They longed for great love, dreamed of fame equal to Hollywood stars. Therefore, they did not stop at nothing - not only did they accompany their gangsters, but also became gangsters themselves.
Prohibition, the great economic crisis, the era of emancipation ... In the turbulent 1930s, many women who rebelled against all imperatives saw the source of freedom in what was forbidden and until now reserved only for men:in adrenaline, danger, crime.
1. Hellish Blonde Alibi
Louise May Rolfe, known as the Hellly Blonde Alibi. Born on May 7, 1906, died on February 21, 1995. Member of the Outfit gang headed by the famous Al Capone.
She dreamed of becoming a star since she was a child. She won a beauty pageant at the age of ten, and dropped out of school shortly thereafter to pursue a modeling and actress career. Born May 7, 1906 in Indianapolis Louise May Rolfe when she came to find her happiness in Chicago, she understood what disappointment and bitterness meant. Instead of Hollywood spotlights, she saw cabaret appearances in pubs. During one of them, she met a key gang member, Al Capone. Although she was not so famous as a girl, she dreamed - thanks to Jack McGrun she gained fame as a hellish Blond Alibi.
They met in 1928. He - a former boxer, she - would-be star. Both in long-term relationships and both of them dangerous. Nicknamed the "Sprayer" Jack was the right-hand man of the Chicago Outfit chief. Louise has already had several lives in her account as a result of car accidents that often happen to her. After all, every moment was good for her favorite drink, the high-grade Daiquiri, which, however, did not stop the woman from driving. Could the attraction to evil and adrenaline be the main drivers of her actions?
Yes and no. A much stronger stimulus was Louise's unique passion for manipulating the opposite sex. She loved watching men cringe in pain, knowing they couldn't have her. She knew exactly what had to be done to make them lie at her feet. Jack noticed the unique style of this woman, nonchalance and talent for coquetry. It was Louise who provided him with an alibi for one of the greatest mafia crimes - the famous massacre on St. Valentine in 1929, when Al Capone's men shot six members of a rival gang.
She was able to wrap not only policemen, but also judges around her finger. Her lover, who was the main suspect, escaped responsibility for the crime committed. He did not foresee, however, that the real threat was at his side.
You can read about the most dangerous women in the American underworld in Diane Ducret's book "Mafia Women" (Horizon Mark 2017).
Was it Louise who led to the death of one of Outfit's most dangerous gangsters? McGrun's murder has yet to be clarified. The gangster's friend testified that just before the murder, it was Louise who called her husband to make sure that he had not forgotten to visit the bowling alley, where - almost immediately after entering - he had been riddled with gun bullets. However, no evidence against Louise was found. As Diane Ducret writes in her new book Mafia Women :
As long as she lived with Jack, she was the infernal Blond Alibi that the media was crazy about, the dandy who let her love triumph. Only now she is becoming a damned woman, hiding a massacre whose authors have never been punished, a potential helper, harlot, lesbian and bad mother. The fun is over. Louise dyes her hair black so that she can sneak by unnoticed, changes her name to a more Italian-sounding name:De Vito, then disappears from the radar. Both the police and journalists are losing track of it .
Who knows how many more guys this eight-married woman had on her conscience? Even if there are many, her main crime will remain the elimination of one of Chicago's greatest mafiosi without leaving any traces of complicity.
2. A beautiful half of a gangster duo
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker, born October 1, 1910, died May 24, 1934. Member of the Barrow gang and Clyde's life partner.
He is only three years old when the schoolchildren are to perform on the stage outside the town hall and sing, individually, a religious song. For the occasion, her mother, Emma, had a crochet dress with bows and flounces. But when it's Bonnie's turn, it's time for a devout song of thanksgiving to God, she chants the country ballad by composer Irving Berlin, "This is the devil in his own town"! The audience was speechless .
Featured in Mafia Women the scene could only be about one woman. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker she lived for less than 24 years, but went down in history as one of the most dangerous criminals of the prohibition era. It was another unfulfilled actress and model, dreaming of a career as Hollywood stars. Since childhood, she liked to attract the attention of the public, which she found everywhere - including church.
A girl with golden curls, blue eyes and carmine lips did not promise a career as a gang member and criminal. However, appearances can be deceiving. Her first husband was a thug sentenced to fifteen years in prison for assault. Another partner, Clyde Barrow, not only stole but murdered mercilessly. And with him, Bonnie took part in the crimes, and she began to take perverse pleasure from insulting others and brutality.
Initially, Bonnie &Clyde committed only minor offenses. Over time, however, their brutality grew. They committed not only robberies, but also merciless murders. Therefore, the policemen had no qualms about them.
Initially, they only committed minor crimes, such as the theft of wallets or burglaries. They mainly attacked small roadside shops and gas stations. Eventually, quite random kidnappings began, on impulse rather than premeditated according to a predetermined plan. Dozens of robberies have been overshadowed by the murders they have committed. Fourteen victims, including the policemen and the sheriff - that's the record of a killer duo.
Bonnie &Clyde became one of America's most famous couples, hunted by the entire FBI. When Bonnie felt that they could no longer escape, she visited her mother to say goodbye to her. However, she made her dreams come true - she had transcended the social status she hated. From the daughter of a bricklayer - to a deadly member of a two-person gang.
3. Queen of the blackmailer gang
Helen Julia Godman, born December 4, 1888, probably died in 1944. Queen of the blackmailing gang.
She graduated from the monastery school. She had impeccable manners, appropriate diction and, moreover, she was exceptionally beautiful. Who are we talking about? About a Chicago native - Helen Julia Godman . Her father, in love with horse racing, saw in his daughter a lucrative mare on which he can earn good money. He had ambitious plans for the future with it. However, the girl decided to go her own way.
Infatuated with the artist, she quickly got married, but was quickly abandoned by her beloved. This, however, did not prevent her heart from killing again - and again to the artist, though of a slightly different kind. James Christian, Godman's new partner, like her own father, saw her as an opportunity to make great deals. This time, however, Helen was not only a tool, but also a full partner in a fairly illegal business.
Charm. That was the main goal of the gangster couple. Everything was easy going on. Seduced by a woman and unable to endure lust, the wealthy businessman is persuaded to take a romantic trip to New York, where Helen promises an intoxicating night for two. Christian and a few friends of Godman disguised as policemen are waiting to stop the tryst at the right moment and threaten the influential man with imprisonment for "trafficking in white women." The Manna Act, introduced in 1910, prohibited the crossing of interstate borders with a woman in order to indulge in fornication. The cornered businessman then generously poured pennies as long as the case would not see the light of day.
Is it possible that one paper decided Godman's fate? Disappointed adolescent love and abandonment by her husband certainly influenced her later decisions.
However, it happened that one of them was exceptionally honest. Feeling guilty that he had bribed the policemen, he himself reported to the police station. Godman and Christian were caught. James decided to whiten his beloved, hoping that when she did the same, they would avoid responsibility when they were mutually protected. But Godman was ruthless. After a friend paid bail for her, she fell into the ground. When her boyfriend was convicted, she reportedly basked in Havana. Maybe she was looking for another sucker there?
Even so, her lucky streak is finally over. In 1932, she was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing exclusive jewelry worth $ 305,000!
4. Kissing bandit
Edna Murray, born May 26, 1898, died in 1966. Member of the Barker-Karpis gang. Jack Murray's wife.
Edna Martha Stanley was born on May 26, 1898 in Marion. She had been disgusted with the sight of blood since she was a child. Her eyes only loved flawless beauty. As Pam Tippet, a woman's biographer, wrote, she especially liked everything that glitters. But she was just as drawn to something else:adrenaline. And although she was less than twenty, this slender blonde with brown eyes, had already been married twice, she went down in the history of the underworld as the wife of Jack Murray. It was at his side that she decided to take an active part in gangster undertakings, in which she saw the source of freedom.
Not only did she attack and rob with her husband, but - in a surge of sudden emotions, or perhaps as a result of her innate sense of aesthetics - she kissed the robbed poor. Thanks to this strange behavior, she gained the unconventional nickname "The Całaśna banditka". Although this gesture contributed to her later fame, it was he who betrayed the criminal duo.
While the captured awaiting trial, the gangster's wife skillfully saved herself by escaping, leaving Jacek unscrupulously alone, who was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment for looting with his wife. Finally, on February 6, 1933, she was arrested. She lasted in prison for 7 years. Then she did something unforgivable in the entire mafia world of both men and women, she betrayed. And thanks to cooperation with the FBI, in 1940 she regained her freedom. But could she sleep well?
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What was the end of these contrasting women who went down in the history of the American underworld? To be continued ...