lawandorder
Member
..............This young man was about 6 months into his first (and only) term as Sheriff as this day began.
As he started his rounds of the small county seat town, his first stop shortly after 7:00AM was his former place of employment, the Chevrolet Dealer.
Little did he know that a couple of travelers had broken down outside of town, and been towed into the shop there at Bitzer's Chevrolet on the North East corner of Broadway, & Missouri. He also did not know that the broken down Pontiac had been been stolen in Cromwell, Oklahoma on the evening of June the 8th. The Occupants allegedly had also robbed the Farmer's & Merchant's bank in Mexico, Missouri on June 14th, and were the prime suspects in the killing of a Missouri Highway Patrolman, and the Sheriff of Boone County.
Sheriff Jack Killingsworth walked into the Dealership, and saw a man setting on a bench with the owner of the Chevy place.He later said he saw the look on Bitzer's face, and knew something was wrong.
About that time another man yelled "Thats the Law", and pulled a Sub Machine gun out of their car, and made everyone line up against the wall. The man with the gun was Adam Richetti, a native of Bolivar, Missouri where the Dealership was located. His brother Joe, was a mechanic there.
The two Outlaws forced Killingsworth into Joe Richetti's car and fled.It didn't take the Sheriff long to realize that he was a prisoner of one of the most wanted men in America on June 16th 1933, Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd.
After Zig zagging on roads all over Southwest Missouri the Bandits flagged down a passing motorist, Walter Griffith, and transferred their prisoners, and weapons to his car. Their flight continued until around 11:00 PM when they reached Kansas City, Missouri. At the intersection of 9th & Hickory Floyd kicked the two hostages out and drove off into history.
Later that night, Floyd and Richetti supposedly made contact with criminals in Kansas City, and they were put in touch with a former Sheriff from Nebraska, turned outlaw, Vern Miller, who needed their help with a job the next morning.
Bureau of Investigations Agents Joe Lackey, and Frank Smith, from the Oklahoma City Office, accompanied by Chief of Police Orin Henry Reed of McAllister Oklahoma, arrested Federal Fugitive, Frank "Jelly" Nash at the White Front Cigar Store on Central Avenue in Hot Springs , Arkansas at noon on the 16th.
Due to the extremely corrupt nature of the Hot Spring PD at the time, they traveled to Fort Smith where they boarded a train for KC. Where they arrived on the morning of the 17th at 7:15 AM. They were met by BOI Agents from the KC office Raymond Caffery, and Reed Vetterli.Two KCPD Detectives W. J. "Red" Grooms and Frank Hermanson also showed up to assist the Feds with getting Nash back to Leavenworth.
They headed out to the parking lot where Caffery's car waited, along with the KCPD's Detective car which was armored, and equipped with Sub Machine Guns.Here is an image of the car about one year earlier with Frank Hermanson in the back seat.
As the Agents. Officers, and their prisoner gathered around the vehicles, and began to load up, A shout rang out, "Put them up,up,up"detective Grooms drew his sidearm, and fired two shots hitting Floyd in the shoulder. Miller then yelled "Let them have it" . Machine gun fire then began to pour into the Officers. When it ceased, Hermanson, and Grooms were dead on the pavement. Caffery also fell to the pavement mortally wounded. Inside the car Chief Reed was dead, as was the prisoner Nash. Agent Lackey was wounded, and Agent Smith escaped unscathed.
The outlaws fled, and made good their escape for the moment.
Vern Miller's naked body was found in a ditch on the outskirts of Detroit on November 29, 1933.
Richetti was captured near Wellsville, Ohio on October 21st 1934 , tried, convicted, and executed at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City on the 7th of October 1938.
Charles A, Floyd was shot, and killed by Bureau of Investigation Agents and Local Officers near Wellsville, Ohio on the 21st of October 1934.
The Bureau of Investigation was able to pass numerous laws that greatly strengthened their ability to combat crime as they morphed into the FBI.
William Jack "Big Jack" (6'4" 380lbs) Killingsworth finished out his term as Sheriff of Polk County, Missouri, became a Buick Dealer there, and later served as Mayor of Bolivar. He died on the 19th of August, 1972 at age 75.
After numerous years of studying this event I am convinced that Chief of Police, Otto Reed, shot Nash in the back of the head to prevent his escape when the gunfire started. I have examined his Colt 1911 that he carried that day, and marveled at the moment in history it was present at.
As he started his rounds of the small county seat town, his first stop shortly after 7:00AM was his former place of employment, the Chevrolet Dealer.
Little did he know that a couple of travelers had broken down outside of town, and been towed into the shop there at Bitzer's Chevrolet on the North East corner of Broadway, & Missouri. He also did not know that the broken down Pontiac had been been stolen in Cromwell, Oklahoma on the evening of June the 8th. The Occupants allegedly had also robbed the Farmer's & Merchant's bank in Mexico, Missouri on June 14th, and were the prime suspects in the killing of a Missouri Highway Patrolman, and the Sheriff of Boone County.
Sheriff Jack Killingsworth walked into the Dealership, and saw a man setting on a bench with the owner of the Chevy place.He later said he saw the look on Bitzer's face, and knew something was wrong.
About that time another man yelled "Thats the Law", and pulled a Sub Machine gun out of their car, and made everyone line up against the wall. The man with the gun was Adam Richetti, a native of Bolivar, Missouri where the Dealership was located. His brother Joe, was a mechanic there.
The two Outlaws forced Killingsworth into Joe Richetti's car and fled.It didn't take the Sheriff long to realize that he was a prisoner of one of the most wanted men in America on June 16th 1933, Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd.
After Zig zagging on roads all over Southwest Missouri the Bandits flagged down a passing motorist, Walter Griffith, and transferred their prisoners, and weapons to his car. Their flight continued until around 11:00 PM when they reached Kansas City, Missouri. At the intersection of 9th & Hickory Floyd kicked the two hostages out and drove off into history.
Later that night, Floyd and Richetti supposedly made contact with criminals in Kansas City, and they were put in touch with a former Sheriff from Nebraska, turned outlaw, Vern Miller, who needed their help with a job the next morning.
Bureau of Investigations Agents Joe Lackey, and Frank Smith, from the Oklahoma City Office, accompanied by Chief of Police Orin Henry Reed of McAllister Oklahoma, arrested Federal Fugitive, Frank "Jelly" Nash at the White Front Cigar Store on Central Avenue in Hot Springs , Arkansas at noon on the 16th.
Due to the extremely corrupt nature of the Hot Spring PD at the time, they traveled to Fort Smith where they boarded a train for KC. Where they arrived on the morning of the 17th at 7:15 AM. They were met by BOI Agents from the KC office Raymond Caffery, and Reed Vetterli.Two KCPD Detectives W. J. "Red" Grooms and Frank Hermanson also showed up to assist the Feds with getting Nash back to Leavenworth.
They headed out to the parking lot where Caffery's car waited, along with the KCPD's Detective car which was armored, and equipped with Sub Machine Guns.Here is an image of the car about one year earlier with Frank Hermanson in the back seat.
As the Agents. Officers, and their prisoner gathered around the vehicles, and began to load up, A shout rang out, "Put them up,up,up"detective Grooms drew his sidearm, and fired two shots hitting Floyd in the shoulder. Miller then yelled "Let them have it" . Machine gun fire then began to pour into the Officers. When it ceased, Hermanson, and Grooms were dead on the pavement. Caffery also fell to the pavement mortally wounded. Inside the car Chief Reed was dead, as was the prisoner Nash. Agent Lackey was wounded, and Agent Smith escaped unscathed.
The outlaws fled, and made good their escape for the moment.
Vern Miller's naked body was found in a ditch on the outskirts of Detroit on November 29, 1933.
Richetti was captured near Wellsville, Ohio on October 21st 1934 , tried, convicted, and executed at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City on the 7th of October 1938.
Charles A, Floyd was shot, and killed by Bureau of Investigation Agents and Local Officers near Wellsville, Ohio on the 21st of October 1934.
The Bureau of Investigation was able to pass numerous laws that greatly strengthened their ability to combat crime as they morphed into the FBI.
William Jack "Big Jack" (6'4" 380lbs) Killingsworth finished out his term as Sheriff of Polk County, Missouri, became a Buick Dealer there, and later served as Mayor of Bolivar. He died on the 19th of August, 1972 at age 75.
After numerous years of studying this event I am convinced that Chief of Police, Otto Reed, shot Nash in the back of the head to prevent his escape when the gunfire started. I have examined his Colt 1911 that he carried that day, and marveled at the moment in history it was present at.
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