Basil Banghart
Encyclopedia
Basil "The Owl" Banghart (1901–1982) was an American criminal, burglar and prison escape artist. Although a successful "stickup artist" during the 1920s and early 1930s, he is best remembered for his involvement in the hoax kidnapping of Chicago mobster Jake "The Barber" Factor, a crime for which he and Roger Touhy
were eventually proven innocent after nearly 20 years in prison.
Banghart escaped from Leavenworth months into his sentence. Escaping from a window washing detail, he leapt 25 feet from a window he was washing and over the prison's wall escaping through the marsh on the other side. He got as far as Montana
but was recaptured and returned to jail. He made a second escape a year later, this time with Chapman, but was caught trying to steal a car in Pittsburgh in October 1928.
This time, Banghart was escorted back to prison by US Marshals. He was taken to a federal building and, left alone in an office for a few minutes, Banghart used a phone to call local police claiming he was a federal agent who had been assaulted and overpowered by his prisoner, Basil Banghart. He continued claiming that "Banghart" had escaped after handcuffing him and described the US Marshal that was escorting him noting that he was "a dangerous, armed felon and a police impostor". When police arrived moments later, they took the escort into custody while Banghart escaped in the confusion.
Banghart was arrested once more in February 1930, was returned Leavenworth but quickly escaped again. He was arrested in Detroit for armed robbery in January 1932 and held in the South Bend Indiana jail but escaped by throwing pepper in a guard's face then using a machine gun
to shoot his way out.
from the days of Prohibition
, was then in the midst of a fierce rivalry between himself and Frank Nitti
over labor racketeering. Banghart became a major asset to Touhy during this time, and no doubt an active participant in Toughy's war with the Chicago Outfit
, however there is only one recorded incident in which Banghart was specifically involved.
On January 31, 1933, Jimmy O'Brien was killed by Nitti's gunmen in front of the Garage Nightclub. O'Brien was one of Touhy's union men and one of the latest victims of the Touhy-Nitti feud. A week later, a man identified as Banghart returned to the nightclub where he stepped out of a sedan and tossed a bomb through the front doors of the club. No one was injured but the club itself was heavily damaged.
The members of the British consulate refused to believe the story and successfully won a judgment for Factor's extradition from the U.S. Supreme Court. In desperation, Factor and the Chicago mob sought to make the kidnapping more legitimate by arranging a pickup with the supposed kidnappers. Banghart and his partner Charles "Ice Wagon" Connors were brought in to the plan at this point. Hired to be the "bagmen", they were told all they needed was to pick up the money, make it "look real", and they could keep the ransom money.
On August 15, the two showed up at the scheduled drop on Manheim Road just outside the Chicago city limits. As soon as they arrived, they found 300 Chicago police officers and FBI agents waiting for them. To make matters worse, inside the ransom package was only $500. In spite of the obvious double-cross, Banghart and Connors surprised everyone by escaping after a wild shootout.
. Banghart and Costner were eventually captured by the time the second trial for Factor's kidnapping was held on February 13, 1934. Facing long prison sentences for the Charlotte mail truck robbery, both men agreed to testify for the prosecution. Although Costner had not been involved in the ransom pickup, when Connors was found murdered on March 14, he took Connors place and falsely stated that he and Banghart had been hired for the Factor kidnapping by Roger Touhy. When Banghart took the stand however, he denied these claims and attempted to explain that the kidnapping was staged. Banghart's testimony was largely ignored and he along with Touhy and two others were convicted and received 99-year sentences.
on December 19 which netted $20,000 although no charges were brought against them. McInerney and O'Connor were killed in a gun battle with federal agents less than two weeks after their escape and the rest were captured at a nearby address on December 29, 1942. J. Edgar Hoover
observed the raid and took part in what would be his last "personal arrest".
. He was then transferred, with an escort of 18 federal marshals, to Alcatraz. He spent the rest of his time in the prison kitchen working with former public enemy
Alvin Karpis
in the bakery. Jokingly referred to by inmates as the "Karpis Kitchen Crew", Banghart and Karpis allegedly learned to produce wine from cherry pie juices and alcohol from other material in the kitchen for making wine and other alcoholic beverages. "The challenge was to avoid becoming an alcoholic" Karpis later wrote in his memoirs.
In 1954, a federal judge declared the Factor kidnapping a fraud and that Banghart and Touhy had most likely been wrongly convicted involving the Chicago Outfit and corrupt Chicago officials. Banghart was transferred back to Statesville in 1959 and eventually his kidnapping conviction was overturned and the mail robbery charges were dropped for time served. He was released the following year where, at age 60, he was reunited with his longtime girlfriend Mae Blacock. He'd also received a small inheritance from his aunt 15 years before. Banghart retired to a small island in Puget Sound.
Roger Touhy
Roger Touhy was an Irish-American mob boss and prohibition-era bootlegger from Chicago, Illinois. He is best remembered for having been framed for the 1933 faked kidnapping of gangster John "Jake the Barber" Factor, a brother of cosmetics manufacturer Max Factor, Sr...
were eventually proven innocent after nearly 20 years in prison.
Early life and criminal career
Basil Hugh Banghart was born in Berville, Michigan in 1901. Although prison sociologists later measured his IQ at 107, he dropped out of college after one year to become a professional car thief. Banghart successfully stole over one hundred cars in the Detroit-area before his arrest in 1926. Later, while serving a prison sentence in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, Banghart met future associates Gerald Chapman and George Dutch Anderson. Chapman, in particular, made him a protege and taught him methods of mail robbery and prison escapes. It was around this time that Banghart acquired his criminal nickname "The Owl" because of his abnormally large eyes.Banghart escaped from Leavenworth months into his sentence. Escaping from a window washing detail, he leapt 25 feet from a window he was washing and over the prison's wall escaping through the marsh on the other side. He got as far as Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
but was recaptured and returned to jail. He made a second escape a year later, this time with Chapman, but was caught trying to steal a car in Pittsburgh in October 1928.
This time, Banghart was escorted back to prison by US Marshals. He was taken to a federal building and, left alone in an office for a few minutes, Banghart used a phone to call local police claiming he was a federal agent who had been assaulted and overpowered by his prisoner, Basil Banghart. He continued claiming that "Banghart" had escaped after handcuffing him and described the US Marshal that was escorting him noting that he was "a dangerous, armed felon and a police impostor". When police arrived moments later, they took the escort into custody while Banghart escaped in the confusion.
Banghart was arrested once more in February 1930, was returned Leavenworth but quickly escaped again. He was arrested in Detroit for armed robbery in January 1932 and held in the South Bend Indiana jail but escaped by throwing pepper in a guard's face then using a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
to shoot his way out.
Banghart and the Roger Touhy Gang
Banghart headed south and eventually made his way to Chicago where he joined up with Roger Touhy's organization. Touhy, a veteran bootleggerRum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
from the days of 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...
, was then in the midst of a fierce rivalry between himself and Frank Nitti
Frank Nitti
Francesco Raffaele Nitto , also known as Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti, was an Italian American gangster. One of Al Capone's top henchmen, Nitti was in charge of all strong-arm and 'muscle' operations...
over labor racketeering. Banghart became a major asset to Touhy during this time, and no doubt an active participant in Toughy's war with the Chicago Outfit
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...
, however there is only one recorded incident in which Banghart was specifically involved.
On January 31, 1933, Jimmy O'Brien was killed by Nitti's gunmen in front of the Garage Nightclub. O'Brien was one of Touhy's union men and one of the latest victims of the Touhy-Nitti feud. A week later, a man identified as Banghart returned to the nightclub where he stepped out of a sedan and tossed a bomb through the front doors of the club. No one was injured but the club itself was heavily damaged.
Involvement with the Factor kidnapping
When the Chicago Outfit staged the kidnapping of one of their own members, Jake "The Barber" Factor, in July 1933, it was expected that his extradition to stand trial for fraud in Great Britain would be postponed as well as rid themselves of rival bootlegger Roger Touhy for whom the kidnapping would be blamed.The members of the British consulate refused to believe the story and successfully won a judgment for Factor's extradition from the U.S. Supreme Court. In desperation, Factor and the Chicago mob sought to make the kidnapping more legitimate by arranging a pickup with the supposed kidnappers. Banghart and his partner Charles "Ice Wagon" Connors were brought in to the plan at this point. Hired to be the "bagmen", they were told all they needed was to pick up the money, make it "look real", and they could keep the ransom money.
On August 15, the two showed up at the scheduled drop on Manheim Road just outside the Chicago city limits. As soon as they arrived, they found 300 Chicago police officers and FBI agents waiting for them. To make matters worse, inside the ransom package was only $500. In spite of the obvious double-cross, Banghart and Connors surprised everyone by escaping after a wild shootout.
Capture, trial and imprisonment
Despite being set up, Banghart and Connors did not seek revenge against the Chicago Outfit and instead went on the run. On November 15, 1933, they teamed with Ike Costner and Ludwig "Dutch" Schmidt to hijack a U.S. mail truck of $105,000 in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. Banghart and Costner were eventually captured by the time the second trial for Factor's kidnapping was held on February 13, 1934. Facing long prison sentences for the Charlotte mail truck robbery, both men agreed to testify for the prosecution. Although Costner had not been involved in the ransom pickup, when Connors was found murdered on March 14, he took Connors place and falsely stated that he and Banghart had been hired for the Factor kidnapping by Roger Touhy. When Banghart took the stand however, he denied these claims and attempted to explain that the kidnapping was staged. Banghart's testimony was largely ignored and he along with Touhy and two others were convicted and received 99-year sentences.
Escape with Touhy
After years of unsuccessful appeals, Banghart and Touhy escaped Joliet with Edward Derlack, Martlick Nelson, William Stewart, St. Clair McInerney and James O'Connor on October 9, 1942. The FBI immediately joined the manhunt justifying its involvement charging that the convicts had violated the federal draft law by not informing Selective Service of their change of address. Soon after their escape, Banghart and Touhy were suspected of taking part in a robbery at Melrose Park, IllinoisMelrose Park, Illinois
Melrose Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a "near-in" suburb of Chicago. The population was 23,171 at the 2000 census. Melrose Park has long been home to a large Italian-American population, though now it is majority Mexican-American. It was the home of Kiddieland...
on December 19 which netted $20,000 although no charges were brought against them. McInerney and O'Connor were killed in a gun battle with federal agents less than two weeks after their escape and the rest were captured at a nearby address on December 29, 1942. J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
observed the raid and took part in what would be his last "personal arrest".
Release and later years
The convicts were given even longer jail sentences for their escape, and on January 2, 1943, Banghart was returned to Statesville where he was placed 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...
. He was then transferred, with an escort of 18 federal marshals, to Alcatraz. He spent the rest of his time in the prison kitchen working with former public enemy
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lord , and Music Director Khari Wynn...
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,...
in the bakery. Jokingly referred to by inmates as the "Karpis Kitchen Crew", Banghart and Karpis allegedly learned to produce wine from cherry pie juices and alcohol from other material in the kitchen for making wine and other alcoholic beverages. "The challenge was to avoid becoming an alcoholic" Karpis later wrote in his memoirs.
In 1954, a federal judge declared the Factor kidnapping a fraud and that Banghart and Touhy had most likely been wrongly convicted involving the Chicago Outfit and corrupt Chicago officials. Banghart was transferred back to Statesville in 1959 and eventually his kidnapping conviction was overturned and the mail robbery charges were dropped for time served. He was released the following year where, at age 60, he was reunited with his longtime girlfriend Mae Blacock. He'd also received a small inheritance from his aunt 15 years before. Banghart retired to a small island in Puget Sound.