On this day, Aug. 12, in 1933, lawmen accidentally captured Harvey Bailey, considered the “Dean of American Bank Robbers.”
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Bailey had a reputation for meticulously planning the jobs, even obtaining road maps from the county surveyor to ensure that routes were safe for the getaway. Bailey stole more money than John Dillinger, but is largely unknown today.
In 1933, Bailey had escaped from a Kansas prison and hooked up with “Machine Gun” Kelly while police were looking for Kelly in the kidnapping of an Oklahoma businessman, Charles Urschel. Bailey was sleeping on a cot at the Texas farm of Kelly’s wife when 12 agents descended on the property and found Bailey. Police found $500 in his pocket that was traced back to the Urschel ransom.
Police assumed Bailey was a small fry, but soon realized that it was “Old Harv” in their custody.
Bailey was released from Alcatraz in 1964. He died peacefully in Missouri in 1979 at age 91. – Scott McCabe
