Ralph Fults
| Ralph Fults | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 23, 1911 Anna, Texas, United States |
| Died | March 16, 1993 (aged 82) Dallas, Texas |
| Occupation | Bank robber, Burglar, Security Guard |
| Criminal penalty | 50 years imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Pardoned in 1944 |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Fults |
| Conviction(s) | Armed robbery (1935) |
Ralph Fults (January 23, 1911 – March 16, 1993) was a Depression-era outlaw and escape artist associated with Raymond Hamilton, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow of the Barrow Gang.
Born to a U.S. postal worker in Anna, Texas, he was arrested in Aspermont, Texas after police found him carrying a suitcase full of stolen goods. The 14-year-old Fults escaped from the town's jail a week later after making a key from an old tobacco can. With the town sheriff attending the county fair, Fults was able to start a mass jailbreak, letting the remaining inmates out of jail. However, Fults was soon recaptured and sentenced to the Gatesville State School, which he escaped from on April 16, 1927.
Two years later, Fults was arrested and convicted of burglary after selling stolen cigarettes to a grocer in Greenville, Texas. Given a two-year prison sentence, Fults arrived in Huntsville Prison on June 16. He was eventually transferred to Eastham prison farm, from which he escaped with two other inmates on April 8, 1930. Recaptured five months later while burglarizing a hardware store in St. Louis, he was sent back to Texas, where he received a parole on August 16, 1931.
During his time in prison, he had become acquainted with many criminals and outlaws of the "public enemy era" and helped smuggle hacksaw blades to bank robber Ray Hamilton to escape from jail in McKinney, Texas on January 27, 1932.
He later joined up with Hamilton on March 22 and, along with Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, attempted to rob a hardware store in Mabank, Texas. However, after the night watchmen sounded the alarm, the four fled in a stolen car until Barrow drove into a mud hole, which bogged the car down. Although Barrow and Hamilton were able to escape on foot, Fults and Parker were arrested by arriving police.
Fults was sentenced to ten years imprisonment on May 11, 1932 although he was later granted a pardon by Governor Miriam A. Ferguson shortly before leaving office on January 10, 1935.
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