Mugs of Thugs, Molls, and Femmes Fatales
Al Capone relied on him. So did Detroit’s Purple Gang and other Prohibition-era underworld syndicates. Traffickers like Albert Phillips, AKA David Bram, helped keep America from becoming too sober during the Roaring Twenties. Bram specialized in bringing whiskey as well … Continued
Tall, dark, and handsome, John B. Koetters, aka Cutter, fit his nickname “Handsome Jack.” His dimpled chin, in particular, was irresistible to lonely widows and old maids alike. He was affable and could turn on the charm on cue. If … Continued
The guards chatted about the upcoming “world’s championship” as they entered the yard of the Rhode Island State Prison at 5 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, October 5, 1912. In a few days, the series would begin in New … Continued
A bottle of fine wine can be a very expensive item, as Bay Area restaurateur John Marcovich would discover at eleven o’clock on Friday evening, April 19, 1907. Marcovich, co-owner of Oakland’s Gas Kitchen on Thirteenth Street near Washington, stood … Continued
Harry Grayson, who made his living robbing post offices, didn’t like to have his picture taken. Maybe he worried the camera would steal his soul, or perhaps he feared his likeness would become a fixture in rogue’s galleries, and the … Continued
On the night of Thursday, September 13, 1904, Mrs. Adelia C.B. Sweeting—a native of Jackson, Michigan, making the voyage aboard the Western States from Buffalo to Detroit—was jarred awake from a deep slumber by a squeezing sensation around her throat. … Continued
Official Ft. Leavenworth mugshot of Tom Johns, prisoner #826 (reg. no. 475). From a negative in the author’s possession. The original is housed in the National Archives Kansas City depository. Tom Johns (alias Charles Burton), part of an 82-man detail … Continued
Rare 1889 mugshot of John Grindstone, who would become prisoner No. 1 at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary (author’s collection) His name was John Grindstone, and by all contemporary accounts, he was one of the toughest, unruliest cons to do time inside … Continued
Part 2 Leave it to Beaver Love and Weidenmann took James Odell’s statement to the second floor cell where Pearl sat on a cot. Pearl’s mouth dropped open when Love read James Odell’s confession. Pearl insisted the crime was … Continued
Part 1 “Did you wrong her?” As the taxicab neared a desolated spot in the forests on the outskirts of Rochester, New York, twenty-three-year-old Edward Kneip felt his heart throbbing. He twisted his wrists, but the handcuffs binding his … Continued