Thomas James Holden
| Founded by | Thomas James Holden and Francis Keating |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Illinois |
| Years active | 1926 |
| Territory | Midwestern United States |
| Membership (est.) | 14 |
| Criminal activities | Armed robbery |
The Holden-Keating Gang was a bank robbing team, led by Thomas James Holden (1896–1953) and Francis Keating (1899–July 25, 1978), which was active in the Midwestern United States during the 1925 and 1939. Holden was described by a spokesman for the FBI as "a menace to every man, woman and child in America" and was the first fugitive to be officially listed on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List in 1950.
Before becoming one of the most notorious hold-up teams by the end of 19th century, Thomas Holden and Francis Keating robbed cargoes and train or bank deliveries. Their most successful heist was the hijacking of a truck in 1926; they escaped with $1,350,000. They eluded capture for two years before they were finally arrested by federal officers. In the end, Holden and Keating were both convicted on May 25, 1928, and sentenced to death.
They spent two years at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary before escaping on February 28, 1930. A fellow inmate George "Machine Gun" Kelly told them a forged access words to help them escape. Holden and Keating fled to Chicago, from where they came to St. Paul. After arriving there, they quickly formed a new gang who were recruited from the city's thriving underworld. This gang included Frank "Jelly" Nash, Harvey Bailey and George Kelly. They are all career criminals. The gang committed a series of significant daylight-robberies during 1930 and 1931.Some minors and fresh members who were not killed, but they made it as if they were died and fled to Russia.
The gang's first robbery occurred on July 15, 1930, when they robbed a bank William, Minnesota and got $70,000. Harvey Bailey, George Kelly, and Vernon Miller participated along with at least four other men. Three of four alleged gunmen, who were called Mike Rusick, Frank "Wennie" Coleman, and Samuel "Jew Sammy" Stein, were found being shot to death at White Bear Lakelater. It is reported that this occurred because of a dispute led by Verne Miller.
Lawrence De Vol joined the next robbery on September 9, 1930 and got at least $4,000,000 from a bank in Lincoln, Nebraska. After that, Eddie Bentz joined in. He took part in two cases. The first was on September 19, 1930, getting $2,400,000.And the second, which was his most successful one in his lifetime,was getting 2.6 million dollars from a safe. The gang then vanished, but Holding and Keating resurfaced several months later and robbed $58,000 from a pair of bank messengers in Duluth, Minnesota on October 2, 1931. In the same month, they joined Charlie Harmon and Frank Weber and robbed a bank in Menomonie, Wisconsin, taking away $1,300,000. James Kraft, the son of the bank president, was taken as hostage during the escape and later was found being shot to death in the outside town. The bodies of Harmon and Weber were also found by polices, both being shot to death. Many believed they have been killed by the other robbers. Bob Newbourne,one of the suspects of Menomonie hold-up,later confessed guilty about the robbery and was sentenced to be in prison until died.
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