Charles Birger

Charlie Birger was born ca. 1881. 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Klan War

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.

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 alien 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 it own dead. The coroner called the deaths homicides "by parties unknown."

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.

War with the Shelton Brothers

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.

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.

Joe Adams was the Mayor of West City, a small town close to Benton, Illinois. Charlie Birger learned that the Sheltons' tank was in Joe Adams garage for repairs. Birger demanded the tank. When Adams failed to turn it over, Birger's men attacked and burned the garage.

In December, 1926, two men appeared at Joe Adams 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.

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.

At about the same time, a State Trooper 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Hanging of Charlie Birger

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.

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.

Charlie Birger was hanged for the murder of Joe Adams on April 19, 1928. He was the last man to be hanged in Illinois.

References

"Bloody Williamson", Paul M. Angle, Alfred A. Knopf, 1952

"Charlie and the Shawneetown Dame", Donald Bain, 1978