Russell Clark (criminal)
Encyclopedia
Russell Lee "Boobie" Clark (1898-December 24, 1968) was an American thief, bank robber and prison escapee. He is best known as the "good natured" member of the John Dillinger gang
and participated in armed holdups with them in a three-month crime spree across the Midwestern United States
from October 1933 until his capture in January 1934.
, Russell Clark's criminal career began shortly after his dishonorable discharge from the United States Marines in 1919. He was a partner of Ralston "Blackie" Linton during the early 1920s and together robbed a series of "illicit roadhouses". In 1926, Clark was a suspect in the kidnapping of two West Terre Houte bootleggers
and the murder of Joe Popolardo in Danville, Illinois
. That same year, both Jack Morrison and Clark confessed to robbing the Bellevue Club in Evansville, Indiana
on August 26 but the owner, Charles "Cotton" Jones, refused to press charges and the case was dropped. The following year, Clark went on a crime spree with Frank Badgley and Charles Hovious in northeast Indiana and robbed several banks. Clark was finally caught after his first robbery, from either Huntertown
or Fort Wayne, Indiana
, and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment on December 11 or 12, 1927.
He spent his term at the state penitentiary in Michigan City
and, while there, learned from veteran stick up artists. Clark's bitterness and rebellious attitude led to disciplinary problems with prison authorities. He made three unsuccessful escape attempts and was one of the ringleaders of an inmate strike in 1929. Clark was a popular jokester among inmates and was part of a "clique" which included Harry Pierpont
, Charles Makley
, John "Red" Hamilton
, Homer Van Meter
and John Dillinger
.
When Dillinger was paroled in May 1933, he launched a series of bank raids to finance the escape of his friends and was able to smuggle guns into the prison only four months after his release. On September 26, 1933, Clark and nine other convicts used the guns to help in a mass escape from the penitentiary. Along with Pierpont, Makley and Hamilton, the other escapees included James "Oklahoma Jack" Clark, Walter Dietrich, Ed Shouse, Joseph Fox, James Jenkins and Joseph Burns.
Dillinger had been arrested in Dayton, Ohio
four days prior to the prison break and Cark and the others quickly began planning to free him from custody. Stealing $14,000 from a bank in St. Mary's on October 3, 1933, they broke Dillinger out of prison in Lima, Ohio
nine days later. Sheriff Jess Sarber was killed by Pierpont during the escape. Clark and the rest of the gang began raiding police stations in Auburn
and Peru, Indiana
stocking up on weapons, ammunition and bulletproof vests in preparation for a violent three-month crime spree across the Midwest.
on October 23, missing out on his share of the $18,428 in cash and $56,300 in negotiable bonds, but was with them the following month when the gang robbed $27,789 from a bank in Racine, Wisconsin
. The gang were forced to use four hostages as human shields in order to make their getaway. On December 13, 1933, Clark also took part in the robbery of a Chicago bank by chiseling through the walls and into the vault where they emptied 96 safety deposit boxes. The official report lists the theft of only $8,700 in cash however authorities estimated the gang may have gotten away with unreported cash and jewelry valued as high as $50,000.
Following the Chicago bank heist, the state of Illinois published a list of public enemies
. Of the 21 names listed, Clark was ranked fifth behind Dillinger, Pierpont, Hamilton and Makley respectively. The gang decided to hide out in Florida during the Christmas holidays and, by New Year's Day
, regrouped in Tucson, Arizona
to plan their next move. Clark and his girlfriend Opal Long were the first to arrive on January 10 and the rest following behind over the next week and a half. On January 22, 1934, less than a day after their reunion, a fire broke out in their hotel. A local firefighter, apparently an avid fan of detective pulp magazines, recognized both Clark and Makley. The authorities were informed and the hotel was raided three days later. Clark was the first to be arrested and was reportedly pistol-whipped into unconsciousness when resisting arrest and going for a weapon. Dillinger, Pierpont and Makley were also arrested in the raid. Dillinger was extradited to Indiana to stand trial for the murder of an East Chicago police officer while Clark and the others were returned to Michigan City. Transferred to Lima, they were tried for the murder of Sheriff Sarber.
The three men still held out hope that they would be liberated once more by Dillinger. When Dillinger was gunned down by federal agents in Chicago four months later, they decided to break out themselves. On September 22, 1934, a little more than a year after their last escape, Pierpont and Makley surprised their guards using pistols made from soapstone and escaped from their cells. They then moved on to free Clark and six other inmates but were stopped when they reached a set of barred doors. The convicts were then met by guards who fired on them, killing Makley and leaving Pierpont seriously wounded, while Clark and the other prisoners retreated back into the cellblock.
Clark remained imprisoned in Columbus, Ohio
for the next 34 years until being paroled for health reasons on August 14, 1968. He died of cancer in Detroit, Michigan
on Christmas Eve
only four months after his release. He was the last surviving member of the original Dillinger gang.
and Handsome Harry: A Novel (2005) by James Carlos Blake
.
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
and participated in armed holdups with them in a three-month crime spree across the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
from October 1933 until his capture in January 1934.
Early life and career
A native of Vigo County, IndianaVigo County, Indiana
Vigo County is a county located along the western border of the U.S. state of Indiana. Vigo County is included in the Terre Haute, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Terre Haute....
, Russell Clark's criminal career began shortly after his dishonorable discharge from the United States Marines in 1919. He was a partner of Ralston "Blackie" Linton during the early 1920s and together robbed a series of "illicit roadhouses". In 1926, Clark was a suspect in the kidnapping of two West Terre Houte bootleggers
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
and the murder of Joe Popolardo in Danville, Illinois
Danville, Illinois
Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...
. That same year, both Jack Morrison and Clark confessed to robbing the Bellevue Club in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
on August 26 but the owner, Charles "Cotton" Jones, refused to press charges and the case was dropped. The following year, Clark went on a crime spree with Frank Badgley and Charles Hovious in northeast Indiana and robbed several banks. Clark was finally caught after his first robbery, from either Huntertown
Huntertown, Indiana
Huntertown is a town in Allen County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,810 at the 2010 census and is one of the fastest growing areas in northeastern Indiana with a population increase of 172 percent since 2000.-History:...
or Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment on December 11 or 12, 1927.
He spent his term at the state penitentiary in Michigan City
Michigan City
Michigan City may refer to:* Michigan City, California* Michigan City, Indiana* Michigan City, Mississippi* Michigan City, North Dakota...
and, while there, learned from veteran stick up artists. Clark's bitterness and rebellious attitude led to disciplinary problems with prison authorities. He made three unsuccessful escape attempts and was one of the ringleaders of an inmate strike in 1929. Clark was a popular jokester among inmates and was part of a "clique" which included Harry Pierpont
Harry Pierpont
Harry Pierpont was a Prohibition era gangster. He is perhaps most noted for being a friend and mentor of John Dillinger....
, Charles Makley
Charles Makley
Charles Makley , also known as Charles McGray and Fat Charles, was an American criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger....
, John "Red" Hamilton
John Hamilton (gangster)
John "Red" Hamilton was a Canadian criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger.-Prison break:...
, Homer Van Meter
Homer Van Meter
Homer "Wayne" Van Meter was an American criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson.-Early life:...
and John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
.
When Dillinger was paroled in May 1933, he launched a series of bank raids to finance the escape of his friends and was able to smuggle guns into the prison only four months after his release. On September 26, 1933, Clark and nine other convicts used the guns to help in a mass escape from the penitentiary. Along with Pierpont, Makley and Hamilton, the other escapees included James "Oklahoma Jack" Clark, Walter Dietrich, Ed Shouse, Joseph Fox, James Jenkins and Joseph Burns.
Dillinger had been arrested in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
four days prior to the prison break and Cark and the others quickly began planning to free him from custody. Stealing $14,000 from a bank in St. Mary's on October 3, 1933, they broke Dillinger out of prison in Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
nine days later. Sheriff Jess Sarber was killed by Pierpont during the escape. Clark and the rest of the gang began raiding police stations in Auburn
Auburn, Indiana
Auburn is a city in DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,086 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1836 by Wesley Park , the city is the county seat of DeKalb County. Auburn is also known as Home of the Classics.-Geography:...
and Peru, Indiana
Peru, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,994 people, 5,410 households, and 3,397 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,815.5 people per square mile . There were 5,943 housing units at an average density of 1,287.7 per square mile...
stocking up on weapons, ammunition and bulletproof vests in preparation for a violent three-month crime spree across the Midwest.
Time with the John Dillinger gang
Clark was absent from the gang's first robbery in Greencastle, IndianaGreencastle, Indiana
Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Scots-Irish American Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylvania...
on October 23, missing out on his share of the $18,428 in cash and $56,300 in negotiable bonds, but was with them the following month when the gang robbed $27,789 from a bank in Racine, Wisconsin
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
. The gang were forced to use four hostages as human shields in order to make their getaway. On December 13, 1933, Clark also took part in the robbery of a Chicago bank by chiseling through the walls and into the vault where they emptied 96 safety deposit boxes. The official report lists the theft of only $8,700 in cash however authorities estimated the gang may have gotten away with unreported cash and jewelry valued as high as $50,000.
Following the Chicago bank heist, the state of Illinois published a list of public enemies
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lord , and Music Director Khari Wynn...
. Of the 21 names listed, Clark was ranked fifth behind Dillinger, Pierpont, Hamilton and Makley respectively. The gang decided to hide out in Florida during the Christmas holidays and, by New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, regrouped in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
to plan their next move. Clark and his girlfriend Opal Long were the first to arrive on January 10 and the rest following behind over the next week and a half. On January 22, 1934, less than a day after their reunion, a fire broke out in their hotel. A local firefighter, apparently an avid fan of detective pulp magazines, recognized both Clark and Makley. The authorities were informed and the hotel was raided three days later. Clark was the first to be arrested and was reportedly pistol-whipped into unconsciousness when resisting arrest and going for a weapon. Dillinger, Pierpont and Makley were also arrested in the raid. Dillinger was extradited to Indiana to stand trial for the murder of an East Chicago police officer while Clark and the others were returned to Michigan City. Transferred to Lima, they were tried for the murder of Sheriff Sarber.
Trial, conviction and imprisonment
The trial began on February 14, 1934, and both Pierpont and Makley were both sentenced to death the following month. Clark expected the same sentence and expressed disinterest in his own trial. He was often seen yawning loudly and sleeping in court. His lawyer Louis Piquett, a known underworld lawyer in Chicago, was able to persuade the jury to grant leniency in Clark's case, especially as the triggerman was already sentenced to death, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment on March 24.The three men still held out hope that they would be liberated once more by Dillinger. When Dillinger was gunned down by federal agents in Chicago four months later, they decided to break out themselves. On September 22, 1934, a little more than a year after their last escape, Pierpont and Makley surprised their guards using pistols made from soapstone and escaped from their cells. They then moved on to free Clark and six other inmates but were stopped when they reached a set of barred doors. The convicts were then met by guards who fired on them, killing Makley and leaving Pierpont seriously wounded, while Clark and the other prisoners retreated back into the cellblock.
Clark remained imprisoned in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
for the next 34 years until being paroled for health reasons on August 14, 1968. He died of cancer in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
only four months after his release. He was the last surviving member of the original Dillinger gang.
In popular culture
Clark has been featured in two crime novels, The Hunt (1991) by William DiehlWilliam Diehl
William Diehl was an American novelist and photojournalist.He had two childern, a boy and a girl from whom he was estranged....
and Handsome Harry: A Novel (2005) by James Carlos Blake
James Carlos Blake
James Carlos Blake is an American writer of novels, novellas, short stories, and essays. His work has received extensive critical favor and several notable awards...
.
Further reading
- Bruns, Roger. The Bandit Kings: From Jesse James to Pretty Boy Floyd. New York: Crown Publishers, 1995. ISBN 0-517-59153-7
- Congdon, Don. The Thirties: A Time To Temember. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1962.
- Cook, Fred J. The FBI Nobody Knows, Volume 2. New York: Macmillan, 1964. (pg. 196-200)
- Cooper, Courtney RyleyCourtney Ryley CooperCourtney Ryley Cooper was an American circus performer, publicist and writer. During his career he published over 30 books, many focusing on crime; J. Edgar Hoover considered him at one time "the best informed man on crime in the U...
. Ten Thousand Public Enemies. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1935. - Mooney, Martin. The Parole Scandal. Los Angeles: Lymanhouse, 1939.
- Pinkston, Joseph. Dillinger: A Short and Violent Life. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962.