Francis Crowley
Encyclopedia
Francis "Two Gun" Crowley (October 13, 1912 - January 21, 1932) was an American murderer and career criminal. His crime spree lasted nearly three months, ending in a two-hour shootout with the New York City Police Department
in May 1931 viewed by 15,000 bystanders. NYPD Acting Lieutenant Christian Salsieder took part in the capture and received Honorable Mention, the highest police award at the time. The 19-year-old's stand against the NYPD received national attention and was a figure which later influenced the image of the archetypal
Irish gangster.
on October 13, 1912, as the second son of an unwed German mother, who gave him up for adoption. It is speculated that his absent father was a police officer, which served to explain his later hatred for police. These feelings were exacerbated in 1925 when his brother John was killed following a confrontation with police officers after allegedly resisting arrest over a charge of disorderly conduct. By his late teens, Crowley already had a reputation as a troubled youth with a criminal history.
On February 21, 1931, Crowley and two other young men crashed a dance hosted by the American Legion
in the Bronx. When several Legionnaires tried to remove them, Crowley drew a gun and wounded two men before fleeing. Charged with attempted murder
, Crowley went into hiding but was confronted by police on March 13. He escaped into an office building on Lexington Avenue after shooting Detective Ferdinand Schaedel. Two days later, Crowley and four others robbed a bank in New Rochelle.
A month later, he and two friends committed a home invasion
by breaking into the West 90th Street apartment of real estate broker Rudolph Adler. Adler attempted to resist the intruders but was shot five times by Crowley, using the two pistols which earned him his nickname. Before Crowley could kill him, Adler's dog Trixie attacked the robbers and drove them from the house saving her owner's life. On April 27, Crowley was out joyriding in a stolen vehicle with his partner Rudolph "Fats" Duringer and dance hall hostess Virginia Brannen. When Brannen resisted Durringer's advances, he shot and killed her while still in the car. Crowley then helped Durringer dump her body outside St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers.
Soon after finding Brannen's body the New York City Police Department
escalated their efforts to find Crowley. On April 29, he was spotted in the Bronx driving a green Chrysler
sedan along 138th Street near the Morris Avenue Bridge. Police engaged Crowley in a high speed pursuit but was able to escape after a running gunbattle. Detectives later found that the bullets extracted from a police car matched those that killed Virginia Brannen among other recent unsolved shootings. The following day, Crowley's car was found abandoned with countless bullet holes and bloodstains on the inside.
On May 6, Crowley was sitting in a parked car with his 16-year-old girlfriend Helen Walsh on Morris Lane in North Merrick, Long Island
when he was approached by two local police officers Patrolmen Frederick Hirsch and Peter Yodice. When asked to show his ID, Crowley fired at the officers, killing Hirsch and wounding Yodice while he sped off.
Crowley was finally tracked down to a rooming house on West 19th Street, a day after his escape in Long Island. Crowley was staying in a fifth-floor apartment along with Helen Walsh and Fats Duringer. The home belonged to an old lover who, upon seeing Crowley with a different woman, notified the police. The NYPD assembled a large force totaling 300 police officers armed with rifles, submachine guns and tear gas outside the apartment building, attracting the attention of 15,000 bystanders. Crowley and the police exchanged gunfire for nearly two hours, with the police firing an estimated 700 rounds into the building. Walsh and Durringer reloaded his pistols as they over heated. Crowley also picked up and threw back several tear gas grenades thrown into the apartment through a hole cut into the roof. He finally surrendered after suffering four gunshot wounds and bleeding heavily. Arresting officers found two pistols strapped to his legs when they patted him down.
In less than three weeks, Crowley was tried and convicted for the murder of police officer Frederick Hirsch on May 29. His partner Fats Durringer was also found guilty of the murder of Virginia Brannen and both men were sentenced to death on June 1. Spending his last year on death row at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York, Crowley remained a disciplinary problem, stuffing his prison-issue uniform down the toilet, setting fire to his bed, and frequently making weapons out of homemade objects. His attitude became somewhat more serene as the date of his execution neared and reportedly adopted a starling
which frequently flew into his cell. On the date of his execution, after Fats Durringer had been sent to the electric chair
, Cowley's last words to Warden Lewis Lawes were to ask for a rag and said "I want to wipe off the chair after this rat sat in it." Whether this request was granted or not, Crowley died in the electric chair on January 21, 1932.
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
in May 1931 viewed by 15,000 bystanders. NYPD Acting Lieutenant Christian Salsieder took part in the capture and received Honorable Mention, the highest police award at the time. The 19-year-old's stand against the NYPD received national attention and was a figure which later influenced the image of the archetypal
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
Irish gangster.
Biography
Francis Crowley was born in New York CityNew 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...
on October 13, 1912, as the second son of an unwed German mother, who gave him up for adoption. It is speculated that his absent father was a police officer, which served to explain his later hatred for police. These feelings were exacerbated in 1925 when his brother John was killed following a confrontation with police officers after allegedly resisting arrest over a charge of disorderly conduct. By his late teens, Crowley already had a reputation as a troubled youth with a criminal history.
On February 21, 1931, Crowley and two other young men crashed a dance hosted by the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
in the Bronx. When several Legionnaires tried to remove them, Crowley drew a gun and wounded two men before fleeing. Charged with attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
, Crowley went into hiding but was confronted by police on March 13. He escaped into an office building on Lexington Avenue after shooting Detective Ferdinand Schaedel. Two days later, Crowley and four others robbed a bank in New Rochelle.
A month later, he and two friends committed a home invasion
Home invasion
Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally...
by breaking into the West 90th Street apartment of real estate broker Rudolph Adler. Adler attempted to resist the intruders but was shot five times by Crowley, using the two pistols which earned him his nickname. Before Crowley could kill him, Adler's dog Trixie attacked the robbers and drove them from the house saving her owner's life. On April 27, Crowley was out joyriding in a stolen vehicle with his partner Rudolph "Fats" Duringer and dance hall hostess Virginia Brannen. When Brannen resisted Durringer's advances, he shot and killed her while still in the car. Crowley then helped Durringer dump her body outside St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers.
Soon after finding Brannen's body the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
escalated their efforts to find Crowley. On April 29, he was spotted in the Bronx driving a green Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
sedan along 138th Street near the Morris Avenue Bridge. Police engaged Crowley in a high speed pursuit but was able to escape after a running gunbattle. Detectives later found that the bullets extracted from a police car matched those that killed Virginia Brannen among other recent unsolved shootings. The following day, Crowley's car was found abandoned with countless bullet holes and bloodstains on the inside.
On May 6, Crowley was sitting in a parked car with his 16-year-old girlfriend Helen Walsh on Morris Lane in North Merrick, Long Island
North Merrick, New York
North Merrick is a community and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 12,272 at the 2010 census.North Merrick is located on the south shore of Long Island...
when he was approached by two local police officers Patrolmen Frederick Hirsch and Peter Yodice. When asked to show his ID, Crowley fired at the officers, killing Hirsch and wounding Yodice while he sped off.
Crowley was finally tracked down to a rooming house on West 19th Street, a day after his escape in Long Island. Crowley was staying in a fifth-floor apartment along with Helen Walsh and Fats Duringer. The home belonged to an old lover who, upon seeing Crowley with a different woman, notified the police. The NYPD assembled a large force totaling 300 police officers armed with rifles, submachine guns and tear gas outside the apartment building, attracting the attention of 15,000 bystanders. Crowley and the police exchanged gunfire for nearly two hours, with the police firing an estimated 700 rounds into the building. Walsh and Durringer reloaded his pistols as they over heated. Crowley also picked up and threw back several tear gas grenades thrown into the apartment through a hole cut into the roof. He finally surrendered after suffering four gunshot wounds and bleeding heavily. Arresting officers found two pistols strapped to his legs when they patted him down.
In less than three weeks, Crowley was tried and convicted for the murder of police officer Frederick Hirsch on May 29. His partner Fats Durringer was also found guilty of the murder of Virginia Brannen and both men were sentenced to death on June 1. Spending his last year on death row at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York, Crowley remained a disciplinary problem, stuffing his prison-issue uniform down the toilet, setting fire to his bed, and frequently making weapons out of homemade objects. His attitude became somewhat more serene as the date of his execution neared and reportedly adopted a starling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
which frequently flew into his cell. On the date of his execution, after Fats Durringer had been sent to the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
, Cowley's last words to Warden Lewis Lawes were to ask for a rag and said "I want to wipe off the chair after this rat sat in it." Whether this request was granted or not, Crowley died in the electric chair on January 21, 1932.
Further reading
- Carnegie, DaleDale CarnegieDale Breckenridge Carnegie was an American writer, lecturer, and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills...
, How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleHow to Win Friends and Influence PeopleHow to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the first bestselling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies world-wide....
, 1937. Crowley is mentioned on pp.3-4
- Downey, Patrick (2008) Bad Seeds in the Big Apple: Bandits, Killers & Chaos in New York City 1920-1940, Cumberland House Publishing