Portraits of criminals in the 1920s

We present to your attention a very colorful selection of retro photographs of criminals of bygone years. Most of the pictures were taken in the US between 1920 and 1928, just after the criminals were charged.

(Total 28 photos)

1. Walter Smith - a bandit, a thunderstorm of the streets. He did not like weapons, he killed people with his bare hands, gently turning their heads. The note of the criminal case says: “Very dangerous, has pronounced sadistic inclinations, can bite, there is no feeling of fear, plant alone.”

2. Murray - traded in burglaries, burglar. He spent all his booty on booze and prostitutes. So he did not have time to get rich because of his weaknesses.

3. Mr. Skukerman - dealt with securities scams and fraud in ports. Worked for the mafia.

4. Burglar thief. He stole and, if necessary, killed the owners of the home. The note of the criminal case says: "Very cunning, dexterous, likes to pretend to be mentally ill for the effect of pity."

5. Debt bouncers from businessmen and mafia debtors. They were taking money. The note of the criminal case says: "Very dangerous, they have the gift of persuasion and severe psychological pressure."

6. Gracie and Dalton - gangsters from Los Angeles, were part of the elite of the American mafia.

7. Sydney Kelly is a gangster from Los Angeles. Worked for the mafia in other states. On account of his contract killings, armed attacks, pimping and drug trafficking.

8. Feytrill - a juvenile thief, a burglar. At the time of his arrest, he was 16 years old.

9. Insulted wife. After she found out that her husband was cheating on her, she drunk him unconscious, filled the bath with boiling water and “boiled” him to death. She herself came to the police with a confession.

10. Mr. Ross is a mafia lawyer named Old Man. For a long time I did not want to testify against members of a large group of gangsters from Los Angeles. After testifying, all members of his family were found dead in the city center in their home. A month later, he was strangled by a cellmate.

11. Fitch is a seasoned car thief from Chicago. Worked for the mafia.

12. Names unknown. Gangsters from Chicago. The main feature: they killed everyone, leaving no witnesses.

13. A prostitute-thief. She put clients to sleep with alcohol, shook out the contents from their pockets. She worked for the mafia, transferring the most valuable and chatty clients into the hands of criminals.

14. A group of gangsters from Chicago. More than once they covered the John Dillinger gang from the police. Supervised workers' unions and gambling. They kept prostitutes, engaged in armed robberies, protecting businessmen and drug dealers. The two on the right - two brothers - became famous for beating a police informer with butcher hooks, after hanging him on the main street with a sign on his chest: "He spoke a lot and everything to the wrong people." The note of the criminal case says: "Very dangerous and ruthless, despite their courtesy and intelligence."

15. Prostitutes are mafia guides. They met rich clients in restaurants, novels ended in a bloody massacre with the theft of all the contents in the apartments of unfortunate lovers.

16. A prostitute-thief. She put clients to sleep with alcohol, shook out the contents from their pockets. She worked for the mafia, transferring the most valuable and chatty clients into the hands of criminals.

17. Mr. Sing is a mercenary and generalist. He worked for the mafia, skillfully eliminated competitors, policemen and officials.

18. Mafia members who control part of New York. Responsible for trade unions of workers, the supply of alcohol and tobacco. Assassinations and armed raids were their usual trade.

19. Stanley Moore - hardened gangster from Chicago named the Inquisitor. He was responsible for the execution of debtors and people who stood in the way of the mafia.

20. In the photo on the left: Ellis is an authority in a gang of Chicago gangsters, a favorite of women. He was engaged in the organization of crimes, incited accomplices, completely controlled the division of booty. The note of the criminal case says: "Especially cruel and dangerous." Pictured right: Smith (Bone Hand), the leader of a gang of Chicago gangsters, and his assistant Jones. They were engaged in protecting dens, gambling, drugs, robberies of collectors and murders of wealthy Americans for profit. The note of the criminal case says: “They have the gift of instilling fear, they are very dangerous, they will kill without hesitation.”

21. In the photo on the left: Ms. Turner - the owner of a bar on the outskirts of New York. Together with her assistant, she often killed customers in the meat cutting room for the purpose of robbery. The note in the criminal file says: "If he finds out that you have cash with you, you are dead." In the photo on the right: this lady met men on the street, flirted and invited them to visit her for tea. She treated guests to wine or tea with arsenic. She robbed victims and sold what she got to buyers of stolen goods, and everything - down to the laces.

22. In the photo on the left: Smith is the eldest in a group of ordinary mafia fighters. In the note of the criminal case it is said: "It is distinguished by the abilities of suggestion, cunning and ruthlessness towards the enemies of the mafia, it shoots very accurately." In the photo on the right: a man in short trousers is an accountant for the Chicago mafia. In prison, under pressure from the police, he repented, but immediately after he was found hanged by his cellmate. On the chest was a scrawled inscription: "I said everything and was forever silent."

23. In the photo on the left: the most dangerous gang of the Farlane brothers. They hunted robberies on the roads and in distant areas of the states. In the photo on the right: the man in the middle is the leader of the gang, known by the nickname Bloody Fletcher. On account of his team a huge number of contract killings and kidnappings for ransom. The gang did not disdain to steal the children of high-ranking officials and high-ranking police officials. The note of the criminal case says: “Don’t put them in jail together, only on their own, they are very dangerous and cruel, they can kill cellmates in a dispute.”

24. Prostitutes-thieves. They lulled customers with alcohol, shook out the contents from their pockets. They worked for the mafia, the most valuable and talkative clients were handed over to the criminals.

25. In the photo on the left: prostitutes, 18 and 19 years old. They also engaged in theft. In the photo on the right: prostitutes working for the mafia. Lured valuable information from clients and leaked it to criminal patrons.

26. In the photo on the left: a buyer of stolen goods, he worked for the mafia. In the photo on the right: Mr. Faleni - first he killed his first wife, he served time. After he married again and killed the second.

27. In the photo on the left: 20 years old. On account of his theft in homes and shops, pickpocketing and rape. The note of the criminal case says: "Especially dangerous, dexterous, cunning, prone to escape and alarmism." In the photo on the right: Little Schmidt is a homeless child, a thief. He worked for the mafia, was a courier for the transfer of valuable notes. When caught by the police, he immediately ate valuable notes with instructions.

28. In the photo on the left: a lone thief. He climbed to the first and second floors in the apartments of the victims, strangled them and took out everything of value. Why photographed in the toilet is unknown. The note in the criminal case says: "First-class rock climber and strangler." In the photo on the right: the owner of a well-known brothel in her circles. She personally sent seven people to the next world - by poisoning. Everything is motivated by the purpose of robbery and profit.