Ma Barker
Her notoriety has since subsided, trailing behind Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.
Early life
Kate Barker was born in Ash Grove, Missouri, near Springfield, and named Arizona Donnie Clark. There is indication that George Barker was considered a “worthless drunk” and was tossed out by Ma Barker. Since she was trying to raise the boys on her own, with little income, they had inadequate supervision and became juvenile delinquents.
Ma Barker often kept them out of jail by pleading with the arresting officers, or throwing tantrums at the police station.
Arizona Clark was most likely born on October 8, 1873. The 1880 Census of Boone Township, Greene County, Missouri, lists Arizona Clark as the stepdaughter of Reuben Reynolds, who had married Arizona's mother, Emeline (Parker) Clark on July 8, 1879 in Greene County, Missouri.
This places her birth between June 1, 1873 and June 1, 1874, and agrees with a birthdate of October 8, 1873. The best record of Arizona's year of birth is her marriage record.
She married George Elias Barker on September 12, 1892 in Aurora, Lawrence County, Missouri. This places her birth between September 12, 1873 and September 12, 1874, and again agrees with a birthdate of October 8, 1873.
In 1910 George and Arrie Barker appeared on the census of Finley, Christian County, Missouri. Arrie was listed as age 36, and therefore born between April 15, 1873 and April 15, 1874.
Her age at the time of her first marriage is 17, when it was actually 18.
In 1930 Arrie appeared on the census of Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, as the wife of Arthur W. Based upon the above five records and the fact that the first three are in agreement, the date of her birth appears to be Oct 8.
It is also clear from the 1920 census that George Barker did not leave the family until after 1920. http:www.nndb.com/people/707/000110377/mabarker01.jpg
Controversy
Though her children were undoubtedly criminals and their Barker-Karpis Gang committed a spree of robberies, kidnappings and other crimes between 1931 and 1935, the popular image of her as the gang's leader and its criminal mastermind would appear to be fictitious.
The actual degree of Barker's own criminality is in doubt.
However, she did likely know of the gang's activities and helped them before and after they committed their crimes, and this would make her an accomplice. There is no evidence that she was ever an active participant in any of the crimes themselves or involved in planning them.
Her role was in taking care of gang members, who often sent her to the movies while they committed crimes. Alvin Karpis, the gang's second most notorious member, later said that:
This view of Ma Barker is corroborated by notorious bank robber Harvey Bailey, who knew the Barkers well.
He observed in his autobiography that Ma Barker "couldn't plan breakfast" let alone a criminal enterprise.
Many, including Karpis, have suggested that the myth was encouraged by J. It was Fred, also killed in the raid, who had been the Bureau's main target.
FBI Agents discovered the hideout of Ma Barker and her son, Fred, after Arthur "Doc" Barker was arrested in Chicago on January 8, 1935, and a map found in his possession indicated that the other gang members were in Ocala, Florida.
According to the FBI, a Tommy gun was found lying in the hands of Ma Barker (It is a common belief that this was a fabrication by the FBI in order to justify her violent death). Their bodies were abandoned until October 1, 1935, when they were buried in Welch, Oklahoma, by some family relatives, next to the body of Herman Barker.
Summary of Barker sons/gang activities
1900 - 1920
1910—Herman Barker arrested for highway robbery in Webb City, Missouri.
March 5, 1915—Herman Barker arrested for highway robbery in Joplin, Missouri. {Herman and Lloyd Barker reportedly involved with the Central Park Gang of Tulsa, Oklahoma.}
July 4, 1918—Arthur "Doc" Barker involved in US automobile theft in Tulsa, Oklahoma; arrested {#841} {escaped}.
1920 - 1930
February 19, 1920 - Arthur Barker arrested in Joplin, Missouri (#1740); returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1921—Lloyd "Red" Barker arrested for vagrancy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
January 15, 1921—Arthur Barker aka "Claude Dade" involved in attempted bank robbery in Muskogee, Oklahoma; arrested {#822}.
January 30, 1921—Arthur Barker aka "Bob Barker" received at the Oklahoma State Prison (#11059); released June 11, 1921.
August 16, 1921—Arthur Barker and Volney Davis involved in killing of night watchman James J.
John's Hospital in Tulsa.)
January 8, 1922—Central Park Gang involved in attempted burglary in Okmulgee, Oklahoma; shootout results in one burglar dead while police Captain Homer R. One gang member is sentenced to life in prison while another had his sentence overturned.
January 16, 1922—Lloyd Barker received at Leavenworth Prison {#17243} after arrest for robbing mail at Baxter Springs Kansas and sentenced to 25 years; released 1938.
February 10, 1922—Arthur "Doc" Barker received {#11906} at Oklahoma State Prison for the murder of Sherrill.
1926—Fred Barker robbed bank in Winfield, Kansas; arrested.
March 12, 1927—Fred Barker admitted to Kansas State Prison.
August 29, 1927—Herman Barker commits suicide in Wichita, Kansas after being stopped at police roadblock.
Marshall had been killed on August 9, 1927 by the Kimes-Terrill gang that Herman was associated with}.
1930 - 1940
March 30, 1931—Fred Barker released from Kansas State Prison after serving time for burglary; met Alvin Karpis in prison.
June 10, 1931—Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis {alias George Heller} arrested by Tulsa, Oklahoma Police investigating burglary. Karpis sentenced to 4 years but paroled after restitution made; Fred Barker also avoided jail sentence.
November 8, 1931—Fred Barker killed Pocahontas, Arkansas police chief Manley Jackson.
December 19, 1931—Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis robbed a store in West Plains, Missouri and involved in the killing of Howell County, Missouri sheriff C.
Roy Kelly.
January 18, 1932—Lloyd Barker received at Leavenworth Prison.
April 26, 1932—Body of A.W. Dunlap found at Lake Franstead, Minnesota; killed by Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis.
June 17, 1932—Fred Barker, Karpis and five accomplices robbed Fort Scott, Kansas Bank.
July 7, 1932—Three members of Barker-Karpis gang arrested by FBI.
July 26, 1932—Fred Barker, Karpis (with an augmented gang) robbed Cloud County bank at Concordia, Kansas.
August 13, 1932—Attorney J.
{One gang member in this shooting was also involved in two other police kilings-one in Kirksville MO in 1930 and in Enid OK in 1936.}
April 4, 1933—Fred and Arthur Barker, Alvin Karpis and gang robbed Fairbury, Nebraska bank.
June 1933—William Hamm kidnapping by Barker-Karpis gang; Hamm released June 19, 1933 after ransom paid.
August 30, 1933—Barker-Karpis Gang robs a payroll at Stockyards National Bank of South St Paul, Minnesota in which one policeman is coldly executed and one invalided for life.
September 22, 1933—Two bank messengers held up by five men identified as Barker-Karpis gang; Chicago policeman Miles A Cunningham is killed by gang while investigating a nearby traffic accident. {Barker-Karpis gang associate Vernon Miller was allegedly involved in the killing, and reportedly also involved in the Kansas City Massacre in which four lawmen were killed}.
January 17, 1934—Gang kidnaps Edward George Bremer; Bremer released on February 7, 1934 after ransom paid.
January 19, 1934—Gang wounds M.C.
McCord of Northwest Airways Company, thinking he was a policeman.
March 10, 1934—Barker gang member Fred Goetz (also known as "Shotgun George" Ziegler, a participant in the Bremer kidnapping) killed by fellow gangsters in Cicero, Illinois.
July 1934—Underworld doctor Joseph Moran last seen alive.
January 6, 1935—Barker gang member William B. Harrison killed by fellow gangsters at Ontarioville, Illinois.
January 8, 1935—Arthur "Doc" Barker arrested in Chicago; Barker gang member Russell Gibson killed and his colleague Byron Bolton captured at another address.
January 16, 1935—Fred and Ma Barker killed by FBI at Lake Weir, Florida.
Ma Barker was discovered by the FBI tracking her letters sent to her other son. The film featured an early appearance by a young Robert De Niro as Lloyd Barker.
Another retelling of the legend occurred in the 1996 movie Public Enemies starring Theresa Russell.