The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-11-12

lllOlllSl al IlICiA AdlIlOuS
siege of the Karpis Barker
gangs hideout on Lake Weir,
Florida - but what woman!
AS a mother, she had taught her
four boys how to rob, kidnap and
murder.
She had given them private les
sons in the fine art of loading and
firing Thompson submachine gun.
She had plotted crimes for them,
obtained paroles for them, chided
them when they bungled a job,
patted them on the back when they
carried out her carefully planned
outrages.
Screaming with rage. she had
turned a machine gun on agents
of the federal bureau of investiga-
ton who called on her to surrender
at Lake Weir-and she died with
that gun, still smoking, in her
hands.
Such was the ''untimely end" of
Kate Barker, known to the under
world of the midwestern ''crime
corridor" few years back as INA"
ma" Barker died with her bank
robbing, kidnapping son, Fred, in a
palatial eight-room frame house
rented by the Karpis-Barker gang
near Oklawaha, Fla.
From the agent who led the raid
on that house and from data in
the files of the F. B. l., this writer
has obtained a first-hand official ac-
count of the spectacular end of Kate
and Fred Barker, and of the in
cidents which led to discovery by
the Omen of the Florida fortress
The trail leading to the Bankers
began when experts in the technical
laboratory of the F. B. l. identified
fingerprints, found on gasoline cans
in the Bremen kidnapping, as those
of Arthur ("Doc") Barker. paroled
murderer and son of Kate.
DOC" Barker had a sweetheart
in Chicago whose name was learned
by the F. B. I. agents Investigating
associates of the gang. For six
weeks agents Swallowed her.
Finally, the long vigilance was
rewarded. DOC" Barker arrived
at the girls apartment one day,
but the agents waited in the hope
that other members of the gang
also would appear. For four days
thereafter, the agents trailed
Barker and the girl on pleasure
jaunts and shopping tours about
Chicago - and on several occasions
they were seen to enter another
apartment. not far away from the
girls.
Agents were planted" to watch
the second apartment, on Pine
Grove avenue They saw two men
and two women come and 20 from
tins apartment at various times =
but the men were not known to the
C-men.
On January 8, after doc" Barker
had been seen in his girls apart
ment and the other quartet had
teen checked in" at the Pine
Grove avenue place, it was decided
tc raid both apartments stimuli
taneously, or nearly so.
Just before the hour for the raids.
Barker and the girl emerged from
the latter's apartment, and waiting
agents, with drawn guns, closed in
on them. DOC" Barker started to
run, slipped on some ice, fell to
the ground and was seized before
he could arise. The girl was taken
without a struggle. 1t was not
necessary to fire shot.
The couple was taken to the F.
B. l. office quietly, and the agents
hurried to aid their fellow officers
at the Pine Grove avenue fat.
The inspector in charge went into
the lobby and called over the house
telephone to the apartment upstairs
in which it was believed members
of the gang were living. A woman
answered. He asked for MIR.
Bolton" meaning Byron Bolton,
known to be member of the
Karpis-Barker mob. The woman
asked who was calling, and the
inspector thereupon identified him.
self as a federal agent and de-
manded that everyone in the apart
ment come down the steps with
uplifted hands.
There was a frightened outcry as
the phone was hung up.
A moment later, the door of the
apartment was opened and two
women came down the stairs, with
hands raised high above their heads.
They were followed by Byron
Bolton. likewise evidencing submis-
sion.
The trio was asked why the other
man did not come down. The in
spector warned that resistance
would mean gunfire and that the
apartment building was completely
surrounded by armed agents.
One of the women. frightened by
this warning. shouted plea to
Daddy" to SURF nder. Daddy"
was Russell Gibson. alias "Slim"
Gray.
Gibson meanwhile put on bullet
IN n