Baby Face Nelson (Lester J. Gillis) December 6, 1908 November 27, 1934 AKA: Alex Gillis, Lester Giles, Big George, Jimmie Mobster, Robber, and Murderer t a time when many outlaws were romanticized by the A American public, Baby Face Nelson was known for his hunger for ruthless violence. He loved to kill, a trait that made him a problem for his gangster bosses Al Capone and John Dillinger (see entries in volume 1). An ambitious robber, Nelson once planned to rob a bank a day for one month. A SCRAPPY STREET KID Born near the Chicago stockyards on December 6, 1908, Lester J. Gillis grew up in a rough city neighborhood. A small, youthful-looking boy, he was often beaten up and bullied. Fearless and scrappy, he ran with street gangs in Chicago. In 1922, at the age of fourteen, he was caught stealing an automobile and was sent to a home for boys. In April 1924 he was paroled (released under certain conditions), but he soon ran into trouble for violating the terms of his parole and other illegal activities. Believing his real name did not sound tough enough, Gillis wanted to be known as Big George Nelson. But at 5 feet, 5 inches (1.65 meters) tall, he was instead referred to as Baby Face Nelson. Baby Face Nelson died in the arms of his wife with a smile on his lips, but with tears in his eyes for his two young children. From a newspaper interview with Nelson s wife, Helen Reproduced by permission of Corbis Corporation. 5
Eventually Nelson made The Problem with Public Enemies his way into the protection racket: for example, he Some experts believe that the FBI s focus on individual Public would rob bookies (those Enemies caused them to neglect a much greater threat to society who receive and pay off bets) organized crime. When the Prohibition era (when alcoholic beverages were illegal across the nation) came to an end in 1933, many them against such attacks. and later offer to protect By the time he was twenty, of the gangs that had been involved in bootlegging banded together to form a powerful crime syndicate. Some experts claim that if he was part of a crew headed by the well-known gangster the FBI had not spent time pursuing individual Public Enemies Al Capone. As an enforcer in whose impact was insignificant compared to that of organized Capone s protection racket, criminals today s crime syndicates would be much less powerful. Nelson persuaded labor union leaders to kick back part of the money collected from union dues. Using violence and threats to convince his victims to pay the protection fees, Nelson sometimes let his passion for violence get out of control. Some of his victims died making it difficult to collect protection fees. Displeased with Nelson s tactics, leaders in the Capone racket dismissed him from the gang in 1931. TROUBLE WITH BOSSES Not long after being released from the Capone gang, Nelson was captured during an attempted robbery and sentenced to serve time in prison. Less than one year into his one-year-to-life sentence, he escaped while being transported from Wheaton, Illinois, where he was being tried for another robbery. Fleeing the state, he made his way to California, where he worked for bootleg mobster Joe Parente. There Nelson met John Paul Chase, who became his loyal partner in crime. In 1932 Nelson and Chase returned to the Midwest to form a gang specializing in bank robbery. Tommy Carroll, a former boxer, was recruited for his ability to handle a machine gun. Eddie Green was chosen for his talent as a scout, or jug marker. The gang robbed banks in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska in late 1933. By 1934 Nelson and his crew had joined the ranks of John Dillinger s mob. The level-headed Dillinger reportedly disliked the trigger-happy gunman. But since many members of his own gang were then in prison, he was forced to rely on Nelson, who was predictably fearless and violent. With Nelson involved, the 6 Outlaws, Mobsters & Crooks
Jug Markers Organized gangs of bank robbers usually employed a jug marker someone who decided which bank to rob and when to rob it. Jug markers studied the intended target to become familiar with its security system, find out which days the bank held the most money, and identify who was responsible for opening the locked safes. Like many gangs, Dillinger s relied on a jug marker to provide information that would lessen the need for violence during a robbery. Nelson did not share this philosophy. His bank robberies relied on fire power rather than following a plan. Eddie Green, who worked for the Dillinger gang, is considered to have been one of the most thorough and effective jug markers of his time. He maintained careful lists of information about individual banks, and regularly updated his information. His knowledge was so thorough that he sold information to bank robbers even when he was confined in prison. Beyond familiarizing himself with a bank s layout, routine, and personnel, Green often scrutinized the bank s chief employees to learn about their personalities and determine how they might act under stress. Green was killed by FBI agents in April of 1934, in St. Paul, Minnesota. gang s heists took a turn: Nelson used gunfire as a first move, not as a last resort. As he entered a bank, he shot at random, wounding and killing anyone who happened to be in the line of fire. BIG GEORGE IN LITTLE BOHEMIA After robbing banks from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Mason City, Iowa, the gang regrouped in northern Wisconsin, at the Little Bohemia Resort. Acting on information that the gang would be hiding there, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stormed the resort on April 22, 1934. Nelson was the only gangster who did not run. Trading gunfire with law enforcement, he wounded two men and killed Special Agent H. Carter Baum. He then made his getaway in the FBI agents Ford car. After hiding out at an Indian reservation, Nelson returned to Chicago. There he worked a few more jobs with Dillinger. At odds with one another, Nelson and Dillinger tolerated a partnership of convenience. Nelson resented Dillinger, who received much of the credit for the gang s activities. And Dillinger was increasingly appalled by his gunman s taste for violence. Their relationship ended on July 2, 1934 when Dillinger was shot and killed in front of the Biograph Theater in Chicago. Baby Face Nelson 7
PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE Fifteen Minutes of Fame One by one, most of the remaining members of the Dillinger gang were eliminated. Nelson was one of many criminals to be designated Public Enemy Number One a title Eddie Green was killed by government created by J. Edgar Hoover (1895 1972), agents in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tommy Carroll died in a gunfight in Iowa. Only Nelson and director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Chase remained. Nelson was named Public (FBI). Nelson held the title very briefly: Five Enemy Number One by the FBI. Determined months after being so named, he died from to equal Dillinger s notoriety, he resolved to wounds he received during a shoot-out with commit a robbery a day for one month. two FBI agents in suburban Chicago. Nelson did not live to put his plan into action. On November 27, 1934, in a Chicago suburb, two FBI agents encountered Nelson, who was with his wife, Helen Wawzynak Gillis, and Paul Chase. A gunfight followed. Helen ran for cover, while Nelson and Chase traded fire with the government agents. Frustrated with the stand-off, Nelson left his hiding place and walked toward the agents, firing his submachine gun. First he approached agent Sam Cowley, who had taken cover in a ditch. His gunfire nearly cut the lawman in half. The remaining agent, Herman A. Hollis who had been instrumental in Dillinger s demise ran to a telegraph pole for cover. The two fired at each other until Hollis was dropped by a bullet to the head. Nelson then approached the FBI car, where he told Helen and Chase that he would not be able to drive. During the skirmish, the gangster had been hit by seventeen bullets in his arms, legs, and torso. A construction worker who witnessed the incident later recalled, It was just like Jimmy Cagney [a Hollywood actor who portrayed tough gangsters in the 1930s]. I never seen nothing like it. That fellow just came right a coming at them two lawmen and they must of hit him plenty, but nothing was gonna stop that fellow. The following day, Nelson s body was discovered in a ditch in Niles, Illinois, 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the scene of the crime. His wife, who was caught within weeks of the incident, was sentenced to serve time in a women s prison in Wisconsin. Chase was also caught that month and was sentenced to a life term in a federal prison. Opposite page: Lester Gillis, better known as Baby Face Nelson, was a wanted outlaw as part of John Dillinger s notorious gang. Reproduced by permission of Getty Images. 8 Outlaws, Mobsters & Crooks
Baby Face Nelson 9
For More Information Baby Face s Million Helmer, William, and Rick Mattix. Public Enemies: America s Criminal Past, 1919 1940. Dollar Baby Nelson met his wife, Helen Wawzynak, New York: Checkmark Books, 1998. when she was selling hardware in a Nash, Jay Robert. Bloodletters and Badmen: A Woolworth s store in Chicago. He reportedly Narrative Encyclopedia of American Criminals described his sweetheart as his Million Dollar from the Pilgrims to the Present. New York: M. Evans and Company, Inc., 1973, 1995, pp. Baby from the Five and Ten Cent Store. 465 468. Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. 2d ed. New York: Facts on File, 2001, vol. 1: pp. 263 267, 472 473; vol. 2: pp. 639 640, 643 645, 730. 10 Outlaws, Mobsters & Crooks