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{{short description|American mobster (1881–1928)}}
'''Charlie Birger''' ([[1881]] - [[April 19]], [[1928]]). His real name is believed to have been Shachna Itzik Birger. His parents were Russian Jews. Most reports say he was born in [[New York City, New York]]. Other reports say he was born in [[Russia]].
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=March 2016}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=March 2016}}
}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name = Charles Birger
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_name = Shachnai Itzik Birger
| birth_date = {{birth date|1881|2|5}}
| birth_place = [[Adygea]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1928|4|19|1881|2|5}}
| death_place = [[Benton, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_cause = [[Execution by hanging]]
| occupation = Soldier, cowboy, miner, saloon keeper, bootlegger, criminal gang leader
| other_names = Shachna Birger
| known_for = Bootlegging and leading the Birger Gang, who fought a bloody war with the [[Ku Klux Klan]] and the [[Shelton Brothers Gang]] over the domination of [[southern Illinois]]. Birger was the second to last person to be publicly hanged in Illinois.
| signature =
| footnotes =
| conviction = [[Murder]]
| criminal_status = [[Executed]]
| criminal_penalty = [[Capital punishment|Death]]
}}
{{Infobox Criminal organization
| name = Birger Gang
| founded =
| founding location = [[Crab Orchard, Illinois|Crab Orchard]], [[Williamson County, Illinois|Williamson County]], [[Illinois]]
| founder = Charles "Charlie" Birger
| years active = 1920-1928
| territory = [[Southern Illinois]]
| ethnic makeup = Jewish
| membership est = 16
| criminal activities = Bootlegging, murder, proprietor of gambling houses
| rivals = [[Shelton Brothers Gang]]
}}
'''Charles''' "'''Charlie'''" '''Birger''' (born Shachna Itzak Birger, February 5, 1881 – April 19, 1928) was an American [[rum-running|bootlegger]] during the [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] period in [[southern Illinois]].


==Early life==
The Birger family settled near [[East St. Louis, Illinois]], where Charlie attended school. He enlisted in the 13th Cavalry at the outbreak of the [[Spanish American War]]. Most reports say he rode up San Juan Hill with [[Teddy Roosevelt]]. After the war, he went to [[South Dakota]] where he worked as a cowboy. He eventually returned to [[Illinois]], where he became saloon keeper.
Charles Birger was born to a Jewish family in the [[Russian Empire]], and emigrated to the United States as a child with his parents. Birger and his family settled in [[St. Louis]], where, aged eight, Charlie got a job as a news boy at the ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' newspaper. Later, Birger moved to the [[O'Fallon, Missouri]], area, where he started work in a pool room.


On July 5, 1901, Birger enlisted in the [[United States Army]] and was assigned to Company G of the newly formed [[13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|13th Cavalry Regiment]], then stationed in [[South Dakota]]. Birger was described as a good soldier and was honorably discharged on July 4, 1904, at [[Fort Meade (South Dakota)|Fort Meade]], South Dakota. When he left the army, he became a cowboy. However, he eventually returned to Illinois, where he met his first wife, Edna, to whom a daughter was born.
After [[World War I]], the [[United States]] adopted national [[prohibition]], which prohibited the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages in the entire country. Charlie saw this as a business opportunity. He became a bootlegger, reportedly with $100 he borrowed from Teddy Roosevelt.


Birger went on to marry multiple times, being married to Beatrice Bainbridge of Harrisburg Illinois in 1921. Later became a miner in the quickly expanding coal mining community of [[Harrisburg, Illinois|Harrisburg]], later to become a keeper at one of the local saloons.
Charlie's initial base of operation was [[Harrisburg, Illinois]]. Eventually the authorities invited him to leave [[Saline County, Illinois]]. He then built a fortified speakeasy called "Shady Rest" just on the other side of the county line, in [[Williamson County, Illinois]]. Shady Rest was located off old Highway 13, about half way between Harrisburg and [[Marion, Illinois]]. A small barbeque stand, located just off the highway, served as the guard shack.


==Bootlegger and gang leader==
==The Klan War==
Following [[World War I]], in 1919, the United States [[Volstead Act|adopted national prohibition]], which banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. Birger recognized this as a business opportunity, and in 1920 he joined forces with the [[Shelton Brothers Gang|Shelton Brothers]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}


Birger initially based his operation in Harrisburg, [[southern Illinois]]. The law authorities in [[Saline County, Illinois|Saline County]] eventually persuaded him to leave, and he built a fortified speakeasy called Shady Rest just across the line in [[Williamson County, Illinois|Williamson County]]. Shady Rest stood next to old Highway 13, halfway between Harrisburg and [[Marion, Illinois|Marion]]. A small barbecue stand just off the highway served as the guard shack.
Charlie Birger and the rival [[Shelton Brothers Gang]] fought for control of the coal fields of Southern Illinois. Soon their attention was diverted by a common enemy.


==War with the Ku Klux Klan==
In the [[1920]]'s the [[Ku Klux Klan]] supported prohibition. Alcohol was viewed as an "unamerican" vice practiced by immigrants, many of whom belonged to the [[Catholic Church]] and other religions. Many immigrants worked the coal mines of Southern Illinois. These miners mostly lived in very small towns with a strong ethnic identity. Alcohol was a part of their life, and bootlegging came naturally to them.
Charlie Birger and the [[Shelton Brothers Gang]] fought for control of the coal fields of southern Illinois, but their attention was diverted by a common enemy. In the 1920s, the [[Ku Klux Klan]] supported national prohibition. Alcohol was regarded as an "un-American" vice practiced by [[White ethnic]] immigrants, many of whom were [[Roman Catholic]]s and other religions.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} Many of these immigrants worked in the coal mines of southern Illinois, living mainly in very small towns while maintaining a very strong ethnic pride. Alcohol was a part of their life, and [[Rum-running|bootlegging]] came naturally to them.


In the spring of 1923, the Klan began organizing in Williamson County, holding meetings attended by more than 5000 people. The Klan drew its support from the farming community, and people in the larger towns, who were mostly of southern origin, and who followed the Baptist and other traditional protestant faiths.
In the spring of 1923, the Klan began organizing in Williamson County, holding meetings attended by more than 5000 people. The Klan drew its support from both the farming community and people in the larger towns, the latter mainly of [[Ulster Scots people|Scotch-Irish]] origin and belonging to the [[Baptist]] and other traditional [[Protestant]] churches.


The Klan soon found a charismatic leader: S. Glenn Young, a former federal law enforcement officer. Large mobs began going door to door searching houses for alcohol. If alcohol was found, the occupants were taken to Klan prisons. Federal authorities had apparently deputized the Klan to aid in the enforcement of Prohibition.
The Klan soon found a charismatic leader in Seth Glenn Young, a 58-year-old former federal law enforcement officer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://genealogytrails.com/ill/williamson/obity.htm|title=Williamson County, Illinois Obituaries and Death Notices}}</ref> Large mobs began going door to door, forcibly searching houses for alcohol. If alcohol was found, the occupants were taken to Klan "prisons". Federal authorities apparently had deputized the Klansmen to aid in the enforcement of Prohibition.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}


Many of the elected public officials of Williamson County were perceived as being allies of the bootleggers, perhaps correctly. Many elected public officials were driven from office. They were replaced by Klansmen. The State was unable, or unwilling, to step in to reestablish lawful authority.
Many elected public officials of Williamson County were viewed{{Who|date=May 2013}} as being allies of the bootleggers, perhaps correctly. These elected public officials were driven from office and replaced by Klan members. The Illinois state government was either unable or unwilling to reestablish lawful authority.


On January 24, 1925, a [[Herrin, Illinois]], police officer walked into a cigar store. Upon seeing the Klan leader, S. Glenn Young, the officer drew his pistol. When it was over, the policeman lay dead, along with Young and his bodyguards. The Klan held a funeral for its leader that was attended by more than 15,000 people.
On January 24, 1925, a shot was fired in the street in [[Herrin, Illinois]]. Deputy Sheriff Ora Thomas responded and walked into a cigar store, where he saw Klan leader Young. Thomas drew his pistol and shot Young twice. Young was able to shoot Thomas once before falling to the floor. Two of Young's companions, fellow Klansmen Edward Forbes and Omer Warren joined in the melee, and all four men were fatally wounded.<ref>[http://genealogytrails.com/ill/williamson/glennyoung.htm S Glenn Young<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Klan held a public funeral for Young that was attended by more than 15,000&nbsp;people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Humanities |first=National Endowment for the |date=1925-01-27 |title=Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, January 27, 1925, Image 1 |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063730/1925-01-27/ed-1/seq-1/ |access-date=2023-09-11 |issn=0894-2064}}</ref>


In April, 1926, Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers joined forces to attack the remaining Klan leaders in Herrin, with tommy guns and shot guns. The police were called, but did not respond. The Klan was left to bury its own dead. The coroner called the deaths homicides "by parties unknown."
In April 1926, Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers joined forces to attack the remaining Klan leaders in Herrin, using [[Thompson submachine gun|Tommy gun]]s and shotguns. The police were called repeatedly, but chose not to respond. Four Klansmen and two anti-Klansmen were killed in a shootout. The Klan buried its dead and the coroner ruled that their deaths were homicides "by parties unknown".<ref>{{Cite news |date=1926-04-16 |title=Klan Funerals in Herrin (04/16/1926) |pages=1 |work=Leader-Telegram |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/leader-telegram-klan-funerals-in-herrin/18194643/ |access-date=2023-12-28}}</ref>


Although the Klan's losses were not that large, the Herrin attack broke the back of the Klan. Lawfully elected officials returned to their offices, and Charlie and the Shelton Brothers got back to business.
Although the Klan's losses were not large, the Herrin attack broke the back of the local KKK. Lawfully elected local officials returned to their offices, and Birger and the Shelton Brothers went back into business.


==War with the Shelton Brothers==
==War with the Shelton Brothers Gang==
Birger regarded Harrisburg as his hometown. When a small shop was robbed, Birger publicly made good the owner's losses and the suspected thief was found shot dead a few days later. This incident coincided with the beginning of his war with the [[Shelton Brothers Gang]], fought over control of bootlegging in the area.


By October 1926, the Birger and Shelton Gangs were in open conflict. Both gangs built "tanks"—trucks converted into makeshift [[armored vehicle]]s from which they could shoot. The Shelton Gang even tried to bomb Shady Rest from the air. The dynamite they dropped missed. Many were killed during the war, and sometimes it was not clear which side they were on. Three deaths became important in ending Birger's own life.
Charlie regarded Harrisburg as his home town. He had prohibited robbery in Harrisburg. When a small shop owner was robbed, Charlie publicly made good the owner's losses. A few days later a small time crook was found shot to death. This marked the beginning of the war with the [[Shelton Brothers Gang]].


Joseph Adams was the mayor of [[West City, Illinois]], a village near [[Benton, Illinois|Benton]]. Birger learned that the Sheltons' tank was in Joe Adams' garage for repairs, and demanded the tank. When Adams failed to surrender it, Birger's men orchestrated a drive-by bombing, destroying Adams' front porch.
By October, 1926, the Birger and Shelton Gangs were at war. Both gangs built "tanks", trucks converted into armored vehicles from which they could shoot. The Shelton Gang bombed Shady Rest from the air. Many people were killed in this fighting. It was not always clear whose side they were on. Three of the killings became especially important in the Birger story.


In December 1926, two men, Harry and Elmo Thomasson, appeared at Joe Adams' house, announcing that they "had a letter from Carl [Shelton]". They handed a letter to Adams, and as he started to read it, they drew their pistols and shot him dead.
Joe Adams was the mayor of [[West City, Illinois]] a village close to [[Benton, Illinois]]. Charlie Birger learned that the Sheltons' tank was in Joe Adams's garage for repairs. Birger demanded the tank. When Adams failed to turn it over, Birger's men attacked and burned the garage.


The following month, the Shady Rest was destroyed by a series of large explosions and an ensuing fire. Four bodies (one a woman's)<ref>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1927-02-07/ed-1/seq-13/#date1=01%2F18%2F1927&index=1&date2=03%2F31%2F1927&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Lory+Price&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Lory+Price&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=1 The female victim was identified as Mrs Steve George ''Evening Star''. February 7, 1927 p.13]</ref> were found in the ruins, charred beyond recognition. This was widely seen as a decisive blow struck by the Sheltons.
In December, 1926, two men appeared at Joe Adams's house, announcing that they "had a letter from Carl" (Shelton). They handed a letter to Adams. As he started to read it, they drew pistols and shot him dead.


At about the same time, Illinois state trooper Lory Price and his wife went missing. Price was widely believed{{Who|date=May 2013}} to be associated with the Birger gang. He had been running a scam in which Birger stole cars and hid them until a reward was offered. Then the trooper pretended to find the cars and split the reward with Birger.{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}}
In January, 1927, Shady Rest was destroyed by a series of large explosions and a fire. Four bodies were found in the ruins, charred beyond recognition. Although this was widely perceived as a decisive blow by the Sheltons, some believed that Birger himself blew the place up.


==Hanging==
At about the same time, a state trooper, Lory Price, and his wife went missing. The trooper was widely believed to be associated with the Birger gang. He had been running a scam in which Birger would steal cars and hide them until a reward was offered. The trooper would then "find" the cars, and split the reward with Birger.
In June 1927, Birger was arrested on a charge of ordering the [[contract killing]] of Mayor Joseph Adams. Birger allowed himself to be taken into custody without a fight. He had been arrested many times, and had always been released a few days later. He may not have realized that the trial was to take place in [[Franklin County, Illinois|Franklin County]], which his political allies did not control.


Birger and the two men who did the killing were convicted; however, only Birger was sentenced to hang. Birger objected that it was unfair he should receive the [[death penalty]] while the confessed trigger man was sentenced only to prison in return for his cooperation with investigators.
As the story eventually developed, Birger kidnapped the trooper and his wife. Two of Birger's men took the wife away, shot her, and threw her body down an abandoned mine shaft, followed by debris to cover the body.


Nevertheless, Birger was hanged for the murder of Adams on April 19, 1928, at the Franklin County Jail in [[Benton, Illinois|Benton]]. At Birger's request, he was accompanied to the gallows by a [[rabbi]] and wore a black hood rather than a white one, since he did not want to be mistaken for a Klansman. Charlie Birger was the second to last man to be executed in a public hanging in Illinois; Charles Shader was hanged six months later on October 10, 1928. Birger shook hands with the hangman, Philip Hanna (the "humane hangman"), and his final words were, "It's a beautiful world." (Local southern Illinois legend attests that Birger said "It's a beautiful day", in defiance, while the newspapers reported the remorseful "It's a beautiful world.")
Birger took the trooper to the ruins of Shady Rest, and accused him of helping in the attack. Birger shot the trooper three times. They threw him, still alive, into the back of a car. Because none of his men were willing to sit in the back seat with the victim, Birger himself had to sit on him. The trooper came to several times to beg for mercy. Birger had to get out of the car at one point. He vomited, and afterwards said: "I don't know what in the hell's the matter with me. Every time I kill a man, it makes me sick afterwards. I guess it's my stomach." Near [[DuBois, Illinois]], they dragged the trooper into a field and finished him off.


Birger's place as a southern Illinois folk legend is recorded in John L. "Ox" Gwaltney's "Charlie Birger":
Five months later, after the story came out, coal miners assembled at the mine shaft to look for the trooper's wife. They worked in relays for two and a half days until they found the body. Although the Trooper was regarded as a gangster, the killing of his wife, and the manner of disposal of her body, went beyond any standard of decency. Public opinion turned against Charlie Birger.


<poem>
==The Hanging of Charlie Birger==
::I heard of Charlie Birger way back when I was young
::My daddy told me all about the day that Charlie hung.


::I've heard so many stories, some of his ghastly deeds
In June, 1927, Charlie Birger was arrested for the murder of Joe Adams, the Mayor of West City. Charlie allowed himself to be taken into custody without a fight. He had been arrested many times, and had always been released a few days later. He may not have understood that he was being arrested in [[Franklin County, Illinois]], and that he did not control that County like he had controlled Williamson County.
::Another tells how Charlie helped poor folks in their needs.


::One said he was a kindly man who never told a lie
Charlie was convicted, along with two other men who had helped with the killings. Only Charlie was sentenced to hang for the crime. Charlie objected that this was not fair, that he should hang, while the confessed trigger man was sentenced to prison.
::But when somebody crossed him, that man was sure to die


::That Charlie had no Master you can tell from all the tales
Charlie Birger was hanged for the murder of Joe Adams on April 19, 1928. He was the last man to be executed in a public hanging in Illinois.
::He fought the system all the way, and stayed out of their jails

::I've seen so many pictures, they're hanging on the walls
::The pictures tell the story of Birger's rise and fall

::And when they finally caught him he was sentenced to be hung
::But they hadn't broke his spirit the day the trap was sprung

::When the State had had its vengeance—When Charlie's life was done
::It made one stop to wonder, Who had lost, and who had won.
</poem>
:::John Lastle Gwaltney ''Southern Illinois Poetry'' (1985)

Charlie Birger is buried in [[Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery]] in [[University City, Missouri]], a suburb of [[St. Louis]]. His marker bears his birth name of Shachna Birger. His sister (Mrs. Rachel Shamsky) and one of his two daughters are buried nearby.

Birger's name entered the news again in 2006 when the granddaughter of the county [[Sheriff#United States|sheriff]] who had supervised the execution sued the local historical museum in an attempt to regain possession of the noose used in the hanging.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* ''[[Bad Charleston Charlie]]'', a highly fictionalized version of Birger's life story as a 1973 film comedy


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
*"Bloody Williamson", Paul M. Angle, Alfred A. Knopf, 1952

*"Charlie and the Shawneetown Dame", Donald Bain, 1978
==Further reading==
* Angle, Paul M. 1952, Rep. 1993. ''[http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/56zef2zd9780252062339.html Bloody Williamson - A Chapter in American Lawlessness]''. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press. {{ISBN|0-252-06233-7}}.
* DeNeal, Gary. 1981, 2nd Ed. 1993. ''A Knight of Another Sort''. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press. 304 pages. {{ISBN|0-8093-2216-1}} (hardcover), {{ISBN|0-8093-2217-X}} (paperback).
* Galligan, George and Jack Wilkinson. 1927, Reprinted 1985. ''In Bloody Williamson''. Marion, Ill.: Williamson County Historical Society.
* Hill, E. Bishop. 1927, Rep. 2006. ''[https://archive.org/details/completehistoryo00hill/mode/2up Complete History of Southern Illinois Gang War: The True Story of Southern Illinois Gang Warfare]''. Marion, Ill.: Williamson County Historical Society.
* Johnson, Ralph, and Jon Musgrave. 2010. ''[http://www.illinoishistory.com/books Secrets of the Herrin Gangs]''. Marion, Ill.: [http://www.illinoishistory.com IllinoisHistory.com]. 96 pages.
* Small, Curtis G. 1970. ''Mean Old Jail''. Harrisburg, Ill.: Register Publishing Co.
* Taylor, Merlin Moore "The Smashing of Little Egypt's Gangster King (Part I)", [https://archive.org/stream/TrueDetective0730/TrueDetective07-30#page/n49/mode/2up ''True Detective Mysteries'']. (July 1930) pp.&nbsp;48ff.
* Taylor, Merlin Moore "The Smashing of Little Egypt's Gangster King (Part II)", [https://archive.org/stream/TrueDetective0830#page/n49/mode/2up ''True Detective Mysteries'']. (August 1930) pp.&nbsp;48ff.


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Cite magazine |title=Dodging Dynamiters |date=February 21, 1927 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,751586,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106065500/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,751586,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2007 |accessdate=December 1, 2010}}
* WSIU-TV documentary (2003): http://wsiu.org/highlights03/030319birger/index.shtml
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080523061223/http://www2.wsiu.org/highlights03/030319birger/index.shtml ''The Legend of Charlie Birger'' - WSIU-TV documentary (2003)]
* [http://www.carolyar.com/Illinois/Govern/Birger.htm Crime in Southern Illinois: Birger & his Boys] by Rich Davis
* {{Cite book |first=Gary |last=DeNeal |title=A Knight of Another Sort: Prohibition Days and Charlie Birger |edition=2nd |publisher=The Interstate Printers & Publishers |location=Danville, Illinois |isbn=0-8093-2216-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVbPwpvAl-QC&q=%22Bad+Charleston+Charlie%22&pg=PR24 |year=1998}}
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jgholson/03330GwaltneyJohn.htm ''Charlie Birger'' - Southern Illinois Poetry, John L. Gwaltney]
* {{Find a Grave|8581716}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Charles Birger |sopt=t}}

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Birger, Charles}}
[[Category:Jewish Americans]]
[[Category:Gangsters]]
[[Category:1881 births]]
[[Category:1881 births|Birger, Charles]]
[[Category:1928 deaths]]
[[Category:1928 deaths|Birger, Charles]]
[[Category:20th-century executions of American people]]
[[Category:American bootleggers]]
[[Category:American crime bosses]]
[[Category:American people executed for murder]]
[[Category:Executed American gangsters]]
[[Category:Executed Russian people]]
[[Category:Jewish American gangsters]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Missouri]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by Illinois]]
[[Category:People executed by Illinois by hanging]]
[[Category:People from Franklin County, Illinois]]
[[Category:People from Harrisburg, Illinois]]
[[Category:People from O'Fallon, Missouri]]
[[Category:Prohibition gangs]]
[[Category:American gangsters of the interwar period]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States]]
[[Category:Publicly executed people]]

Latest revision as of 05:06, 25 October 2024

Charles Birger
Born
Shachnai Itzik Birger

(1881-02-05)February 5, 1881
Adygea, Russian Empire
DiedApril 19, 1928(1928-04-19) (aged 47)
Benton, Illinois, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Other namesShachna Birger
Occupation(s)Soldier, cowboy, miner, saloon keeper, bootlegger, criminal gang leader
Known forBootlegging and leading the Birger Gang, who fought a bloody war with the Ku Klux Klan and the Shelton Brothers Gang over the domination of southern Illinois. Birger was the second to last person to be publicly hanged in Illinois.
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal penaltyDeath
Birger Gang
FounderCharles "Charlie" Birger
Founding locationCrab Orchard, Williamson County, Illinois
Years active1920-1928
TerritorySouthern Illinois
EthnicityJewish
Membership (est.)16
Criminal activitiesBootlegging, murder, proprietor of gambling houses
RivalsShelton Brothers Gang

Charles "Charlie" Birger (born Shachna Itzak Birger, February 5, 1881 – April 19, 1928) was an American bootlegger during the Prohibition period in southern Illinois.

Early life

[edit]

Charles Birger was born to a Jewish family in the Russian Empire, and emigrated to the United States as a child with his parents. Birger and his family settled in St. Louis, where, aged eight, Charlie got a job as a news boy at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. Later, Birger moved to the O'Fallon, Missouri, area, where he started work in a pool room.

On July 5, 1901, Birger enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to Company G of the newly formed 13th Cavalry Regiment, then stationed in South Dakota. Birger was described as a good soldier and was honorably discharged on July 4, 1904, at Fort Meade, South Dakota. When he left the army, he became a cowboy. However, he eventually returned to Illinois, where he met his first wife, Edna, to whom a daughter was born.

Birger went on to marry multiple times, being married to Beatrice Bainbridge of Harrisburg Illinois in 1921. Later became a miner in the quickly expanding coal mining community of Harrisburg, later to become a keeper at one of the local saloons.

Bootlegger and gang leader

[edit]

Following World War I, in 1919, the United States adopted national prohibition, which banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. Birger recognized this as a business opportunity, and in 1920 he joined forces with the Shelton Brothers.[citation needed]

Birger initially based his operation in Harrisburg, southern Illinois. The law authorities in Saline County eventually persuaded him to leave, and he built a fortified speakeasy called Shady Rest just across the line in Williamson County. Shady Rest stood next to old Highway 13, halfway between Harrisburg and Marion. A small barbecue stand just off the highway served as the guard shack.

War with the Ku Klux Klan

[edit]

Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers Gang fought for control of the coal fields of southern Illinois, but their attention was diverted by a common enemy. In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan supported national prohibition. Alcohol was regarded as an "un-American" vice practiced by White ethnic immigrants, many of whom were Roman Catholics and other religions.[citation needed] Many of these immigrants worked in the coal mines of southern Illinois, living mainly in very small towns while maintaining a very strong ethnic pride. Alcohol was a part of their life, and bootlegging came naturally to them.

In the spring of 1923, the Klan began organizing in Williamson County, holding meetings attended by more than 5000 people. The Klan drew its support from both the farming community and people in the larger towns, the latter mainly of Scotch-Irish origin and belonging to the Baptist and other traditional Protestant churches.

The Klan soon found a charismatic leader in Seth Glenn Young, a 58-year-old former federal law enforcement officer.[1] Large mobs began going door to door, forcibly searching houses for alcohol. If alcohol was found, the occupants were taken to Klan "prisons". Federal authorities apparently had deputized the Klansmen to aid in the enforcement of Prohibition.[citation needed]

Many elected public officials of Williamson County were viewed[who?] as being allies of the bootleggers, perhaps correctly. These elected public officials were driven from office and replaced by Klan members. The Illinois state government was either unable or unwilling to reestablish lawful authority.

On January 24, 1925, a shot was fired in the street in Herrin, Illinois. Deputy Sheriff Ora Thomas responded and walked into a cigar store, where he saw Klan leader Young. Thomas drew his pistol and shot Young twice. Young was able to shoot Thomas once before falling to the floor. Two of Young's companions, fellow Klansmen Edward Forbes and Omer Warren joined in the melee, and all four men were fatally wounded.[2] The Klan held a public funeral for Young that was attended by more than 15,000 people.[3]

In April 1926, Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers joined forces to attack the remaining Klan leaders in Herrin, using Tommy guns and shotguns. The police were called repeatedly, but chose not to respond. Four Klansmen and two anti-Klansmen were killed in a shootout. The Klan buried its dead and the coroner ruled that their deaths were homicides "by parties unknown".[4]

Although the Klan's losses were not large, the Herrin attack broke the back of the local KKK. Lawfully elected local officials returned to their offices, and Birger and the Shelton Brothers went back into business.

War with the Shelton Brothers Gang

[edit]

Birger regarded Harrisburg as his hometown. When a small shop was robbed, Birger publicly made good the owner's losses and the suspected thief was found shot dead a few days later. This incident coincided with the beginning of his war with the Shelton Brothers Gang, fought over control of bootlegging in the area.

By October 1926, the Birger and Shelton Gangs were in open conflict. Both gangs built "tanks"—trucks converted into makeshift armored vehicles from which they could shoot. The Shelton Gang even tried to bomb Shady Rest from the air. The dynamite they dropped missed. Many were killed during the war, and sometimes it was not clear which side they were on. Three deaths became important in ending Birger's own life.

Joseph Adams was the mayor of West City, Illinois, a village near Benton. Birger learned that the Sheltons' tank was in Joe Adams' garage for repairs, and demanded the tank. When Adams failed to surrender it, Birger's men orchestrated a drive-by bombing, destroying Adams' front porch.

In December 1926, two men, Harry and Elmo Thomasson, appeared at Joe Adams' house, announcing that they "had a letter from Carl [Shelton]". They handed a letter to Adams, and as he started to read it, they drew their pistols and shot him dead.

The following month, the Shady Rest was destroyed by a series of large explosions and an ensuing fire. Four bodies (one a woman's)[5] were found in the ruins, charred beyond recognition. This was widely seen as a decisive blow struck by the Sheltons.

At about the same time, Illinois state trooper Lory Price and his wife went missing. Price was widely believed[who?] to be associated with the Birger gang. He had been running a scam in which Birger stole cars and hid them until a reward was offered. Then the trooper pretended to find the cars and split the reward with Birger.[citation needed]

Hanging

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In June 1927, Birger was arrested on a charge of ordering the contract killing of Mayor Joseph Adams. Birger allowed himself to be taken into custody without a fight. He had been arrested many times, and had always been released a few days later. He may not have realized that the trial was to take place in Franklin County, which his political allies did not control.

Birger and the two men who did the killing were convicted; however, only Birger was sentenced to hang. Birger objected that it was unfair he should receive the death penalty while the confessed trigger man was sentenced only to prison in return for his cooperation with investigators.

Nevertheless, Birger was hanged for the murder of Adams on April 19, 1928, at the Franklin County Jail in Benton. At Birger's request, he was accompanied to the gallows by a rabbi and wore a black hood rather than a white one, since he did not want to be mistaken for a Klansman. Charlie Birger was the second to last man to be executed in a public hanging in Illinois; Charles Shader was hanged six months later on October 10, 1928. Birger shook hands with the hangman, Philip Hanna (the "humane hangman"), and his final words were, "It's a beautiful world." (Local southern Illinois legend attests that Birger said "It's a beautiful day", in defiance, while the newspapers reported the remorseful "It's a beautiful world.")

Birger's place as a southern Illinois folk legend is recorded in John L. "Ox" Gwaltney's "Charlie Birger":

I heard of Charlie Birger way back when I was young
My daddy told me all about the day that Charlie hung.

I've heard so many stories, some of his ghastly deeds
Another tells how Charlie helped poor folks in their needs.

One said he was a kindly man who never told a lie
But when somebody crossed him, that man was sure to die

That Charlie had no Master you can tell from all the tales
He fought the system all the way, and stayed out of their jails

I've seen so many pictures, they're hanging on the walls
The pictures tell the story of Birger's rise and fall

And when they finally caught him he was sentenced to be hung
But they hadn't broke his spirit the day the trap was sprung

When the State had had its vengeance—When Charlie's life was done
It made one stop to wonder, Who had lost, and who had won.

John Lastle Gwaltney Southern Illinois Poetry (1985)

Charlie Birger is buried in Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. His marker bears his birth name of Shachna Birger. His sister (Mrs. Rachel Shamsky) and one of his two daughters are buried nearby.

Birger's name entered the news again in 2006 when the granddaughter of the county sheriff who had supervised the execution sued the local historical museum in an attempt to regain possession of the noose used in the hanging.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Williamson County, Illinois Obituaries and Death Notices".
  2. ^ S Glenn Young
  3. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1925-01-27). "Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, January 27, 1925, Image 1". ISSN 0894-2064. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  4. ^ "Klan Funerals in Herrin (04/16/1926)". Leader-Telegram. 1926-04-16. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  5. ^ The female victim was identified as Mrs Steve George Evening Star. February 7, 1927 p.13

Further reading

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