Barker–Karpis gang

The Barker-Karpis Gang was one of the longest-lived criminal gangs during the Depression Era, spanning from 1931 to 1935. The gang was founded by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis, and later joined by Fred's brother Arthur "Doc" Barker. Along with the three core members, the gang's network spanned up to 25 members at one point.

Although not as well known as their contemporaries the Dillinger Gang, or the Barrow Gang, the Barker-Karpis Gang was perhaps more ruthless, not only committing bank robberies, but also extending the activities into kidnapping. It is best known for the myth that it was run by the Barker brothers' mother, Kate, usually referred to as "Ma Barker".

The Barker–Karpis gang was put together by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis in March 1931. Barker and Karpis had met in the Kansas State Penitentiary, and upon Karpis's release in March 1931, started to form the gang. The gang began robbing banks starting in mid-1931, but on December 19th of that year, they killed Howell County, Missouri Sheriff Calvin Roy Kelly in West Plains, Missouri. They fled to Joplin, and then to Saint Paul, Minnesota where crime boss Harry Sawyer (born Harry Sandlovich) found them at house at 1031 Roberts Road, owned by Helen Hannegraff. They used the name "Anderson", but a few weeks later, Helen's son Nick recognized Alvin's and Fred's photos in a copy of True Detective Magazine, and contacted the police. The corrupt Chief of Police Thomas A "Big Tom" Brown, tipped the Barkers off and they left town. Doc Barker later joined the gang in 1932 after he was paroled from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, where he had been serving a life sentence for the murder of Night watchman Thomas J. Sherrill in 1921. The gang was led by the three of them, although many others rotated in and out of the gang including Fred Goetz and Volney Davis. The gang continued their bank robbing activities until mid-1933, when they decided that robbing banks was becoming risky, and therefore decided to diverge into the field of kidnapping. Their graduation to more serious crime was mentored by corrupt police chief Tom Brown.

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