Courtesy of Wikipedia

233: Arizona Barker

American Outlaw Known Better as “Ma Barker” or “Kate Barker”

Born: 8 October 1873, Ash Grove, Missouri, United States of America

Died: 16 January 1935, Ocklawaha, Florida, United States of America

She and her sons joined several other criminals to lead a life of crime.

Ma liked to live well and bought fine clothes and expensive jewels from her son’s takes. They traveled all over the US and even to Havana, Cuba for a time.

Their crimes ranged from kidnapping to murder and of course burglary.

One of her sons was killed and another sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. A third was arrested and they found a map on his person leading the police to his mother and her fourth son—instead of surrendering she and her son Fred decided to fight it out and were killed in the shootout.

The FBI claims she was found with a Tommy Gun in hand when they located her body.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Killing the Mob: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Outlaw Women: America's Most Notorious Daughters, Wives, and Mothers by Robert Barr Smith

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ma-Barker

https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/barker-karpis-gang

https://www.huntakillerwiththebau.com/ma-barker/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54/kate-barker