Robert Brady (criminal)
Encyclopedia
Robert G. "Big Bob" Brady (1904 – January 22, 1934) 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
.
at age 15. He was sent to the State Industrial Reformatory in Hutchinson for five years. Brady continued his criminal career, serving time for forgery, petty theft and other minor offences, and was imprisoned in Oklahoma for forgery
in 1922 and armed robbery in 1925. Upon his release in 1931, Brady joined Clarence "Buck" Adams in the robbery of $5,300 from a bank in Texhoma, Oklahoma
on September 15, 1931. Brady and his partner were captured by Sheriff O.L. Clark eleven days later at Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico
and immediately transferred to the county lockup in Amarillo, Texas
. Brady attempted to escape during this time and sustained a serious head wound, the bullet very narrowly missing his brain, and was taken to Epworth Hospital
in Liberal, Kansas
where he underwent surgery. He would have to wear glasses for the rest of his life and could not completely close his left eyelid. The following month, by the time Brady had recovered, he was transferred to the state prison in McAlester, Oklahoma
.
to visit his brother, who ran a local real estate brokerage, and while there robbed the same bank he had held up prior to his arrest the previous year. He then headed east raiding another bank in El Dorado Springs, Missouri
and, on October 1, he stole a new car from a dealership in Liberal, Kansas
. The next day, with Frank Philpot, he raided a bank in Springer, New Mexico
. He was finally captured on December 20 after being spotted by police in Des Moines, Iowa
. At the time of his arrest, he was found with a .38 revolver and a police badge stolen from an Oklahoma sheriff's deputy. Although wanted in four other states, he was tried in Kansas and sentenced to life imprisonment in Lansing.
, Wilbur Underhill, Jim Clark
and seven other inmates on May 30, 1933. He remained on the run with Bailey, Underhill and Clark later joining them on a bank job in Black Rock, Arkansas
on June 16. On July 3, they robbed a bank in Clinton, Oklahoma
for $11,000 and hit another in Kingfisher, Oklahoma
on August 9. Two days after their latest robbery, he and the rest of the Bailey-Underhill gang met near Shawnee, Oklahoma
to plan a bank heist in Brainerd, Minnesota
. The following day, Bailey was arrested by federal agents during a raid on a ranch owned by George "Machine Gun" Kelly
. With Bailey in custody, the Brainerd job was abandoned. Brady was also a suspect in the Kansas City Massacre
. One of the three surviving federal agents, Reed Vetterli, wrote that he was "convinced" Brady was one of the gunmen. A little over a year later, however, Vetterli and the other agents agreed it was Pretty Boy Floyd
.
After Underhill headed off on his own, he and Clark decided to lie low for awhile and took their "gun moll
s" to Arizona. Two months later, they returned in Oklahoma and hit a bank in Frederick for $5,000 on October 6. The outlaws escaped with $5,000 but missed nearly $80,000 in the bank vault and the teller cages in their rush to make their getaway. The robbery soon turned from bad to worse when they were forced to take three hostages, switch to a second getaway car in Indiahoma and race across Texas in an attempt to reach New Mexico. When police found their first car, they discovered a map marking their escape route and were able to phone ahead to authorities in New Mexico. Brady and Clark were eventually caught in Tucumcari, Oklahoma authorities waiving the bank robbery charges, and both were returned to Lansing. Brady had been shot by police during this time and Vetterli, who visited him while recoving in hospital, failed to identify him from Union Station.
upon their return to Lansing. They gradually regained their prison privileges over a three-month period and, on January 19, 1934, Brady took part in yet another major prison break escaping with Clark and five others while on kitchen work detail. Once on the outside, he and Clark split up to go off on his own while his former partner joined fellow escapee Frank Delmar in a near-seven month crime spree. Brady lasted only three more days on the run when authorities finally caught up with him. Trapped on a farm near Paola, Kansas
, he attempted to engage in a shootout with Undersheriff Harve Lininger and Deputy Ed Schlotman but when his shotgun misfired, the officers opened fire and killed him. His death brought considerable attention to the area and reportedly around 2,500 people came to view his body in the local mortuary before it was sent to Oklahoma for burial.
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...
and 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...
.
Early life and criminal career
Born in Oklahoma in 1904, Brady was first arrested in Kansas for larcenyLarceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
at age 15. He was sent to the State Industrial Reformatory in Hutchinson for five years. Brady continued his criminal career, serving time for forgery, petty theft and other minor offences, and was imprisoned in Oklahoma for forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
in 1922 and armed robbery in 1925. Upon his release in 1931, Brady joined Clarence "Buck" Adams in the robbery of $5,300 from a bank in Texhoma, Oklahoma
Texhoma, Oklahoma
Texhoma is a town in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 926 at the 2010 census. Founded around the Rock Island Railroad laying tracks through the area, much of the town's local economy is from ranching and livestock...
on September 15, 1931. Brady and his partner were captured by Sheriff O.L. Clark eleven days later at Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and immediately transferred to the county lockup in Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. Brady attempted to escape during this time and sustained a serious head wound, the bullet very narrowly missing his brain, and was taken to Epworth Hospital
Epworth Hospital
-Epworth HealthCare:Epworth HealthCare is a provider of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The group has four divisions: Epworth Richmond, Epworth Eastern, Epworth Cliveden, Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Rehabilitation, with rehabilitation sites...
in Liberal, Kansas
Liberal, Kansas
Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,525.- History :S.S. Rogers built the first house in what would become Liberal in 1872. Rogers became famous in the region for giving water to weary travelers...
where he underwent surgery. He would have to wear glasses for the rest of his life and could not completely close his left eyelid. The following month, by the time Brady had recovered, he was transferred to the state prison in McAlester, Oklahoma
McAlester, Oklahoma
McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant....
.
Escape and Midwest crime spree
Brady escaped from McAlester on July 23, 1932, and went on to embark on a five-month crime spree in at least five states. He stopped briefly in Ada, OklahomaAda, 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....
to visit his brother, who ran a local real estate brokerage, and while there robbed the same bank he had held up prior to his arrest the previous year. He then headed east raiding another bank in El Dorado Springs, Missouri
El Dorado Springs, Missouri
El Dorado Springs is the largest city in Cedar County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,775 at the 2000 census. The name is commonly shortened to El Dorado or just El Do.-Geography:El Dorado Springs is located at ....
and, on October 1, he stole a new car from a dealership in Liberal, Kansas
Liberal, Kansas
Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,525.- History :S.S. Rogers built the first house in what would become Liberal in 1872. Rogers became famous in the region for giving water to weary travelers...
. The next day, with Frank Philpot, he raided a bank in Springer, New Mexico
Springer, New Mexico
Springer is a town in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. It was the Colfax County county seat from 1882—1897. Springer was part of the Lucien B. Maxwell land grant. It is near the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail...
. He was finally captured on December 20 after being spotted by police in Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. At the time of his arrest, he was found with a .38 revolver and a police badge stolen from an Oklahoma sheriff's deputy. Although wanted in four other states, he was tried in Kansas and sentenced to life imprisonment in Lansing.
Bailey-Underhill Gang
After five months inside, Brady escaped from Lansing in a mass escape which included Harvey BaileyHarvey 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...
, Wilbur Underhill, 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 seven other inmates on May 30, 1933. He remained on the run with Bailey, Underhill and Clark later joining them on a bank job in Black Rock, Arkansas
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 ....
on June 16. On July 3, they robbed a bank in Clinton, Oklahoma
Clinton, Oklahoma
Clinton is a city in Custer and Washita counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 9,033 at the 2010 census.-History:The community began in 1899 when two men, J.L. Avant and E.E...
for $11,000 and hit another in Kingfisher, Oklahoma
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:...
on August 9. Two days after their latest robbery, he and the rest of the Bailey-Underhill gang met near Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...
to plan a bank heist in Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,590 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County and one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota...
. The following day, Bailey was arrested by federal agents during a raid on a ranch owned by 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,...
. With Bailey in custody, the Brainerd job was abandoned. Brady was also a suspect in the Kansas City Massacre
Kansas City Massacre
The Kansas City massacre was the shootout and murder of four law enforcement officers and a criminal fugitive at the Union Station railroad depot in Kansas City, Missouri, on the morning of June 17, 1933. It occurred as part of the attempt by a gang led by Vernon Miller to free Frank "Jelly" Nash,...
. One of the three surviving federal agents, Reed Vetterli, wrote that he was "convinced" Brady was one of the gunmen. A little over a year later, however, Vetterli and the other agents agreed it was 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...
.
After Underhill headed off on his own, he and Clark decided to lie low for awhile and took their "gun moll
Gun moll
Gun moll is a term that refers to the female companion of a male professional criminal. In some contexts, gun moll more specifically suggests that the woman handles a firearm....
s" to Arizona. Two months later, they returned in Oklahoma and hit a bank in Frederick for $5,000 on October 6. The outlaws escaped with $5,000 but missed nearly $80,000 in the bank vault and the teller cages in their rush to make their getaway. The robbery soon turned from bad to worse when they were forced to take three hostages, switch to a second getaway car in Indiahoma and race across Texas in an attempt to reach New Mexico. When police found their first car, they discovered a map marking their escape route and were able to phone ahead to authorities in New Mexico. Brady and Clark were eventually caught in Tucumcari, Oklahoma authorities waiving the bank robbery charges, and both were returned to Lansing. Brady had been shot by police during this time and Vetterli, who visited him while recoving in hospital, failed to identify him from Union Station.
Death
He and Clark were put in solitary confinementSolitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
upon their return to Lansing. They gradually regained their prison privileges over a three-month period and, on January 19, 1934, Brady took part in yet another major prison break escaping with Clark and five others while on kitchen work detail. Once on the outside, he and Clark split up to go off on his own while his former partner joined fellow escapee Frank Delmar in a near-seven month crime spree. Brady lasted only three more days on the run when authorities finally caught up with him. Trapped on a farm near Paola, Kansas
Paola, Kansas
Paola is a city in and the county seat of Miami County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,602.-History:...
, he attempted to engage in a shootout with Undersheriff Harve Lininger and Deputy Ed Schlotman but when his shotgun misfired, the officers opened fire and killed him. His death brought considerable attention to the area and reportedly around 2,500 people came to view his body in the local mortuary before it was sent to Oklahoma for burial.
Further reading
- Hack, Richard. Puppetmaster: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover. Beverly Hills, California: New Millennium Press, 2004. ISBN 1-893224-87-2
- Johnson, Lester Douglas. The Devil's Front Porch. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1970.
- Newton, Michael. The FBI Encyclopedia. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2003. (pg. 48–49, 338) ISBN 0-7864-1718-8