Edward J. Adams

Serial Killer

Edward J. Adams: A Notorious Criminal of the Prohibition Era

Early Life

Edward James "Eddie" Adams was born on April 23, 1887, in Hutchinson, Kansas, originally named William Joseph Wallace. After his father's death during his youth, his mother remarried, leading to a strained relationship between Adams and his stepfather. Disliking physical labor, Adams trained as a barber and relocated to Wichita, Kansas, in the early 1900s. There, he became involved in bootlegging, petty theft, and car theft, often collaborating with John Callahan. His criminal activities and infidelities led to the dissolution of his marriage. Eventually, Adams formed his own gang, engaging in bank and train robberies across Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa, earning a reputation as a prominent bandit during the early Prohibition era.

Criminal Activities and Escapes

In 1920, Adams partnered with brothers Ray and Walter Majors. On September 5, they attempted a daylight robbery of a Kansas City gambling establishment owned by Harry Trusdell. The heist resulted in a shootout, leading to the death of gambler Frank Gardner and the gang's subsequent capture. In February 1921, Adams was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, while the Majors brothers received five-year sentences after pleading guilty to robbery. During transport to the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, Adams escaped by jumping off a train. Days later, on February 11, 1921, he and Julius Finney robbed a bank and general store in Cullison, Kansas. Adams was recaptured near Garden Plain on February 17 after crashing a stolen car. Convicted of bank robbery, he received an additional 10 to 30-year sentence at the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing. On August 13, Adams escaped again by sabotaging the prison power plant and scaling the walls with inmates Frank Foster, George Weisberger, and D.C. Brown. The escape vehicle was driven by Billy Fintelman, a World War I veteran turned criminal. Except for Brown, who was recaptured, the fugitives evaded authorities and reformed the Adams gang.

Crime Spree and Murders

By September 1921, the gang had robbed approximately $10,000 from banks in Rose Hill and Haysville, Kansas. During the Haysville robbery, Adams brutally pistol-whipped 82-year-old James Krievell, who later died from a fractured skull. On October 8, police attempted to apprehend the gang near Anoly, Kansas, but they escaped after a gunfight that wounded Deputy Benjamin Fisher. Eleven days later, after stealing $500 in silver from a bank in Osceola, Iowa, the gang was confronted by a posse near Murray, Iowa. In the ensuing shootout, C.J. Jones was killed, and the gang fled in a stolen car belonging to Sheriff E.J. West. The crime spree continued with the robbery of 11 stores in Muscotah, Kansas, and the abduction and robbery of two motorcycle officers near Wichita, whose motorcycles were then set ablaze. On November 5, 1921, Adams coldly murdered Patrolman A.L. Young in Wichita, allegedly over a mutual romantic interest. The gang's most lucrative heist occurred shortly after, with the theft of $35,000 from a Santa Fe express train near Ottawa, Kansas. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (5)

James Krievell Age: (82)

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Suspected Victims:

Patrolman Robert Fitzpatrick , Date of Death: 1921-

Survivors:

Ray Casner , Date of Attack: 1921

Benjamin Fisher , Date of Attack: 1921

Edward J. Adams - Wikipedia

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