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Ma Barker: America’s Most Wanted Mother.
In a time when notorious Depression-era criminals were terrorizing the country, the Barker-Karpis Gang stole more money than mobsters John Dillinger, Vern Miller, and Bonnie and Clyde combined. Five of the most wanted thieves, murderers, and kidnappers by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the 1930s were from the same family. Authorities believed the woman behind the band of violent hoodlums that ravaged the Midwest was their mother, Kate “Ma” Barker.
A cold breeze pushed past the dilapidated frame around the only window in the dank, stark room where Edward Bremer was being held hostage in the winter of 1934. Blindfolded and bruised, Edward attempted to turn the chair he was tied to away from the frigid air. In a gruff tone, Arthur Barker warned him to keep still as he pulled the collar of his coat closely around his neck. The winter in Bensenville, Illinois, was particularly cold that year. Temperatures dipped well below zero. The Barker boys and their associates made little effort to keep their kidnapped victim comfortable. With the exception of the time when Edward was forced to sign his own ransom notes, the ties around his hands were seldom removed.
On January 22, 1934, Edward was instructed to sign a second note to the Bremer family physician with instructions regarding the ransom money demanded. The first note was not taken seriously. In spite of the Barkers’ warning not to involve law enforcement, the police came in full force to search for Edward. Note number two was much more forceful and ominous:
We’ll try to be ready for any trickery if attempted. This is positively our LAST attempt. DON’T duck it.
Edward remembered hearing a woman’s voice from down the hall of the warehouse building where he was held captive. “It was a strong, authoritative voice,” he informed federal agents once the incident was over. “In spite of the rough treatment and the frantic move to replace the blindfold and retie my hands, I heard some of what she said.” In addition to encouraging the outlaws on the job they were doing, she told them they were “too good for small time,” Edward told authorities. “This is where the big dough is made and you don’t have to stick your neck out every day.”
To learn more about Ma Barker and the Barker-Karpis Gang read
Ma Barker: America’s Most Wanted Mother.
