George "Machine Gun" Kelly

George Barnes

George “Machine Gun” Kelly

Introduction

George “Machine Gun” Kelly was one of the most notorious criminals of the Prohibition era, whose transformation from small-time bootlegger to infamous kidnapper epitomized the criminal celebrity culture of Depression-era America. Born George Kelly Barnes on July 18, 1895, in Memphis, Tennessee, Kelly’s criminal career spanned bootlegging, bank robbery, and kidnapping, ultimately culminating in his capture and life imprisonment following the high-profile abduction of oil tycoon Charles Urschel.

Early Life and Path to Crime

George Kelly Barnes was born into a relatively prosperous middle-class family in Memphis, Tennessee. His father was a successful insurance executive, providing the family with comfortable circumstances that distinguished Kelly from many of his contemporaries who emerged from poverty-stricken backgrounds. Despite this privileged upbringing, Kelly’s relationship with his father was strained due to the older man’s marital infidelities, which Kelly reportedly despised and used as leverage to extort privileges and money.

Kelly’s first signs of trouble emerged during his brief academic career at Mississippi State University in 1917, where he studied agriculture. Academic records show he was a poor student whose highest grade was a C-plus for physical hygiene, spending much of his time working off demerits for various infractions. During this period, Kelly met Geneva Ramsey, the daughter of a respected Memphis businessman, and made the impulsive decision to quit school and marry her at age 19.

The young couple initially attempted legitimate employment, with Kelly working various jobs including cab driver and salesman. However, his inability to maintain steady work, combined with financial struggles and his developing alcohol problem, doomed the marriage. Geneva eventually divorced Kelly due to his “running in bad company” and involvement with criminal elements, taking their two sons with her.

Criminal Evolution and Bootlegging Career

Following his divorce from Geneva, the 19-year-old Kelly moved to Kansas City and became involved with a small-time bootlegger, marking the beginning of his criminal career. During Prohibition, Kelly formed a bootlegging gang that operated across multiple states, including Oklahoma, Tennessee, and New Mexico. This illegal enterprise provided Kelly with his first taste of significant financial success and introduced him to the criminal underworld that would shape his future.

Kelly’s bootlegging activities led to his first arrests in 1927 for both bootlegging and vagrancy. His most serious early conviction came in 1928 when he was sentenced to time at Leavenworth Federal Prison for selling alcohol on an Indian reservation, a federal offense. This incarceration proved pivotal in Kelly’s criminal education, as he formed connections with experienced bank robbers including Charlie Harmon, Frank Nash, Francis Keating, and Thomas Holden. These relationships provided Kelly with the criminal mentorship and networking that would elevate his status from petty bootlegger to major criminal figure.

The Kathryn Kelly Partnership

The trajectory of Kelly’s criminal career changed dramatically when he met Kathryn Thorne, a thrice-divorced woman with her own criminal connections, whom he married in 1930. Kathryn Kelly proved to be the driving force behind her husband’s transformation into the “Machine Gun Kelly” persona. She purchased his first Thompson submachine gun and actively promoted his reputation in criminal circles, distributing spent shell casings as souvenirs and marketing him as an expert machine gunner.

Kathryn’s influence extended beyond image creation to criminal planning and execution. She was instrumental in planning several of Kelly’s bank robberies and kidnapping schemes, serving as both strategist and promoter of his criminal brand. Her criminal acumen and ambition complemented Kelly’s desire for wealth and notoriety, creating a criminal partnership that would make them among the most wanted fugitives of their era.

Bank Robbery Spree

Between 1930 and 1932, Kelly and his associates conducted numerous bank robberies across the Midwest, targeting institutions in Minnesota, Iowa, Texas, Washington, Mississippi, and other states. His most profitable bank heist occurred in Colfax, Washington, netting seventy-seven thousand dollars, while his final bank robbery in November 1932 yielded thirty-eight thousand dollars from a Mississippi bank.

Kelly’s bank robbery methods typically involved the use of Thompson submachine guns and aggressive tactics designed to overwhelm resistance through superior firepower. His associates during this period included Eddie Bentz, Eddie Doll, and Albert Bates, experienced criminals who helped execute increasingly sophisticated heists. The success of these robberies elevated Kelly’s profile within criminal circles and attracted the attention of federal law enforcement.

Kidnapping Ventures and the Urschel Case

Kelly’s transition from bank robbery to kidnapping reflected both the changing criminal landscape and his ambition for larger scores. His first kidnapping attempts were unsuccessful, including a botched 1932 abduction of Indiana banker Howard Woolverton, who convinced his captors he could not pay the ransom and was released on his promise to raise money later – which he never did.

The crime that would define Kelly’s legacy occurred on July 22, 1933, when he and Albert Bates kidnapped oil tycoon Charles Urschel and his friend Walter Jarrett during a bridge game at Urschel’s Oklahoma City residence. Unable to identify which man was Urschel, the kidnappers took both, later releasing Jarrett after robbing him of fifty-one dollars. Urschel was held at the Texas ranch belonging to Kathryn’s parents, where the gang demanded a two-hundred-thousand-dollar ransom.

Despite being blindfolded throughout his captivity, Urschel made careful mental notes of sounds, counted footsteps, and left fingerprints on surfaces within reach. These observations proved invaluable to the FBI investigation, allowing agents to determine that Urschel had been held in Paradise, Texas, based on airplane sounds he remembered hearing at specific times.

Capture and Downfall

Following the successful payment and collection of the ransom, the FBI launched a coordinated multi-state investigation that systematically identified and captured Kelly’s associates. The investigation led to raids on August 12, 1933, that netted several conspirators, including Kathryn’s family members and Albert Bates, who was found with marked ransom money.

George and Kathryn Kelly eluded capture for several weeks before being tracked to Memphis, Tennessee, where they were arrested on September 26, 1933. The circumstances of Kelly’s surrender have become legendary, with popular accounts claiming he shouted “Don’t shoot, G-Men! Don’t shoot, G-Men!” as he was arrested – a phrase that allegedly coined the term “G-Men” for FBI agents. However, FBI records indicate this account is likely mythical, with the earliest official reports stating Kelly surrendered silently with his hands raised.

Trial, Imprisonment, and Death

Kelly and his wife were quickly tried and convicted, both receiving life sentences on October 12, 1933. The trial was notable as one of the first major criminal proceedings to be filmed, joining significant judicial events like the Lindbergh kidnapping trial. In total, twenty-one people were convicted in connection with the Urschel kidnapping, demonstrating the extensive criminal network involved.

Kelly was initially sent to Leavenworth Federal Prison before being transferred to Alcatraz in October 1934, where he served alongside other notorious criminals including Al Capone. Despite his earlier bravado that he would be “out by Christmas,” Kelly remained imprisoned for the rest of his life. He was transferred back to Leavenworth in 1951 and died of heart failure on July 18, 1954 – his fifty-ninth birthday – having never been released.

Psychological Profile and Criminal Persona

Kelly’s criminal psychology reflected a complex combination of privilege, inadequacy, and ambition that distinguished him from many of his contemporaries. Unlike gangsters who emerged from poverty, Kelly’s comfortable background suggests his criminal behavior stemmed from psychological rather than economic factors. His strained relationship with his father, combined with his inability to achieve success through legitimate means, appears to have driven his pursuit of criminal notoriety.

The “Machine Gun Kelly” persona was largely artificial, created and promoted by his wife Kathryn rather than emerging from Kelly’s own criminal prowess. Contemporary accounts suggest Kelly was never actually skilled with the Thompson submachine gun and may never have killed anyone with it, earning him the derisive nickname “Pop Gun Kelly” following his capture. This disconnect between image and reality reflects the manufactured nature of Depression-era criminal celebrity culture.

Did You Know?

Kelly never actually killed anyone despite his fearsome nickname and reputation as a machine gun expert.
His wife Kathryn was instrumental in creating his criminal image, even distributing spent shell casings as promotional materials.
The famous phrase “Don’t shoot, G-Men!” attributed to Kelly’s arrest appears to be a media myth created months after the event.
Kelly died in prison on his birthday, exactly fifty-nine years after his birth.
The Urschel kidnapping case helped establish the FBI’s reputation and contributed to the expansion of federal law enforcement powers.