Baby Face George Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis aka Baby Face George Nelson was killed by the FBI on November 27th, 1934 during what is known as The Battle of Barrington.
On the afternoon of November 27, Nelson, his wife Helen, and one John Paul Chase, departed Lake Geneva travelling towards Chicago on former U.S. Route 12 (current U.S. 14).
Near Fox River Grove, Illinois, Nelson and a car carrying federal agents passed each other travelling in opposite directions. Thomas M. McDade and William C. "Bill" Ryan, Sr. were traveling to Lake Geneva to support fellow agents who encountered Nelson. The Feds and the Gangster recognized each other simultaneously, and after a hilarious and cartoon like series of U turns, Nelson wound up in pursuit of the Feds.
Chase opened fire on the agents. The agents returned fire, sped up, and drove off the highway, taking defensive positions to engage Nelson and gang. The agents were unaware that a round fired by Ryan damaged Nelson's stolen Ford model A. With his vehicle losing power, Nelson found himself being chased by a Hudson auto driven by two more Federal agents, Herman Hollis and Samuel P. Cowley.
As they attempted to pull up next to the Ford, Nelson turned into the entrance of Northside Park and brought the Ford to a screeching stop. Hollis and Cowley stopped at an angle about 100 feet past the Ford, took defensive positions behind their vehicle and, as Helen took cover in a field, opened fire on Nelson and Chase.
Cowley's Thompson submachine-gun struck Nelson above his belt line and Nelson’s gun jammed as Chase continued to fire from behind the car. Nelson switched his jammed machine-gun for another, stepped into the line of fire, and advanced toward Cowley and Hollis.
Cowley was hit by a burst from Nelson's gun after retreating to a nearby ditch. Pellets from Hollis' shotgun struck Nelson in the legs. Hollis, potentially wounded, retreated behind a pole, and drew his service pistol only to be shot in the head by Nelson. Hollis slid against the pole and fell face down. Nelson limped toward the agents' car, backed the car over to the Ford, and loaded the agents' vehicle with guns and ammo. After the weapons transfer, Nelson collapsed into the Hudson with Helen, Chase got behind the wheel and they fled the scene.
Nelson had been shot a total of nine times; a single machine gun slug had struck his abdomen- this would prove to be the fatal shot- and eight of Hollis's shotgun pellets had hit his legs. After telling his wife "I'm done for", Nelson gave directions to Chase who drove them to a safe house on Walnut Street in Wilmette. Nelson died in bed with his wife at his side at 7:35 P.M.
Hollis was declared dead soon after arriving at the hospital. At a different hospital, Cowley survived just long enough to confer briefly with Melvin Purvis, telling him, "Nothing would bring [Nelson] down."
Following an anonymous telephone tip, Nelson's body was discovered wrapped in a Native American patterned blanket in front of St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery in Skokie, which still exists today. Helen Gillis later stated that she had placed the blanket around Nelson's body because, "He always hated being cold.”
Helen served one year for harboring her late husband from justice. She never remarried, and died in 1987. At her request, she was buried next to her beloved.
