Ma Barker Totally Explained

Everything about Ma Barker totally explained

Kate "Ma" Barker (October 8, 1873 – January 16, 1935) was a legendary American criminal from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the Midwest gripped the American people and press. Her notoriety has since subsided, trailing behind Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.

Early life

Kate Barker was born in Ash Grove, Missouri, near Springfield, and named Arizona Donnie Clark. Her parents were conservative Christians who believed in hard work and traditional values, traits which she embraced. In 1892, she married George Barker. They had four boys named Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Fred. George Barker departed after the birth of their last son, Fred. There is indication that George Barker was considered a “worthless drunk” and was tossed out by Ma Barker. Since she was trying to raise the boys on her own, with little income, they'd inadequate supervision and became juvenile delinquents. Ma Barker often kept them out of the Criminal justice system by pleading with the arresting officers, or throwing tantrums at the police station.
Arizona Clark was most likely born on October 8, 1873. George Barker was the informant on Arizona Barker's amended death certificate. He gave her date of birth as October 8, 1877. The 1877 is incorrect, but 8 October is probably correct. The 1880 Census of Boone Twp., Greene Co., MO, lists Arizona Clark as the step-daughter of Reuben Reynolds, who had married Arizona's mother, Emeline (Parker) Clark on July 8, 1879 in Greene Co.,MO. Arizona is listed as being 6 years old. This places her birth between June 1, 1873 and June 1, 1874, and agrees with a birthdate of October 8, 1873. The best record of Arizona's year of birth is her marriage record. She married George E. Barker on September 12, 1892 in Aurora, Lawrence Co., MO. She gave her age as 18. This places her birth between September 12, 1873 and September 12, 1874, and agrees with a birthdate of October 8, 1873. In 1910 George and Arrie Barker appeared on the census of Finley, Christian Co., MO. Arrie was listed as age 36, and therefore born between April 15, 1873 and April 15, 1874. This also agrees with a birthdate of October 8, 1873. The 1920 census of Lincoln, Stone Co., MO, gives Arrie's age as 45 - when she should have been 46. Her age at the time of her first marriage is 17, when it was actually 18.
In 1930 Arrie appeared on the census of Tulsa, Tulsa Co., OK, as the wife of Arthur W. Dunlop. Her age was given as 53, when she was actually 56. The 1920 and 1930 censuses are probably in error, but there's the possibility that Arrie was shaving a few years off her age as time went by. Based upon the above five records and the fact that the first three are in agreement, the date of her birth appears to be 8 Oct. 1873. It is also clear from the 1920 census that George Barker didn't leave the family until after 1920.

Controversy

Though her children were undoubtedly criminals and their Barker-Karpis Gang committed a spree of robberies, kidnappings and other crimes between 1931 and 1935, the popular image of her as the gang's leader and its criminal mastermind would appear to be fictitious.
The actual degree of Barker's own criminality is in doubt. However, she did likely know of the gang's activities and helped them before and after they committed their crimes, and this would make her an accomplice. There is no evidence that she was ever an active participant in any of the crimes themselves or involved in planning them. Her role was in taking care of gang members, who often sent her to the movies while they committed crimes. Alvin Karpis, the gang's second most notorious member, later said that:
Harvey Bailey, who knew the Barkers well. He observed in his autobiography that Ma Barker "couldn't plan breakfast" let alone a criminal enterprise.
Many, including Karpis, have suggested that the myth was encouraged by J. Edgar Hoover and his fledgling FBI to justify his agency's killing of an old lady. She was shot dead when the FBI raided the cottage she was renting with her son Fred at Lake Weir in the area of Oklawaha, Florida on January 16, 1935. It was Fred, also killed in the raid, who had been the Bureau's main target.

Summary of Barker sons/gang activities

1900 - 1920

1910 -- Herman Barker arrested for Highway Robbery in Webb City, Missouri.
March 5, 1915 -- Herman Barker arrested for Highway Robbery in Joplin, Missouri.

1940 On...

World War II -- Lloyd Barker is US Army cook, ironically at POW camp Fort Custer, Minnesota; receives US Army Good Conduct Medal and Honorable Discharge.

March 18, 1949 -- Lloyd Barker killed by his wife; he's manager of Denargo Market in Denver Colorado; she's sent to Colorado State Insane Asylum.

Popular culture

The myth of Ma Barker inspired James Hadley Chase's novel No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1939), which features a mother in charge of her sons' gangster mob; this was eventually adapted to stage and screen, though with great difficulty from British censorship guidelines. Her story was adapted in the low budget film Bloody Mama (1970), directed by Roger Corman and starring Shelley Winters as Ma, depicted as a corrupt mother who encourages and organizes her children's criminality. The film featured an early appearance by a young Robert De Niro as Lloyd Barker.
   Another retelling of the legend occurred in the 1996 movie Public Enemies starring Theresa Russell. "Ma Barker and Her Boys", an episode of The Untouchables, pits Federal Agent Eliot Ness against the Barker clan, and depicts Ness as leading the assault on Ma Barker and her sons at their Florida hide-out. In real life Ness wasn't a member of the FBI at the time of the shoot-out, and had nothing to do with the Barker/Karpis case.
   The story is also probably the inspiration for the 1977 Boney M music single "Ma Baker", the character of "Maw" Famon in the Dick Tracy comic strip, the character of Pa Stark (Charles B. Middleton) and his sons in the 1938 Republic movie serial Dick Tracy Returns, the Ma Dalton character in the Lucky Luke comic strip, Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys characters in the Scrooge McDuck universe, and Anne Ramsey's character Mama Fratelli in the 1985 Richard Donner film The Goonies, a movie about teenage camaradarie. The pirate chief and her sons in Castle in the Sky movie also may have a connection with her story. She may also have been the inspiration for the character Ma Jarrett in the 1949 James Cagney movie White Heat, and was certainly the inspiration for Ma Barker's Killer Brood and "Ma Parker" on the Batman TV series.
   The band Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is a concept band whose story is based on the story of Ma Barker and her sons' rise to power and then death on Jan. 16, 1935.

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