Joseph P. Moran
Encyclopedia
Joseph P. Moran was a doctor
known for catering to the Depression
-era criminal underworld in the early 20th century. He was also a peripheral member of the Barker-Karpis gang
, and was possibly the last physician to see the mortally wounded John Hamilton
, a member of the John Dillinger gang, whom Moran refused to treat.
native, briefly operated a successful private practice until his addiction to alcohol
drove most of his business away. To maintain his income, Moran became what was then colloquially known as a "pin artist", that is, someone who performs illegal abortion
s. He was eventually caught, convicted and sentenced to prison.
. Unofficially he became the emergency care
physician for much of the Chicago underworld
, despite being fairly debilitated by alcoholism.
Mostly he stitched cuts and removed bullets from wounded gangsters such as Dillinger
-gang member John "Red" Hamilton
. However, in 1934 Moran began touting his skills as a plastic surgeon
, able to change the faces and fingerprint
s of notorious outlaws in order to hinder police identification.
. In March 1933, Moran performed plastic surgery on gang members Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis
for a fee of $1,250. He was successful in removing Karpis' fingerprints (so much so that even decades later, Karpis had difficulty obtaining a passport to re-enter his native Canada), but his work on the two men's faces was judged a dismal and painful failure.
When the Barker Gang
kidnapped and ransomed Minnesota banker Edward J. Bremer for $200,000, Moran helped launder the money through his practice in Chicago. Six months later, while drinking with the gang in a club just outside Toledo
, Ohio
, Moran drunkenly bragged about the power he now held over the gang, knowing the incriminating details about their crime, saying, "I have you guys in the palm of my hand." It is this assertion that is believed to have sealed his fate.
On September 26, 1935, a badly decomposed body washed up on the shores of Crystal Beach
, Ontario
, without its hands and feet. The FBI subsequently identified the body as Moran's by means of dental records
.
In 1971, Alvin Karpis wrote in his autobiography that the identification was mistaken, and he claimed that Moran had been murdered by Arthur and Fred Barker and then buried in a lime pit in Michigan
. The most accepted version of the tale is that Karpis himself, along with Fred Barker, took Moran on a boat ride on Lake Erie
, during which they both murdered him.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
known for catering to the 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...
-era criminal underworld in the early 20th century. He was also a peripheral member of the Barker-Karpis gang
Ma Barker
Kate "Ma" Barker was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American people and press...
, and was possibly the last physician to see the mortally wounded John Hamilton
John Hamilton (gangster)
John "Red" Hamilton was a Canadian criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger.-Prison break:...
, a member of the John Dillinger gang, whom Moran refused to treat.
Early career
After graduating from medical school, Moran, an IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
native, briefly operated a successful private practice until his addiction to alcohol
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
drove most of his business away. To maintain his income, Moran became what was then colloquially known as a "pin artist", that is, someone who performs illegal abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s. He was eventually caught, convicted and sentenced to prison.
Chicago underworld
His sideline in abortion had helped him make contacts in the Chicago underworld, and after he was paroled he was appointed the official physician of the Chicago Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers UnionTeamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
. Unofficially he became the emergency care
Emergency medicine
Emergency medicine is a medical specialty in which physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute...
physician for much of the Chicago underworld
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
, despite being fairly debilitated by alcoholism.
Mostly he stitched cuts and removed bullets from wounded gangsters such as Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
-gang member John "Red" Hamilton
John Hamilton (gangster)
John "Red" Hamilton was a Canadian criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger.-Prison break:...
. However, in 1934 Moran began touting his skills as a plastic surgeon
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
, able to change the faces and fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
s of notorious outlaws in order to hinder police identification.
The Barker Gang
It was in this capacity that he became associated with the Barker GangMa Barker
Kate "Ma" Barker was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American people and press...
. In March 1933, Moran performed plastic surgery on gang members Fred Barker and 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,...
for a fee of $1,250. He was successful in removing Karpis' fingerprints (so much so that even decades later, Karpis had difficulty obtaining a passport to re-enter his native Canada), but his work on the two men's faces was judged a dismal and painful failure.
When the Barker Gang
Ma Barker
Kate "Ma" Barker was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American people and press...
kidnapped and ransomed Minnesota banker Edward J. Bremer for $200,000, Moran helped launder the money through his practice in Chicago. Six months later, while drinking with the gang in a club just outside 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...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Moran drunkenly bragged about the power he now held over the gang, knowing the incriminating details about their crime, saying, "I have you guys in the palm of my hand." It is this assertion that is believed to have sealed his fate.
Death
Very soon afterwards (perhaps that very night, according to some accounts), Moran disappeared.On September 26, 1935, a badly decomposed body washed up on the shores of Crystal Beach
Crystal Beach, Ontario
Crystal Beach is a community within Fort Erie, Ontario with a population of 3,800. It was named for the "crystal-clear" water conditions present when it was founded on the northeast shore of Lake Erie, across from Buffalo....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, without its hands and feet. The FBI subsequently identified the body as Moran's by means of dental records
Forensic Dentistry
Forensic dentistry or forensic odontology is the proper handling, examination and evaluation of dental evidence, which will be then presented in the interest of justice. The evidence that may be derived from teeth, is the age and identification of the person to whom the teeth belong...
.
In 1971, Alvin Karpis wrote in his autobiography that the identification was mistaken, and he claimed that Moran had been murdered by Arthur and Fred Barker and then buried in a lime pit 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"....
. The most accepted version of the tale is that Karpis himself, along with Fred Barker, took Moran on a boat ride on Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, during which they both murdered him.
In other media
- Joseph Moran appears as a character in the Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
short story The Death of Jack HamiltonThe Death of Jack HamiltonThe Death of Jack Hamilton is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the December 24/31, 2001 issue of The New Yorker magazine. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection Everything's Eventual...
. - Dr. Herman Einstein, the drunken, incompetent criminal plastic surgeon in the filmArsenic and Old Lace (film)Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 film directed by Frank Capra based on Joseph Kesselring's play of the same name. The script adaptation was by twins Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941, but it was not released until 1944, after the original stage version...
and theatricalArsenic and Old Lace (play)Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on January 10, 1941. On September 25, 1943, the...
versions of Arsenic and Old Lace, is loosely based on Joseph Moran.