Arthur Barker
Encyclopedia
Arthur R. "Doc" Barker (June 4, 1899 – January 13, 1939) was an American criminal, the son of Ma Barker
and a member of the Barker-Karpis gang along with Alvin Karpis
.
Arthur Barker, better known as Doc Barker, was born in Aurora, Missouri
to George Elias Barker and Ma Barker
née Clark and was one of seven children. Through the 1920s and 1930s, Barker, with his brother Fred and Alvin Karpis
, committed numerous crimes such as theft, robbery, murder, and kidnapping. On July 18, 1918 Doc Barker was arrested for stealing a car on the highway and was sent to serve prison time in Joplin, Missouri
. On February 19, 1920 Arthur Barker escaped prison in Joplin, Missouri. After the escape he committed many armed robberies and murdered two people. On January 15, 1922, Doc Barker robbed a bank in Muskogee, Oklahoma
and was sent to the Oklahoma State Prison but was released five months later on June 21, 1922.
On December 16, 1932 Doc Barker participated in the robbery of the Third Northwestern Bank in Minneapolis. Two policemen were killed in that robbery and a civilian was murdered during the getaway. Doc Barker also was helped the gang kidnap two wealthy St. Paul, Minnesota men: William Hamm in June of 1933 and Edward Bremer in January, 1934. The FBI arrested Doc Barker on the streets of Chicago on January 8, 1935 and he was subsequently convicted of the Bremer kidnapping.
On January 16, 1935, Fred and Ma Barker were killed by the police and a year later Arthur Barker with Alvin Karpis were sent to Alcatraz. Barker became Alcatraz inmate 268-AZ in 1936.
Barker with Henri Young
and Rufus McCain
attempted escape from Alcatraz on the night of January 13, 1939. The attempt failed. Barker was shot and killed by the guards; Young and McCain were recaptured and sent to solitary confinement.
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 a member of the Barker-Karpis gang along with 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,...
.
Arthur Barker, better known as Doc Barker, was born in Aurora, Missouri
Aurora, Missouri
Aurora is a city in Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,014 at the 2000 census.-History:Between 1911 and 1920, the virulently Anti-Catholic newspaper The Menace was published in Aurora by W. F Phelps and Earl McClure...
to George Elias Barker and Ma Barker
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...
née Clark and was one of seven children. Through the 1920s and 1930s, Barker, with his brother Fred 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,...
, committed numerous crimes such as theft, robbery, murder, and kidnapping. On July 18, 1918 Doc Barker was arrested for stealing a car on the highway and was sent to serve prison time in Joplin, Missouri
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
. On February 19, 1920 Arthur Barker escaped prison in Joplin, Missouri. After the escape he committed many armed robberies and murdered two people. On January 15, 1922, Doc Barker robbed a bank in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
and was sent to the Oklahoma State Prison but was released five months later on June 21, 1922.
On December 16, 1932 Doc Barker participated in the robbery of the Third Northwestern Bank in Minneapolis. Two policemen were killed in that robbery and a civilian was murdered during the getaway. Doc Barker also was helped the gang kidnap two wealthy St. Paul, Minnesota men: William Hamm in June of 1933 and Edward Bremer in January, 1934. The FBI arrested Doc Barker on the streets of Chicago on January 8, 1935 and he was subsequently convicted of the Bremer kidnapping.
On January 16, 1935, Fred and Ma Barker were killed by the police and a year later Arthur Barker with Alvin Karpis were sent to Alcatraz. Barker became Alcatraz inmate 268-AZ in 1936.
Barker with Henri Young
Henri Young
Henri Theodore Young was a prisoner at Alcatraz who attempted to escape with two other inmates, Arthur Barker and Rufus McCain and is best known for being the main character in the movie Murder in the First....
and Rufus McCain
Rufus McCain
Rufus Roy McCain was a prisoner at Alcatraz who attempted escape with Henri Young and Arthur Barker. On the night of January 13, 1939, McCain with Henri Young and Arthur Barker attempted escape from The Rock. The guards started to fire shots at Arthur Barker. Barker eventually died and McCain and...
attempted escape from Alcatraz on the night of January 13, 1939. The attempt failed. Barker was shot and killed by the guards; Young and McCain were recaptured and sent to solitary confinement.
External links
- Arthur "Doc" Parker at the Museum Collections at Alcatraz Island
- FBI file on Arthur Barker
- 1934 Wanted Poster of "Doc" Barker {reference only}
