British rule. In 1911, the
British Liberal government approved negotiations for Irish Home Rule, but the
Conservative Party opposition in Parliament, combined with Ireland's anti-Home
Rule factions, defeated the plans. With the outbreak of World War I, the
British government delayed further discussion of Irish self-determination, and
Collins and other Irish nationalists responded by staging the Easter Up-Rising of
1916. In 1918, with the threat of conscription being imposed on the island, the
Irish people gave Sinn Fein a majority in national elections, and the party
established an independent Irish parliament, Dail Eireann, which declared
Ireland a sovereign republic. In 1919, Collins led the Irish Volunteers, a
prototype of the Irish Republican Army, in a widespread and effective guerrilla
campaign against British forces. Two years later, a cease-fire was declared,
and Collins was one of the architects of the historic 1921 peace treaty with
Great Britain, which granted autonomy to southern Ireland. In January 1922,
Sinn Fein founder Arthur Griffith was elected president of the newly
established Irish Free State, and Collins was appointed as his finance
minister. He held the post until he was assassinated by Republican extremists
in August 1922.
On this date in 1933, the notorious Ma Barker gang robs a
Federal Reserve mail truck in Chicago, Illinois, and kills Officer Miles
Cunningham.
Netting only a bunch of worthless checks, the Barkers
soon returned to a crime with which they had more success—kidnapping. A few
months later, the Barkers kidnapped wealthy banker Edward Bremer, demanding
$200,000 in ransom. After Kate Clark married George Barker in 1892, she gave
birth to four boys: Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Freddie. Ma Barker, as Kate was
known, was ostensibly responsible for discipline in the family, but she let her
boys run wild. She defended her children no matter what they did, saying,
"If the good people of this town don't like my boys, then the good people
know what they can do." All the Barker boys became involved in crime
during their childhood: In 1922, Lloyd robbed a post office and received a
25-year sentence in federal prison; that same year, Arthur "Doc"
Barker got a life sentence in Oklahoma for killing a night watchman, though
later it would turn out that he was innocent; Freddie was next to see the
insides of a holding cell after robbing a bank. While he was serving time in
Kansas, Herman committed suicide in the midst of a heated gunfight with police
after robbing a bank in Missouri. Herman's death inspired Ma Barker to pressure
authorities to release her other sons, and Doc and Freddie were set free. With
Ma masterminding their criminal enterprise, the Barkers were at the center of
the Midwest's burgeoning criminal community. When they tired of bank robberies,
the Barkers tried their hand at kidnapping. Their first victim, William Hamm,
earned the gang $100,000 in ransom. Although the Bremer abduction in 1933
produced twice as much, it brought them a lot of heat from federal authorities.
With the FBI on their trail, Doc and Freddie attempted plastic surgery. But
this half-baked idea left them only with disfiguring scars, and Doc was captured
in early 1935. Doc, who was later killed while attempting to escape from
Alcatraz in 1939, refused to talk to authorities, but police found papers in
his hideout that led them to Ma and Freddie in Lake Weir, Florida. After a
ferocious shootout lasting 45 minutes, the Barkers lay dead from the fusillade,
machine guns still at their sides. Twelve years later, Lloyd Barker was finally
paroled. He too met a violent demise, but not at the hands of the police, his
wife shot him dead in 1949. Father George Barker, who was never part of the
Barker gang, was the family's sole survivor.
Sein Fein Leader Michael Collins is killed (1922) & Ma Barker gang robs Federal Reserve Truck (1933)
On this date in 1922Irish revolutionary and Sinn Fein politician Michael Collins is killed in an ambush in west County Cork, Ireland.
In the early part of the century, Collins joined Sinn Fein, an Irish political party dedicated to achieving independence for all Ireland. From its inception, the party became the unofficial political wing of militant Irish groups in their struggle to throw off British rule. In 1911, the British Liberal government approved negotiations for Irish Home Rule, but the Conservative Party opposition in Parliament, combined with Ireland's anti-Home Rule factions, defeated the plans. With the outbreak of World War I, the British government delayed further discussion of Irish self-determination, and Collins and other Irish nationalists responded by staging the Easter Up-Rising of 1916. In 1918, with the threat of conscription being imposed on the island, the Irish people gave Sinn Fein a majority in national elections, and the party established an independent Irish parliament, Dail Eireann, which declared Ireland a sovereign republic. In 1919, Collins led the Irish Volunteers, a prototype of the Irish Republican Army, in a widespread and effective guerrilla campaign against British forces. Two years later, a cease-fire was declared, and Collins was one of the architects of the historic 1921 peace treaty with Great Britain, which granted autonomy to southern Ireland. In January 1922, Sinn Fein founder Arthur Griffith was elected president of the newly established Irish Free State, and Collins was appointed as his finance minister. He held the post until he was assassinated by Republican extremists in August 1922.
On this date in 1933, the notorious Ma Barker gang robs a Federal Reserve mail truck in Chicago, Illinois, and kills Officer Miles Cunningham.
Netting only a bunch of worthless checks, the Barkers soon returned to a crime with which they had more success—kidnapping. A few months later, the Barkers kidnapped wealthy banker Edward Bremer, demanding $200,000 in ransom. After Kate Clark married George Barker in 1892, she gave birth to four boys: Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Freddie. Ma Barker, as Kate was known, was ostensibly responsible for discipline in the family, but she let her boys run wild. She defended her children no matter what they did, saying, "If the good people of this town don't like my boys, then the good people know what they can do." All the Barker boys became involved in crime during their childhood: In 1922, Lloyd robbed a post office and received a 25-year sentence in federal prison; that same year, Arthur "Doc" Barker got a life sentence in Oklahoma for killing a night watchman, though later it would turn out that he was innocent; Freddie was next to see the insides of a holding cell after robbing a bank. While he was serving time in Kansas, Herman committed suicide in the midst of a heated gunfight with police after robbing a bank in Missouri. Herman's death inspired Ma Barker to pressure authorities to release her other sons, and Doc and Freddie were set free. With Ma masterminding their criminal enterprise, the Barkers were at the center of the Midwest's burgeoning criminal community. When they tired of bank robberies, the Barkers tried their hand at kidnapping. Their first victim, William Hamm, earned the gang $100,000 in ransom. Although the Bremer abduction in 1933 produced twice as much, it brought them a lot of heat from federal authorities. With the FBI on their trail, Doc and Freddie attempted plastic surgery. But this half-baked idea left them only with disfiguring scars, and Doc was captured in early 1935. Doc, who was later killed while attempting to escape from Alcatraz in 1939, refused to talk to authorities, but police found papers in his hideout that led them to Ma and Freddie in Lake Weir, Florida. After a ferocious shootout lasting 45 minutes, the Barkers lay dead from the fusillade, machine guns still at their sides. Twelve years later, Lloyd Barker was finally paroled. He too met a violent demise, but not at the hands of the police, his wife shot him dead in 1949. Father George Barker, who was never part of the Barker gang, was the family's sole survivor.
In the early part of the century, Collins joined Sinn Fein, an Irish political party dedicated to achieving independence for all Ireland. From its inception, the party became the unofficial political wing of militant Irish groups in their struggle to throw off British rule. In 1911, the British Liberal government approved negotiations for Irish Home Rule, but the Conservative Party opposition in Parliament, combined with Ireland's anti-Home Rule factions, defeated the plans. With the outbreak of World War I, the British government delayed further discussion of Irish self-determination, and Collins and other Irish nationalists responded by staging the Easter Up-Rising of 1916. In 1918, with the threat of conscription being imposed on the island, the Irish people gave Sinn Fein a majority in national elections, and the party established an independent Irish parliament, Dail Eireann, which declared Ireland a sovereign republic. In 1919, Collins led the Irish Volunteers, a prototype of the Irish Republican Army, in a widespread and effective guerrilla campaign against British forces. Two years later, a cease-fire was declared, and Collins was one of the architects of the historic 1921 peace treaty with Great Britain, which granted autonomy to southern Ireland. In January 1922, Sinn Fein founder Arthur Griffith was elected president of the newly established Irish Free State, and Collins was appointed as his finance minister. He held the post until he was assassinated by Republican extremists in August 1922. On this date in 1933, the notorious Ma Barker gang robs a Federal Reserve mail truck in Chicago, Illinois, and kills Officer Miles Cunningham.
Netting only a bunch of worthless checks, the Barkers soon returned to a crime with which they had more success—kidnapping. A few months later, the Barkers kidnapped wealthy banker Edward Bremer, demanding $200,000 in ransom. After Kate Clark married George Barker in 1892, she gave birth to four boys: Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Freddie. Ma Barker, as Kate was known, was ostensibly responsible for discipline in the family, but she let her boys run wild. She defended her children no matter what they did, saying, "If the good people of this town don't like my boys, then the good people know what they can do." All the Barker boys became involved in crime during their childhood: In 1922, Lloyd robbed a post office and received a 25-year sentence in federal prison; that same year, Arthur "Doc" Barker got a life sentence in Oklahoma for killing a night watchman, though later it would turn out that he was innocent; Freddie was next to see the insides of a holding cell after robbing a bank. While he was serving time in Kansas, Herman committed suicide in the midst of a heated gunfight with police after robbing a bank in Missouri. Herman's death inspired Ma Barker to pressure authorities to release her other sons, and Doc and Freddie were set free. With Ma masterminding their criminal enterprise, the Barkers were at the center of the Midwest's burgeoning criminal community. When they tired of bank robberies, the Barkers tried their hand at kidnapping. Their first victim, William Hamm, earned the gang $100,000 in ransom. Although the Bremer abduction in 1933 produced twice as much, it brought them a lot of heat from federal authorities. With the FBI on their trail, Doc and Freddie attempted plastic surgery. But this half-baked idea left them only with disfiguring scars, and Doc was captured in early 1935. Doc, who was later killed while attempting to escape from Alcatraz in 1939, refused to talk to authorities, but police found papers in his hideout that led them to Ma and Freddie in Lake Weir, Florida. After a ferocious shootout lasting 45 minutes, the Barkers lay dead from the fusillade, machine guns still at their sides. Twelve years later, Lloyd Barker was finally paroled. He too met a violent demise, but not at the hands of the police, his wife shot him dead in 1949. Father George Barker, who was never part of the Barker gang, was the family's sole survivor.
Michael Thomas Barry's Blog
A blog by Author Michael Thomas Barry - Which discusses True Crime stories, Hollywood (past and present), British monarchy and much much more. Michael is the author of Final Resting Places Orange Coun
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