The Brady Gang
Alfred
Brady
|
Clarence
Lee Schaffer, Jr.
|
|
|
During
the latter part of the year 1935, three human vultures
by name Alfred Brady, James Dalhover, and Clarence
Lee Shaffer, Jr., formed a coalition for the purpose
of engaging in criminal activities which later were
to make them the objects of one of the greatest manhunts
in the history of American crime. The depredations
of this gang of desperadoes rival those of the characters
of the most bloodthirsty novels of our time and were
brought to an end by the death of Brady and Shaffer
while resisting arrest by Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) Agents, and the capture of Dalhover in the
New England City of Bangor, Maine, in October, 1937.
To this gang has been attributed the statement that
they "would make Dillinger look like a piker." Whether
or not they accomplished their avowed purpose is
a moot question, but the fact that they met the same
fate as the members of the Dillinger gang cannot
be disputed.
Although
the members of this infamous gang committed in the
neighborhood of 150 holdups and robberies and at
least one and possibly two murders in the comparatively
short period of time between the latter part of the
year 1935 and April, 1936, the crimes committed were
violations of state laws and as such did not come
within the investigative jurisdiction of the FBI.
On
April 27, 1936, however, the Kay Jewelry Store at
Lima, Ohio, was held up and robbed for the second
time by Alfred Brady, James Dalhover, and Clarence
Lee Shaffer. Approximately $8,000 worth of jewelry
was taken. On the day of the robbery, a number of
boxes in which the jewelry had been kept were found
where they had been discarded near Geneva, Indiana,
which of course, gave rise to the presumption that
the stolen jewelry had been transported from Ohio
across the state line into Indiana, thus permitting
the FBI to enter the case. Two days later, Brady
was apprehended by the Police Department at Chicago,
Illinois and Dalhover and Shaffer within a few days
thereafter by the Chicago and Indianapolis Police
Departments, respectively. They were held on a charge
of murdering a police sergeant of the Indianapolis
Police Department. They remained in jail until October,
1936. In the meantime, Special Agents had been carefully
checking the previous activities of the members of
the gang in an effort to determine if they were responsible
for other violations of federal laws and obtaining
all the facts relative to their activities for prosecutive
purposes.
The
background and activities of this gang of criminals,
as contained in the files of the FBI, reflect that
Alfred James Brady was born near Kentland, Indiana,
on October 25, 1910. His early life was that of the
average country boy, and his education was received
in the elementary school at North Salem, Indiana.
His father died when he was only a few years old,
and Brady and his mother later moved to Indianapolis
where Mrs. Brady married a man by the name of Biddle.
Brady's mother died in December 1926, when Brady
was sixteen years of age. His stepfather died two
years later.
Little
is known of the activities of Brady as a young man,
but it is known that he, at one time, worked in a
clothing store in Indianapolis and later, after the
death of his stepfather, was employed as an errand
boy at a hot tamale stand run by a friend of the
family. He was so employed during 1931 and 1932.
Leaving this employment, he began to wander around,
and the people with whom he had been staying saw
little of him for several years, until July 10, 1934,
when he was arrested under the name of James Reid
on a charge of vagrancy. Through the intervention
of one of his acquaintances with whom he had previously
resided, this charge was dismissed, and he was not
heard from again by his former acquaintances until
about August, 1935, when he returned to Indianapolis
and obtained employment in a mattress factory for
a short time. He then obtained employment as a welder
in an automobile factory, but soon growing tired
of this, he gave up his job and informed the family
with whom he was staying that he was going to travel
as an insurance inspector.
Prior
to his return to Indianapolis, he was arrested on
July 21, 1934, on a charge of unlawful possession
(possessing stolen property) and was sentenced to
the state farm at Greencastle, Indiana, to serve
180 days. Upon his release from this institution,
he proceeded to a farm owned by a friend near Hanover,
Indiana, where he visited for a short time and first
became acquainted with James Dalhover who was operating
the farm adjoining that on which Brady was visiting.
During the year 1935, Brady apparently resided around
Indianapolis and visited occasionally the farm of
his friend near Hanover. During this period of time,
Brady informed friends that he had organized a gang
of young boys who were stealing and stripping automobiles
in Indianapolis and burglarizing various grocery
stores and other business houses. Leaving Brady here,
we go to Dalhover who enters the picture at about
this time.
Rhuel
James Dalhover was born in Madison, Indiana, August
24, 1906, and resided there, attending grammar school
until he was 11 years of age. He was sent to a reform
school at Plainfield, Indiana, with his brother George
for robbing a country grocery store at Plowhandle
Point. George Dalhover had recently been released
from reform school, and apparently it was he who
persuaded James to help him rob the grocery store.
James Dalhover remained in the reform school 16 months
and was released in December, 1918. He then rejoined
his mother in Cincinnati, Ohio, and later moved to
Kentucky. He continued to attend school and work
on a farm for about 2 years, finishing grammar school
in 1920. He obtained employment at the National Biscuit
Company plant in Cincinnati and worked there during
the next 2 years. He then went with another brother
to Douglas, Arizona, and worked at various laboring
jobs until 1924 when he went to Madison, Indiana,
to live with his father. He stayed there until July,
1925, returned to Cincinnati, and worked for the
Standard Service Company until the Spring of 1926,
having in the meantime, in December, 1925, married
a girl named Anna Moore of Cincinnati. Two children
were born of this union.
In
the Spring of 1926, Dalhover began making "moonshine" whiskey
for his wife's grandfather, and in November, 1926,
he and his brother George were caught with a load
of whiskey at Union, Kentucky. He was immediately
placed in jail and received a sentence of 100 days
and a fine of $100. He had served 3 weeks of his
sentence when he and his brother broke out and went
to Cincinnati. From there, they went to Madison,
Indiana, picked up an automobile, and started toward
Arizona. The car broke down, however, and at Roswell,
New Mexico, they stole a 1926 Ford coupe. They were
apprehended later and sentenced to serve 1 ½ to
2 years in New Mexico State Penitentiary. At the
expiration of 13 months, they were given a 2-year
sentence in the Kentucky State Reformatory at Frankfort
for the crime of assault with intent to kill. Upon
Dalhover's release from this institution on November
25, 1929, he returned to Cincinnati, worked at odd
jobs there for a short time, and then again began
making "moonshine" whiskey at New Richmond,
Ohio.
In
January, 1931, Dalhover and another brother, John,
went to California. He obtained a job at the Needles
Gas and Electric Company, worked there for 2 months,
and then obtained a job with the Santa Fe Railroad
until June, 1932. He returned to Madison, Indiana,
and worked part of the time with his father, a cabinet
maker, and part of the time made "moonshine" whiskey.
In the Summer of 1933, the whiskey business became
so good that he gave up assisting his father and
devoted all of his time to making whiskey. With the
profits from this venture, he purchased a farm near
Hanover where the whiskey making was continued through
the year 1934.
In
the early part of 1935, he met Alfred Brady who was
visiting the farm adjoining that was operated by
Dalhover. Dalhover later told FBI Agents that, at
that time, the federal and state governments were
shutting down on his yeast supply which he used in
making whiskey, and that Brady -- on his trips to
Hanover -- would bring yeast down to him from Indianapolis.
In March, 1935, Dalhover's farm was raided and his
still destroyed. He was tried in July, 1935, at Madison
and was sentenced to serve 60 days in jail and to
pay a $500 fine. He served the 60 days on the Indiana
State Farm at Greencastle and was released on September
8, 1935, returning to his farm at Hanover. Brady
visited him there and suggested that he join him
in perpetrating robberies and holdups. Dalhover stated
that he refused at that time, but shortly thereafter
Brady again appeared at his farm with an automobile
he had stolen in Indianapolis, and together they
robbed a moving picture theater at Crothersville,
Indiana, on October 12 or 14, 1935. Dalhover advised
that they obtained $18 in this robbery of which he
received $4 as his share after the expenses had been
deducted. On the following Saturday night, both men
proceeded to Sellersburg, Indiana, in the stolen
car and held up a grocery store, obtaining $190.
During
the latter part of October, 1935, the Brady gang
was formed. Brady brought Clarence Lee Shaffer, Jr.
(who was then using the name of Lee Jackson), to
Dalhover's farm, and operating together for the first
time, these three criminals robbed a grocery store
near Indianapolis. For some time, the three of them
engaged in the robberies of grocery stores, filling
stations, and drug stores on every Saturday night
-- and sometimes on Sunday nights. Dalhover estimated
they had robbed approximately 150 stores.
Clarence
Lee Shaffer, Jr., the youngest member of the gang,
was born at Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1916. His parents
separated two years later, at which time his mother
obtained a divorce, and Shaffer went to live with
his grandparents in Indianapolis. He later attended
elementary school at Ben Davis, Indiana. Little is
known of the early activities of Clarence Lee Shaffer,
but there is some indication that when he was 12
years of age, he began stealing and stripping automobiles
and continued this practice for some time. In later
years, he frequently did odd jobs, such as cutting
grass and hauling coal. He was employed hauling coal
with Charles Geiseking who, for a short time, was
the fourth member of the Brady gang.
While
he was hauling coal with Geiseking, he met a young
girl in July or August, 1935, and started keeping
company with her. Later that summer, Shaffer opened
and operated a hamburger stand at Indianapolis for
a period of three or four weeks. During this time,
he regularly called upon this young girl and went
with her until November, 1935. Subsequently, a child
was born which the girl claimed was the son of Clarence
Lee Shaffer, Jr. Shaffer's mother, who on numerous
occasions pleaded with him to stop his criminal activities,
also pleaded with him to marry the young woman and
give the child a name, but this he declined to do.
The
fact is not definitely known, but Dalhover advised
that during the latter part of 1935 when he, Brady,
and Shaffer were conducting their holdups from their
operating base on the farm of Dalhover, Brady and
Shaffer, accompanied by Charles Geiseking, were perpetrating
other robberies during the week.
After
the three men began perpetrating holdups as an organized
gang, it was decided that Dalhover would buy an automobile
and register it legitimately so that they would not
have to drive the stolen automobiles used in the
holdups more than was necessary. At that time they
were using a stolen Ford coupe for the holdups, but
when business became better they decided they needed
a larger car. On January 14, 1936, Brady and Dalhover
proceeded to Anderson, Indiana, held up a man and
a woman at the point of guns, and took from them
a Buick sedan. On this excursion, Charles Geiseking
accompanied them and drove the stolen Ford coupe.
The Buick was then placed in a garage at Indianapolis
to be used in future holdups.
Shaffer,
the youngest member of the trio, was inclined to
be a braggart and just before Christmas, 1935, Brady
and Dalhover dropped him as a partner and used Geiseking,
as Shaffer started drinking and talking more than
they thought was good for them, and they were afraid
he might get them in trouble. During January, 1936,
the gang continued their holdups throughout the state
of Indiana and, on one occasion, proceeded to Danville,
Illinois, and held up two grocery stores on the same
night. On one occasion at Danville, Shaffer again
accompanied Brady and Dalhover, and as they were
making their getaway, they were pursued by police
officers. Brady on this occasion fired at the pursuing
officers with an automatic rifle.
It
was also in January, 1936, when, because of the cold
weather and bad roads it was necessary to temporarily
discontinue their robberies, Brady organized a group
of young boys in Indianapolis who would steal cars
for him and drive them to various garages. Dalhover
and Brady would strip the cars and sell the parts
to a fence.
The
stolen car business was not prospering to the degree
that it satisfied the wants of these bandits, and
they determined to go in for bigger things. A conference
was held, and it was decided they needed more and
better guns than they had been using. They proceeded
to Newport, Kentucky, visited a barroom, and made
arrangements for the purchase of a machine gun from
a bartender who obtained it from a policeman then
serving on the police department of a large city
in Ohio. The bartender later introduced Brady and
Dalhover to the policeman under fictitious names,
and arrangements were made for a welding job to be
done on the machine guns. At this time, other firearms
and ammunition were purchased from the policeman
who took them out to the farm of a relative. The
machine gun was tried out and found to be in a satisfactory
operating condition. (This police officer was later
dismissed from the police department as a result
of his having supplied the Brady gang with these
firearms and ammunition.)
Some
time during the early part of February, 1936, Brady,
Geiseking, and Dalhover proceeded to Springfield,
Ohio, and there robbed two grocery stores on the
same night, obtaining approximately $600. Shortly
thereafter they learned they were suspected of having
killed a policeman by the name of Frank Levy at Anderson,
Indiana, and decided it would be better for them
to leave that section of the country for a few days.
They, therefore, took the stolen Buick, drove to
New Orleans, Louisiana, and stayed there about a
week.
With
reference to the murder of the policeman, Frank Levy,
the facts were as follows: the officer was making
his rounds of the streets and stopped to investigate
a suspicious appearing automobile when he was killed
by gunfire from the occupants of the car without
having been given a chance to draw his gun. Some
time later when one of the members of the gang was
in jail, a fellow prisoner asked about the killing
and one of the gang members stated that they had
committed the murder, elaborating on the fact that
they had been sleeping in the car when an officer
came along and asked them what they were doing there.
The answer was, "Killing coppers, that's what
were doing!" The officer was then shot. It is
not known, however, whether this actually occurred,
because the killing has since been denied by Dalhover.
While
in New Orleans, they met some girls and began taking
them out. On one occasion, the girls saw some firearms
that the men were carrying. The gang told them that
they were federal officers and that was the reason
they had the guns.
Returning
from New Orleans after their short stay there, the
gang, having decided to go in for bigger things,
on March 4, 1936, robbed a jewelry store at Greenville,
Ohio. They proceeded to the store in a stolen automobile,
taking with them a number of pillowcases. Upon entering
the store, they held up the employees and patrons,
gathered up the jewelry, placed it in nine pillowcases,
carried it out to the car, and drove away. This jewelry
was valued at approximately $8,000.
On
March 19, 1936, the Kay Jewelry Store at Lima, Ohio,
was held up and robbed of jewelry valued at approximately
$6,800 by Brady, Dalhover, and another bandit who
had temporarily joined the gang. The employees and
customers were held at bay by the robbers with pistols.
During the course of this robbery, one of the owners
of the store jumped on Brady's back and began wrestling
with him. The events which followed might almost
be considered amusing if it were not for the tragic
consequences which often follow such exhibitions
of careless disregard for human life. One of the
bandits immediately began firing his gun at the intrepid
citizen who, with Brady, went down behind the counter
out of the bandit's range of vision. Brady alone
arose, and the excited bandit fired at Brady as soon
as his head came above the counter. Brady immediately
ducked and as soon as he again raised his head above
the counter, another shot was directed at him. It
was not until he yelled to the other members of the
gang to "stop that crazy fool" that Brady
was able to get up from behind the counter. Needless
to say, the "crazy fool" was not again
taken along on a "job." In the excitement
and as a result of the firing, a crowd gathered,
but the bandits succeeded in making their escape.
It
was just after this robbery that Brady and Dalhover
decided to hold up another grocery store. They, therefore,
drove to a small store in Ohio and held it up, but
since they did not obtain sufficient money there,
they went on to another town and spotted another
grocery store which looked good to them; Brady entered
the front door and Dalhover the back door. Dalhover
estimated there were approximately 35 customers in
the store at the time.
To
show the cold-blooded manner in which this gang operated,
the following is Dalhover's description of what happened: "As
I entered the rear door, I estimated there were about
35 customers crowded in the store, and as I was dodging
my way through the crowd, I heard a shot fired. The
customers immediately began to run to the front door
and pushed me out with them. As soon as they had
cleared the place, I went back in; Brady was taking
the money out of the cash drawer. I asked Brady what
the shot was about and he said, 'some damn fool jumped
me and I shot him and shoved him down the cellar
stairs.' We got the money, went out the back door,
and got in our car, but because of the fact that
there was a great crowd gathered, we had to turn
our car around in the middle of the street and then
drive out of town. A car followed us for some distance,
and I shot three times at it and stopped."
The
young man who had been killed was Edward Lindsay,
a clerk in the grocery store. Coming into the store
from the basement, he had committed the indiscretion
of excitedly asking what was going on, and Brady
had killed him.
On
April 9, 1936, Brady, Shaffer, Geiseking, and Dalhover,
all together again, drove to Dayton, Ohio, in a Studebaker
car, which had previously been stolen in Indianapolis,
and there held up and robbed another jewelry store,
obtaining approximately $27,000 worth of jewelry
and again using pillowcases to carry away their loot.
Dalhover stated that he figured the value of the
loot from the price tags appearing thereon at $68,000.
The jewelry obtained in the previous holdup had been
disposed of in the same manner, without any difficulty,
at prices far below the market value. In this instance,
however, they were offered $22,000 by a group of
fences, but when they arrived at a designated apartment
to deliver the jewelry, they were hijacked by some
Chicago crooks who laughingly took their jewelry
from what they then thought was a gang of "punks." They
soon learned differently from the underworld, however,
and when advised that the "punks" were "real
killers," arrangements were immediately entered
into to return the stolen jewelry, but subsequent
events developed so rapidly that the return was actually
never made.
On
April 27, 1936, as previously indicated, the Kay
Jewelry Store at Lima, Ohio, was robbed a second
time, the gang in the meantime having held up at
Chicago an employee of the government and taken from
him a DeSoto airflow sedan which they used in perpetrating
that robbery.
This
operation offers another example of the cold-blooded
manner in which the gang operated. While Brady, Geiseking,
and Dalhover went into the store and held up the
clerks and customers with their guns, Shaffer remained
outside at the wheel of the getaway car. During the
robbery, a police car drew up and parked in front
of the gang car, and one of the policemen got out
and went into a 5- and 10- cent store next door.
Dalhover, coming out of the jewelry store with four
pillow cases full of jewelry, saw the police car
but continued on his way and took his automatic rifle
from the back of the gang car. Brady then came out
of the jewelry store and placed the jewelry which
he had brought out on the back seat of their car,
walked over to the police car, and held up the policeman
with a revolver. Dalhover, approaching from the other
side, held his rifle on the policeman and took his
gun from him. While this was going on, the other
officer came out of the 5- and 10-cent store and
started firing at Brady and Dalhover who returned
the fire. At this point, Geiseking ran out of the
jewelry store among the officers and members of his
own gang and was shot in the leg by the officer who
had been in the store. The officer then returned
to the store to reload his gun. Geiseking was assisted
into the gang car, while Brady returned to the jewelry
store to get the balance of the jewelry which had
been placed in a pillowcase and left near the door.
Brady then came out and the gang drove away, pursued
by the police car occupied by Patrolmen Jess Ford
and Edward C. Swaney of the Lima, Ohio, Police Department.
During the chase, the police car was wrecked and
Patrolman Swaney was seriously injured.
The
gang escaped and made their way to Indianapolis where
it was decided that it would be necessary to obtain
medical aid for Geiseking. They took him to the home
of a doctor who treated his wounds, and then they
took him to his home. Brady, Dalhover, and Shaffer
decided to return to the doctor's house to insure
his silence. They had told him that Geiseking had
been shot by a jealous husband who had discovered
that he had been playing around with his wife. In
the meantime, however, the physician had notified
the police department of the incident, and upon the
return of the bandits to the home of the doctor,
they were met by Indianapolis police officers. A
gun battle ensued during the course of which Sergeant
Richard Rivers of the Indianapolis Police Department
was killed and the gang escaped. Shortly thereafter,
the gang took the stolen Buick sedan and the DeSoto
outside of Indianapolis and burned them in order
to conceal any evidence of their participation in
this shooting. They then proceeded to Chicago to
dispose of the jewelry, valued at approximately $12,000,
through jewelry fences.
The
agreed selling price was about $850, but the money
was never received as Brady was apprehended by Indianapolis
police on May 11, 1936. Shaffer was subsequently
apprehended by Indianapolis police on May 11, 1936,
and Dalhover was arrested on May 15, 1936, by the
Chicago police. Geiseking was located on September
12, 1936, at Henderson, Kentucky, having, in the
interim, been operating with a criminal named Jones
and holding up a number of filling stations. They
were all returned to Indianapolis to await trial
for the murder of Sergeant Richard Rivers.
On
September 24, 1936, while Brady, Dalhover, and Shaffer
were being held, they were transferred to the Hancock
County Jail at Breensfield, Indiana. Geiseking was
not involved in this murder and was later removed
to Ohio and sentenced to 10 to 25 years in the Ohio
State Penitentiary for the crime of armed robbery.
The other three remained in the Hancock County Jail
until October 11, 1936, on which date, during the
breakfast hour, they assaulted the sheriff, took
from him his .38 caliber revolver, and escaped in
an automobile stolen from a man who attempted to
assist the sheriff during his fight with the gang.
It
was at this point that the FBI took up the trail
of this gang, and on October 13, 1936, a complaint
was filed against Brady, Shaffer, and Dalhover before
the United States Commissioner at Cleveland, Ohio,
charging them with the transportation of stolen jewelry,
valued in excess of $5,000 from Lima, Ohio, to Chicago,
Illinois, on April 27, 1936. The transportation of
this property from the state of Ohio to the state
of Illinois gave the FBI investigative jurisdiction
in the case, and FBI Agents took up the search for
these hoodlums.
Brady,
Dalhover, and Shaffer proceeded from Greenfield,
Indiana, into the state of Ohio where they burglarized
a house at Gallipolis and obtained some clothing
and blankets. Proceeding from there to Wheeling,
West Virginia, they considered holding up a jewelry
store but decided that they were too "hot" to
pull a job at this time, so they continued east to
Baltimore, Maryland, obtaining a room in a rooming
house there. The gang was really "hot" at
this time and knew it. Police of a number of states
were seeking them for everything from robbery to
murder, and the FBI had assembled a special squad
to search for them as violators of the National Stolen
Property Act, the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act,
and later for bank robbery.
Shrewd
and resourceful, Brady, Dalhover, and Shaffer held
a conference and decided to live a quiet, peaceful
life in Baltimore and to make the scene of their
future criminal operations a sufficient distance
away so that they could not be traced. To get ready
cash quickly, they held up several grocery stores
in Maryland some distance from Baltimore. In November,
1936, they located a 1937 Buick sedan operated by
a man, and deciding it was the car they wanted, followed
it to a point on the outskirts of the city where
they held up the man, made him and his woman companion
get out of the car, and drove it away. They then
placed it in a garage rented for the purpose where
it would be available for use in their criminal operations.
Brady at this time was using the name Edward Maxwell;
Dalhover, the name of Herbert Schwartz; and Shaffer,
the name George Riley.
About
the middle of October, the three men started taking
their meals at a restaurant in Baltimore where Minnie
Raimondo, age 18, was employed as a waitress. Shaffer,
then using the name Riley, became friendly with Minnie
and started taking her home from work. He informed
her that he was a cabinet maker from Bangor, Maine,
in Baltimore on a vacation. He further advised her
that Schwartz and Maxwell, in reality, Dalhover and
Brady, owned a furniture factory in Maine from which
they received a nice income and that they had to
go to Maine every few weeks to look after their business.
Shortly after Shaffer started going with Minnie,
she invited him and his two companions to her mother's
home for an Italian dinner. At this time, Dalhover
met Minnie's sister, Mary, age 20. Shaffer and Dalhover
went out regularly with the two sisters for a period
of about two weeks during which time they decided
to get married.
In
the meantime, however, needing more money, the gang
decided to rob the State Bank at North Madison, Indiana,
and on November 22, 1936, left Baltimore in the stolen
Buick and drove to North Madison. There they proceeded
to "run the roads," and, on November 23,
1936, shortly after the noon hour, Brady and Dalhover
entered the bank, leaving Shaffer at the wheel of
the getaway car, and held it up at the point of guns,
obtaining approximately $1,630. Prior to the robbery,
they had stolen a set of Indiana license plates which
they used on the stolen automobile to more easily
effect their getaway after perpetrating the robbery.
It is also noted that before leaving Baltimore, they
had purchased two long-range rifles and some ammunition
to use in case they were pursued by the police.
After
arriving back in Baltimore, they resumed their friendship
with the Raimondo girls and on November 28, 1936,
Dalhover, who already had a wife and two small children,
decided to marry Mary and Shaffer, Minnie. On November
30, 1936, these four, accompanied by Brady and a
third Raimondo sister, proceeded to Elkton, Maryland,
where they had a double ceremony performed. Brady
and Josephine, the third Raimondo sister, were witnesses.
Returning to Baltimore, Dalhover and Shaffer moved
in with the Raimondo sisters at the home of their
mother, Brady taking a room in another part of the
city. The house in which they were living, however,
proved too small for comfort, and after about a week
or 10 days, the four of them rented a house at 3632
Roberts Place, Baltimore, and moved there. Dalhover
and Shaffer built a workshop in the basement of the
house which they continually kept locked. Practically
every day Brady would join them, and the three of
them would spend a considerable amount of time there.
It was later learned that they had been making magazines,
extra shot clips, and mechanical improvements on
the various guns they were using at that time.
Wanting
additional money, the gang decided to rob the State
Bank of Carthage at Carthage, Indiana. They left
Baltimore on December 15, 1936, drove to Marietta,
Ohio, staying there overnight in a tourist camp and
going on to Carthage the next day. They stole a set
of 1937 Indiana license plates from an automobile
parked on a side street in Richmond, Indiana, and
on the following day, robbed the bank at Carthage,
obtaining approximately $2,154 and some silverware.
Returning to Baltimore, the members of the gang lived
quietly, spending their time working in their workshop
and enjoying life generally until they decided it
was time for them to pull another bank job. On April
26, 1937, they left Baltimore in the stolen Buick
sedan and drove to Farmland, Indiana, "ran the
roads" there, and shortly after noon the next
day, they held up and robbed the Farmland, Indiana,
Branch of the Peoples Loan and Trust Company, Winchester,
Indiana, obtaining approximately $1,427 and returning
to Baltimore through the state of Ohio.
Prior
to this robbery, the gang, around the first of April,
made a trip to Chicago for the purpose of obtaining
a machine gun which they had heard could be obtained
at a sporting goods store there. They were unsuccessful,
however, and on their return to Baltimore, they stopped
in Cincinnati and stole a set of 1937 license plates
from an automobile parked in a suburb of that city.
Shortly
after the robbery of the bank of Farmland, they decided
to get rid of the Chevrolet they had stolen at the
time of their escape from the county jail at Greenfield,
Indiana, and on May 11, 1937, they drove from Baltimore
to Bellefontaine, Ohio, with this purpose in mind.
On May 12, they observed two girls in a new Ford
sedan. They drove up alongside the car, held the
girls up with a pistol, took the Ford from them,
and drove it away. Both the Chevrolet and the Ford
were driven to Hamilton, Ohio, where the Chevrolet
was burned. Before burning it, however, they removed
from it a tire which they had purchased in Baltimore.
This
is a good example of the caution with which this
gang was operating at this time. They removed the
tire because they felt that it might possibly be
traced to Baltimore and their residence there discovered.
They then went on to Moscow, Ohio, and stole a .30
caliber machine gun from an American Legion Monument
where it had been placed as a part of the memorial.
They repaired this gun and finding that it worked
satisfactorily, they determined to get another one.
About a week later, they proceeded to Felicity, Ohio,
where they stole another .30 caliber machine gun
from an American Legion Monument in that municipality.
Returning
to Baltimore, the gang remained there until May,
1937. When their money began to run low, they decided
to return to Indiana to rob another bank. Leaving
Baltimore on May 23, 1937, the three of them proceeded
in the stolen Ford to Sheldon, Illinois, for the
purpose of robbing a bank there. Arriving at that
point, they found that the bank was out of business.
They then continued to Goodland, Indiana, and "ran
the roads" there preparatory to robbing the
Goodland Stateland Bank. They returned to the state
of Illinois and stayed in a tourist camp. Leaving
there on May 25, 1937, they went back to Goodland
and held up and robbed the bank of approximately
$2,528.
While
making their getaway from this bank, and after driving
to a point about 15 miles distant from it, they observed
a state police car about half-mile in front of them.
When they came to a point about a quarter of a mile
from the police car, they stopped, turned around
in the road, and started retracing their route, driving
to a church at the first crossroads. They drove the
car around behind the church, out of sight, and all
three got out of the car, Brady taking one of the
machine guns and Shaffer and Dalhover taking rifles.
A few minutes later, the police car drove up to the
intersection and slowed down preparatory to stopping.
An Indiana State Police officer, Paul Minneman, opened
the car door and leaned out in an effort to determine
from the tracks at the crossroads which way the bandit
car had gone. The bandits opened fire from their
place of concealment, killed Minneman, and wounded
Deputy Sheriff Elmer Craig of Cass County, Indiana.
Minneman fell out of the car into the road, and Deputy
Sheriff Craig staggered from the other side of the
car, badly wounded and dazedly seeking cover. One
of the bandits took a rifle and followed Deputy Sheriff
Craig to where he had fallen and, upon coming up
to him, pointed a rifle at him and shouted to the
other bandits, "Shall I finish this guy, too?" One
of the three members of the gang yelled, "No,
come on, let's get the hell out of here." Stopping
to take the revolver from the policeman's holster
and the medicine kit from the police car, one of
the bandits entered their car and another stopped
to retrieve the shotgun which had fallen from the
weakened hand of the Deputy Sheriff, then walked
over to the state policeman and removed the belt
and holster and a pair of handcuffs from his pockets.
They placed their loot in the bandits' car and drove
back to Baltimore.
After
their return to Baltimore, in June 1937, Brady, Dalhover,
and Shaffer purchased a motor boat and a Packard
automobile motor. Putting the motor in the boat,
they placed the boat in operating condition and frequently
used it for fishing and pleasure trips during the
time they remained in Baltimore. It was at this time
that Brady purchased a tavern which he operated for
about a month. The bandits also purchased a motorcycle
and frequently visited roller skating rinks and taverns,
Brady going so far as to purchase a specially built
pair of roller skates which he carried with him at
all times. On the many trips the gang made to rob
the various banks, Dalhover and Shaffer informed
their wives that they were going to Maine to look
after their business interests there.
Around
the first of August, 1937, the gang again decided
to proceed to the Middle West and perpetrate another
bank robbery. In preparation for this trip, on August
7, they drove to the outskirts of Baltimore in the
stolen Ford and an old 1931 Buick which Brady had
purchased legitimately. They stopped, intending to
change some clothing and guns from the Buick which
Brady was driving, to the Ford, but were observed
by two members of the Baltimore Police Department
who were in that vicinity in a squad car. Becoming
suspicious, the policemen approached for the purpose
of questioning them, at which point, the members
of the gang jumped into their cars and started away.
As the Buick was old and could not go very fast,
the police car soon began overtaking it. The bandits
opened fire on the officers, and a running gun battle
ensued. The squad car was disabled, and the Brady
gang again escaped after abandoning the Buick in
which was discovered a .30 caliber rifle. Shortly
thereafter, it was determined that the bandits who
had engaged in the gun battle with the police were
members of the Brady gang. The ensuing investigation
developed the information relative to the marriage
of Dalhover and Shaffer and their residence in Baltimore
during the period of time subsequent to their escape
from the county jail at Greenfield, Indiana.
A
complete and comprehensive investigation was made
of the activities of the gang members during the
time they had resided in Baltimore, and with the
additional information obtained relative to their
habits, likes, dislikes, and activities, one of the
greatest manhunts in the history of this country
was begun.
Among
other things, it was learned that while the members
of the gang were residing in Baltimore, Brady frequented
several roller skating rinks and had exhibited a
particular liking for this sport. Accordingly, a
record was made of every roller skating rink in the
country and personal contacts were made by Special
Agents with the operators of these establishments
throughout the country. Prior to this time, Identification
Orders had been widely distributed, and a copy of
each was on file in every police department in the
United States.
On
June 15, 1937, The Honorable Homer Cummins, Attorney
General of the United States, under authority vested
in him by law, offered a $1,500 reward for information
furnished to the FBI which would result in the apprehension
of these three fugitives, or $500 for information
which would result in the apprehension of any one
of the three. All banks, filling stations, and other
places where it was thought the fugitives might appear,
had been furnished copies of the Identification Orders
and circulars and requested to watch out for these
criminals.
After
escaping from the police in Baltimore, the members
of the gang returned to their home and obtained clothes
and ammunition. Parking the Ford car in a garage,
they transferred to the Buick, previously stolen
in Baltimore, drove to Buffalo, New York, and stayed
in a rooming house there for approximately a week.
They then proceeded to Nashville, Tennessee, staying
one night in a tourist camp, and from there to Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Their money again running low, they decided
to rob another bank and, after cruising around awhile,
settled upon The Peoples Exchange Bank of Thorp,
Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. On August 23, 1937, they
held up and robbed the Peoples Exchange Bank, obtaining
approximately $7,000 and another revolver. That night
they stayed in Milwaukee and, on the following day,
drove to Buffalo, New York. They resided there quietly
until September 3, proceeded then to Bridgeport,
Connecticut, and rented an apartment.
On
September 21, they journeyed to Bangor, Maine, for
the purpose of purchasing additional firearms, having
heard that they could buy them there without any
questions being asked. On this occasion, they purchased
two .45 caliber automatic pistols and some ammunition
at one sporting goods store and three .32 caliber
Colt automatics at another, returning then to Bridgeport,
Connecticut. At the sporting goods store where they
had purchased the .45 caliber automatics, they had
requested that some clips be obtained for them and
also inquired if various firearms and special extra
clips could be obtained. This aroused the suspicion
of the employees of the store, and the manager reported
the incident to the police.
On
October 5, 1937, the gang returned to Bangor and
purchased a third .45 caliber colt automatic again
requesting that various clips be obtained for them
and asking about a machine gun. After the gang had
left, the manager of the store again communicated
with the police and advised them that the gang had
returned. He also communicated the information to
Sergeant F. R. Hall of the Bangor substation of the
Maine State Police, informing him that three tough-looking
men had called at the store on September 21 at which
time they had purchased two Colt automatic pistols
and that they had returned on October 5, 1937, and
purchased a third weapon of a similar type. He also
advised Sergeant Hall that the men had stated they
wanted to purchase a Thompson submachine gun and
clips for other gun and had requested that these
articles be obtained for them, indicating that they
would return on October 11 or 12. Sergeant Hall communicated
this information to the Chief of the Maine State
Police, Wilbur H. Twole, at Augusta, Maine, who immediately
transmitted the information to the Boston Field Division
of the FBI, offering the full cooperation of his
department.
An
FBI Agent proceeded to Bangor with photographs of
known criminal and fugitives sought by the FBI and
interviewed the store manager to whom the various
photographs were exhibited. He immediately identified
the photograph of James Dalhover as being that of
one of the men who had visited his store on September
21, 1937, and on October 5, 1937. This identification
was confirmed by a clerk and, from the additional
information obtained during the course of questioning
by the Special Agent, it was determined that it had
probably been the members of the Brady gang who had
visited Bangor and had indicated their intention
of returning. This information was immediately communicated
to FBI Headquarters at Washington, and the special
squad who had been constantly working on this case
proceeded to Boston and quietly drifted into Bangor
until the whole squad was assembled. The matter was
discussed with Chief Thomas I. Crowley, of the Bangor
Police Department, and with his cooperation, a surveillance
of the hardware store was arranged and appropriate
arrangements made whereby the members of the Brady
gang would be apprehended at the time of their return
to Bangor. One Special Agent was placed in the sporting
goods store where, to all intents and purposes, he
was working as a clerk; another was placed back of
a partition in the rear of the store with an inspector
of the Bangor Police Department, and others were
placed in a building across the street from the sporting
goods store. The scene was set for the appearance
of the members of the Brady gang.
On
October 12, 1937, at approximately 8:30 a.m., a Buick
automobile with Ohio license plates appeared in Bangor.
After riding past the sporting goods store twice,
the occupants, apparently satisfied that everything
was quiet and that there was no danger, parked the
car a few doors from the store. Leaving Brady in
the back seat of the car, Shaffer and Dalhover proceeded
to the store. Dalhover entered the store while Shaffer
remained on guard in front. Dalhover was immediately
taken into custody by the Special Agents stationed
within the store who, upon searching him, found a
.45 caliber Colt automatic and a .32 caliber Colt
automatic both fully loaded with two extra loaded
clips for each on his person. He was immediately
handcuffed and removed to the Bangor Police Department
by police. While the handcuffs were being placed
on him, he was asked by a Special Agent where his "pals" were.
The answer came immediately. Shaffer had drawn his
gun and started firing through the front door of
the store, one of the bullets wounding a Special
Agent in the shoulder. The Agents from within the
store returned the fire, and Shaffer ran out into
the street where he fell and died a few minutes later
with a .32 caliber automatic pistol in his hand from
which all but one shell had been fired. In the meantime,
immediately upon observing the parked car with Brady
sitting in it, two Special Agents approached it with
drawn guns, one from either side, informed Brady
that they were Federal Officers, and ordered him
to get out of the car with his hands up. Brady put
his hands up and started to slide along the back
seat crying, "Don't shoot, don't shoot, I'll
get out." As he arrived at the door, however,
he lunged out, drew a gun, and started firing at
the Agents. Fire was immediately concentrated upon
him, and he fell dead in the middle of the street.
At the time of his death, Brady had in his hand a
.38 caliber revolver from which four shots had just
been fired. A .32 and a .45 caliber automatic were
on his person. Ironically, the .38 revolver in Brady's
hand was the gun he had taken from the body of the
murdered Indiana State Policeman, Paul Minneman.
It
is interesting to note that one of the bullets fired
by Brady came so close to its mark that it penetrated
the clothing of one of the Special Agents and the
gun holster next to his body. Thus, exactly one day
less than that a year after the FBI entered the case
the criminal careers of two of the most vicious and
dangerous criminals ever to have been sought by law
enforcement agencies in this country were terminated.
Dalhover was removed to Indiana and convicted in
federal court for the murder of Indiana State Policeman
Paul Minneman and was sentenced to die. An appeal
was taken to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and
later to the U.S. Supreme Court. The appeals were
unavailing and on November 18, 1938, Rhuel James
Dalhover was electrocuted at the Indiana State Penitentiary,
Michigan City, Indiana.
Throughout
the career of these desperadoes, there is evidence
of a desire for firearms which amounted to an absolute
mania, and in order that there be a clearer understanding
of the firearms possessed by the modern organized
gang, there follows a list of firearms recovered
from members of this gang: