QUARANTINE BLOG # 368

April 2, 2021

We’ve looked at the careers of some famous infamous gangsters of the Depression Era.  Let’s turn the page and look at some of the good guys, starting with “G-man”  or “government man.”  The term means an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

There are multiple origin stories of the term.  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term “G-man” was first used in the year 1928.  The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary for the American usage was in 1930, from a biography of Al Capone by F. D. Pasley.  My favorite story is the nickname may have originated during the September 1933 arrest of the gangster George “Machine Gun” Kelly by agents of the Bureau of Investigation, a forerunner of the FBI.  Finding himself unarmed, Kelly supposedly shouted, “Don’t shoot, G-men! Don’t shoot!”

Kelly’s story is interesting, so a slight detour.

George Kelly Barnes, is better known by his pseudonym “Machine Gun Kelly.”  To protect his family and to escape law enforcement officers, he changed his name to George R. Kelly.  He married Kathryn Thorne, an experienced criminal who purchased Kelly’s first machine gun and insisted – despite his lack of interest in weapons – on his performing target practice in the countryside.  His nickname came from that weapon, a Thompson submachine gun. 

His best known, and last crime, was for the kidnaping of the oil tycoon and businessman Charles F. Urschel in July 1933, from which he and his gang collected a $200,000 ransom (around $4 million dollars today).  

Kelly and Kathryn Thorne receive life sentences for the Urschel kidnaping.

The couple was arrest in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 26, 1933.  On October 12, 1933, George Kelly and Kathryn Thorne were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.  Machine Gun Kelly spent his remaining 21 years in prison, dying of a heart attack at Leavenworth on his 59th birthday.  Kathryn Kelly was released from prison in 1958 and lived in relative anonymity in Oklahoma under the assumed name “Lera Cleo Kelly” until her death in 1985 at the age of 81.

Well that took longer than anticipated, so the stories of Elliot Ness, Melvin Purvis, and J. Edgar Hoover will begin on Monday.  Cub Scout’s Honor.

👉  Some more signs from Indian Hills Community Center.

👉  From Family Circus for grandkids everywhere:

👉  Today is Good Friday, the day when Christians remember the anniversary of the day Jesus died on the cross paying the price for all of our sins.  But a day which is filled with such horror, such grief, such suffering, why is it called “good”?  One answer is because what was bad for Jesus was so good, so very good for us.  

The origin of the use of the term Good Friday is not clear.  In the Roman Missal, the book which contains all the prayers and worship service that is read or sung by Catholic Priests it is called Good Friday; the Holy and Great Friday in the Greek Liturgy; Holy Friday in Romance Languages; Charfreitag – Sorrowful Friday – in German; and Long Friday in Denmark.  But with all of that, The origin of the term Good is not clear.  Some say it is from “God’s Friday” (Gottes Freitag).

What ever the reason for the name – and I remember when stores would close from noon to three on that anniversary – Good Friday celebrates the beginning of the most momentous weekend in the history of the world.  The cross and resurrection of Jesus are the decisive turning point for all creation.  Paul said, “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3 ESV).

Whatever it is called, here is Luke’s record (23:26-46) of that day:

Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’  Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”  Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

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