Gerald Chapman
Encyclopedia
Gerald Chapman called the "Count of Gramercy Park
", and "The Gentleman Bandit" was an American
criminal who co-led an early Prohibition
-era gang with George "Dutch" Anderson from 1919 until the mid-1920s. Chapman was the first criminal to be dubbed "Public Enemy Number One" by the press.
heritage. Arrested for the first time in 1902 at age fourteen, Chapman was incarcerated for the majority of his early adult life. After being convicted on a bank robbery
charge and transferred from Sing Sing
, he first became acquainted with Anderson while imprisoned in Auburn State Prison in 1908. Following both men's parole
s in 1919, they began bootlegging
operations in Toledo
, Miami and New York City
over the next two years.
In late 1921, along with former Auburn inmate Charles Loeber, Chapman and Anderson began committing armed robberies. On October 24, the three men forced a U.S. Mail truck to stop at gunpoint on Leonard Street, successfully taking $2.4 million in cash, bonds and jewelry. Eluding capture for more than eight months, the three were eventually arrested by New York police on July 3, 1922, after being betrayed by a police informant. Chapman and Anderson were both sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment and ordered to serve their time at the Atlanta Federal Prison. Chapman escaped from prison on March 27, 1923, and Anderson escaped on December 30, 1923. They reunited, and were suspected by authorities to have committed several hold-ups.
, Chapman murdered police officer James Skelly of the New Britain
Police Department. He was then recaptured on January 18, 1925, in Muncie, Indiana
, based on authorities being tipped off by informant Ben Hance. During his apprehension, Chapman fired at a police officer but missed. President Calvin Coolidge
was convinced to reduce the robbery sentence of Chapman in federal prison to time served, and Chapman was then handed over to the Connecticut authorities.
Both Hance and his wife were shot to death when their car was forced off a road outside Muncie on August 11, 1925. Authorities suspected their deaths (attributed to Anderson and an accomplice) may have been in revenge for betraying Chapman to the police. On October 31, 1925, "Dutch" Anderson and Police Officer Charles Hammond confronted each other in a narrow alley in Muskegon
, Michigan
. In the ensuing gunfight both men were killed.
, crowds gathered due to his status as one of the "top 10" criminals in America. The jury deliberated for 11 hours, after which Chapman was found guilty and eventually sentenced to hang
. He proclaimed his innocence to the end, asking in his final appeal for "justice, not mercy". Chapman was executed by the upright jerker
on April 6, 1926.
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
", and "The Gentleman Bandit" was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
criminal who co-led an early Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
-era gang with George "Dutch" Anderson from 1919 until the mid-1920s. Chapman was the first criminal to be dubbed "Public Enemy Number One" by the press.
Criminal career
Gerald Chapman was born George Chartres in August 1887 to parents of IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
heritage. Arrested for the first time in 1902 at age fourteen, Chapman was incarcerated for the majority of his early adult life. After being convicted on a bank robbery
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
charge and transferred from Sing Sing
Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York...
, he first became acquainted with Anderson while imprisoned in Auburn State Prison in 1908. Following both men's parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
s in 1919, they began bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
operations in Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, Miami and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
over the next two years.
In late 1921, along with former Auburn inmate Charles Loeber, Chapman and Anderson began committing armed robberies. On October 24, the three men forced a U.S. Mail truck to stop at gunpoint on Leonard Street, successfully taking $2.4 million in cash, bonds and jewelry. Eluding capture for more than eight months, the three were eventually arrested by New York police on July 3, 1922, after being betrayed by a police informant. Chapman and Anderson were both sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment and ordered to serve their time at the Atlanta Federal Prison. Chapman escaped from prison on March 27, 1923, and Anderson escaped on December 30, 1923. They reunited, and were suspected by authorities to have committed several hold-ups.
Capture
On October 12, 1924, while on a crime spree in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Chapman murdered police officer James Skelly of the New Britain
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 71,254....
Police Department. He was then recaptured on January 18, 1925, in Muncie, Indiana
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
, based on authorities being tipped off by informant Ben Hance. During his apprehension, Chapman fired at a police officer but missed. President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
was convinced to reduce the robbery sentence of Chapman in federal prison to time served, and Chapman was then handed over to the Connecticut authorities.
Both Hance and his wife were shot to death when their car was forced off a road outside Muncie on August 11, 1925. Authorities suspected their deaths (attributed to Anderson and an accomplice) may have been in revenge for betraying Chapman to the police. On October 31, 1925, "Dutch" Anderson and Police Officer Charles Hammond confronted each other in a narrow alley in Muskegon
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
, 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"....
. In the ensuing gunfight both men were killed.
Trial and execution
During the six-day murder trial in Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, crowds gathered due to his status as one of the "top 10" criminals in America. The jury deliberated for 11 hours, after which Chapman was found guilty and eventually sentenced to hang
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. He proclaimed his innocence to the end, asking in his final appeal for "justice, not mercy". Chapman was executed by the upright jerker
Upright jerker
The upright jerker was an execution method and device intermittently used in the United States during the 19th and early 20th century. Intended to replace hangings, the upright jerker did not see widespread use....
on April 6, 1926.