On This Day

[David Casseres]

John Boylan sez

>  When FBI agents killed Freddy Barker of the Karpis-Barker gang ( for
>those who get their outlaw history form Roger Corman, _not_ a gang of
>glue-sniffing yokels but a tough, professional, well-connected and
>enormously successful outfit ) they discovered the bullet-riddled body
>of Freddy's mother as well. She had taken no part in the gang's many
>bank robberies or kidnappings, but Hoover was in the midst of his big
>publicity push, and so was born the FBI-cooked up legend of "Ma" Barker.

Now that's worth knowing -- thanks.  It shows the continuation of a long 
tradition in law enforcement: she got shot by the lawmen, so she must 
have been a dangerous criminal....


Cheers,
David