Lawrence DeVol
Encyclopedia
Lawrence DeVol was an American criminal, bank robber, prison escapee and Depression-era outlaw. He was connected to several Midwestern gangs during the 1920s and 1930s, most often with the Barker-Alvin Karpis
and Holden-Keating Gang
s, and was also a former partner of Harvey Bailey
early in his criminal career.
on November 17, 1903, and moved with his family to Oklahoma as a child. On May 20, 1914 he was sentenced to the Oklahoma State Training School for White Boys as an incorrigible youth. After serving a short term, he soon became involved in theft and other criminal activity and, as a member of the Tulsa "Central Park Gang", he was first arrested for larceny at age 13. DeVol participated in his first bank robbery on August 19, 1927, when he joined Eddie Fitzgerald, Harry Morris and Harvey Bailey
in stealing $70,000 from a bank in Vinton, Iowa
. He joined the group in a second robbery, which included Al Johnson, stole $225,000 from a bank in Washington Court House, Ohio
on February 6, 1928.
DeVol was convicted that same year in connection with a bank robbery in Kansas and sent to the state reformatory in Hutchinson
. During his incarceration, he was befriended by Alvin Karpis
. The pair escaped from the facility on March 9, 1929, and reached Pueblo, Colorado
where they stole a car and headed south. They stopped in Woodward, Oklahoma
where they attempted to burglarize a store but DeVol was caught, arrested and returned to Hutchinson. In spite of his escape attempt, DeVol was paroled by the end of the year and rejoined his old partner in a string of robberies throughout Kansas and Oklahoma. They were eventually arrested in Kansas City, Kansas
on March 23, 1930, with DeVol posting $1,000 bail on April 1 and abandoning Karpis by leaving town.
As a fugitive, DeVol became increasingly hardened and violent during his years on the run. In April 1930, he and Jimmie Creighton were the prime suspects in the robbery and murder of two businessmen at the Hotel Severs in Muskogee, Oklahoma
. On June 25 of that year, he committed his first known murder when he shot and killed two police officers, Sheriff William Sweet and City Marshal Aaron Bailey, in Washington, Iowa
. Less than three months later, he reunited with Harvey Bailey to rob $40,000 from a bank in Ottumwa, Iowa
as part of a team which included Thomas Holden and Francis Keating
, Vernon Miller and Frank Nash
. On November 17, he single-handedly robbed a theater in Hannibal, Missouri
and killed Kirksville Marshal John Rose as he made his getaway.
DeVol disappeared for nearly a year before turning up in St. Paul, Minnesota around Christmas where he joined the Barker Gang. His first known robbery with the gang was on March 29, 1932, when he joined Fred Barker, Alvin Karpis, Thomas Holden and Bernard Phillips in stealing $226,500 in cash and securities from a bank in Minneapolis
. On June 17, DeVol was part of an eight-man team including Fred Barker, Alvin Karpis, Thomas Holden, Francis Keating, Harvey Bailey, Vern Miller and Frank Nash which robbed $47,000 from a bank in Fort Scott, Kansas
. The next robbery earned even more when he and Fred Barker, Karpis, Jess Doyle and Earl Christman stole $250,000 in cash and bonds from a bank in Concordia, Kansas
on July 25. While this was possibly the most successful heist he had been involved in, his next bank job in Wahpeton, North Dakota
netted only $6,900. His accomplices were Doyle, Karpis and Fred and Arthur Barker.
He returned with the gang to Minneapolis at the end of the year, where along with seven other men, including Bill Weaver, Doyle, Verne Miller, Karpis and the Barker brothers held up a bank for $22,000 in cash and another $92,000 in bonds on December 16. The robbery turned violent as DeVol killed Patrolmen Ira Evans and Leo Gorski outside the bank. Fred Barker also killed an innocent bystander when the gang were switching getaway cars in St. Paul.
DeVol was arrested in St. Paul days after the robbery, either on December 18 or 21, 1932, convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was first sent to the state prison in Stillwater, Minnesota
but later transferred to the St. Peter Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He escaped from there in a mass breakout, along with fifteen other inmates on June 6, 1936. On July 8, DeVol robbed a bank with Don Reeder in Turon, Kansas
. He then fled into Oklahoma where was trapped by police at the German Village Tavern in Enid
, shot it out, killing officer Cal Palmer and wounding another officer before being gunned down.
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,...
and Holden-Keating Gang
Holden-Keating Gang
The Holden-Keating Gang was a bank robbing team, led by Thomas James Holden and Francis Keating , which was active in the Midwestern United States during the 1920s and 30s...
s, and was also a former partner of Harvey Bailey
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...
early in his criminal career.
Biography
Lawrence DeVol was born in Belpre, OhioBelpre, Ohio
Belpre is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,441 at the 2010 census....
on November 17, 1903, and moved with his family to Oklahoma as a child. On May 20, 1914 he was sentenced to the Oklahoma State Training School for White Boys as an incorrigible youth. After serving a short term, he soon became involved in theft and other criminal activity and, as a member of the Tulsa "Central Park Gang", he was first arrested for larceny at age 13. DeVol participated in his first bank robbery on August 19, 1927, when he joined Eddie Fitzgerald, Harry Morris and Harvey Bailey
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...
in stealing $70,000 from a bank in Vinton, Iowa
Vinton, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 5,257 in the city, with a population density of . There were 2,299 housing units, of which 2,187 were occupied....
. He joined the group in a second robbery, which included Al Johnson, stole $225,000 from a bank in Washington Court House, Ohio
Washington Court House, Ohio
Washington Court House is a city in Fayette County, Ohio, United States. It is the county seat of Fayette County and is located approximately halfway between Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. The population was 14,192 in 2010 at the 2010 census...
on February 6, 1928.
DeVol was convicted that same year in connection with a bank robbery in Kansas and sent to the state reformatory in Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
. During his incarceration, he was befriended by 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,...
. The pair escaped from the facility on March 9, 1929, and reached Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
where they stole a car and headed south. They stopped in Woodward, Oklahoma
Woodward, Oklahoma
Woodward is a city in and the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the largest city in a nine-county area. The population was 12,051 at the 2010 census....
where they attempted to burglarize a store but DeVol was caught, arrested and returned to Hutchinson. In spite of his escape attempt, DeVol was paroled by the end of the year and rejoined his old partner in a string of robberies throughout Kansas and Oklahoma. They were eventually arrested in Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
on March 23, 1930, with DeVol posting $1,000 bail on April 1 and abandoning Karpis by leaving town.
As a fugitive, DeVol became increasingly hardened and violent during his years on the run. In April 1930, he and Jimmie Creighton were the prime suspects in the robbery and murder of two businessmen at the Hotel Severs 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....
. On June 25 of that year, he committed his first known murder when he shot and killed two police officers, Sheriff William Sweet and City Marshal Aaron Bailey, in Washington, Iowa
Washington, Iowa
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,047 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. Less than three months later, he reunited with Harvey Bailey to rob $40,000 from a bank in Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,998 at the 2000 census. It is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, and the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River....
as part of a team which included Thomas Holden and Francis Keating
Holden-Keating Gang
The Holden-Keating Gang was a bank robbing team, led by Thomas James Holden and Francis Keating , which was active in the Midwestern United States during the 1920s and 30s...
, Vernon Miller and Frank Nash
Frank Nash
Frank Nash has been called “the most successful bank robber in U.S. history,” but he is most noted for his violent death in what has become known as the Kansas City Massacre...
. On November 17, he single-handedly robbed a theater in Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal is a city in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Hannibal is located at the intersection of Interstate 72 and U.S. Routes 24, 36 and 61, approximately northwest of St. Louis. According to the 2010 U.S. Census the population was 17,606...
and killed Kirksville Marshal John Rose as he made his getaway.
DeVol disappeared for nearly a year before turning up in St. Paul, Minnesota around Christmas where he joined the Barker Gang. His first known robbery with the gang was on March 29, 1932, when he joined Fred Barker, Alvin Karpis, Thomas Holden and Bernard Phillips in stealing $226,500 in cash and securities from a bank in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. On June 17, DeVol was part of an eight-man team including Fred Barker, Alvin Karpis, Thomas Holden, Francis Keating, Harvey Bailey, Vern Miller and Frank Nash which robbed $47,000 from a bank in Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
. The next robbery earned even more when he and Fred Barker, Karpis, Jess Doyle and Earl Christman stole $250,000 in cash and bonds from a bank in Concordia, Kansas
Concordia, Kansas
Concordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, United States. Located on the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains, Concordia was founded in 1871 and is an economic and cultural center in north-central Kansas...
on July 25. While this was possibly the most successful heist he had been involved in, his next bank job in Wahpeton, North Dakota
Wahpeton, North Dakota
The first European explorer in the area was Jonathan Carver in 1767. He explored and mapped the Northwest at the request of Major Robert Rogers, commander of Fort Michilimackinac, the British fort at Mackinaw City, Michigan, which protected the passage between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron...
netted only $6,900. His accomplices were Doyle, Karpis and Fred and Arthur Barker.
He returned with the gang to Minneapolis at the end of the year, where along with seven other men, including Bill Weaver, Doyle, Verne Miller, Karpis and the Barker brothers held up a bank for $22,000 in cash and another $92,000 in bonds on December 16. The robbery turned violent as DeVol killed Patrolmen Ira Evans and Leo Gorski outside the bank. Fred Barker also killed an innocent bystander when the gang were switching getaway cars in St. Paul.
DeVol was arrested in St. Paul days after the robbery, either on December 18 or 21, 1932, convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was first sent to the state prison in Stillwater, Minnesota
Stillwater, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...
but later transferred to the St. Peter Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He escaped from there in a mass breakout, along with fifteen other inmates on June 6, 1936. On July 8, DeVol robbed a bank with Don Reeder in Turon, Kansas
Turon, Kansas
Turon is a city in Reno County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 387.-History:In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a main line from Herington through Turon to Pratt. In 1888, this line was extended to Liberal. Later, it was extended to...
. He then fled into Oklahoma where was trapped by police at the German Village Tavern in Enid
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
, shot it out, killing officer Cal Palmer and wounding another officer before being gunned down.