Journal Notes

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Meet the Kellys:

The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and His Moll Kathryn Thorne

“Going to see Bonnie and Clyde at a local drive-in was the start of my interest in the Great Depression and that era’s gangsters. Bonnie and Clyde. Pretty Boy Floyd. John Dillinger. Ma Barker. Bugs Moran. I’m not quite sure why I found these gangsters to be so fascinating. I didn’t think they were romantic. I certainly didn’t want to emulate them. I think it probably had something to do with how people reacted to and survived the Great Depression. So, it’s no wonder that when I heard about Meet the Kellys that I wanted to read it.

I was familiar with other books written by Chris Enss, so I was expecting a well-researched history of Kelly and Thorne. That’s exactly what I got. Kathryn Thorne saw the potential in small-time bootlegger George Kelly to give her the lifestyle she had always craved. And with her gift of a machine gun to Kelly, history was made. The couple’s endless road trips not only had me hearing some of the music from Bonnie and Clyde, but they almost made me carsick.

I learned quite a bit from this book. I’d forgotten how kidnapping had taken center stage for several of these gangsters, so much so that the government passed the Federal Kidnapping Act in an attempt to put an end to it. In true diva style, when everything disintegrated, Kathryn Thorne tried her best to keep herself and her parents out of jail. She was definitely what my family would refer to as a “piece of work.” If you have any interest at all in this time period, Meet the Kellys is well worth a read.” Kittling Book Reviews

Meet the Kellys

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Enter to win a copy of

Meet the Kellys:

The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and His Moll Kathryn Thorne

Enter now to win a copy of

Meet the Kellys:

The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and His Moll Kathryn Thorne

American gangster George Kelly Barnes (1895 – 1954), aka Machine Gun Kelly, with his wife Kathryn at their trial for the kidnapping of businessman Charles F. Urschel, at the Federal Court in Oklahoma City, 9th October 1933. Kelly has a bump on his head after being hit with a pistol butt during an altercation on his arrival at court. Kelly and his wife pleaded guilty and were sentenced to life imprisonment. 

“Enss presents the true history of one of America’s great criminal romances in this nonfiction work. . . This propulsive and thoroughly researched true-crime account will especially please fans of Depression-era gangster stories as it helps to elevate George and Kathryn to the same iconic strata as Bonnie and Clyde. A pulpy true-crime account of one of America’s most infamous kidnappings.” —Kirkus Reviews on Meet the Kellys

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The Kellys are coming May 27.

Hide your valuables.

Coming February 2025!

Enter now to win a copy of

Meet the Kellys:

The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and His Moll Kathryn Thorne

Chris Enss and Meyer Lansky, II, grandson of Meyer Lansky and author of The Lansky Legacy: The Life and Letters of Meyer Lansky 

“Chris Enss delivers the goods on Machine Gun Kelly, who moved from the upper middle class and college to become an infamous Prohibition-era gangster with his moll, Kathryn Thorne. Thoroughly researched with exciting new details.”  Meyer Lansky, II

Enter now to win a copy of

Meet the Kellys:

The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and His Moll Kathryn Thorne

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The Sharpshooter and the Showman:

May Lillie, Pawnee Bill, and their Wild West Show

The storm that overcame Bloomington, Illinois, on August 28, 1895, started slowly, the peripheral winds rustling the trees. The large crowd at the McLean County amphitheater attending Pawnee Bill’s Wild West show paid little attention to the light drizzle tapping on the ceiling of the canvas enclosure. Their focus was on May Lillie and her mustang. The “Queen of the Markswomen” had coaxed her horse into a gallop, and she was shooting glass balls strategically placed around the performance arena. It wasn’t until the conclusion of her act when she stopped firing her gun that the sound of a large clap of thunder could be heard. Patrons recognized the weather had taken a serious turn.

A torrent of rain fell followed by strong gusts of wind, testing the resolve of the tent’s roof and walls. The wind screamed around the heavy flaps of the covering, pulling hard at the stakes keeping the tent in place. It was clear the unrestrained gale was determined to take down anything in its path. Pawnee Bill urged the audience and the program’s cast and crew to find alternate shelter. Many of the 5,000 plus patrons didn’t heed the warning and refused to move. Only when the wind began tearing the tent in pieces, blowing it down in the process, did the people scramble to find a way out from under the sheets of canvas.

Every person who was able to run picked up their pace, holding futile hands skyward in an attempt to protect themselves from the torrential downpour. Moments after the canopy collapsed, the stadium seats came down with a crash. Further chaos ensued and a general stampede followed; women and children were crushed and walked upon. By the time patrons made their way out of the muddy fairgrounds they were soaked to the skin, but no one had been hurt. People took refuge under ticket wagons, in box stalls, and the tents still standing that belonged to the Indians in the show.

All the property, sets, and equipment belonging to the Wild West show was drenched in the storm. Pawnee Bill and his players gathered the meager remains of the program that could be salvaged and left for the next scheduled engagement in Champaign, Illinois.

The early days of Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show’s 1895 season were plagued with unfortunate incidents such as the powerful rainstorm in Bloomington. Performers were injured after being thrown from their horses, some cast members suffered with various illnesses, and inclement weather hurt ticket sales. What helped improve business along the way were the daring cowgirls who joined May in the arena. Women performing tricks most thought only men could or should attempt were a major draw. Women such as equestrian Mexican Rose, the charming senorita and the most daring and reckless horsewoman in the world, and cowgirls Nadine White and Bertha Smith who rode at breakneck speeds around the arena retrieving items placed in the dirt and climbing under their horses and up the other side while the animal raced along, were astonishing.

To learn more about the Lillies read

The Sharpshooter and the Showman:

May Lillie, Pawnee Bill, and their Wild West Show

I’ll be at a variety of locations throughout Oklahoma from May 5 through the 12^th giving book presentations.

Visit the Events Section of the www.chrisenss.com site for more information and to enter to win a copy of The Sharpshooter and the Showman.

Enter now to win a copy of

The Sharpshooter and the Showman:

May Lillie, Pawnee Bill, and their Wild West Show

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great History of How the Old West Was Shared Around the World

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2025

I loved this book! I had never heard of Pawnee Bill and May Lillie, nor their Wild West Show. I did think that William Cody’s Wild West Show was the most famous.The more I read about Pawnee Bill and his sharpshooter wife, May, the more I became interested in their lives, their business and how they handled such a large exposition with so many diverse people, animals and acts. I am sorry I missed out! I don’t think an enterprise like this will ever be recreated again.

I believe that individually they had their strengths but together they were a powerhouse!!! And the old photos were so much fun to look at! I felt very bad about the loss of their children. So hard! And reading that May died before Bill was also sad. It seemed that the two of them were inseparable!
In conclusion, this was one of the best history books I ever read. I learned a lot about the Wild West, the way that women stood out in this era, and the politics of the time.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more of this author’s (Chris Enss) books!

Visit www.chrisenss.com now to enter to win a copy of

The Sharpshooter and the Showman:

May Lillie, Pawnee Bill, and their Wild West Show.

Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and The Woman Who Inspired Him (Two Dot, 2024) is the story of the intertwined history of Bill Tilghman’s career and his wife, Zoe’s, life after his tragic death. The narrative of the story switches back and forth between the events of Bill Tilghman’s law enforcement career and Zoe’s life after his passing as she seeks to raise their children and write a biography of her legendary lawman’s life.

Major events of Tilghman’s epic life as a lawman are retold by Zoe in a way that meshes with the life she is living as his widow. The book is a compelling read that captures the struggle and beauty of life and death in the west in this biography within a biography. Authors Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss bring the story of a wife’s love to life as she seeks to honor her late husband’s legacy amidst the struggle of her own life. The attention to detail and use of primary sources garners an authenticity to the writing and brings the story of the Tilghmans’ to life on the page.

The storytelling propelled me through this rich and interesting story of the history of the Tilghmans. The writing style of Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss is a smooth narrative that gives the reader a satisfying deep dive into the details without feeling like a clunky, laborious read. The book is engaging and is unique in its presentation of a story within a story.

Rating: 5 Nuggets out of 5.

“Chris Enss superbly documents George “Machine Gun” Kelly and his wife Kathryn Thorne in his book Meet the Kellys. I appreciate Enss utilizing ephemeral documents, such as newspaper clippings and first-person interviews in addition to court recordings. Enss dedicated research culminates in a fast-paced read, true crime read. I appreciate Enss’s narrative structure: 1) Meet the Kellys; 2) Learn about the Kellys’s bootleg and bank robber years; 3) See how the Kellys evolved from low criminals to kidnappers; 4) Read the correspondence letters; 5) Observe court room proceedings; 6) Capture the Kellys 7) What happened next. This structure feels like a crime podcast–in the best of ways. Place this on your TBR list for May27, 2025.”  NetGalley Reviews

Meet the Kellys will arrive in bookstores on May 27.