Lester Gillis was born in Chicago on December 6th 1908. Although he came from a good family it became evident at an early age the he was a bad apple and had no intentions of living a law abiding life and being a productive member of society.
EARLY CRIME CAREER:
By the age of 13-14 Lester was already an experienced street criminal and car thief. He ran with a rough crew of juvenile thugs who shoplifted, committed burglaries, were involved in bootlegging, and eventually armed robbery.
It was during this time that he was given the nickname “Baby Face” due to his small size and youthful appearance. However, although he appeared innocent and mild in feature, he was in actuality a hot-head with severe violent tendencies.
In 1922 Lester was arrested for auto theft and spent two years in confinement at a facility for youthful offenders. Shortly after his release he was arrested once again on similar charges and once again incarcerated for his crimes.
MID-WEST CRIME SPREE:
In the late 1920’s through the late 1930’s the United States suffered from a phenomenon called the mid-west crime spree, this was a black time in the financial life of the general population and dozens of depression-era criminals appeared on the scene.
Baby Face Nelson was among these bandits who would force the local and state authorities to rely upon J. Edgar Hoover and the F.B.I. to take an active role in stopping these, well armed, ruthless bank robbers, who were as brazen as they were flamboyant.
DEPRESSION-ERA BANK ROBBERY:
Like all criminals of Lester’s era and past era’s, aliases were just part of the life of crime and Lester became George “Baby Face’ Nelson and escalated his crimes to include bank robbery. He married Helen Wawzynak in 1928 and would be forever devoted to her and their two children and although he traveled around the U.S. committing his crimes, he frequently relocated his family to be in the general area where he was living and working.
In 1931 Nelson was arrested and convicted of bank robbery in Chicago, and during his confinement was extradited to Wheaton, Illinois to stand trial for a different bank robbery. He escaped while being transported back to Joliet prison with assistance and fled to the west coast where he met fellow criminal and life long partner, John Paul Chase.
Nelson remained in California for the next several years and participated in various criminal endeavors with Chase, including bootlegging and transporting illegal shipments and other smuggling activities. In 1933 Nelson and Chase were implemented in the killing of a man in Minneapolis.
THE DILLINGER GANG:
In 1934 Nelson and Chase went to Chicago and through mutual acquaintances joined up with John Dillinger and the Dillinger Gang. Dillinger would go on to become public enemy # 1 on the F.B.I. most wanted list, a honor Nelson would also hold for a brief time.
Nelson’s association with John Dillinger would make him a household name would put him on J. Edgar Hoover’s hit list of bandits to eliminate. Also a botched attempt to capture the gang would vault Baby Face Nelson’s infamy to new heights.
THE LITTLE BOHEMIA LODGE:
In April of 1934 F.B.I. agents learned through a tip that the Dillinger Gang was holed up in Wisconsin at the Little Bohemia Lodge. A failed raid occurred in which Baby Face Nelson and the rest of the gang escaped into the night leaving their women and some of their weapons behind.
But the act that would forever define “Baby Face Nelson” as a cold blooded killer was when he approached the car of two Special Agents, Newman and Carter Baum, and riddled their car with bullets, killing both agents with an automatic pistol.
In June 1934 the Dillinger Gang killed a police officer during a robbery in Indiana, and later when the gang returned to Chicago Nelson shot and killed two more police officers just outside of Chicago as the two unknowingly had approached the gangs meeting place.
THE BATTLE OF BARRINGTON:
John Dillinger was dead! Shot to death in Chicago while exiting a theatre. The Dillinger gang was history. George “Baby Face” Nelson was now public enemy #1. Instead of going underground and keeping a low profile, Nelson stayed in the Chicago area.
On November 27th 1934 in the town of Barrington, Illinois, Nelson was spotted by several F.B.I. agents who were perusing him with diligence. A car chase and violent shootout followed. This deadly gunfight would be Baby Face’s last but not before he successfully shot and executed special agent Herman Hollis and Samuel Cowley.
During the battle George “Baby Face’ Nelson was peppered with holes as the dying agents fired desperately back in retaliation and although he added to his already impressive list of victims he would also die from his injuries and be left wrapped in a blanket in a ditch for the authorities to find, and so ended one of the bloodiest careers of the depression-era crime spree and Baby Face Nelson along with Dillinger would go on to be immortalized in film and legend.
For more on "Baby Face" see TRUTV.COM
And F.B.I. GOV'S HISTORICAL LIABRARY
Learn more about > John Dillinger
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