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Shelton Brothers Gang
Shelton Brothers Gang
Shelton Brothers Gang
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Shelton Brothers Gang
FoundedShelton Brothers
Founded byCarl Shelton, Earl Shelton, Bernie "Red" Shelton
Founding locationSt. Louis, Missouri
Years active1920-N/A
TerritorySouthern Illinois
EthnicityEuropean-American
Membership (est.)50+
Criminal activitiesbootlegging, gambling, mail robbery, murder
RivalsCharlie Birger Gang

The Shelton Brothers Gang was an early Prohibition-era bootlegging gang based in southern Illinois. They were the main rivals of the famous bootlegger Charles Birger and his gang. In 1950, the Saturday Evening Post described the Sheltons as "America's Bloodiest Gang".[citation needed] Ancestors of the Shelton Brothers Gang trace their roots back to Ireland, under the surname "Hunter". There are still some descendants living in the St. Louis, Fairfield, IL and Bloomington IL area today.

History

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Formed by Carl (born 1888), Earl (born 1890), and Bernie "Red" Shelton (born 1898) of "Geff" Jeffersonville, Wayne County, Illinois shortly after Prohibition came into effect in 1920, the gang operated in Williamson County, Illinois and Jackson County, Illinois,[1][2] making moonshine and other illegal alcoholic beverages. They eventually dominated both gambling and liquor distribution in Little Egypt until 1926, when a former ally, gangster Charles Birger, attempted to take over the Sheltons' bootlegging operations. This began a violent gang war, which saw both sides use homemade armored trucks and included an aerial bombing raid by the Sheltons on Birger's Shady Rest headquarters.[citation needed] The battle was for the control of bootlegging in all of southern Illinois.[according to whom?]

Despite having more than fifty gunmen, the Shelton Brothers were unable to defeat Birger. Based on the testimony of Birger and Art Newman, the Shelton Brothers were convicted of an unsolved 1925 mail carrier robbery of $15,000 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.[citation needed]

Without its leaders, the gang slowly faded, and Birger dominated bootlegging in Southern Illinois, until he was hanged in 1928 after being convicted of ordering the murder of West City, Illinois, Mayor Joe Adams, a Shelton partisan.[citation needed]

After their eventual release from prison, the Shelton brothers moved in to control gambling in Peoria, Illinois. However, Carl and Bernie Shelton (in 1948) were both murdered on orders from former gang member Frank "Buster" Wortman, who had taken over the Shelton operations in their absence and dominated St. Louis' illegal gambling and other criminal activities until his death in 1968. Earl Shelton was also ambushed and shot, but he survived. After a third attempt on his life in the early 1950s, Earl and his family left Illinois for Florida. Earl died there in 1986 at age 96, the last member of the Shelton Brothers Gang.[3]

References

[edit]

Sources

[edit]
  • Fox, Stephen. Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1989. ISBN 0-688-04350-X
  • Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30653-2
  • Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
  • Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0

Further reading

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Shelton Brothers Gang

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from Grokipedia
The Shelton Brothers Gang was an syndicate operating in from the early 1920s through the late 1940s, led by brothers Carl (1888–1947), Earl (1890–1986), and Bernie "Red" Shelton (1898–1948), who specialized in bootlegging during , illegal gambling, and violent territorial control over vice operations in regions known as "Little Egypt" from East St. Louis to Peoria. The gang initially allied with bootlegger against the Ku Klux Klan's anti-liquor campaigns but erupted into a brutal in 1926 over profit shares and disputes, employing tactics like machine-gun attacks, bombings, and an unprecedented aerial raid on Birger's Shady Rest roadhouse using hired pilot Elmer Kane. This conflict, which claimed numerous lives including local officials, contributed to Birger's capture and execution in 1928, while the Sheltons faced conviction for a 1925 mail based on Birger's testimony, leading to a 25-year sentence from which they were paroled around 1930. Post-release, the Sheltons shifted focus to gambling rackets in Peoria, clashing with syndicates backed by the , which placed bounties on Carl and Bernie amid escalating bombings and shootings; Carl was assassinated on October 23, 1947, outside a , and Bernie followed on July 26, 1948, with no convictions for the killers, effectively dismantling the gang as Earl fled to . Their use of homemade armored "tanks," of officials, and enforcer violence terrorized , establishing them as one of the era's most ruthless rural outfits, with over 50 members dominating illicit trades until reforms curbed Peoria's underworld by 1953.

Origins

Family Background and Early Crimes

The Shelton brothers—Carl (born August 31, 1888), Earl (born June 14, 1890), and Bernie "Red" (born July 22, 1898)—hailed from a large farming family in rural Wayne County, Illinois, in the state's southeastern region near Fairfield. Their parents, Benjamin Shelton and Agnes Shelton, raised ten children on a modest 120-acre farm amid economic hardship typical of early 20th-century agrarian life in the area, with seven siblings surviving to adulthood. Carl, the eldest and eventual gang leader, displayed an outgoing personality that aided in forging alliances, while Earl served as the logistical organizer and Bernie contributed physical enforcement. As teenagers in the years preceding , the brothers initiated their criminal involvement through small-scale offenses such as , , and in Wayne County and surrounding locales. These activities yielded short sentences, reflecting the limited enforcement and rural tolerance for minor felonies at the time, but they honed the brothers' familiarity with illicit operations and evasion tactics. By the mid-1910s, their exploits had escalated to more organized petty crime, terrorizing communities and laying groundwork for larger ventures, though specific pre-1920 convictions remain sparsely documented beyond local anecdotes. The family's violent undercurrents, including later murders tied to kin, underscored a pattern of intergenerational conflict resolution through force rather than legal channels.

Formation in Southern Illinois

The Shelton brothers—Carl (born 1888), Earl (born 1890), and Bernie "Red" (born 1898)—hailed from a poor farming family in Wayne County, southeastern Illinois, where they grew up on a 120-acre farm amid rural hardships that predisposed them to opportunistic crime. Having engaged in minor thefts and robberies as teenagers, which led to brief incarcerations, the brothers capitalized on the enactment of Prohibition under the Volstead Act, effective January 17, 1920, to pivot toward organized bootlegging of moonshine and illegal liquor. The gang coalesced informally around the brothers' leadership shortly after 1920, with Carl directing operations, Earl handling logistics, and Bernie serving as the primary enforcer, drawing in local recruits to form a core group that expanded to over 50 members within a few years. They established control over speakeasies and distribution networks in ' "Little Egypt" region, particularly Williamson, Franklin, and Saline Counties, including violent hotspots like Herrin, by bribing local officials and to ignore their activities. This territorial foothold enabled monopolization of the lucrative alcohol trade, supplemented by early forays into via slot machines and roadhouses. By 1924, the Sheltons had allied with Charlie Birger's gang against the Ku Klux Klan's anti-bootlegging campaigns in Williamson County, jointly raiding Klan operations and sharing profits from vice enterprises, which solidified their amid the era's lawlessness. However, internal disputes over territory and revenues foreshadowed fractures, even as the gang's bootlegging empire grew, underscored by a 1925 federal conviction of Carl and Earl for a $15,000 that drew national attention but did not immediately dismantle their base.

Expansion During Prohibition

Bootlegging Empire Building

The Shelton brothers—Carl, Bernie, and Earl—capitalized on the enactment of national in January 1920 to initiate bootlegging operations in , drawing on their rural roots in Wayne County to establish initial whiskey distribution networks. They controlled the illicit alcohol trade by operating distilleries and speak-easies across the region, sourcing liquor through from wet southern states and , where production and transport faced fewer restrictions. Their empire expanded via a sophisticated transportation system involving caravans of stolen automobiles that ferried smuggled liquor northward from toward , , with key staging points like roadhouses serving as nocturnal depots for reloading and evasion of patrols. These routes traversed counties such as Williamson and Saline, where the gang secured joints near Herrin for storage and sale, enabling dominance over local markets by the mid-1920s. To consolidate control, the Sheltons employed armored vehicles for protection during hauls and bribed law enforcement officials to neutralize raids, fostering a near-monopoly on booze distribution throughout "Little Egypt." Profits from these ventures, augmented by ancillary rackets like slot machines, funded further territorial gains, positioning the gang as overseers of southern Illinois' underground alcohol economy by 1924.

Diversification into Gambling and Vice

As Prohibition fueled their bootlegging operations in during the 1920s, the Shelton Brothers Gang expanded into illegal gambling to consolidate territorial control and diversify revenue streams. Seeking a monopoly on both alcohol distribution and wagering activities, the gang terrorized rival enterprises in regions like Williamson County and East St. Louis, employing and to eliminate competition. In East St. Louis, by the mid-1920s, the Sheltons had established dominance over vice rackets, including houses and associated operations, which complemented their bootlegging by attracting patrons to controlled districts. This integration allowed the gang to tax and regulate illicit activities, with brothers Carl, Earl, and Bernie Shelton coordinating enforcement through armed enforcers and alliances with local corrupt officials. Operations extended to Williamson County, where and flourished alongside sales, contributing to the era's notorious violence that claimed over 150 lives by unknown assailants. Post-1925 imprisonment of Carl and Bernie for mail robbery temporarily disrupted expansion, but upon partial releases and Earl's continued oversight, the gang reasserted influence in during the late years. By partnering with local figures like gambler Clyde Garrison, they provided "protection" to wagering venues, levying fees on slot machines and card games while fending off incursions from and syndicates aiming to seize markets. This diversification not only buffered against fluctuating bootlegging profits but also entrenched the Sheltons' political leverage through bribes to tolerant mayors and police.

Rivalries and Conflicts

Alliance and War with Charlie Birger

The Shelton Brothers Gang initially formed an alliance with Charlie Birger, a bootlegger operating in , around 1923 when Carl Shelton met Birger at Herrin Hospital following a shootout. By 1925, the groups formalized joint operations in bootlegging liquor imported from and splitting proceeds from slot machines, while also cooperating against the in Williamson and Franklin counties. This partnership allowed the Sheltons to expand territorial control in the region known as "Little Egypt," with Birger effectively managing Saline County as a semi-autonomous domain under their umbrella. Tensions escalated after an April 13, 1926, Election Day shootout in Herrin, where three of Birger's men were killed and the Sheltons provided no support, leading Birger to accuse them of unreliability and suspected cheating on revenue shares. Some accounts attribute the rift to personal betrayal, such as Carl Shelton's alleged with Birger's , prompting Birger to . The alliance dissolved in the weeks following the Herrin incident, igniting a gang war by summer 1926 characterized by armored trucks, machine-gun fire, and innovative tactics like aerial bombings—the first such use in American criminal . The conflict intensified with the Shelton Gang's airplane attack on Birger's Shady Rest headquarters near West City on November 12, 1926, dropping three bombs (each containing 20 sticks) that failed to detonate due to faulty fuses. A follow-up bombing on January 9, 1927, succeeded in exploding, killing four at the site. Birger retaliated in December 1926 by ordering the machine-gun of Joe Adams, mayor of West City and a Shelton associate, on his porch by two accomplices. The war, lasting roughly six months, resulted in at least 10 to 24 deaths across Williamson, Franklin, and Saline counties. The feud concluded with Birger's arrest in December 1926 for the Adams murder, followed by his conviction and hanging on April 19, 1928, in —the last public execution in the state. Carl and Bernie Shelton faced brief imprisonment for a related Collinsville mail robbery accusation by Birger but were released after witnesses recanted due to . The Shelton Gang reasserted dominance in the region post-Birger, though the violence weakened both factions amid intensifying scrutiny.

Clashes with the Ku Klux Klan

In the early 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan expanded into southern Illinois, particularly Williamson County, as a vigilante force promoting Prohibition enforcement, Protestant values, and opposition to bootlegging, gambling, and associated vices. The Klan, under leaders like S. Glenn Young, conducted raids targeting illicit operations, clashing with local organized crime figures who profited from alcohol distribution. The Shelton Brothers Gang, controlling bootlegging in Williamson, Franklin, and Saline Counties, viewed these incursions as direct threats to their territorial dominance and revenue streams. Tensions escalated into open violence by 1924, with the Sheltons aligning temporarily with rival bootlegger Charlie Birger against the Klan. On February 8, 1924, Klansmen attacked Herrin City Hospital, where wounded bootleggers had sought refuge following earlier raids, intensifying the feud. A pivotal confrontation occurred on August 30, 1924, in Herrin, where Shelton and Birger forces, armed with machine guns and makeshift armored vehicles, battled Klan supporters led by Young, resulting in 17 deaths amid chaotic street fighting. These clashes, part of broader 1924-1925 violence that claimed at least 18 lives county-wide, pitted the gangs' economic interests against the Klan's moral crusade. By 1926, the alliance struck decisively against remaining Klan influence. On Election Day in Herrin, Shelton and Birger gunmen ambushed and killed several local Klan leaders, further eroding the organization's foothold through targeted assassinations. Public backlash against the Klan's aggressive tactics, combined with the gangs' superior firepower and local sympathies for vice operations, led to the Klan's retreat from by the late 1920s. This victory allowed the Sheltons to consolidate power until internal rivalries, including their subsequent war with Birger, resurfaced.

Feuds with Other Gangs

In the late , the Shelton Gang entered Peoria's and vice operations at the invitation of local racketeer Clyde , who sought their muscle against competing interests after a failed 1930 kidnapping attempt on him that killed his wife. By 1940, disputes over control led to a rift, with the Sheltons asserting dominance and forcing Garrison out of the rackets by 1941. Expansion into central Illinois territories intensified rivalries with larger syndicates, particularly remnants of Al Capone's and East St. Louis gangs, which aimed to seize Peoria's bootlegging successors—gambling houses and brothels. The Sheltons repelled these incursions through armed enforcement, prompting Chicago interests to post $10,000 bounties on Carl and Bernie Shelton in the mid-1940s. Violence peaked between 1946 and 1950, with three Shelton-affiliated gunmen murdered in Peoria from February to October 1946 amid turf skirmishes. Carl Shelton was ambushed and shot dead on , 1947, outside his Wayne farm; Bernie Shelton fell to a on July 26, 1948, near his Peoria headquarters; Earl Shelton survived a May 1949 shooting at his Fairfield , though his home was bombed in November 1949; and non-gang brother Roy Shelton was killed in June 1950 on the family farm. These hits, attributed to and operatives, eroded the gang's structure without fully dislodging their local hold.

Operations and Structure

Territorial Control and Methods

The Shelton Brothers Gang exerted primary control over bootlegging operations in during the era, dominating key counties such as Williamson, Franklin, and Saline, with strongholds in towns like Herrin and Marion. This "Little Egypt" region, extending from East St. Louis northward, served as their base for monopolizing the distribution of illicit alcohol, where they oversaw shipments from southern suppliers and operated numerous 24-hour roadhouses that doubled as poker and dice venues. To secure this territory, the gang relied on systematic of local and political officials, ensuring protection for their enterprises while extracting a share of profits estimated to contribute to multimillion-dollar monthly operations. Enforcement of territorial dominance involved aggressive violence against rivals, including the use of over 50 armed gang members to terrorize competitors and maintain exclusivity in bootlegging and gambling. Tactics encompassed gun battles, machine-gun ambushes, and innovative warfare methods such as homemade armored trucks equipped with mounted weapons, as well as aerial bombings targeting enemy positions during feuds like the one with the Charlie Birger gang in the mid-1920s. These confrontations, which claimed hundreds of lives, underscored their strategy of public displays of force, including parades of armored vehicles, to deter encroachment and assert control over vice trades. Following the repeal of in 1933, the gang expanded northward into , particularly Peoria, where they shifted focus to illegal and , ousting local operators like Clyde Garrison by 1941 to install s across downtown clubs, the Creve Coeur Club, and the Peoria Country Club. In this phase, control methods emphasized protection rackets—charging $20 per month per —combined with alliances with corrupt figures such as Robert Woodruff, who tolerated operations in exchange for fees, thereby minimizing overt violence in Peoria until escalating rival pressures in the mid-1940s. This pragmatic approach, leveraging Carl Shelton's networking with politicians, allowed sustained dominance until internal assassinations disrupted the organization.

Political Influence and Corruption

The Shelton Brothers Gang sustained its bootlegging empire in during the 1920s by systematically bribing local officers and politicians, enabling unchecked operations in counties including Williamson, Franklin, and Saline. These payoffs allowed roadhouses, dens, and liquor distribution to flourish openly, with officials deriving personal financial benefits that stifled enforcement efforts. Public demands for intervention, such as calls for documented on November 28, 1926, yielded little action due to this entrenched graft, as lawmen either profited or feared reprisal from the gang. Expansion into Peoria during the 1930s and 1940s amplified the gang's political leverage through targeted bribery of city leaders and officials. Carl Shelton collaborated with Clyde Garrison, a operator who cultivated ties to politicians, while the Sheltons supplied to enforce compliance; this division facilitated control over rackets until Garrison's withdrawal around 1940. E.N. Woodruff's long tenure, including his 1941 re-election, embodied a permissive "Peoria liberal" policy that taxed illegal —such as $20 monthly per —rather than prohibiting it, thereby sustaining the gang's profitability from 1941 to 1945. A former city detective even joined the Shelton payroll, exemplifying infiltration of . Statewide influence emerged via alleged campaign contributions from gangsters, including the Sheltons, bolstering Republican Governor Dwight H. Green's 1944 re-election amid probes into corruption involving George Barrett. Resistance materialized with reformist figures like Peoria Carl O. Triebel, elected in 1945, who rebuffed Shelton bribery overtures and shuttered gambling operations, eroding local protection rackets. By the late 1940s, such exposés, including Earl Shelton's cooperation with the on systemic graft in politics and policing, contributed to Green's 1948 electoral defeat by over 500,000 votes to Adlai Stevenson.

Key Figures

Carl Shelton

Carl Ray Shelton (October 25, 1888 – October 23, 1947) was the eldest and de facto leader of the Shelton Brothers Gang, a Prohibition-era criminal organization that dominated bootlegging operations in southern Illinois, particularly in the region known as "Little Egypt." Born in Wayne County, Illinois, to a poor farming family, Shelton and his brothers—Earl (born 1890) and Bernie (born 1898)—entered the illegal liquor trade shortly after the enactment of the Volstead Act in 1920, leveraging rural distillation networks and distribution routes to supply alcohol across Williamson, Franklin, and surrounding counties. As the gang's strategist and enforcer, Carl orchestrated protection rackets, payroll heists, and territorial expansions, often through alliances with local officials via bribes and intimidation; by the mid-1920s, the Sheltons controlled key bootlegging hubs, importing whiskey from Kentucky and Missouri while clashing with rivals like the Charlie Birger gang over supply lines and gambling interests. Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Carl shifted the operation northward to Peoria, where the gang infiltrated legal breweries and dominated illegal gambling, slot machines, and vice dens, reportedly generating thousands in weekly revenue through fixed horse-race betting and casino protections. Shelton's leadership style emphasized family loyalty and armed retaliation, as evidenced by the gang's use of bombings and drive-by shootings against competitors, including suspected involvement in the 1926 bombing of Birger's Shady Rest roadhouse that escalated their . He evaded major federal scrutiny during by cultivating informants within , though post-repeal tax evasion probes and labor charges occasionally forced temporary retreats to rural hideouts. On October 23, 1947, Carl Shelton was assassinated in an ambush along Pond Creek Road near Fairfield, , shot multiple times by unknown assailants while driving alone; the attack, involving a high-powered from cover, bore hallmarks of a professional hit tied to internal betrayals. Authorities suspected Charles Harris, a former Shelton associate turned rival over disputes in Peoria, as the orchestrator, though Harris was arrested and later released without due to insufficient evidence, leaving the murder officially unsolved. His death precipitated the gang's fragmentation, with surviving brothers facing intensified pursuits by federal agents and feuding factions.

Earl Shelton

Earl Shelton, born in 1890 in , was the middle brother among the three Shelton siblings who formed the core of the Prohibition-era Shelton Brothers Gang. Growing up on a family farm alongside older brother Carl (born 1888) and younger brother Bernie (born 1898), Earl transitioned from rural life to as the brothers capitalized on the demand for illegal alcohol following the enactment of in 1920. The gang, initially based in , expanded operations to control bootlegging routes, gambling dens, and other vice activities across the region, often through violent enforcement and territorial disputes with rivals like Charlie Birger and the . Within the gang's structure, served as the primary organizer, leveraging his logistical acumen to coordinate shipments of bootleg liquor from southern suppliers into distribution networks during the . This role complemented Carl's leadership in political maneuvering and Bernie's role as enforcer, enabling the Sheltons to dominate much of ' underworld economy, including protection rackets and casino operations post-Prohibition. 's contributions extended to East St. Louis and Peoria, where the gang infiltrated local vice trades, though specific personal exploits remain less documented compared to his brothers' high-profile clashes. Earl survived multiple assassination attempts amid escalating feuds, including an ambush on May 24, 1949, at his farm near , where he was wounded but recovered after significant blood loss. A subsequent shooting in 1950 struck him in the arm, further eroding the gang's hold on the region following Carl's 1947 murder and Bernie's 1948 killing. By the early 1950s, Earl fled to evade ongoing threats, effectively marking the Shelton Gang's dissolution. He lived out his remaining years in obscurity, dying peacefully on October 8, 1986, at age 96 in .

Bernie Shelton

Bernard Shelton, born in 1898 in , was the youngest of the three primary brothers—Carl, Earl, and himself—who formed the core leadership of the Shelton Brothers Gang. As an enforcer known for his volatile temper and physical toughness, Bernie contributed to the gang's dominance in bootlegging operations across , including the region known as "Little Egypt" from East St. Louis to Peoria, during the early . In 1925, Shelton was arrested in connection with a that netted $15,000, leading to a and a 25-year sentence; he was released around 1930 after serving a reduced term. Following his release, he rejoined activities, focusing on expanding influence in and enterprises. By 1941, Shelton had relocated to Peoria, where he oversaw and related illicit operations, including ownership of the Parkway Tavern on Farmington Road. In 1945, amid escalating rivalries, a bounty was placed on him by elements of the , resulting in an unsuccessful assassination attempt at one of his establishments. On July 26, 1948, at age 50, Shelton was fatally shot by a positioned approximately 100 feet away as he exited the Parkway Tavern; a single struck him, and he died within half an hour. The remains unsolved, with theories attributing it to rival gang figures, possibly including former associates like Charlie Harris or St. Louis underworld leader Frank "Buster" Wortman seeking to eliminate Shelton influence, though no convictions followed and evidence consists primarily of unverified confessions reported years later.

Decline and End

Imprisonments and Internal Strife

In 1925, the Shelton brothers—Carl, Earl, and Bernie—were implicated in the robbery of a U.S. mail carrier transporting $15,000 near Collinsville, Illinois. Convicted primarily on testimony from rival gang leader Charles Birger and associate Art L. Newman, the brothers received 25-year sentences in state prison in 1926. Birger's accusations stemmed from ongoing feuds, but his credibility eroded after his 1928 execution for a separate murder-for-hire scheme, leading to the Sheltons' successful appeal and release after serving approximately three years, around 1929–1930. The imprisonment severely disrupted gang operations, as the Sheltons' absence allowed rivals to erode their bootlegging dominance in , forcing a strategic retreat to Peoria upon release where they pivoted to and vice rackets. This power vacuum exacerbated tensions among remaining associates, contributing to operational fragmentation and vulnerability to external incursions from elements seeking territorial expansion. Internal strife intensified in the post-Prohibition era, highlighted by betrayals from within the network; notably, former Shelton associate Charlie Harris turned adversary, allegedly orchestrating Carl Shelton's ambush murder on October 23, 1947, near his Fairfield farm and attempting Earl's . Such defections, fueled by shifting loyalties amid declining revenues and intensified scrutiny, undermined cohesion, as evidenced by a 1945 Chicago syndicate bounty of $10,000 each on Carl and Bernie, signaling the gang's eroded deterrence. By the late 1940s, these fractures, compounded by the brothers' successive targeting, precipitated the organization's effective dissolution.

Assassinations and Final Years

Carl Shelton, the primary leader of the gang, was assassinated on October 23, 1947, near Pond Creek in Fairfield, Wayne County, Illinois, in a shooting that remains unsolved. Bernie Shelton, another key figure, was ambushed and killed on July 26, 1948, outside the Parkway Tavern on Farmington Road in Peoria, Illinois, where he was shot multiple times by unknown assailants; this murder, like Carl's, was never solved despite investigations. Following these deaths, Earl Shelton faced three assassination attempts between 1950 and 1951, including a shooting that left him unharmed but prompted his relocation. Additionally, gang associate Roy Shelton was slain on June 6, 1950, in Peoria, further weakening the organization's remnants. Without its core leadership, the Shelton Brothers Gang effectively dissolved by the early 1950s, as Earl fled Illinois to evade further violence, ending the group's dominance in regional underworld activities.

Legacy

Impact on Southern Illinois Underworld

The Shelton Brothers Gang exerted significant control over the Southern Illinois underworld during the Prohibition era, monopolizing bootlegging, roadhouses, and gambling operations across counties including Williamson, Franklin, and Saline in the . By November 28, 1926, their enterprises reportedly accounted for a $2,000,000 monthly payroll segment, sustained through systematic payoffs to local officials and , which enabled near-unimpeded 24-hour vice activities until 's end in 1933. This dominance terrorized rival enterprises, establishing a model of territorial enforcement via and that prioritized consolidation of illegal distribution from southern suppliers into the region. Their feuds, particularly the 1926–1928 war with Charles Birger's gang, intensified underworld dynamics through escalatory tactics such as armored cars, bombings, and drive-by shootings, eliminating key competitors and reshaping power structures in "Little Egypt." Birger's eventual conviction and execution on April 19, 1928, for orchestrating the murder of West City Mayor Joe Adams during the conflict, marked a Shelton victory that further entrenched their influence, though it also highlighted the reciprocal brutality defining regional gang interactions. The gang's legacy persisted beyond their primary active period, informing patterns of corruption, labor racketeering, and vice monopolies that influenced crime into the 1960s, even as the Sheltons shifted operations northward post-1933. Their name remained locally evocative of Prohibition-era lawlessness, underscoring a foundational role in normalizing organized vice amid weak rural enforcement, though eventual dispersal due to internal strife and external pressures left a fragmented but enduring template for successor criminal networks.

Broader Historical Context

The enactment of the 18th Amendment in 1920, instituting nationwide until its repeal in 1933, created lucrative opportunities for bootlegging operations that fueled the expansion of syndicates throughout the , particularly in Midwestern states with access to rural distillation sites and urban markets. In , a region characterized by communities, sparse , and established smuggling routes along the and Rivers, gangs capitalized on the demand for illegal alcohol by establishing roadhouses, dens, and distribution networks that often intertwined with local labor disputes and vice trades. This era's criminal enterprises were marked by intense territorial competitions, as groups vied for monopolies on bootleg liquor, stolen automobiles, and protection rackets, contrasting with the more centralized urban mobs in cities like . Southern Illinois counties, such as Williamson and Franklin, had already earned a reputation for endemic violence well before Prohibition intensified gang activities, with the nickname "Bloody Williamson" originating from the 1870s Bloody Vendetta—a protracted family feud that claimed dozens of lives—and exacerbated by the 1922 Herrin Massacre, where striking coal miners and strikebreakers clashed, resulting in 23 deaths including non-combatants. These incidents reflected deeper causal factors, including economic desperation in declining mining towns, ethnic tensions among immigrant laborers, and weak state authority, which created a cultural tolerance for vigilante justice and private enforcement of order. The resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1920s further complicated the landscape, as the group attempted to impose moralistic controls on vice while clashing with bootleggers over ideological and economic dominance, drawing gangs into broader conflicts that blurred lines between crime, nativism, and anti-authoritarianism. Within this volatile context, the Shelton Brothers Gang emerged as a dominant force by leveraging familial alliances and rural mobility to challenge rivals like the Charlie Birger outfit, whose wars from onward involved bombings, drive-by shootings, and armored vehicle assaults, culminating in Birger's 1928 execution for murder. Such feuds underscored how not only amplified existing regional lawlessness but also integrated gang operations with legitimate sectors like labor unions and politics, as criminal elements sought to extort tribute from industries vulnerable to disruption. Post-repeal, many gangs, including the Sheltons, pivoted to and , perpetuating a pattern of underworld influence amid the Great Depression's economic strains, though federal interventions like those under the FBI's nascent anti-gangster campaigns began eroding their autonomy by the late .

References

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  21. https://www.nytimes.com/1948/07/27/archives/dry-era-gangster-killed-in-ambush-bernie-shelton-50-cut-down.html
  22. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MT19500607.2.27
  23. https://www.facebook.com/themobmuseum/posts/during-prohibition-the-shelton-brothers-gang-formed-by-carl-earl-and-bernie-red-/1002770898625040/
  24. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/american-enterprise/online/corporate-era/bootlegging
  25. https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p062339
  26. https://www.fbi.gov/history/brief-history/the-fbi-and-the-american-gangster
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