The Shelton Brothers: The Forgotten Depression Era Gang That Battled the Law, the KKK, and the Chicago Outfit
From the early 1920s through the late 1940s, the Shelton Gang controlled much of the illegal vice trade in southern Illinois. Their reign was characterized by several violent and notable clashes
Background
During the 1920s and 1930s, America went through several major transitions, beginning with the passage of the Volsted Act in 1919, which made the transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages illegal. The law which became known as prohibition went into effect in January 1920.
The law’s intention may have been noble, but this was the roaring 20s, and Americans wanted to drink. The law created a vacuum that came to be filled by those willing to take risks to facilitate the first law of economics: supply and demand.
Because of the overwhelming demand for booze, many enterprising small-time criminals became wildly successful by stepping into the breach and supplying the demand.
From north to south and coast to coast, bootleggers, rumrunners, distillers, drivers, and others all skirted the law and risked their freedom and sometimes their lives for a piece of the enormous profits there to be had.
By the time prohibition ended, the high-flying 20s had given way to the bleak reality of the Great Depression, and with it came a new breed of outlaw. Depression-era gangsters like Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Machine Gun Kelly, and more crisscrossed the Midwest, robbing banks and committing other crimes to fund their nomadic lifestyles.
In southern Illinois, a criminal organization known as the Shelton Gang acted as a sort of bridge between the two eras.
Origins
The three Shelton brothers, who would later form the core of the gang, began their lives on a 120-acre farm in Wayne County, Illinois. Carl (b.1888), Earle (b.1890), and Bernie (b. 1898) were three of Ben and Agnes Shelton’s ten children, and at a young age, the three boys showed a proclivity for criminal behavior.
As teens, the brothers became involved in larcenies and thefts while going back and forth for short jail stays.
Things changed, however, with the onset of prohibition. The brothers saw the enormous potential of becoming involved in the illegal booze trade. They packed up and moved their operations to East St. Louis, Illinois, a larger city and territory.
With Carl as the soft-spoken leader, Earle was adept at networking and making connections and contacts, and younger brother Bernie acted as the gang’s enforcer and muscle.
From there, the Shelton Gang’s numbers increased to more than 50 men. The Sheltons continued to expand their territory throughout southern Illinois, forming a dominant grip on bootlegging and gambling within the region.
Rivalry with Charles Birger
Early into their run as bootleggers, the Shelton Gang formed close ties with another bootlegging gangster named Charles Birger. Sources indicate that the alliance began strong; however, by 1925, the relationship had soured, and the two rivals went to war.
Accounts vary, with some sources claiming the Sheltons moved against Birger first, while others claim that Birger became resentful of the Sheltons and acted first.
Regardless of the origin, the war was violent and disruptive for both sides, with murders and bombings becoming a regular occurrence. The mayhem became so much that both sides created homemade armored trucks that acted as crude tanks.
The violence left no one safe, as houses were firebombed, family members were shot, and bodies continued to pile up in the street.
The war with Birger finally ended when Birger snitched to the police about a prior unsolved mail carrier robbery the Sheltons had committed. The Shelton brothers received a 25-year sentence.
In 1928, Charles Birger was executed for his role in a murder-for-hire plot.
War with the KKK
The Shelton Gang had always fiercely protected what they viewed as theirs. Prior to their feud with Charlie Birger, the Shelton brothers clashed with another notorious foe: The Ku Klux Klan.
Even though it was a northern state and the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, in the early 1920s, southern Illinois had a sizable KKK population, many of whom were pro-prohibition and anti-bootlegger.
The Klan routinely attacked and assaulted bootleggers, speakeasies, and those who purchased illicit alcohol. After several violent clashes with deaths on both sides, the Klan retreated, leaving southern Illinois in the hands of the Sheltons.
Rebranding
The Sheltons received an early release from prison, and by the early 1930s, they had relocated to Peoria, Illinois. The brothers were hired by a man named Clyde Garrison to act as his bodyguards and muscle.
This was in response to a kidnapping attempt on Garrison by rival gangsters that left his wife killed.
For a time, Garrison and the Sheltons had a good working relationship. However, similar to Charles Birger, after some time, the relationship soured. However, unlike Birger, Garrison did not attempt to go to war with the Sheltons, rather, he left Peoria.
For the next decade-plus, the Sheltons ran Peoria as well as other regional territories. They had working relationships with the police and city government, while many of the citizens turned a blind eye.
With the necessary people bribed, the Sheltons were free to operate as they pleased in Peoria. Whereas bootlegging used to be their primary source of income, in Peoria, gambling and prostitution were the gang’s bread and butter.
The gang was also greatly feared and had developed a reputation for violence. One resident recalled, “you couldn’t spit in Peoria without the Shelton’s okay.” The Sheltons also took advantage of Peoria being a “wide open city,” meaning that it was not under the control of any mob syndicate.
The brothers had an agreement with longtime Peoria mayor E.N. Woodruff. However, by the early 1940s, attitudes in Peoria had changed, and many of the citizens were unhappy that the city had gained such a prominent reputation for sleaze and vice.
End of the Shelton Gang
This attitude shift was felt at the ballot box as Woodruff stunningly lost his reelection bid, thus ending his run as the city’s longest-serving mayor.
Now, without their political protection, the Sheltons were told in no uncertain terms that their activities would no longer be tolerated.
The Sheltons took heed and moved their operations beyond the city limits into Peoria County, where officials were more lenient.
Bernie Shelton purchased The Parkway Tavern outside city limits as a base of operations.
By late 1947, Carl Shelton had announced his plans to retire from crime. His words were met with skepticism by some. However, he would never get the chance. On October 23, 1947, as Carl drove with a friend near the family farm, he was ambushed by a barrage of gunfire from an unknown car. He died at the scene.
Some have speculated that the murders were contracts ordered by the Chicago Outfit, who were seeking to take control of Peoria and the surrounding areas.
Then, in July 1948, family enforcer Bernie Shelton was shot to death outside of his tavern.
Earle, the remaining Shelton brother, was shot on several different occasions and had his barn burned down.
Finally, having had enough, Earle, his mother, sister, and several in-laws moved to Florida, where they lived out their days in peace, with Earle passing away in 1986 at age 96.
Sources:
Luciano, Phil. “In a hail of gunfire, Shelton Gang was driven out of Illinois.” The McDonough County Voice, 3 July 2008, https://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/story/news/2008/07/03/in-hail-gunfire-shelton-gang/46805409007/
Hutchcroft, Joel J. “A Bloody Band of Bootleggers: The Shelton Brothers Gang.” Shooting Times, 6 October 2021, https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/bloody-band-bootleggers-shelton-brothers-gang/452661
“Peoria and The Shelton Gang.” Peoria Magazine, 1 October 2022, https://www.peoriamagazine.com/archive/ibi_article/2012/peoria-and-shelton-gang/
McAndrew, Tara. “Booze, Blood And Bombs: Prohibition In Southern Illinois.” NPR Illinois, 13 August 2020, https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2020-08-13/booze-blood-and-bombs-prohibition-in-southern-illinois