The Hideout is proud to present the gangster poems of Day Torrey.
She sums up the lives of the notorious outlaws quite well in her verses! 
Yet another talented person that should be recognized...

                               
They met through a friend
the beginning of their lives
they couldn't leave each other alone
so they stayed together in crime

Their fame rapidly spread
as they blazed through Texas
passing through small towns
they were both fearless
              
They shared there - good times
whenever they could
constantly on the alert
in case they were caught
    
They were wanted by the law
with a price on their heads
Wanted - Bonnie and Clyde
was stated by the Feds
 
They thought they were bulletproof
from the long arm of the law
yet sooner or later they knew
the Police couldn't help but score
 
No one could catch them
until a posse of six men
the lives of Bonnie and Clyde
was rapidly coming to an end
                 
Rat-tat-tat the bullets spat
as their blood flowed red
crime and punishment had ended
as Bonnie and Clyde laid dead
 
Their rein of terror was over
filled mostly with crime
to die in a volley of bullets
was their moment in time
 
They were buried apart
though Clydes grave's a mystery 
dispite that of family and police
They are together in History

A torrid of violence
inflicted by the gang
he never felt remorse
as he gunned down each man
 
They showed no style
when they robbed a bank
they bungled in their expertise
that showed flaws in their rank
 
Robbing stores and gas stations 
what suited them best
they let lady luck 
take care of the rest
 
John Dillinger once remarked
about the Barrow gang
for giving robbery a bad name
was enough to frustrate the man
 
They holed up in a motel
and was spied by sharp eye's
the law was alerted
for the Barrows were tied
 
It came as a shock
from somewhere in the dark
Buck fell back in disbelief
as two bullets found it's mark
 
The pain mirrored in his eyes 
his dying so agonizingly slow
they made a daring escape
as the blood gently flowed
 
Lacking food and wounded
they were on the downslide
it was becoming a mission
to simply keep alive
 
The Barrow gang were three
they were on their way
killing more men as they traveled
to gain some extra pay
 
With the gang replinished
violence continued once more
the law was closing in around them
to end this bitter war
 
The Barrows' fell in to a dispute
two members left the gang
it was over a bank job they pulled 
Bonnie and Clyde fell with a bang
 
Whoever said - there was honor among thieves
the members forgot the code
for Bonnie an Clyde were deceived
 
Their deaths erupted with violence
history written in blood 
they will always be remembered
as the Barrows gang of thug's

Bud Russell left a legacy
so many years ago
his life involved criminals
who thought crime would flow
 
Forty years he gave his life
and was never in doubt
for the prisoners he transferred
he never lost count
 
one made a daring escape
that tore at his heart
Bud shot him in the foot
but left him to run hard
 
he sent a telegram
because of this act
please go to hell
resign when you come back
 
he proudly showed his reply
to everyone who looked
until it became unreadable
it found it's way into a book
 
he was a fair and humane man
the prisoners respected
they termed him as "Uncle Bud"
a name that never relented
 
his warped sense of humor
played against his wife
a guard mistook her as a prostitute
as Bud remain quite
 
the guard barked his order
she flatly refused to budge
she's my wife
came from Uncle Bud
 
In all his years as a lawman
he transferred 115,000 prisoners
it was all due to respect
that made him a winner
 
at the time of execution
Joe Palmer claimed
that Uncle Bud and Roy
was the only lawmen he named
 
On the pages of history
there's a light that shines
for Bud Russell alias Uncle Bud
who devoted his life against crime

Ruled by J. Edgar Hoover
America's first outlawed son
John Herbert Dillinger became
public enemy number one
 
He made his escape
on a stolen police car
across the state line
he became a public star
 
His crime rate climbed
as he robbed several bank's
he made the F.B.I. look foolish
for his one time prank
 
He won his escape
using a wooden gun
taking another with him
to freedom on the run
 
J. Edgar Hoover wasn't amused
this hoodlum was gaining fame 
across the land of America
the F.B.I. knew,they had to tame
 
For the F.B.I.
it was a matter of pride
he was a pain in the neck
they couldn't let him survive
 
He changed his image
so he wouldn't be found
replacing his identify
so he could move around
 
A woman who thought
she was more important
sold John Dillinger's life
so she wouldn't be deported
 
A signal was arranged
by the lighting of a cigar
it flared in the dark
to confirm Dillinger's figure
 
The guns blazed with fury
as F.B.I. agents neared
in a dirty alleyway of Chicago
he was shot down dead
 
History crown him
as public enemy number one
a man who got his fame 
as America's outlawed son

Chicago reputation for violence
was growing at a steady pace
a city that was fill with gangsters
left a nasty bitter taste
 
Al Capone best known gangster
had a leading role in crime
he netted millions for his activities
and was the deadliest of his kind
 
He inherited the Out Fit
Capone became Boss
he organized crime on the run
and never ran at a loss
 
Eliot Ness with the Untouchables
hone in on his freedom of crime
collapsing his breweries
he was running on borrowed time
 
Massacre on St Valentines Day
Capone's men dressed as policemen
discharged more than a hundred fifty bullets
in the backs of their victims
 
With this cruel massacre 
shots echoed through the streets
a death sentence had been executed
Buggy's could only stare in stun defeat
 
A dangerous man this Al Capone
yet generous to the poor
opening the first soup kitchen
during the Depression they couldn't ignore 
 
Landing Al Capone in court
was a receipt with his name
it was enough to convict him
no one else could take the blame
 
He lived a fair age
despite all his tests
it's ironic that he died
of a cardiac Arrest

Born Lester Joseph Gillis
an ill tempered brat
he terrorized the neighborhood 
with a wooden baseball bat
 
His smooth angelic face 
never betrayed the real man
his cruelty emerging fast 
flowing throughout the land
 
A terrorizing nightmare
he came forth as Baby Face
a tough heartless killer
for the F.B.I. - he was another case
 
Heading into Chicago
he developed a small racket
selling a protecting scheme
he bullied for it's market
 
He join up with Al Capone
he couldn't wait to make a stand
thrilled with such an honor
he felt a real big man
 
Too dangerous and lippy
attracting one too many Feds
he didn't last very long
as one of Capone's men
 
John Dillinger learned his mistake
for the man he had employed
he loved the taste of blood
a pleasure he so enjoyed
 
He prove himself insane
as he shot on sight
Innocent victims died
John Milliner didn't like
 
After John Dillinger's death
Nelson took his name
as public enemy number one
he had finally gained his fame
 
His brief and gruesome life 
was coming to an end
the F.B.I. mortally wounded him
hours later he was dead
 
His ruthless violent life
has never been a mystery
Baby Face Nelson's crimes
are in the pages of History

Beyond the mountain ridge
as a youth he was called Choc
he dreamt of adventures
adventures that took stock
 
Alias Pretty Boy Floyd
was born Charles Arthur
he became a notorious gangster
the F,B.I. was running after
 
He teamed up with other
well known figures of crime
his destiny followed the same pattern
he will be gunned down in time

A case of mistaken identity
how pretty boy got his name
confused with another
but the alias was to remain
 
He was convicted and tried
for most of his criminal sins
he shot and murdered the lawman
that were chasing after him
 
At one point Pretty Boy Floyd
was a fugitive on the run
a call from a nation
that was after his blood
 
Staying low for sometime
until the law became slack
he took refuge in Buffalo
to cool the heat off his back
 
Pretty Boy Floyd was betrayed
but not by a woman
but justice by the name of Hoover
the American's top lawman
 
He was filled with lead
the light of freedom growing dim
clearing his name from the massacre
from his final breath within
 
He was tagged with the nickname
as it stayed with him in death
along with his history
he was put in there to rest

Ma Barker nee Bonnie Clark
gained a reputation after her death
it flourished by J Edgar Hoover
it was but a calculated myth
 
She gave birth to four sons'
her husband a shiftless slob
he left her with the boys
then walked out to get a job
 
The rise of the Barker boys
the underworld was their school
they learnt fast between themselves
that crime was a better tool
 
She loved her sons to distraction
they could do no wrong
despite all the accusation
her love was far too strong
 
She knew her sons were criminals
moving them from place to place
keeping them safe and sound
for the F.B.I. was in their face
 
The Barker boys were coming out
they were murderous and lethal
a crime wave swept America
to savage the lives of the people
 
While her son was in prison
he met up with Alvin Karpis
they formed a partnership in crime
for the F.B.I. - there was no peace
 
The Barker-Karpis gang was formed
so lethal - destructive in their wake
they added kidnapping to their list
more dangerous than a snake
 
Lawmen and agents fell to the dust
they died in agony and sorrow
for the families they would weep
and  knew there'd be no tomorrow
 
The gang grew in numbers
Ma Barker protected them all
but time was thinning out
the gang was ready to fall
 
It broke her heart 
to bury her son
she took him back home
for he was number one
 
Fifteen hundred bullets
only fourteen entered Fred
he laid dead beside his mother
with one bullet in her head
 
They are part of a legend
the Barker-Karpis gang
shooting their way into history
where they made their last stand

Neither the Hideout nor this poetess, could neglect
the lawmen who fought the battles and sacrificed their
lives during those turbulent years. This next poem is
dedicated to those - who wore the badge and died... 

Striving to bring law to order
seems almost an impossible task
for the lawmen of the United States
the dice had already been cast
 
The shockwave of crime
erupted in the bowels of the streets
Gangsters, Mobsters,and Criminals
infiltrated the lives of the meek
 
Waiting for the gangsters
the men of the law stood tall
ready and waiting for action
for they were always on call
 
For these brave men behind the badge
came at a deadly cost
they laid dying in the dust
the many lives that were lost
 
With families and friends
their deaths were never in vain
all the tears mingle as one
for the loss and suffering of pain
 
The children of these men
will be able to grow with love
your fathers fought for freedom
for the future that was to come
 
In the text of the history book
where their brave deeds did go
so the hearts of the Innocents
can nurture and grow