Arizona Donnie Clark Essay

On October 8, 1873 Arizona Donnie Clark was born in Ash Grove, Missouri. She was born to John Clark and Emmaline Eliza Parker Reynolds. She had two siblings, Eva Mae Clark Hays and Jesse Clark. She grew up in Aurora, Missouri. When she was growing up Jesse James rode through her town with his gang. That event sparked her interest in criminal activity. Even a after she had changed her name some people called her Arrie. Ma Barker was the mother of the gang, she organized robberies and she kept them from getting in trouble, but she kept them moving from town to town, also. In 1892 Clark married George Barker, after marrying Barker, Clark changed her name to Kate. The couple had four sons Herman, Arthur, Lloyd, and Fred Barker. In 1904 her family

Most think she was one the one who planned their crimes. Arthur was soon arrested for killing James Sharrill, in Tulsa, Oklahoma 1921 when he was stealing from a warehouse. In 1931 Fred Barker met Alvin Karpis while serving time in a Kansas Penitentiary. They got parole on September 10, 1931 and after they had gotten out, they began robbing banks together. Karpis and Fred Barker killed Sheriff C.R. Kelly in December of 1931 after robbing a department store. After the murder the gang ran to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They often only committed crimes in pairs of twos or threes in different places to avoid getting caught by making it hard for the authorities to track them

Another robbery went down in December 1932 at the Third Northwestern National Bank in Minneapolis but they failed when there was a violent shootout with the police. After this shoot out they had became known as the most vicious gang in America and they continued to hold up their reputation. Also in 1932 Lloyd Barker was sentenced to a 25 year term at the United States Penitentiary. With all the money the Barker/Karpis gang and their associates had stolen or gotten for ransom Ma Barker spent on fancy clothes, furniture, and other things she felt was