A man named Nelson was a robber.
He stole money from banks. He was a very bad man. Many police officers tried to stop him. It was a hard time for many. Do you know about old stories?
A man named Nelson was a robber.
He stole money from banks. He also stole jewelry from houses. Some people called his group the Tape Bandits.
Nelson had a very young face. This is why people gave him a nickname. He worked with other robbers, too. They were called the Second Dillinger gang. Many police officers tried to stop him. It was a hard time for many people. Nelson was a very bad man.
Lester Joseph Gillis was a famous bank robber.
People called him "Baby Face Nelson." He had a very young face. This is how he got his name. He was born in Chicago in 1908.
Nelson started by stealing jewelry from homes. His group was called the "Tape Bandits." They used tape to tie up people. Later, Nelson began robbing banks. He was a violent man. He killed many FBI agents. The FBI even called him "Public Enemy Number One."
Nelson worked with a group called the Second Dillinger gang. This group helped a robber named John Dillinger escape from jail. Nelson and his crew robbed many banks in the Midwest. They stole a lot of money.
In 1934, the FBI found the gang at a place called Little Bohemia Lodge. A fight broke out between the agents and the robbers. Nelson escaped the lodge. He fled into the woods. Soon after, he was in a gunfight in Barrington, Illinois.
The agents killed him there. Nelson died in 1934.
Lester Joseph Gillis was a famous American bank robber.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 6, 1908. His parents were immigrants from Belgium. People gave him the nickname "Baby Face Nelson." This was because he was a short man with a very young face. Even though he looked young, he was a dangerous criminal. His friends in the criminal world often called him "Jimmy."
Nelson started his criminal life with small crimes. He once worked at a Standard Oil station. There, he met a group of young men known as "strippers." These men were thieves who stole tires. Nelson soon joined them in organized crime. In 1930, his group robbed homes for expensive jewelry. They used adhesive tape to tie up the people in the houses. Because of this, newspapers called them "The Tape Bandits."
After stealing jewelry, Nelson moved on to robbing banks. He robbed his first bank on April 21, 1930. He took about $4,000 from that bank. He also robbed the Itasca State Bank later that year. During these crimes, Nelson became very violent. He killed many people, including FBI agents. The FBI eventually named him and his group "Public Enemy Number One." This meant they were seen as a major threat to the country.
Nelson became part of a group called the Second Dillinger gang. This happened after he helped John Dillinger escape from a prison in Indiana. Nelson and his crew robbed many banks across the Midwest. In October 1933, they robbed a bank in Minnesota. They took $32,000 from that bank. They also robbed a bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In that robbery, they took around $49,000. Nelson was a leader who used many weapons during these robberies.
In April 1934, the FBI found Nelson's gang at a place called Little Bohemia Lodge. The lodge was in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. A large fight broke out between the federal agents and the robbers. Nelson managed to escape the lodge and ran into the woods. He did not stay free for long. On November 27, 1934, Nelson died in a gunfight in Barrington, Illinois.
Today, you can find his grave in River Grove, Illinois.
Lester Joseph Gillis was a notorious American bank robber during the 1930s.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 6, 1908, to Flemish Belgian immigrants. Most people knew him by the nickname "Baby Face Nelson." This name came from his short stature and youthful facial features. However, his professional criminal associates often simply called him "Jimmy." He became one of the most violent figures in American organized crime history.
Nelson's criminal path began with small-scale theft and local gang involvement. While working at a Standard Oil station, he joined a group of tire thieves called "strippers." He soon moved into more serious organized crime. In early 1930, his group engaged in home invasions to steal jewelry. They used adhesive tape to bind their victims during these robberies. Because of this method, Chicago newspapers labeled the group "The Tape Bandits."
By April 1930, Nelson transitioned to robbing banks. His first bank robbery netted approximately $4,000. He continued this pattern throughout the year, targeting both banks and wealthy homes. In October 1930, he robbed the Itasca State Bank of $4,600. Shortly after, he stole $18,000 worth of jewelry from the wife of Chicago Mayor Big Bill Thompson. The mayor's wife described him as a good-looking man with a "baby face." This period marked his shift toward much higher levels of violence.
Nelson's criminal career included several prison stints and escapes. He was sentenced to a term at the state penitentiary in Joliet in 1931. However, he escaped during a prison transfer in February 1932. He fled to Reno, Nevada, and later moved to Sausalito, California. In California, he worked for a bootlegger named Joe Parente. During this time, he met key associates like John Paul Chase and Fatso Negri. These connections helped him build the foundation for his own criminal gang.
In 1933, Nelson began leading his own organized crew. He recruited men such as Homer Van Meter, Tommy Carroll, and Eddie Green. On October 23, 1933, his gang robbed the First National Bank of Brainerd, Minnesota. They successfully took $32,000 from the institution. Nelson also acquired specialized weaponry during this time. In San Antonio, Texas, he purchased a .38 Super Colt pistol. This weapon had been modified to function as a fully automatic firearm.
Nelson became famously linked to the notorious bank robber John Dillinger. In March 1934, Dillinger escaped from a prison in Crown Point, Indiana. It is believed that Nelson's gang helped arrange and finance this escape. Following this, Nelson's crew was often called the "Second Dillinger gang." They carried out several major robberies across the Midwest. For example, they took roughly $49,000 from a bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The FBI eventually labeled Nelson and his remaining gang members as "Public Enemy Number One."
A major confrontation occurred at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Wisconsin. In April 1934, the gang stayed at this secluded resort for a weekend. Federal agents, led by Melvin Purvis, received a tip and launched a sudden ambush. The attack caused massive chaos at the lodge. While many gang members escaped, Nelson engaged the agents in a direct firefight. He eventually fled into the surrounding woods to avoid capture.
Nelson's criminal career ended during a violent encounter in Illinois. On November 27, 1934, he was involved in a gunfight known as The Battle of Barrington. During this event, FBI agents fatally wounded him. Nelson had killed more FBI agents than any other criminal of his era.
He is buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois, alongside his wife, Helen.
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