George Birdwell
Encyclopedia
George William Birdwell (1894-November 23, 1932) was an American
bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. He was one of Pretty Boy Floyd
's closest known associates and also teamed with a number of fellow Oklahoma
-based bandits, most notably, William "Billy the Killer" Miller
and Aussie Elliott
.
(present-day Oklahoma
) in 1895, his ancestry being a mix of Irish, Cherokee and Choctaw. Published accounts of his background and early life are vague and inconsistent, however public records indicate that he was shot by a local farmer over an alleged affair with his wife when he was 18. While crime author Myron Quimby claimed that Birdwell began his life of crime during the 1920s committing 10 murders and robbed "countless" banks, he provided little evidence to support these claims of his early criminal career.
Birdwell's children and surviving descendants, however, have always maintained that Birdwell had worked as a farmer until meeting with bank robber Pretty Boy Floyd
in 1930 and began robbing banks with him soon after. Indeed, local residents recalled Birdwell often passing out $20 to his neighbors during the Great Depression
, particularly those affected by the Great Dust Bowl
, and gained him considerable public support and sympathy.
in robbing a bank in Earlsboro
, Oklahoma
, for $3,000. Five months later, they raided another bank in nearby Shamrock
but managed to get only $400. They fared better several days later when they raided a bank in Morris
, Oklahoma
for $1,743 on September 8 and scored another $3,850 from a bank in Maud
three weeks later.
On October 19, he and Floyd returned to Earlsboro and robbed the same bank they had originally raided with Miller seven months before, this time getting $2,498. They continued on their crime spree stealing $2,500 in Conowa on November 5, 1931 and another $2,500 in Castle
, Oklahoma
, on January 14, 1932. He was also believed to have been the unidentified accomplice who helped Floyd robbed $800 from a bank in Dover
a week later.
By early-1932, bankers across the state were petitioning the governor to take action against Birdwell and Floyd. After Floyd began renting a home in Tulsa for his wife and child, a confrontation between police became even more likely. Soon afterwards, on February 7, police saw the two fugitives driving through the city and attempted to pursue but lost them after a wild gunfight which resulted in the shooting of a police officer. Three days later, they were again confronted by the authorities when police surrounded Floyd's home and attempted to force the outlaws out. Birdwell and Floyd managed to sneak out the back way as police fired tear gas into the house.
Birdwell and Floyd showed no signs of ceasing their activities despite their narrow escape as, six weeks after their escape from Tulsa, they robbed yet another bank in Meeker
, Oklahoma
, for $500 on March 23. When Birdwell's father died a month later, local sheriff's deputies staked out the funeral home in Earlsboro hoping to capture Birdwell if he showed up. The bandits did indeed arrive at the funeral home but unexpectedly turned the tables on the lawmen when Floyd held them at gunpoint while Birdwell was able to pay his last respects. The next day, on April 21, they took $600 from the cash drawers of a bank in Stonewall
, Oklahoma
.
While driving near Ada
on June 7, Birdwell and Floyd were ambushed in a police trap but managed to getaway. Police sharpshooters later claimed that both men had most likely worn full body armor in order to have survived the gunfight. Five months later, he and Floyd committed one of their biggest bank jobs when they and Aussie Elliott
stole $2,530 from a bank in Sallisaw
, Oklahoma
on November 1. They were, however, wrongly accused by authorities of robbing a bank in Henryetta of $11,252 six days later.
, Oklahoma
. Floyd disagreed with the proposal pointing out that they would likely stand out in the heavily Black town and that local residents would most likely rush to the aid of the bank in the event of a robbery. Birdwell decided to go ahead with the robbery and recruited Charles Glass and C.C. Patterson. Birdwell failed to note that the day of the planned robbery, November 23, fell on the first day of bird-hunting season and residents were stocking up on shotguns and ammunition.
The robbery proceeded as planned as Birdwell and his accomplices managed to gain entry into the bank. Birdwell, armed with a .45 automatic pistol, held everyone in the bank while Glass and Peterson looted the desk drawers. In one of the tellers' cages however, an automatic alarm was triggered when the last bills were taken. The alarm alerted bookmaker H.C. McCormick, who had been overlooked while at work in the back room, and confronted the men with a rifle shooting Birdwell through the heart. Mortally wounded, Birdwell managed to kill bank president D.J. Turner before collapsing. Glass and Paterson attempted to flee, however by this time local residents had been alerted by the gunfire and were waiting for them as they exited the bank. Opening fire, Glass was killed instantly and Paterson seriously wounded. He was saved by the town sheriff who intervened before the mob could fire a second volley. Patterson eventually recovered from his wounds and later sentenced to the state prison in McAlester.
Birdwell was found alive in the bank and was taken to a nearby hospital in Henryetta but died shortly after his arrival. McCormick was later awarded $1,000 for his actions and made an honorary major in the state militia.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. He was one of Pretty Boy Floyd
Pretty Boy Floyd
Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd was an American bank robber. He operated in the West South Central States, and his criminal exploits gained heavy press coverage in the 1930s. Like most other prominent outlaws of that era, he was killed by law enforcement officers...
's closest known associates and also teamed with a number of fellow 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...
-based bandits, most notably, William "Billy the Killer" Miller
William Miller (criminal)
William "Billy the Killer" Miller was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. In his brief criminal career, he committed numerous bank heists in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Oklahoma, and teamed up with George Birdwell and Pretty Boy Floyd during the early 1930s.-Biography:William...
and Aussie Elliott
Aussie Elliott
Aussie Elliott was a Depression-era outlaw and associate of bank robbers George Birdwell and Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Born in Oklahoma, Elliott was convicted of bank robbery in 1932 and sentenced to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma eventually escaping on August 14, 1932...
.
Early life and criminal career
George Birdwell was born in the Indian TerritoryIndian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
(present-day 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...
) in 1895, his ancestry being a mix of Irish, Cherokee and Choctaw. Published accounts of his background and early life are vague and inconsistent, however public records indicate that he was shot by a local farmer over an alleged affair with his wife when he was 18. While crime author Myron Quimby claimed that Birdwell began his life of crime during the 1920s committing 10 murders and robbed "countless" banks, he provided little evidence to support these claims of his early criminal career.
Birdwell's children and surviving descendants, however, have always maintained that Birdwell had worked as a farmer until meeting with bank robber Pretty Boy Floyd
Pretty Boy Floyd
Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd was an American bank robber. He operated in the West South Central States, and his criminal exploits gained heavy press coverage in the 1930s. Like most other prominent outlaws of that era, he was killed by law enforcement officers...
in 1930 and began robbing banks with him soon after. Indeed, local residents recalled Birdwell often passing out $20 to his neighbors during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, particularly those affected by the Great Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
, and gained him considerable public support and sympathy.
Partnership with Pretty Boy Floyd
Birdwell's first recorded robbery was on March 9, 1931, when he and Floyd joined William "Billy the Killer" MillerWilliam Miller (criminal)
William "Billy the Killer" Miller was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. In his brief criminal career, he committed numerous bank heists in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Oklahoma, and teamed up with George Birdwell and Pretty Boy Floyd during the early 1930s.-Biography:William...
in robbing a bank in Earlsboro
Earlsboro, Oklahoma
Earlsboro is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 633 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Earlsboro 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...
, for $3,000. Five months later, they raided another bank in nearby Shamrock
Shamrock, Oklahoma
Shamrock is a town in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 125 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shamrock is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
but managed to get only $400. They fared better several days later when they raided a bank in Morris
Morris, Oklahoma
Morris is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The townsite was platted in 1904 by L. R. Kershaw, who was an attorney and was also an Immigration Agent for the Frisco Railroad. He named the town after H. E. Morris, a Frisco Railroad executive...
, 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...
for $1,743 on September 8 and scored another $3,850 from a bank in Maud
Maud, Oklahoma
Maud is a city in Pottawatomie and Seminole counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 1,048 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Maud is located at...
three weeks later.
On October 19, he and Floyd returned to Earlsboro and robbed the same bank they had originally raided with Miller seven months before, this time getting $2,498. They continued on their crime spree stealing $2,500 in Conowa on November 5, 1931 and another $2,500 in Castle
Castle, Oklahoma
Castle is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 122 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Castle is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, 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 January 14, 1932. He was also believed to have been the unidentified accomplice who helped Floyd robbed $800 from a bank in Dover
Dover, Oklahoma
Dover is a town in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 367 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dover is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
a week later.
By early-1932, bankers across the state were petitioning the governor to take action against Birdwell and Floyd. After Floyd began renting a home in Tulsa for his wife and child, a confrontation between police became even more likely. Soon afterwards, on February 7, police saw the two fugitives driving through the city and attempted to pursue but lost them after a wild gunfight which resulted in the shooting of a police officer. Three days later, they were again confronted by the authorities when police surrounded Floyd's home and attempted to force the outlaws out. Birdwell and Floyd managed to sneak out the back way as police fired tear gas into the house.
Birdwell and Floyd showed no signs of ceasing their activities despite their narrow escape as, six weeks after their escape from Tulsa, they robbed yet another bank in Meeker
Meeker, Oklahoma
Meeker is a town in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 978 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Meeker 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...
, for $500 on March 23. When Birdwell's father died a month later, local sheriff's deputies staked out the funeral home in Earlsboro hoping to capture Birdwell if he showed up. The bandits did indeed arrive at the funeral home but unexpectedly turned the tables on the lawmen when Floyd held them at gunpoint while Birdwell was able to pay his last respects. The next day, on April 21, they took $600 from the cash drawers of a bank in Stonewall
Stonewall, Oklahoma
Stonewall is a town in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 465 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stonewall is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 465...
, 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...
.
While driving near Ada
Ada, Oklahoma
Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,008 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the city population was estimated at 17,019....
on June 7, Birdwell and Floyd were ambushed in a police trap but managed to getaway. Police sharpshooters later claimed that both men had most likely worn full body armor in order to have survived the gunfight. Five months later, he and Floyd committed one of their biggest bank jobs when they and Aussie Elliott
Aussie Elliott
Aussie Elliott was a Depression-era outlaw and associate of bank robbers George Birdwell and Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Born in Oklahoma, Elliott was convicted of bank robbery in 1932 and sentenced to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma eventually escaping on August 14, 1932...
stole $2,530 from a bank in Sallisaw
Sallisaw, Oklahoma
Sallisaw is a city in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,880 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sequoyah County. It has three highways running through it: U.S. 59, or Kerr Boulevard,...
, 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 November 1. They were, however, wrongly accused by authorities of robbing a bank in Henryetta of $11,252 six days later.
Boley robbery and death
Shortly afterwards, perhaps encouraged by the Henryetta robbery, Birdwell came up with a plan to rob the Farmers and Merchants Bank in BoleyBoley, Oklahoma
Boley is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1903.The Boley Public School District is one of the smallest public school districts in the state of Oklahoma. For the most recent data available, it tied with Sweetwater for...
, 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...
. Floyd disagreed with the proposal pointing out that they would likely stand out in the heavily Black town and that local residents would most likely rush to the aid of the bank in the event of a robbery. Birdwell decided to go ahead with the robbery and recruited Charles Glass and C.C. Patterson. Birdwell failed to note that the day of the planned robbery, November 23, fell on the first day of bird-hunting season and residents were stocking up on shotguns and ammunition.
The robbery proceeded as planned as Birdwell and his accomplices managed to gain entry into the bank. Birdwell, armed with a .45 automatic pistol, held everyone in the bank while Glass and Peterson looted the desk drawers. In one of the tellers' cages however, an automatic alarm was triggered when the last bills were taken. The alarm alerted bookmaker H.C. McCormick, who had been overlooked while at work in the back room, and confronted the men with a rifle shooting Birdwell through the heart. Mortally wounded, Birdwell managed to kill bank president D.J. Turner before collapsing. Glass and Paterson attempted to flee, however by this time local residents had been alerted by the gunfire and were waiting for them as they exited the bank. Opening fire, Glass was killed instantly and Paterson seriously wounded. He was saved by the town sheriff who intervened before the mob could fire a second volley. Patterson eventually recovered from his wounds and later sentenced to the state prison in McAlester.
Birdwell was found alive in the bank and was taken to a nearby hospital in Henryetta but died shortly after his arrival. McCormick was later awarded $1,000 for his actions and made an honorary major in the state militia.