Outlaws & Gunslingers

In this episode we move away from the usual bank robberies and the typical stuff we cover and take a look at what is considered America's first single incident mass shooting. On September 6th 1949, Howard Unruh loaded his gun, filled his pockets with ammunition and went on what is now known as "The Walk Of Death" In just 12 minutes, Unruh would shoot 15 people--killing 13. We will cover the events...

Erwin Walker was a police officer and WWII veteran who, after seeing the atrocities of war, decided to make sure no one else would have to fight in another one. Once out of the Army, he went on a string of armed robberies to fund the making of a radar gun which he would use to force the government to up the pay of soldiers, in turn making it so that war would no longer be profitable. However, that...

You probably don't know much about bank robber Eddie Bentz, because that's the way he wanted it. Although he was associated with well known criminals such as Baby Face Nelson and Machine Gun Kelly, he preferred to keep a low profile. It's estimated that he robbed over 100 banks in his career and he may be the smartest criminal we have covered on the show so far. So smart that FBI directer J. Edgar...

"Mad Dog" Wilbur Underhill Jr. was one of the most wanted bank robbers in Oklahoma and the United States during the 20's and 30's. During his criminal career, he robbed several banks, went to prison, escaped prison, killed a few people and robbed some more banks. He even teamed up with Harvey Bailey and robbed banks as "The Bailey-Underhill Gang" As usual, a lapse in judgement lead to his downfall...

Harvey Bailey was one of the most successful bank robbers of the depression era. In his career, which spanned 13 years, he actually stole more money than the more famous John Dillinger. He is thought to have robbed at least 20 banks and was also suspected of being involved in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre AND the Kansas City Massacre. This is his story! Follow us on twitter @OGMMPodcast and on...

Frank Nash was a notorious 1930's bank robber, who some have called "the most successful banker robber in American history" He went to prison several times, and escaped several times. He is most remembered for his death in "The Kansas City Massacre" where Pretty Boy Floyd and two others attempted to break him out of FBI custody. After the KC Massacre, the FBI finally allowed agents to carry weapon...

Just about every famous criminal has made Hot Springs their vacation spot. From Capone to Dillinger to just about every high level mafia figure, they all came here to relax in one of the many natural hot springs. However, this town wasn't all about peace and quiet as this was the sight of a brutal gunfight between the local police and the county sheriff's office that left several officers dead. He...

The Barker/Karpis Gang, formed by Alvin Karpis and Fred Barker, were the most active gang from 1931-35. Starting off robbing stores, then banks and eventually kidnapping, they found themselves in the crosshairs of the FBI. Although Fred's name was in the gang title, Alvin Karpis was the star. After Baby Face Nelson was killed, Karpis was named the fourth and final Public Enemy #1. Karpis also taug...

In this quick episode, we take a look at the beginnings of the FBI. With the rise of crime during Prohibition, America needed more man power to take down these criminals. We take a look at why they got started, the appointment of J. Edgar Hoover as director, up to the elimination of the infamous "Public Enemies" of the early 1930s! Got a particular person or place you want us to cover? Email us at...

Charles Arthur Floyd A.K.A. Pretty Boy Floyd was a notorious bank robber who was named Public Enemy #1 after the deaths of Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson. In this episode we will take a look at his crimes including an in depth look at the "Kansas City Masacre" which resulted in the deaths of 4 law enforcement officer, an event that Floyd denies even being a part of. Also we will explore if the FBI...

Lester Joseph Gillis AKA Baby Face Nelson was a notorious 1930's bank robber and gangster from Chicago. He is responsible for killing more active duty FBI agents than any other person in history. In this episode we will cover his life of crimes including his run robbing banks with fellow Public Enemy #1 John Dillinger. Out of all the outlaws in the Public Enemy era of the early 30's, Nelson just m...

In this episode we cover the very first person to be named by the FBI as America's Public Enemy #1. John Dillinger was a ruthless bank robber who killed numerous police officers and even escaped jail twice! We will cover his life of crimes up until his last moments walking out of the Biograph movie theater. We also take a look at the claims that he really didn't die that day, and ending up getting...

George Kelly Barnes a.k.a. "Machine Gun" Kelly is one of the most famous criminals from the "Public Enemy #1" era and for good reason. Kelly started out bootlegging during prohibition but soon expanded to bank robberies and even kidnapping. His most famous crime---and his downfall---came in 1933 when he kidnapped oil tycoon Charles F. Urschel. We will tell you all about his bootlegging, his robber...

In part 2, we wrap up our Bonnie and Clyde series and go into detail about the ambush that took their lives. Who fired the first shot? How many bullets were fired? How many times were Bonnie and Clyde shot? All those questions and more are answered in this episode! We also discuss the aftermath of the shooting and what happened to the posse that killed them as well as the fates of other Barrow gan...

It's here! The Depression/Public Enemy era is upon us and as usual we start off hot. We are profiling the most famous boyfriend/girlfriend criminal duo in history, Bonnie & Clyde! In part 1 we will take a look at their childhood, how they met, their first crime together and every single crime they commited leading up to the infamous ambush by law enforcement. Part 1 is a wild ride and we are just...

In this week's episode we wrap our Prohibition series by taking a look at the fallout of the Volstead Act. We know that it created organized crime, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The alcohol business was the 5th largest industry in the US at the time, so thousands of jobs were lost. Businesses were forced to close because alcohol was their number 1 seller, billions in lost tax revenue a...

Big Bill was an Irish American bootlegger from New York who turned a small operation into a multi million dollar empire. At the height of his success, he had a smuggling operation that ran from Europe directly to Manhattan. Bill took his earnings from bootlegging and bought several sports teams including two NHL franchises an NFL team and even two horse racing tracks. He also was a part of the Com...

You don't really much about women during Prohibition, but believe it or not they were major players in the game. Back in those days women were not ever suspected of being bootleggers so they took advantage. Many operated their own stills and transported the illegal booze. In this episode we will take a look at one of the first women Prohibition agents and a few well known bootleggers including Ger...

The Purple Gang ran Detroit during the 1920's with their control of the liquor, prostitution, and gambling businesses. All that money wasn't enough as they also hired themselves out as hitmen for other gangs. The gang was closely linked with Al Capone and was rumored to have been apart of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In addition to that, they are also suspected in being apart of the Lindbergh...

John Ashley was the so called "King Of The Everglades" and for good reason. Throughout the 1910s and early 20's he and his gang ran South Florida, operating several stills in the hard to reach swamp lands which resulted in a lengthy feud with the local Sheriff. In addition to being involved in illegal alcohol, John was also a successful bank robber, netting nearly a million dollars from at least 4...

You might know Nucky from the popular HBO series Boardwalk Empire where Steve Buscemi portrayed him as Nucky Thompson. Although based on Johnson, that character was highly fictionalized as Johnson was not as ruthless and cold blooded as Thompson. Hear the TRUE and ACCURATE story of the man who ran Atlantic City and made millions from illegal alcohol, gambling and prostitution! Please support Outla...

Everyone knows about Ness and his role in taking down Capone, but do you know his life after? Ness made his claim to fame on bringing down Al Capone, but that was the highlight. After the Capone case he held numerous law enforcement jobs. We all know him as the leader of the Untouchables, but his later life isn't what you would expect. Hear his tragic story here! Please support Outlaws & Gunslinge...

On this episode we take a look at Bill McCoy who was a prominent rum runner in the early days of Prohibition. He started out as a boat builder as well as a captain but when this business started to fail, he used his sea navigation skills to become one of the most successful--and wanted men in the country. His reputation as an honest businessman and only selling the highest quality liquor garnered...

On this episode hear all about Lucky Luciano! One of the early members of the American Mafia, he played a key role in bootlegging during the prohibition as well. We take a look at his early years in crime and his role in establishing "The Commission" where the five families of New York would get together to decide mob business, which is still in use today. Got a mobster you want us to talk about n...

In this quick little episode we take a look at the little known George Remus. Having a successful career as a lawyer got boring for Remus and after he saw how much money the bootleggers he was defending was making, he decides to get in the bootlegging game himself. Here about his rise in the game and of course his fall. Also, hear all about his parties he threw that became the inspiration for "The...