Fred William Bowerman
Encyclopedia
Fred William Bowerman was an American criminal, bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. A veteran holdup man, his criminal career lasted over 30 years and was placed on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list in 1953
. That same year, Bowerman organized and led the disastrous Southwest Bank holdup in St. Louis, Missouri
, which resulted in a standoff between himself and his three partners against a strike force of over 100 officers of the St. Louis Police Department
. The events were later made into a film, The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery
(1959), starring Crahan Denton
and Steve McQueen
.
area. While living in Michigan
, he drove to Chicago using stolen cars
committing 36 robberies between June–October 1938. By the time he was finally captured a year later, he was sentenced to Joliet Prison
where he would spend the next seven years.
Released in 1946, Bowerman kept a low profile for several years. However, he was eventually identified as one of several men who robbed a bank in South Bend, Indiana
for $53,000 in September 1952. The violent daylight robbery attracted national attention, much in the style of Thomas Holden or Alvin Karpis
, as a bank employee was shot for "raising his hands too slowly". Nearing 60, Bowerman was named #46 by the FBI of its "Ten Most Wanted" list on March 3, 1953
.
A little over a month later, Bowerman participated in one of the most violent bank heists in American history. On the afternoon of April 2, 1953, Bowerman and three other men entered the Southwest Bank in north St. Louis, Missouri
, and attempted to hold up the bank. At first, the robbery went as planned as the men quickly gathered up around $140,000 from the bank teller's cages and prepared to carry them out in a nylon satchel. Unknown to Bowerman and the others, a bank employee had set off a silent alarm. As the robbers were about to make their getaway, nearly 100 police officers arrived and surrounded the bank. As the robbers began firing at police through the windows, the bank employees hid in the vault to escape the firefight and tear gas being thrown into the building. One police sergeant was killed in the fight, shot in both hand and the neck, but eventually time began to work against the robbers.
Bowerman, attempting to find a getaway car
outside, was shot in the chest by police officer Melburn F. Stein. The bullet had pierced a lung and lodged itself in his spine. One of his partners, William Scholl (though this also has been attributed to Bowerman), took a female hostage and held a shotgun on her as he too attempted to escape. He made it as far as the sidewalk before he shoved his hostage to the pavement, breaking both her wrists, and attempted to shoot it out with police before a bullet knocked him sprawling. Scholl attempted to go for a backup weapon but police were able to disarm him and dragged him off in handcuffs.
Finding themselves trapped in the bank, Bowerman's partners panicked. One man, Frank Vito, chose to commit suicide and shot himself with his pistol. A lone survivor, one-time college football star
Glenn Chesnick, escaped on foot without the money. He was captured by detectives three days later. Bowerman was taken to a local hospital where he identified himself as John W. Frederick. However, the FBI used his fingerprints to prove his identity. Bowerman died of his wounds on May 1, 1953. He was later portrayed by Crahan Denton
in The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery
(1969); Melburn Stein, the officer who shot Bowerman, had a small role in the film.
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1953
In 1953, the United States FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover, continued for a fourth year to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives....
. That same year, Bowerman organized and led the disastrous Southwest Bank holdup in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, which resulted in a standoff between himself and his three partners against a strike force of over 100 officers of the St. Louis Police Department
St. Louis Police Department
The Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for serving St. Louis City in the U.S. state of Missouri. The current chief is Colonel Daniel Isom....
. The events were later made into a film, The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery
The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery
The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery is a 1959 heist film shot in black and white. The noir film stars Steve McQueen as a college dropout hired to be the getaway driver in a bank robbery. The film is based on a 1953 bank robbery attempt of Southwest Bank in St. Louis. The film was shot on location in...
(1959), starring Crahan Denton
Crahan Denton
Crahan Denton was an American stage and television actor.He was born in Seattle, Washington, United States.From 1945 until his death in 1966, Denton starred in many films, including The Great St...
and Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
.
Biography
Fred William Bowerman's criminal career began in the 1930s and was eventually arrested in Illinois for armed robbery in 1932. He served five years and was paroled in 1937. Shortly after his release, Bowerman began committing robberies throughout the ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area. While living in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, he drove to Chicago using stolen cars
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
committing 36 robberies between June–October 1938. By the time he was finally captured a year later, he was sentenced to Joliet Prison
Joliet Prison
Joliet Correctional Center was a prison in Joliet, Illinois, United States from 1858 to 2002. It is featured in the motion picture The Blues Brothers as the prison from which Jake Blues is released at the beginning of the movie...
where he would spend the next seven years.
Released in 1946, Bowerman kept a low profile for several years. However, he was eventually identified as one of several men who robbed a bank in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
for $53,000 in September 1952. The violent daylight robbery attracted national attention, much in the style of Thomas Holden or Alvin Karpis
Alvin Karpis
Alvin Francis Karpis , nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile, was an American criminal known for his alliance with the Barker gang in the 1930s. He was the last "public enemy" to be taken.-Early life:Karpis was born to Lithuanian immigrants in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and was raised in Topeka,...
, as a bank employee was shot for "raising his hands too slowly". Nearing 60, Bowerman was named #46 by the FBI of its "Ten Most Wanted" list on March 3, 1953
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1953
In 1953, the United States FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover, continued for a fourth year to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives....
.
A little over a month later, Bowerman participated in one of the most violent bank heists in American history. On the afternoon of April 2, 1953, Bowerman and three other men entered the Southwest Bank in north St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and attempted to hold up the bank. At first, the robbery went as planned as the men quickly gathered up around $140,000 from the bank teller's cages and prepared to carry them out in a nylon satchel. Unknown to Bowerman and the others, a bank employee had set off a silent alarm. As the robbers were about to make their getaway, nearly 100 police officers arrived and surrounded the bank. As the robbers began firing at police through the windows, the bank employees hid in the vault to escape the firefight and tear gas being thrown into the building. One police sergeant was killed in the fight, shot in both hand and the neck, but eventually time began to work against the robbers.
Bowerman, attempting to find a getaway car
Getaway car
A crime scene getaway is the act of fleeing the location where one has broken the law in order to avoid apprehension by law enforcement. It is an act that the offender may or may not have planned in detail, resulting in a variety of outcomes....
outside, was shot in the chest by police officer Melburn F. Stein. The bullet had pierced a lung and lodged itself in his spine. One of his partners, William Scholl (though this also has been attributed to Bowerman), took a female hostage and held a shotgun on her as he too attempted to escape. He made it as far as the sidewalk before he shoved his hostage to the pavement, breaking both her wrists, and attempted to shoot it out with police before a bullet knocked him sprawling. Scholl attempted to go for a backup weapon but police were able to disarm him and dragged him off in handcuffs.
Finding themselves trapped in the bank, Bowerman's partners panicked. One man, Frank Vito, chose to commit suicide and shot himself with his pistol. A lone survivor, one-time college football star
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
Glenn Chesnick, escaped on foot without the money. He was captured by detectives three days later. Bowerman was taken to a local hospital where he identified himself as John W. Frederick. However, the FBI used his fingerprints to prove his identity. Bowerman died of his wounds on May 1, 1953. He was later portrayed by Crahan Denton
Crahan Denton
Crahan Denton was an American stage and television actor.He was born in Seattle, Washington, United States.From 1945 until his death in 1966, Denton starred in many films, including The Great St...
in The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery
The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery
The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery is a 1959 heist film shot in black and white. The noir film stars Steve McQueen as a college dropout hired to be the getaway driver in a bank robbery. The film is based on a 1953 bank robbery attempt of Southwest Bank in St. Louis. The film was shot on location in...
(1969); Melburn Stein, the officer who shot Bowerman, had a small role in the film.
External links
- Fred William Bowerman at Fbi.gov
