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George Kelly biography

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Quick Facts

  • NAME: George Kelly
  • OCCUPATION: Criminal
  • BIRTH DATE: c. July 18, 1895
  • DEATH DATE: July 17, 1954
  • EDUCATION: A & M College
  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Memphis, Tennessee
  • PLACE OF DEATH: Leavenworth, Kansas
  • Nickname: Machine Gun
  • Originally: George Kelly Barnes

Best Known For

Bank robber, bootlegger and kidnapper George “Machine Gun” Kelly was sentenced to life in prison along with his wife, Kathryn Kelly, in 1933.

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He was unharmed and, although blindfolded some of the time, he was able to provide a number of clues to authorities. From Urschel’s descriptions of what he heard and saw while being held hostage, the authorities were able to figure out that he must have been near Paradise, Texas. Earlier there also had been a tip that the Kellys were involved.

Arrest

Kathryn Kelly’s mother, Ora Shannon, lived on a ranch near Paradise. The place was raided and several suspects, including Shannon, her husband, and his son, were arrested on August 12. Bates was caught that same day in Denver, Colorado, on an unrelated charge, but he was found to have money from the kidnapping on him. But the Kellys eluded capture for several weeks. They were discovered in Memphis, Tennessee, and taken into custody on September 26, 1933. They were quickly tried and convicted; both were sentenced to life in prison on October 12.

The once notorious Machine Gun Kelly was mocked in the news as “Pop Gun Kelly.” He was sent to Alcatraz Prison, home to many hardened criminals, such Al Capone. Moved to Leavenworth in the 1950s, Kelly died there on July 17, 1954, of a heart attack.

Today Kelly is remembered along with the likes of “Pretty Boy” Floyd, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, and “Baby Face” Nelson as one of the criminals that made up the Midwest crime wave of the early 1930s.

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