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A SERVICE OF OHIO'S PUBLIC BROADCASTING STATIONS
A SERVICE OF OHIO'S PUBLIC BROADCASTING STATIONS
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November 7, 1935. Garrettsville, Ohio. The Erie Train number six-two-six is robbed at gunpoint on this very spot, formerly the Garrettsville Train Depot. The bandits, under the direction of Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, make off with more than $46,000 - the last great train heist in American history. Creepy Karpis is no small-time gangster. He's Public Enemy Number One according to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and his government men, also known as the G-Men. Hounded by the G-men, Karpis does everything he can to change his appearance, even having his own fingertips sliced off to avoid detection, but the trick fails. Months later on May 1, 1936, Hoover himself arrests Karpis in New Orleans.
Locals say after the train robbery, the FBI stormed Garrettsville searching for their man, making such an impression on the town that even today, the athletes of the James A. Garfield School District still call themselves the "G-Men."
Locals say after the train robbery, the FBI stormed Garrettsville searching for their man, making such an impression on the town that even today, the athletes of the James A. Garfield School District still call themselves the "G-Men."
July 18, 2016