Tag Archives: Alabama

A Burning Cold Morning (Part 55)

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The Selma police never really had much on Leo up to this point.  They knew he was associated with the criminal gang he worked for and had made a note of that along with his connection to Jim Tunney and Max Miller. He had been rousted a few times during police sweeps but they had never made anything stick and always released him after a few minutes of questioning.  It had been on the previous Saturday, the twenty-fourth, that a Be On The Lookout had come across the wire at the station, mentioning a Lee O’Dare and being accompanied by a picture.  Two of the officers recognized the man and had went out to look for him, taking until Monday to track Leo down.  They spotted him walking along a street about three blocks from the boarding house and pulled up alongside.  After a few minutes of discussion by the side of the road they arrested him and booked him into the local jail under the name Lee O’Dare.  

The initial BOLO had been issued from Kansas City, part of a routine transmission from them that also listed several other persons they were looking to find in connection with crimes committed in and around that city.  Leo sat in jail for three days as the Selma police department relayed the information that they had captured the, “requested subject and will extradite upon request.”  The reply came three days later and surprisingly it stated that Kansas City would not seek extradition.  As it turned out, although Tom Pendergast’s control of the police had slackened by this time, he still had the power to get the extradition refused.  He mentioned to a colleague at the time that he, “owed this fella Lee a favor and this’ll be a good time to pay it out.”  

So, Leo was set to be released on Thursday, March 29th as the Selma police still had no solid evidence against him, at least nothing for which they could book and hold him.  He was actually at the counter of the jail, about to retrieve his personal property, when a police sergeant called out from an office down the hallway.

Leo Humbert aka Lee O'Dare

Leo Humbert aka Lee O’Dare

“Just got a notice from Marianna.  Hold up there at the window with that inmate.”  The sergeant then walked down toward Leo holding a print-out in one hand and waving at another officer to accompany him.   Once they were next to Leo the sergeant held up the paper, a wanted notice for Robert O’Hara, suspect in the stealing of a vehicle tag.  Leo recognized the photo, one taken when the Marianna police had briefly held him on a theft charge they had ultimately never been able to prove.  He sighed and shook his head slowly as the sergeant lowered the paper and spoke.

“So, you’re Lee O’Dare here, you’re Robert O’Hara there, that’s a lot of names don’t ya think?” 

Leo did not reply, just staring back at the man who tried again.

“I doubt these are the only two names you have, am I right?”

Again Leo replied with silence after which the sergeant motioned to the officer with him who took Leo’s arm and escorted him back to a cell.  There was bit of a disagreement in the Selma PD after that, with the sergeant and a couple of detectives wanting to keep Leo and see what they could turn up about other names he may be wanted under, and the police chief wanting him immediately sent to Marianna.  The chief won of course and on April Fools Day Leo was transported back down to Florida by the Jackson County Sheriff and and booked into the jail.  Incredibly, the next day when Leo was arraigned, the prosecutor chose to drop all of the charges and he was released before noon into a slightly brisk April day.  As he walked away from the jail, having even received all of his property and money back,  Leo remarked to himself that, “the streak continues!” After that he stole a vehicle, drove to Selma to quickly collect his belongings and cash from the rooming house, and then sped off in a northerly direction.  

He drove without a specific plan other than to put a lot of distance between himself and the south and appears to have wasted little time along the way.  He arrived in Louisville, Kentucky on April 8th and checked into a small motel on the outskirts of the city.  After a little research the next day Leo heard about the Seelbach Hotel and its reputation for being the place to be, especially for a large collection of well-known gangsters including Al Capone.   Excited by the thought of getting up close and personal with just the kind of men he wanted to be like, Leo walked into the hotel at four-forty p.m. that day and approached the registration desk.  He was quite surprised to find, standing behind the desk in a well-tailored but sloppily worn suit, the same diligent clerk who had recorded such detailed observations on Leo when he checked into the motel in Marianna back in September of 1927.  He did not know about those written observations of course but he recognized the man, who had a prominent buck-tooth smile and a deep scar above his left eye, immediately.  The man returned the favor as Leo recovered his wits quickly.

“Hello again sir, and good day.  A bit of a long way from Florida for you, isn’t it Mr. O’Hara?”

Leo winced at this recall of his alias from Marianna as he had intended to use a different one here in Kentucky.   His only consolation was that he felt that also meant he must have made quite an impression on the man.  

“Well, its been a long time since we last met.  A bit of a ways for you also I think,” he replied, making a point to look around the elegant lobby and inferring the man’s previous employment had been in a far less glamorous location.  “It’s really very odd that I should find you here.”

…to be continued

A Burning Cold Morning (Part 54)

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Leo had, up to this point in his life, never exactly been a ladies man although he enjoyed their company as much as most other men do.  He usually did not go out of his way to make an impression on them and his preference for nice clothes was more about putting forward the image of a successful gangster than any attempt to catch a woman’s eye.  The interaction with Jim Tunney’s girlfriend though had sparked something inside of him.  He had not made any advances toward her but she had apparently been very interested in him, at least up until the issue with his college degree came up.  Leo caught the idea that maybe he was more dapper and attractive than he had previously thought and so, in his down time and during days off, took to spending more time at social events and speakeasy’s.  A little more bold than before, he found that women did indeed seem to be interested in him and that it would not take much effort on his part to get them into bed.  By the end of January 1928 Leo had on-going relationships with five women and would exchange romantic and sometimes lusty letters with them in-between social excursions and trysts.  He kept every one of their return letters in a shoe box under his bed, a habit of collection that he would continue from then on, often giving up space in a suitcase for them during this later travels.   He was enjoying himself during this period of his life and several times thought back to the times in the past when he had been missing out on all of the fun he was currently having.  One day he even admonished himself that, “good old Stanley Bittenhopper had it all figured out back in Bakersfield, chasing the good times while I stayed home.”  It was a mistake he planned not to repeat in the future.

On February 10th of that year a letter arrived from his sister, one that curiously also mentioned Stanley.

Leo, brother – 

I received your letter and it was good to hear that you are well and doing fine.  Hopefully you understand that I am quite unsettled by having to take part in this ruse with you and the false names.  It is not something I think proper, although you are already aware of my feelings on this matter.   There is, however, a situation to which I object even more and that is having to deal with your criminal friends coming up to our family home to seek you out.  A young man appeared here two days ago, a Stanley Bittenhopper (his true name I suspect although who would know with these types you spend time with), and asked of your whereabouts.  I did not share what I knew with him as for all I know he is looking to find you for bad or notorious purposes.  He plans to stay in New Munich at least from what I can tell as he took a room at the Palmer’s.  He asked that I relay a message when next I was able to contact you, namely that he is wanting to know if you have work for him.  There, I have relayed it as I said I would, although I am certain it implies the worst kind of business and I do not wish to be caught up in this again.  You surely understand and will abide by this wish.  As for your other request, I will discuss the matter of the missing check with the bank and if they advise it to be without risk I will send another.  If not, than you will need to do without that money at least until you next return here, as I fulfilled my obligation in that regard when I sent it the first time.  Perhaps a more permanent address would get your issues with the mail settled in a more satisfactory manner.  Be well brother and know that I wish you the best despite your situation and choices – O

Leo smiley wryly when he was done reading, appreciating the scolding tone and dry humor of his sister.  He was surprised to learn that Stanley had found out where he was from, although he quickly remembered that his former partner knew his real last name and that had undoubtedly made things easier.  He also wondered if there might be a way to put Stanley’s talents to work on his bank robbery plans, although they would first need to discuss the money he had taken from Leo in Pomona.  He wrote back to Olivia, thanking her for her “supreme patience in putting up with her wayward brother,” and asking that she, “tell Stanley that I will keep him in mind and that he should give you his address.  And remind him that he owes me something,” before signing off with, “Your Brother, Leo.”   Right before sealing the envelope he pulled the letter out and added a short post script, informing his sister that she should not worry too much about Stanley as he was a gentle type of criminal.  

Leo continued to have a good run as time moved along into late February, maintaining his work with the local gang while managing his group of lady friends and scheming about bank robbery.  He was making enough money to get by but not nearly as much as he wanted to have, often lamenting that he really had not properly replaced his lost wardrobe.  He wanted to look sharp for the women and also to impress the local criminals, who he though of as beneath him, “lackeys seeking a leader,” as he wrote in one boastful letter to a female acquaintance.  He was confident and proud, certain that he was about to turn things around and would be able to get his own gang up and running soon.  He had even remarked in his journal that he had managed to stay out of the hands of the law for quite awhile despite being involved in several criminal schemes.  The law had chased him, even detained him a few times, but they never made anything stick and he had always been released or gotten away.  That was the mark of a professional he wrote, someone who, “had the edge on the police, someone to be respected.”  Two days later, on March 26, 1928, Leo’s luck changed.  

…to be continued

A Burning Cold Morning (Part 53)

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Selma Alabama street scene around the time Leo lived there

Selma Alabama street scene around the time Leo lived there

The Selma, Alabama that Leo had arrived in was one with deep racial divisions and lingering scars from the Civil War battles that had been fought in and around the area.  It carried much of the tone and temperament of the entrenched white majority that had long lived in the area and had an “Old South” feel to it that Leo found foreign to his own experience.  He adapted fairly quickly though and was especially interested in the several banks which occupied a four block area in the downtown of the city.  The two men he had found, Jim Tunnney and Max Miller, who were also interested in the idea of robbing banks were locals and well known to the Selma police department.  Once Leo was sighted hanging out with them he started to gain some extra attention himself although that did little to dampen his enthusiasm for breaking the law.  He really saw himself as a big-time operator and was very interested in branching out into larger crimes.  One day, right after the turn of the new year, he met up with his partners at a local speakeasy.  One of the men had brought his girlfriend along, something Leo was not happy about initially although he changed his mind a little bit later when she starting flirting with him whenever her boyfriend was not paying attention.  After a few drinks all four of them walked out of the speakeasy and down to a local park where they planned to have their first serious discussion about the bank robbery plan.  A stiff breeze was blowing through the park when they arrived and they took some time to find a location that offered a little shelter.  

“You sure it’s ok to talk around the dame?” Leo asked as they all sat down behind a large decorative water fountain in the park.

“Sure, sure,” Jim answered, “she’s been in on a few things before.”  He spoke with a deep Southern drawl that Leo found difficult to understand some of the time.

“Few what?” Leo asked.

“Things,” Jim replied, “jobs, ya know?”  As he answered, the woman, who was his girlfriend and seated behind him, gave Leo a small wink for at least the sixth time that afternoon.

“Well, alright I suppose.  I’ll give you a quick idea of what I’m planning for this thing, just a little bit right now.  You’ll get more details when it’s closer to when we’re gonna do this job.  Until then I’ll be giving you some things to do, to get us ready.”

Max Miller, a man of medium height and dark brown hair cut in a crew-cut style, barked out a short laugh.  “You gonna plan it?  The whole thing, ya think?  Who made you my boss?  or his?”  He finished with a gesture toward Jim.

Leo’s face reddened as he replied.  “This is my thing, my plan.  I’ve had much more experience in this stuff than either of you, I’m sure.  If you’ve got something to say, to add to the plan, bring it up but it’ll be my decision.”  The woman gave him a quick, eager look that seemed to indicate she liked his style of leadership.

“I’m alright with it,” Jim said, “I don’t know much about banks anyhow, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, but how do we know that he does?” Max replied.  “He’s a nobody around here, we all know it.  New to town and trying to make himself into a boss, how do we know he ain’t just telling tales?  We trust him too much and we could all end up in the clink.”

“Listen,” Leo snapped back, “I know what I’m doing!  I already told both of you that I ran with the Pendergast crew in Kansas City and I was boss of my own operation in Bakersfield.  Maybe you’ve heard of Bob Markword? He’s a friend of mine, a bank robber, ok?”  Leo was upset at having to explain himself and getting very worked up.  “And I’ll have you know I’m a civil engineer myself and spent time on construction jobs at banks.  I know them inside and out so you’ve got nothing to worry about.”  He stopped to take a breath and Max cut in on his rant.

“So, you’re a real civil engineer then?”

“I said I was!” Leo replied defensively.

“Where from?” Max asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Where is your degree from?”

“Wh, what, well,” Leo stammered, somehow unprepared for that question.  He paused a moment and his mind quickly came up with Duke University, a place he had read about in his books as having a respected engineering program.  He replied with that information but it was too late.  Both men had started to walk away and the woman was trailing behind them a little, laughing and pointing back at Leo.  She swayed her hips a final time before hastening to catch up with her boyfriend.  Leo was furious at all of them but also at himself for not having been more prepared and vowed never to be caught out like that again.  He got up and walked back to his room.

When he got there he immediately sat down and sketched out a basic history of his life, at least the one he planned to sell to others going forward.  He made sure to weave in the time and places that would allow for him to have received his degree from Duke and still have all his criminal endeavors, both real and imagined, in place.  Once he had finished with that task he decided to write a letter to his sister and tell her that he never received the check and see if she would send another.  He told her up front about the name he was living under as he felt it would be too risky to try to figure out how to get mail under his real name in Selma.  By the next day he had most of his composure back and was out on the streets, working for the gang while still plotting a bank robbery in his head.  

…to be continued

A Burning Cold Morning (Part 52)

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His whereabouts from that day until September 10, 1927 are again unknown, although it would probably be safe to assume that he was traveling by car or train and keeping a very low profile.  Shortly after he disappeared from Pomona the LAPD apparently put together enough information on Leo to make an inquiry back to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.  They asked for any details that might be available although what response they received, if any, in also unknown.

Marianna FL courtesy mariannaonline

Marianna FL courtesy mariannaonline

What we do know is that on September 10th Leo pulled into a motel in Marianna, Florida and registered under the name of Robert O’Hara.  A surprisingly diligent clerk noted on the registration paper that he “appeared a bit nervous or drunk”, and had asked for a room with, “a clear view of the road.”  It is impossible to know if he was actively running from a crime he had recently committed during his flight from Pomona or if Leo had just picked up a healthy dose of paranoia.  He was given the key to Room #7 and proceeded to settle in to his new base of operations.  

Marianna is a town located in the panhandle area of Florida, a place that in its past had been the location of many plantations due to the fertile soil provided by the Chipola River.  When Leo arrived those days were long gone although farming still remained a major part of the area’s economy.  It was a quiet town, certainly much more tame than the places Leo usually chose to stay, and he may have been hoping to remain undetected in such a rural location.   If that was his intention, his actions while in Marianna would not serve him well.

Once he was settled in at the motel Leo, as usual, started to plot out a way to make money.  He was dreaming bigger than usual and took several days to survey the two banks in the town, taking detailed notes of everything that he observed.  He also found out that there was another bank under construction, one which was due to open in a few weeks, and that fact greatly intrigued Leo.   He had a notion that if he could get some experience and knowledge of what a bank looks like while it is under construction, he may be able to use that to plan out his own successful robberies.  The idea of being able to take a large amount of money on a few jobs and then spend months living good and spending big appealed to him.  It would be much better than trying to muddle along picking up small sums on a large number of jobs, constantly exposing himself to the danger of arrest.  If he realized, or thought at all, about the fact that robbing banks would command much more focused attention from law enforcement, is something we will never know.  What he did do though is attempt to get into the construction site.

To try to accomplish this he entered the site one day and struck up a conversation with the foreman.  He told the man, a stocky and well-tanned Italian-American, that he was a civil engineer and had been asked to look over the building for any potential construction violations.  That statement did not sit well with the foreman who told Leo to leave and come back with written permission to walk the site.  Two days later, Leo tried again and this time the police were called although Leo was gone when they arrived.  After that, getting desperate for money, he returned to some of his usual schemes, this time working with a car theft gang.  

1927 Florida license plate

1927 Florida license plate

 

1925 Chevy truck

1925 Chevy truck

This particular criminal operation ran two different crews, one that actually stole vehicles and another, the one that Leo ended up working with, that would steal vehicle tags.  This gang was well-known to local law enforcement and kept under close observation when possible.  It only took three months before Leo was seen lifting a tag from a 1925 Chevy truck and pursued by the police.  He did manage to escape although he left everything he owned behind at the motel and arrived five days later in Selma, Alabama.  

His journey of one hundred and seventy-five miles was exactly equal to how much money he had in his pocket and the fuel he could purchase with it.  Completely broke when he drove into town at six o’clock in the evening of December 10th, 1927, Leo’s vehicle ran out of gas on Selma Avenue and he pushed it to the side before abandoning it.  He was exhausted and hungry by this time, neither condition of which he had the means to correct properly, so he walked to the nearest open space he could find and fell asleep under a grove of sugar maple trees.  He awoke in the middle of the night, bothered by some ants that were crawling on his face and the growling of his stomach.  Unable to get comfortable again, Leo sat up until morning plotting what to do next.  

His immediate need was of course money, which he solved temporarily by pawning his gold watch. That allowed him get a meal at a diner and then to rent a room at a boarding house located right at the edge of Selma on Summerfield Road.  He registered as Lee O’Dare, perhaps forgetting about the warrant issued under that name for him in Kansas City, a fact which would almost cause him some trouble later.  Then he took up his usual routine of plotting schemes and seeking out the criminal element in the area around where he lived.  This time Leo accepted that he would need to start small again, and he took up an invitation to be part of a local gang that committed a wide variety of crimes in and around Selma.  He did feel slighted though, having to start all over again despite what he had accomplished in the past.  To try to make up for this, and establish himself properly, he bragged often about his, “time with Pendergast in Kansas City,” and having run his own gang in Bakersfield.  He also spent his spare time scouting local banks and eventually recruited two other men into his scheme to pull off a double robbery.  

…to be continued