Ed Davis (criminal)
Encyclopedia
Ed Davis was an American burglar, bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. He was especially active in Oklahoma
, referred to by authorities as "The Fox", and frequently teamed with Jim Clark
and Frank Sawyer
during the early 1930s. Eventually captured in 1934, he was involved in a failed escape attempt from Folsom State Prison
, resulting in the deaths of one guard and two inmates, and was executed at San Quentin
.
, Oklahoma
on July 30, 1900. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 but was prematurely discharged for undisclosed reasons on January 2, 1918. He spent the next year drifting then returned to his hometown where he started committing minor robberies with Oscar Steelman and Earl Berry. He was eventually arrested for one of these robberies and sentenced to two years in the Oklahoma State Reformatory
. Released in the summer of 1920, he took a freight train
heading east and continued riding the rails
until his arrest in Hutchinson
, Kansas
for train riding and carrying a concealed weapon. The charges were dropped on the condition that Davis leave town which he did after purchasing a train ticket on a box car.
His next brush with the law occurred on January 23, 1923, when he and Bill Sheppard burglarized the home of oil tycoon Joe McDonald stealing $50 in cash and $2,425 in jewelry. Davis and Sheppard then hiked five miles north to their Agawam
hideout however police were easily able to follow their tracks through the fresh snow and arrested them hours later. Both men pled guilty to robbery charges and sentenced to 10 years each at the McAlester state prison
. By the time of his parole in 1928, Davis had become more violent and would frequently resist police for the rest of his criminal career. He had also developed an ear infection which left him in almost persistent pain.
, Oklahoma
on April 20, 1931. He was sitting in a car with two other men, Jack Alfred and John Schrimsher, when night police chief Ike Veach and officer J.R. Hill saw them on a routine patrol and decided to approach the car. All three men were heavily armed and one of them fired a shotgun which shattered the windshield and killed Hill instantly. Sheriff Veach was also badly wounded from buckshot but returned fire managing to disable their car and wounding Alfred before they escaped. All three men were caught after a brief manhunt. Alfred was the first to be arrested and was sent to a hospital in Duncan
, Oklahoma
where he awaited trial. Schrimsher surrendered to authorities near Henderson
, Texas
on October 24 while Davis was found in an East Texas
oil field
the next day and taken into custody. At the time of his capture, he was renting a house with his wife under the name Paul Martin in Joinerville
. Davis and his accomplices were tried and convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment on August 3, 1931.
and Frank Sawyer
. The gang's time was short-lived however. On June 17, the three were arrested by police near Black Rock
, Arkansas
. In addition to driving a stolen car, they were also charged with a bank robbery carried out hours before in Fort Scott
, Kansas
. The robbery was actually committed by the Barker Gang, however Davis and his partners were wrongly convicted on the robbery and given long jail terms.
in Lansing
on May 30, 1933. He was one of twelve convicts including Harvey Bailey
, Robert "Big Bob" Brady
, Wilbur Underhill, Jim Clark and seven others. He briefly joined Bailey-Underhill gang in two major robberies, first as the getaway driver in Black Rock on June 16 and in Kingfisher
, Oklahoma
on August 9, Davis later being identified with Clark and Bailey from prison mugshots. Bailey was arrested at a ranch by federal agents two days later, the FBI then looking for George "Machine Gun" Kelly
, and was wrongly charged as an accessory to the Charles Urchel kidnapping case.
With Bailey in jail, the Bailey-Underhill gang broke up and Davis decided to strike out alone. He began a one man crime spree raiding countless banks in central Texas
with such success that police began referring to him as "The Fox". By late-September 1933, Davis decided he had gained enough money to retire and moved with his wife to California. He was also considering surgical removal of various prison tattoos.
had ordered the Kansas state police to "spare no effort" in hunting down the escapees from Lansing prison. Within two months, only Davis and Wilbur Underhill remained at large. Underhill was gunned down by Oklahoma police on December 30, 1933, while Davis was captured months later. Running out of money while living in Los Angeles
, he robbed a store and then kidnapped its owner J.J. Ball. He was quickly arrested and tried on a series of charges including three counts of first-degree burglary, six counts of robbery and two counts of kidnapping. A second version claims he was captured by police in an apartment-house raid in March 1934. Davis was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in Folsom State Prison
on June 22, 1934. Kansas authorities declared they would prosecute Davis to finish his prison sentence in Lansing if he ever received parole.
While serving his time in Folsom, he became well-known among the inmates as "Old Deafy". Davis eventually tried to escape after three years inside when, on September 19, 1937, he and six other convicts took the warden and two guards hostage. They held them at knifepoint and attempted to use them to leave the prison but guards opened fire instead. One guard and two prisoners were killed before Davis and the surviving convicts surrendered. All five inmates were convicted of murder, including Davis, and sentenced to death.
Davis was sent to San Quentin where he remained on death row
for a week before his execution in the gas chamber
on December 16, 1937. A note was found in his cell following his execution which read "No regrets for Old Ed. All considered, my conscience is now resting easy".
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, referred to by authorities as "The Fox", and frequently teamed with Jim Clark
Jim Clark (criminal)
Jim Clark was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. A longtime career criminal in Oklahoma during the 1920s, Clark was associated with Wilbur Underhill, Harvey Bailey and Robert "Big Bob" Brady and remained a public enemy in the state of Kansas until his capture and imprisonment in...
and Frank Sawyer
Frank Sawyer (criminal)
James Franklin "Frank" Sawyer was an American Depression-era bank robber and prison escapee. An associate of Jim Clark, Ed Davis and other fellow Oklahoma bandits, he was a participant in countless bank robberies throughout Kansas and Oklahoma between 1917 to 1933...
during the early 1930s. Eventually captured in 1934, he was involved in a failed escape attempt from Folsom State Prison
Folsom State Prison
Folsom State Prison is a California State Prison located in the city of Folsom, California, northeast from the state capital of Sacramento. Opened in 1880, Folsom is the second-oldest prison in the state of California after San Quentin and was the first in the country to have electricity...
, resulting in the deaths of one guard and two inmates, and was executed at San Quentin
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
.
Early life and criminal career
Ed Davis was born in WaurikaWaurika, Oklahoma
Waurika is a city in Jefferson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,988 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. The name is the Comanche compound 'worm eater' from woa 'worm' + 'eat' and presumably refers to a group of Comanche living in the area or to...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
on July 30, 1900. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 but was prematurely discharged for undisclosed reasons on January 2, 1918. He spent the next year drifting then returned to his hometown where he started committing minor robberies with Oscar Steelman and Earl Berry. He was eventually arrested for one of these robberies and sentenced to two years in the Oklahoma State Reformatory
Oklahoma State Reformatory
The Oklahoma State Reformatory is a medium-security facility with some maximum and minimum-security housing for adult male inmates. Located off of U.S. Highway 9 in Granite, Oklahoma, the facility has a maximum capacity of 999 inmates. The medium-security area accommodates 799 prisoners,...
. Released in the summer of 1920, he took a freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
heading east and continued riding the rails
Freighthopping
Freighthopping or train hopping is the act of surreptitiously hitching a ride on a railroad freight car. In the United States, this became a common means of transportation following the American Civil War as the railroads began pushing westward, especially among migrant workers who became known as...
until his arrest in Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
for train riding and carrying a concealed weapon. The charges were dropped on the condition that Davis leave town which he did after purchasing a train ticket on a box car.
His next brush with the law occurred on January 23, 1923, when he and Bill Sheppard burglarized the home of oil tycoon Joe McDonald stealing $50 in cash and $2,425 in jewelry. Davis and Sheppard then hiked five miles north to their Agawam
Agawam
- Native Americans :* Agawam of native Americans, eastern Essex County, Massachusetts, during colonial times, or their language- Municipalities :* Agawam, Massachusetts, USA* Agawam, Oklahoma, USA, a ghost town in Grady County- Rivers :...
hideout however police were easily able to follow their tracks through the fresh snow and arrested them hours later. Both men pled guilty to robbery charges and sentenced to 10 years each at the McAlester state prison
Oklahoma State Penitentiary
The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates...
. By the time of his parole in 1928, Davis had become more violent and would frequently resist police for the rest of his criminal career. He had also developed an ear infection which left him in almost persistent pain.
Murder of J.R. Hill
One of his early confrontations with the police occurred in MarlowMarlow, Oklahoma
Marlow is a city in Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,592 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Marlow is located at ....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
on April 20, 1931. He was sitting in a car with two other men, Jack Alfred and John Schrimsher, when night police chief Ike Veach and officer J.R. Hill saw them on a routine patrol and decided to approach the car. All three men were heavily armed and one of them fired a shotgun which shattered the windshield and killed Hill instantly. Sheriff Veach was also badly wounded from buckshot but returned fire managing to disable their car and wounding Alfred before they escaped. All three men were caught after a brief manhunt. Alfred was the first to be arrested and was sent to a hospital in Duncan
Duncan, Oklahoma
Duncan is a city in Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 23,431 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stephens County.The official birthdate of the town is considered to be when the first train arrived there on June 27, 1892...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
where he awaited trial. Schrimsher surrendered to authorities near Henderson
Henderson, Texas
Henderson is a city in Rusk County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,273 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rusk County...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
on October 24 while Davis was found in an East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
oil field
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
the next day and taken into custody. At the time of his capture, he was renting a house with his wife under the name Paul Martin in Joinerville
Joinerville, Texas
Joinerville is an unincorporated community in west Rusk County, Texas, United States.The West Rusk Independent School District serves area students.-External links:**...
. Davis and his accomplices were tried and convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment on August 3, 1931.
Escape from McAlester
After nine months in prison, Davis escaped the McAlester state penitentiary with Robert Smith and Edmond Hardin on May 26, 1932. Hardin was quickly recaptured while still on foot but Davis and Smith were able to escape by stealing a car. Davis then attempted to try his hand at bank robbery and joined veteran outlaws Jim ClarkJim Clark (criminal)
Jim Clark was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. A longtime career criminal in Oklahoma during the 1920s, Clark was associated with Wilbur Underhill, Harvey Bailey and Robert "Big Bob" Brady and remained a public enemy in the state of Kansas until his capture and imprisonment in...
and Frank Sawyer
Frank Sawyer (criminal)
James Franklin "Frank" Sawyer was an American Depression-era bank robber and prison escapee. An associate of Jim Clark, Ed Davis and other fellow Oklahoma bandits, he was a participant in countless bank robberies throughout Kansas and Oklahoma between 1917 to 1933...
. The gang's time was short-lived however. On June 17, the three were arrested by police near Black Rock
Black Rock, Arkansas
Black Rock is a city in Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States, along the Black River. The population was 717 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Black Rock is located at ....
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. In addition to driving a stolen car, they were also charged with a bank robbery carried out hours before in Fort Scott
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. The robbery was actually committed by the Barker Gang, however Davis and his partners were wrongly convicted on the robbery and given long jail terms.
Time with the Bailey-Underhill Gang
Davis escaped from prison once again, this time taking part in a mass escape from the Kansas state prisonLansing Correctional Facility
Lansing Correctional Facility is a state prison operated by the Kansas Department of Corrections located in Lansing, Kansas in Leavenworth County...
in Lansing
Lansing, Kansas
Lansing is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Leavenworth County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,265...
on May 30, 1933. He was one of twelve convicts including Harvey Bailey
Harvey Bailey
Harvey John Bailey , called "The Dean of American Bank Robbers", had a long criminal career. One of the most successful bank robbers during the 1920s, walking off with over $1 million during that time, Bailey is almost forgotten today.- His career :Born in West Virginia, Bailey robbed his first...
, Robert "Big Bob" Brady
Robert Brady (criminal)
Robert G. "Big Bob" Brady was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. A well-known Oklahoma bandit during the 1920s and 30s, Brady was associated with Wilbur Underhill, Harvey Bailey and Jim Clark....
, Wilbur Underhill, Jim Clark and seven others. He briefly joined Bailey-Underhill gang in two major robberies, first as the getaway driver in Black Rock on June 16 and in Kingfisher
Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Kingfisher is a city in and the county seat of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,380 at the 2000 census. It is the former home and namesake of Kingfisher College.-History:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
on August 9, Davis later being identified with Clark and Bailey from prison mugshots. Bailey was arrested at a ranch by federal agents two days later, the FBI then looking for George "Machine Gun" Kelly
Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelley Barnes , better known as "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster during the prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thompson submachine gun. His most famous crime was the kidnapping of oil tycoon & businessman Charles Urschel in July 1933 for which he,...
, and was wrongly charged as an accessory to the Charles Urchel kidnapping case.
With Bailey in jail, the Bailey-Underhill gang broke up and Davis decided to strike out alone. He began a one man crime spree raiding countless banks in central Texas
Central Texas
Central Texas , is a region in the U.S. state of Texas. It is roughly bordered by San Marcos to Fredericksburg to Waco, and to Brenham, and includes the Austin–Round Rock, Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Bryan-College Station, and Waco metropolitan areas...
with such success that police began referring to him as "The Fox". By late-September 1933, Davis decided he had gained enough money to retire and moved with his wife to California. He was also considering surgical removal of various prison tattoos.
Capture, imprisonment and death
However, Governor Alf LandonAlf Landon
Alfred Mossman "Alf" Landon was an American Republican politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Kansas from 1933–1937. He was best known for being the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States, defeated in a landslide by Franklin D...
had ordered the Kansas state police to "spare no effort" in hunting down the escapees from Lansing prison. Within two months, only Davis and Wilbur Underhill remained at large. Underhill was gunned down by Oklahoma police on December 30, 1933, while Davis was captured months later. Running out of money while living in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, he robbed a store and then kidnapped its owner J.J. Ball. He was quickly arrested and tried on a series of charges including three counts of first-degree burglary, six counts of robbery and two counts of kidnapping. A second version claims he was captured by police in an apartment-house raid in March 1934. Davis was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in Folsom State Prison
Folsom State Prison
Folsom State Prison is a California State Prison located in the city of Folsom, California, northeast from the state capital of Sacramento. Opened in 1880, Folsom is the second-oldest prison in the state of California after San Quentin and was the first in the country to have electricity...
on June 22, 1934. Kansas authorities declared they would prosecute Davis to finish his prison sentence in Lansing if he ever received parole.
While serving his time in Folsom, he became well-known among the inmates as "Old Deafy". Davis eventually tried to escape after three years inside when, on September 19, 1937, he and six other convicts took the warden and two guards hostage. They held them at knifepoint and attempted to use them to leave the prison but guards opened fire instead. One guard and two prisoners were killed before Davis and the surviving convicts surrendered. All five inmates were convicted of murder, including Davis, and sentenced to death.
Davis was sent to San Quentin where he remained on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
for a week before his execution in the gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
on December 16, 1937. A note was found in his cell following his execution which read "No regrets for Old Ed. All considered, my conscience is now resting easy".
Further reading
- Johnson, Lester Douglas. The Devil's Front Porch. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1970.