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Following the robbery, the gangsters fled to Chicago, Illinois. “Baby Face” Nelson, John Dillinger, and Homer Van Meter participated in the actual robbery. Cummings offered a reward for Nelson’s capture or information leading to his arrest.Ī robbery of the Merchants National Bank, South Bend, Indiana, occurred on June 30, 1934, in which a police officer was shot and killed. On June 23, 1934, Attorney General Homer S. They lived near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, for several days. Helen Gillis, who had been released on parole, met her husband and Chase about a month later. Within a short time, Chase rejoined Nelson.
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Before they could comply, Nelson shot all three men, instantly killing Special Agent Baum with a series of shots from his automatic pistol. When their car stopped, the diminutive Nelson, who stood only five feet four inches high and weighed 133 pounds, rushed to the car and ordered the occupants to get out. Carter Baum arrived at the scene with a local constable. Nelson fled to a nearby home and forced his way in with two hostages. The gangsters escaped in the dark, leaving a few women associates, including Helen Gillis, behind. Barking dogs alerted the gangsters to the impending FBI raid. The FBI learned of the gang’s location on April 22, 1934, and special agents proceeded to the Little Bohemia Lodge. While Chase remained in Chicago, Nelson and his wife vacationed with the Dillinger gang at the Little Bohemia Lodge in northern Wisconsin. In April 1934, Nelson, Helen Gillis and John Paul Chase went to Chicago, Illinois, where they joined the Dillinger gang. The victim was a material witness in a United States mail fraud case. Chase later reported in an interview that Nelson killed a man during an altercation while they were in Reno.
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The perpetrators were reportedly in an automobile bearing California license plates which were eventually traced to a car owned by Nelson.Īfter a short trip to Bremerton, Washington, Nelson and Chase proceeded to Reno, Nevada. During this time, a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis. In December, 1933, Nelson contacted Chase and they remained together for almost a year. Nelson may have made his original connection with the Dillinger gang during this period. While in Indiana, Nelson met several criminals, including Homer Van Meter, and occasionally accompanied them to San Antonio, Texas. While Chase stayed in Sausalito, Nelson departed to Long Beach, Indiana, where he lived for several months.
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Nelson was joined by his wife and remained in California until May, 1933. The two men became close friends, and Chase frequently introduced Nelson as his half-brother. Nelson worked with Chase as an armed guard for the truck used to illegally transport liquor. When Nelson arrived in California, Chase still was involved with the liquor smuggling gang. In 1930, Chase became associated with a liquor smuggling operation comprised of persons with underworld connections. Chase later worked in railway shops for four years, first as an office boy, then as a machinist’s apprentice. He attended school through fifth grade, then worked at a ranch near San Rafael, California. John Paul Chase (pictured left), born December 26, 1901, lived most of his life in California. There he meet John Paul Chase, with whom he would be closely associated for the rest of his life. After a brief stay in Reno, Nevada, he fled to Sausalito, California. On February 17, 1932, Nelson escaped prison guards while being returned to Joliet.
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After a year’s confinement, Nelson was removed from the Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet, Illinois, to stand trial on another bank robbery charge in Wheaton, Illinois. Nelson was sentenced to a prison term of one year to life for his January, 1931, bank robbery in Chicago, Illinois. His wife retained the name Helen Gillis throughout their marriage. In 1928, Nelson met a salesgirl, Helen Wawzynak, whom he married. Two years later, he was released on parole, but within five months he was returned on a similar charge. In 1922, Nelson was convicted of auto theft and was committed to a boys’ home.
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Nelson’s early criminal career included stealing tires, running stills, bootlegging, and armed robbery. By the age of 14, he was an accomplished car thief and had been dubbed “Baby Face” by members of his gang due to his juvenile appearance.
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He roamed the Chicago streets with a gang of juvenile hoodlums during his early teens. Gillis on December 6, 1908, in Chicago, Illinois.
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