Portraits of criminals of the 1920s

We present to your attention a very colorful selection of retrophotographs of criminals of bygone years. Most of the pictures were taken in the USA and Australia between 1920 and 1928, immediately after the charges were brought against the criminals.

1. Walter Smith is a bandit, a thunderstorm of the streets. He didn't like guns, killed people with his bare hands, gently twisting their heads. The note of the criminal case says: "Very dangerous, there are pronounced sadistic tendencies, can bite, there is no sense of fear, put alone."

2. Murray - was engaged in apartment thefts, a burglar. He spent all his loot on booze and prostitutes. He never managed to get rich because of his weaknesses.

3. Mr. Skuckerman - engaged in securities scams and fraud in ports. Worked for the mafia.

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

5. Debt bouncers from businessmen and mafia debtors. Engaged in the withdrawal of money. The note of the criminal case says: "They are very dangerous, have the gift of persuasion and severe psychological pressure."

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

7. Sidney Kelly is a gangster from Los Angeles. Worked for the mafia in other states. He is responsible for contract killings, armed attacks, pimping and drug trafficking.

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

9. In the photo on the left: 20 years old. On his account, theft in houses and shops, pickpocketing and rape. The note of the criminal case says: "Especially dangerous, dexterous, cunning, prone to escape and panic." In the photo on the right: Little Schmidt is a waif, 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.

10. Mr. Ross is a mafia lawyer nicknamed the Old Man. For a long time I did not want to testify against members of a large gang of gangsters from Los Angeles. After giving evidence, all members of his family were found dead in the city center in their house. A month after that, he was strangled by a cellmate.

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

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

13. The prostitute is a thief. Drugged customers with alcohol, emptied the contents out of their pockets. She worked for the mafia, passed the most valuable and talkative clients into the hands of criminals.

14. A group of gangsters from Chicago. John Dillinger's gang was covered from the police more than once. Workers' unions and gambling were supervised. They kept prostitutes, engaged in armed robberies, protecting businessmen and drug dealers. The two on the right are two brothers, famous for slaughtering a police informant with meat hooks, after hanging him on the central street with a sign on his chest: "He talked a lot and all to the wrong people." The note of the criminal case says: "They are very dangerous and ruthless, despite their courtesy and intelligence."

15. Prostitutes - mafia tipsters. They met rich clients in restaurants, novels ended in a bloodbath with the theft of all the contents in the apartments of would-be lovers.

16. The prostitute is a thief. Drugged customers with alcohol, emptied the contents out of their pockets. She worked for the mafia, passed the most valuable and talkative clients into the hands of criminals.

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

18. Mafia members controlling part of New York. They were responsible for the workers' unions, the supply of alcohol and tobacco. Murder and armed raids were their daily trade.

19. Stanley Moore is a seasoned gangster from Chicago, nicknamed 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 the gang of Chicago gangsters, a favorite of women. Engaged in the organization of crimes, incited accomplices, completely controlled the division of loot. The note of the criminal case says: "Especially cruel and dangerous." In the photo on the right: Smith (Bone Hand), the leader of a gang of Chicago gangsters, and his assistant Jones. They were engaged in the protection of brothels, gambling, drugs, robberies of collectors and murders of rich Americans for the purpose of 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 is the owner of a bar on the outskirts of New York. Together with her assistant, she often killed customers in a meat cutting room for the purpose of robbery. The criminal case note says: "If he finds out that you have cash with you, you are a corpse." In the photo on the right: this lady met men on the street, flirted and invited them to her house for tea. She treated the guests to wine or tea with arsenic. Robbed victims and sold the loot to buyers of stolen goods, and everything - right down to the shoelaces.

22. In the photo on the left: Smith is a senior in a group of ordinary mafia fighters. The note of the criminal case says: "He is distinguished by the ability of suggestion, cunning and ruthlessness to the enemies of the mafia, he shoots very accurately." In the photo on the right: a man in short trousers is an accountant of the Chicago mafia. In prison, under pressure from the police, he repented, but immediately after he was found hanged by his cellmate. There was a scrawled inscription on his chest: "I have said everything and am forever silent."

23. In the photo on the left: the most dangerous gang of the Farlane brothers. They were engaged in robberies on the roads and in distant regions 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. His team has a huge number of contract killings and kidnappings for ransom. The gang did not disdain to steal the children of high-ranking officials and major police officers. The note of the criminal case says: "Do not put together, exclusively alone, they are very dangerous and cruel, they can kill cellmates in a dispute."

24. Prostitutes are thieves. Clients were drugged with alcohol, the contents were emptied out of their pockets. They worked for the mafia, the most valuable and talkative clients were transferred into the hands of criminals.

25. In the photo on the left: a fence of stolen goods, worked for the mafia. In the photo on the right: Mr. Faleni - first killed his first wife, served time. Then he remarried and killed the second one.