Vivian Davis Chase (circa 1902 - 2 November 1935) was a Midwestern gangster in the 1920s and 1930s.
Early life
During the midwestern wars of the 1930s, Chase was a notorious criminal. He guarded his origins with a well-preserved secret, because he once threatened to kill a lover if he ever revealed the location of his family. Researchers interested in his case most often lead to a dead end in difficult searches from Chase. The historical record for Chase only began in 1920, when the US Census of January 1920 reported eighteen-year-old Vivian Davis living in Kansas City, Missouri at 706 E. 14th Street. His work was listed as a waitress at a restaurant and his parents were registered as natives to Missouri, even though he did not live with them. Another historical document found for Chase is his marriage letter to George M. Chase. On April 1, 1921, 19-year-old Vivian Davis married George M. Chase from Kansas City, Mo. Chase is often confused with Vivian Grace Davis of Springfield, Missouri, who died on February 5, 1920, or with Albert and Sarah Davis, but it has been proven that they are not the same person.
Video Vivian Chase
Catching, fugitives and fame
Chase was first notified as George's wife on December 23, 1923, when he was arrested for a fight when he was shot by Ella Keller. Keller stated that George and his friends attacked him because he had reported them to the police and that he had to shoot George in self-defense. After catching George, the police go to his house, where they find Chase wearing six diamond rings. Chase was arrested for suspicion when he could not explain his ownership of some of the rings. He was released after three days when further evidence could not be found against him.
Chase did not appear in public records again until three years later, when he was in the company of Charlie Mayes, also known as Hardman Pighead. On February 15, 1926, Chase, Mayes, and Lee Flournoy and his wife were arrested after a free-for-all fight at a boarding house in Wichita, Kansas. During the arrest, Chase refused to speak. The investigation led investigators to his brother-in-law, Charles Chase, and his alleged involvement with Joe Bratton's liquor gang. On June 9, 1926, after "binge and joy", Flournoy and Mayes were shot dead in gun battles in Picher, Oklahoma when Chase was present. The three had been overseen by Ottawa County, Oklahoma officials for several days because the sheriff's deputy had told Sheriff Montgomery County, Kansas that he had found the suspects who robbed Cherryvale Bank on May 29, 1926. Chase was placed in jail, where he refused to face journalists. He was released on June 13, 1926, after not enough evidence was found to have accused him of crime.
The note was again silent on Chase until he reappeared in June 1932. He was arrested with Jackie Forman and Enos Weeks for the First National Bank robbery in North Kansas City on April 9, 1932. He was held on bail of $ 50,000. It was a small robbery; not more than $ 1,500 taken. Chase was held in Clay County Prison in Liberty, Missouri and fled after four months by sawing his cell grate and lowering himself with a rope made of sheets.
After escaping from Liberty jail, Chase fled to St. Louis. Louis, Missouri, where he was involved with Walter (Ireland) O'Malley. On July 10, 1933, he participated in the abduction of banker August Luer. Chase, O'Malley, and Percy 'Dice Box' Fitzgerald went to the house. Luer in Alton, Illinois. Chase, accompanied by O'Malley, rang the doorbell and asked to use the phone. When he enters and shows the location of the phone, he cuts the line. O'Malley wrestled with Luer August to the floor and clogged his mouth. Luer was taken to a farm where he was hidden in a wet basement while his captors tried to raise a ransom for him. Luer is not a good man, and is afraid that he will die before they can receive a ransom, his captor frees him after 123 hours. Both Chase and O'Malley escaped from Illinois back to Missouri after a careless kidnapping. Chase avoided the arrest, but O'Malley only managed to do so for two years until he was arrested in Kansas City on May 23, 1935.
In the early autumn of 1935, Kansas City, Missouri experienced a series of drugstore robberies. The robbers are described as men and women. The woman was further described as around 5Ã, Â ft. 6 inches tall, slim, with facial hair. When the victim was shown a photograph, they identified Chase as a female robber.
Maps Vivian Chase
Death and thereafter
On November 3, 1935, Chase's body was found in a car parked at Saint Luke Hospital in Kansas City, MO. He had been shot in the neck with a.45 caliber gun, a bullet coming out of his chest. When he was found, the coroner predicted that he only died 2 hours or less, causing speculation that his killer escorted him to the hospital when he was alive, expecting him to be found before his death. He had a.22 caliber pistol on his body, with a.45 caliber bullet in his handbag. The newspaper speculated that he had been betrayed by an accomplice and shot before he could shoot his assailant.
Chase seemed destined for burial in the potter's field. The owner of the funeral home to where he has been moved received an anonymous call asking about funeral expenses. The next morning, the funeral home receives an envelope filled with money for a fee, as well as a blue dress and underwear (hers) for Chase is buried. Nine mourners outside journalists and law enforcement officials attended his funeral. No one signed the guest book.
See also
- List of Depression-era offenders
References
External links
- Photos on the Web
- Vivian Chase posted on Best Yeggs crime blog
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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