The Kelly Gang

While playing a bridge game with their friends, the Jarretts, two men arrived on at the Urschel’s household looking for Walter Urschel. Urschel and Jarrett were forced into a waiting car and then an hour later Jarrett was taken back to the Urschel’s house unharmed but had been robbed.

The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $200,000 of genuine federal currency for the exchange of Urschel. They made Urschel write a letter to a family friend (E. E Kirkpatrick) who was left instructions in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper to deliver the money. Urschel was allowed to return home after the money was delivered.

Walter Urschel was held captive for 9 days during which he noted that a plane flew by at 9:45am and 5:45pm. He made mental notes about key evidence that later helped authorities find where he was hidden.

Summary

Charles Urschel (victim) - Oil millionaireElizabeth Slick- Urschel’s stepdaughter who was initially the intended target

Mr. & Ms. R. C. Shannon - Owned the ranch where Urschel was taken

Harvey Bailey - Notorious hoodlumKathryn Shannon- Married to George Kelly (connected Kelly to the farmhouse where Urschel was taken)

Albert Bates- Kelly’s kidnapping partnerGeorge “Machine Gun” Kelly (suspect)- Infamous gangster

Key Players

Charles Urschel George “Machine Gun” Kelly

● Before the Urschel kidnapping, Kelly’s blossoming career mainly consist of bootlegging and bank robbery

● His partner Albert Bates also had a career of burglary and bank robbery ● The farm used to keep urshel hostage was also used as a safe house for a

bank robbery that took place before the kidnapping happened. They used Kelly’s machine gun to do so.

Background of Suspects

● Ransom note: Urschel left his fingerprints on it ● Vehicle used: Urschel believed it to be a Buick or a Cadillac

(Elizabeth Slick confirmed that a Cadillac had been following her several days prior to the kidnapping)

● Tin Cup: The cup Urschel used to drink water out of left a distinct mineral taste to the water

● Water Pump: Allowed the victim to conclude that he was at a rural ranch house

● Fingerprints: Left by the victim on every reachable surface that he could find

● Airplane: The victim noted that every day a plane flew overhead at the same time except for one day when there was a significant amount of rain

Evidence

FBI’s sketch of Kelly’s hideout

When and Where ● The evening of July 22,1933 in Oklahoma

city, Oklahoma ● They were in Urschel's home when the

kidnapping occurred

● Dusting (using powder) ● Rolling (using black ink)● The FBI was able to use flight pattern records around

dry rural areas that had recently received a large amount of rain (from Urschel’s account)

● Fingerprinting of the farmhouse concluded that that was where Urschel was held

Techniques Used Against Suspect

All members of the Kelly gang were rounded up and were each given long jail terms.

Machine Gun Kelly and his wife were sentenced to life in prison George “Machine Gun” Kelly spent the rest of his life in prison and died in Leavenworth in 1954

Outcome

Kelly’s official confession

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/kelly/7.html

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/ENCYCLOPEDIA/entries/U/UR009.html

http://www.slideshare.net/gerardo1513/george-kelly-barnes-aka-machine-gun-kelly

http://www.aceatkins.com/Extras/Infamous/Kidnapped.html

Work Cited