See Something? Don't Say Something: The Shelton Brothers Gang

0:16 Oh, hey there. Oh, hey there. How are you? I am well. How are? you, I'm good. This is History, buffoons, it sure is. And I'm Bradley, I'm Kate. How are you today? I'm doing this is history buffoons, it sure is, and I'm I'm Bradley, I'm Kate. How are you today? I'm doing pretty good. Excellent, yeah, excellent. Yeah, it's been kind of a chill day. Chill day. Chill days are always a plus but it's not chilly outside. No, um, I don't know if anyone watches this, but if you do you'll notice we're in the pod loft and it's a little warm. But you know we'll make do Just don't fall asleep no guarantees. It's really warm up here. I can't guarantee that I won't fall asleep.

0:59 Hopefully this is a really interesting story. Well, I do have a question for you. Oh, wow, I feel like we haven't done one in a while. I know it's been a minute. I know it's because my stories have kind of been on the longer side. Yeah, no, I get that. But when was the last time you were in Peoria Illinois? 2000 and probably one. I was going to say 2025 because you were there for the 4th of July. But we weren't really in Peoria, though, were we? Well, we passed through Peoria, yeah, yeah, but I wasn't in Peoria, but I saw Limp Bizkit in Peoria.

1:39 Yeah, I remember you telling me that, so that was 2001? . I think so. 2000 or 2001 sounds about right. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah, I've only been to Peoria a handful of times, right, I mean? why go? I didn't really need to. I had a couple friends that lived there. Yeah, I think you had mentioned that. Yeah, well, that's where our story takes place. Kind of a little bit like half the story takes place in peoria, illinois, okay, and um, I got kind of I kind of got this story from um, a friend of a friend, yeah, um, his name is tony, who lives in peoria. So shout out to tony in peoria thank you, tony um, he wanted a little bit of a dive on peoria's bootlegging history.

2:22 Oh did, were they known for that? Well, they did have some moments. Really yes. Did any of the old school gangsters go through Peoria? And that's exactly who we're going to be talking about. Nice, yes, I like that. So, upon my bootlegging research of Peoria, this particular family came up. Oh, okay, I'm going to talk Speaking of bootlegging. Why don't we crack a beer? oh yeah, I've got one and it's cold yeah, we got our mainstays yeah, I got my madu I got my shandy all right. Cheers to peoria, illinois and bootlegging cheers yeah keeping anti-prohibition alive I really don't think that could ever go back into law oh no, there would be havoc it would be such an uproar, it would be insane yeah I mean it's just too ingrained I mean, I'd create an uproar myself I mean, I feel like you already are all right.

3:21 Anyways, let's continue okay, so, tony, thank you, this is for you yes, thank you, tony okay, so we are going to meet the shelton's shelton's yes okay, like s-e-h-e-l-t-o-n-s-h-e-l-t-o-n-s yes when I say s-e-h, I don't know, I am what you would call special. So half of them are dysfunctional. The other half are mostly functional. Okay, so we've got Roy. Roy, carl, oh boy, lots of names. There's seven. Oh, my God. But the majority of them. There's three, so I'm just going to list off the family members real fast. Oh, and then we're focusing more on three of them.

4:03 Gotcha Okay, members real fast, oh, and then we're focusing more on three of them, gotcha okay. So we've got roy, roy, carl, carl, earl, earl, delta, delta uh-huh how do you spell that d-a-l-t-a? delta, delta, that's a. That's a unique name. Yes, it was for one of the brothers. Yes, Okay. And then we have Bernie. Bernie, all right. Lula. Lula. And Hazel. Hazel Okay. And their parents were Ben and Agnes. Did Hazel have green eyes? Hazel probably had hazel eyes. You would think, did they not name her until they saw the color of her eyes? Because they change a little bit when you're a little kid or rise, because they change a little bit when you're a little kid.

4:46 So we are going to go to wayne, county illinois, is that? I assume that's near peoria, then it is not. It's actually in the southern part of illinois and that's where our story begins, so this is like the half of it. That doesn't is not in peoria, um, but we are in the midst of prohibition and three of the brothers decided that they wanted a life of crime well you. It was a very appealing life at that time because you could get rich bootlegging booze. Oh yes, I know a lot of it came in from Canada, a lot of it came in from the South or whatever you could make Then make their own. A lot of people made their own. That's why you see all those old pictures of old, old timey cops breaking down stills and shit whatever.

5:28 So did they have. I don't know if you get into this, but do they have a specific um booze that they focused? on. I mean they kind of dabbled in moonshine a little bit, but no, it was all very general. Um, just booze in general that I read right um, but then they got into like the gambling scene and all of that as well well, that usually kind of goes hand in hand with the the booze side. Yeah, so what? What year are we talking about? Is this 20 something? so we're gonna start kind of in the 1920s, okay, yeah, so we're gonna meet the three brothers a little bit deeper here. So carl shelton okay, he was born in 1888 oh wow, okay, so he was the oldest, he was a smooth talker, um, he was the guy who would kind of bribe judges while complimenting his wife's hat.

6:16 I'd be like we're gonna fuck some shit up, but also your hats that's really pretty. Your wife's hat is awesome. Yeah, I like it. He handled the politics and the payoffs and he was good at making things go away. Okay, I wrote down the gang's front office. The gang's front office. He's the office manager. Then we have Earl Shelton. Okay okay, he was born in 1990, sorry, 1890, the middle brother. He was also the brains behind the booze logistics okay um. He kept um the illegal liquor flowing um and after prohibition he pivoted to the gambling rackets.

7:04 Gotcha. And then we have Bernie. Shelton was born in 1898. Youngest one Okay. And he was also the angriest. Oh no, he was most likely to punch you in the face for breathing wrong. Sounds like my ex-wife. That's another story, for another time. He was the muscle, the guy that you really didn't want to piss off, was he? as I don't know, if you came across this, was he a big dude? he was, he was yeah a brute if you will yep, exactly okay so the other brothers and sisters, roy, dalta and hazel and lula, and their parents were not associated with the other brothers like dealings they were just the family, but didn't have anything to do with it.

7:51 Yeah, yeah but they were very much a family unit right. They just stayed out of the illegal stuff so they, they knew what was going on, they just didn't have a hand in it. Correct Gotcha Okay. So as soon as prohibition hit in the 1920s, the Shultons were like booze is illegal, but not for us. Did you come across anything that they did prior to getting into? They were mostly farmers, were they? Okay, yeah, yeah, farming family. I was just curious if they had a profession prior to no, mostly farming okay, yeah, well, I mean, that's a profession, yeah, but oh 100 you know, yeah, thanks to our farmers so, um, they started with moonshine and they shipped that all over what was called little egypt, and that's like the southern tip of illinois.

8:42 They called it little egypt. Why do they call it that? that wasn't part of my research I didn't expect that so soon is it because it's an upside down pyramid that's right that is 100, why they called it that, or I'm just trying to get you to move on um, they were also kind of all over the eastern, uh, st louis and all like all the way up to peoria. They were like all over like the middle to southern parts of illinois okay um, so their operation had kind of exploded with their popularity so sorry to interrupt.

9:25 Um, they were making their own moonshine at this time yes okay, I just wanted to clarify that because I guess for some reason I didn't I questioned it in my brain. So, yeah, okay they were making their own stuff, but also they were also like moving other people's liquor. Yeah, gotcha okay so they developed lots of roadhouses private stills and they actually created like a pretty large criminal network. Oh, like 50 plus, wow, yeah that's pretty good for those times yeah so um. They also had this guy in their gang called charlie brigger okay um, and for a while they got along really well, and then he decided that um so much one of the brothers potentially slept with his girlfriend, and then shit was on did they say which brother carl the oldest but oldest okay yeah, I couldn't find anything that was actually definitive, just a rumor well and yeah, who knows if it was really true yeah, and brigger might have just wanted to create his own empire and just get out of the shadow of the shelton's and that's possible and maybe cause a little disarray.

10:35 Yeah, in their operation to try and help himself so yeah, I could see that being a thing so there were territory disputes. Both sides wanted control over, like the most profitable counties and roadhouses, and Brigger just wasn't into being their sidekick or in their shadows. Like I said, sure, makes sense. They went from business bros to shoot on sight To mortal foes. Yes, exactly, get this. Both gangs built private armies. What? How do you build a private army? They had gunfights in the streets. Jesus, they made homemade armored cars.

11:18 Wow. And they had planes dropped from airplanes onto the other's territory. They had what dropped on bombs okay they had bombs dropped from airplanes because I mean planes dropped from airplanes. Like how big was the initial airplane to drop another plane? That's pretty impressive. Bombs, I mean, they were really rolling in the dough bombs were like they had such influence that they got bombs to be dropped from airplanes you know, and it's funny because, like planes weren't really around for very long by this point we were in world war ii era, just before this is. We're already into world war ii era we're in like the 20s late, 20s early 30s.

12:02 World war ii is like 10 years later for us. Yeah, I suppose I'm just saying well, the first flight was, wasn't that 1904? Four came to mind, and then I'm like six, seven, I always. Why do I always forget that? anyways, anyways, um. So they, yeah, they literally like jerry rigged bombs coming from planes. Crazy, that's crazy. What were the bombs made out of? That wasn't part of my research. I didn't ask that question for that answer, but I'm glad you answered it properly. I'm just curious, what would they have put in those in the 20s? To make a bomb, because it's not like they had traditional bombs.

12:44 And all the cops were like, yeah, we don't see anything. Of course they don't. Let me drink my free liquor. Right, because Carl was the oldest. No, carl was the oldest one, yeah. Because he was paying them off. So they didn't see shit. Must have been a bird man, I don't know. So casualties climbed into the dozens. Oh dear. During this time. Okay, and it was basically like a cheap version of Chicago at this point. Wow, yeah, so enter the Ku Klux Klan. Oh, dear, I know. That's really wild. So the KKK decided to be the region's morality police morality police yeah they hated booze, they hated gambling, they hated catholics, they hated bootleggers, they hated jazz and probably breakfast, we don't know I like breakfast.

13:38 I know I like jazz too so they would raid roadhouses, beat up bootleggers and even attack the hospital where gangsters were recovering from their wounds. Doesn't it seem just really odd that the KKK would be like anti-boos? I mean, to me it's just oh, it's, yeah, it's. It's like an oxymoron, yeah, oxymoron, exactly um, it's like an oxymoron, yeah, oxymoron, exactly because it's like they're out to like literally eliminate a race, if they can, or religion, or whatever all the other stuff they hated yeah quote, unquote yeah, so you'd think like people that despicable would be like yeah, I like booze. You know I'm all for it, but they were against it.

14:19 That just seems fucking just wrong. Yeah, but you know okay and of course, like the kkk and the gangs, they kind of mix like oil and water not very well. Right and uh, both turned into armies that fought each other again jesus and law enforcement was just like I don't see anything. Let me drink my free liquor it was like this is water. It's really moonshine, it's just clear so sheriffs and mayors were either bribed by the sheltons or they were scared into um obliging. Okay, the sheltons, sure um they were routinely bought off.

15:02 Of course. One local quote. He said, quote we'd arrest them, but they gave us a really nice Christmas bonus. What kind of bonus do you think they got? Probably a lot of liquor. I'm sure it was a mixture right, Because buy the family something nice and get drunk while you do it. But the Shelton's were raking it in, despite the Klan, despite. Oh, I'm sure they were. Yeah, despite Burger. They ran over a dozen roadhouses and many of them were open 24-7. Jesus, they featured gambling, liquor and other vices, prostitution.

15:47 World's oldest profession. Yeah, exactly. So the combined payroll in a couple of counties here Williamson County and Franklin Counties was $2 million a month, which is $3.5 million today. That's it According to my my calculations, which could be wrong 2 million back then is only 3.5 today. Well, now you have me like doubting myself I'm glad because that seems like it would be more, at least, I mean, I, I don't know, I just I'm not saying you're wrong, I just feel like it would be more how many zeros? six one, two, three, four, five, six, how?

16:31 many zeros, oh man, that was great okay okay oh, three billion dollars because I'm like there's no way it only went up 1.5 million dollars. I mean, what exchange or interest rate are you at, geez? oh, there were additional digits behind that, that the 36 or the three zeros. There was three more, yeah that's just like I'm gonna give you a raise on your paycheck. There'll be a couple extra zeros in the front of your check this week. What the fuck yeah 3.5 billion with a. B billion, holy shit.

17:12 I mean, yeah, that sounds more like what I was thinking it should be. That's insane. That's insane. Wow. Could you I? Mean just think of how much product they move through then to, I mean, two million in the 20s is crazy yeah. So citizens were getting a little furious about everything, and they started to demand that the governor declare martial law. Oh boy, just to make the chaos stop. But do you know who the governor was? I don't, ok, I wasn't sure if he was know who the governor was. I don't Okay Um I wasn't sure if he was prominent in the story or not. No, um, I do mention um a mayor later on, but no, not this is the only governor highlight.

17:54 But um, he was probably like they're, they're paying some kind of tax, it's fine. As as long as they got theirs, they don't care. That's the problem, especially back then. I mean, it's a lot different today, obviously, and the shenanigans happen today, of course, but at the same time, back then, if you give a little extra envelope to this guy, they don't. They, like you said, look the other way. Yep, the police did so. That's wild so the feud between umger and the Shelton brothers made Southern Illinois pretty bloody. Right. And Berger actually got himself arrested, oh dear, and convicted and publicly hanged.

18:38 Oh, wow In 1928. So they were still Go ahead Sorry. He ordered a hit on the mayor, who happened to be on team shelton well, yeah, I mean that you picked the wrong guy so clearly that hit didn't go through, nope or fail, whatever. I guess I mean wow. I guess I wonder when the last hanging in the states was it was. I have this information oh my god, you got something. It was in 1928, and it was a guy named charlie burger that was the last last hanging in illinois, wow that's wild, I guess.

19:20 I can't believe they even distilled it in 1928,. I guess yeah. Because you said it was a public hanging. Mm-hmm, isn't that crazy. It's like son, get your popcorn, we're going to see the hanging. I had an answer. That was a part of your research. It was a part of my research. Well done, well done, okay, so in 1925, before he was convicted, and all that. Berger actually ratted out the Sheltons. There was some kind of like federal mail robbery case and Berger like threw the Sheltons under the bus. They didn't do it. No, but he was trying to eliminate his competition, exactly.

20:01 So they were all arrested and put into jail. For how long? They had 25-year sentences each, carl, ernie and Bernie. Wow. Yes, and that's when Berger kind of rose a little bit more to power and then got himself hanged. But the boys were released in 1930, just five years in. Oh, so they were in just five years in. Oh, so they were in prison for five years. Wow, why did they get released so early? I'm sure they bought people off. I don't know. I don't. I'm asking a lot of doozies today, but you are. But when they got, out Prohibition was starting to lose some steam, because when did prohibition actually end?

20:47 It was like 1933 that's what came to mind. I can't remember exactly, but okay yeah for some reason, 33 popped in my head. Whether that's right or not, it was around there, yeah, um, so they were on the tail end of prohibition by the time they got out, okay, yeah so in the 1930s, peoria was illinois's second largest city behind chicago, yeah, really yeah, not sure what happened what's the second biggest now? I don't know jesus, why are you asking me such a random question? man. Well, because I'm curious, because we drove through Peoria. Yeah. And it's definitely.

21:28 It would have to be a suburb. I mean you would think, right yeah Of Chicago. Yeah, a suburb of Chicago. I would imagine, because I mean, I don't know, because what's the capital of Illinois? It's not Chicago, right, springfield, springfield, that's it, thank you, yeah, rockford's not very big either. It's not. And then I'm out of Aurora. I only know that because of Wayne's World, but she's typing for you to try and figure this out. Schaumburg is the second largest, and that is a. Is it really that Schomburg is the second largest? Is it really? That is a suburb? Yeah, I've been there many a time. Before they built an Ikea up here, sarah and I would take random trips to get some cheap furniture and then go to Portillo's for some Italian beef.

22:18 Okay, so two different sites say two different things. Okay. So this site that I'm on now, illinois demographicscom, says sean berger's number 13 that is quite that is quite a difference difference um. So aurora is the second I said that look at me go and then rockford is number five is it really? Yes, I would not have guessed that springfield is number seven, Peoria number eight. Where does South? Beloit fall on that list. Oh, poor, dear little South Beloit, I'm pretty sure you're going to be winging the bonnet. I'm guessing, you're not wrong. And why South Beloit?

22:58 Do I ask that? Yeah, why are you asking that? Because Beloit's in Wisconsin and South Beloit's in Illinois. And yeah, why are you asking that? Because Beloit's in Wisconsin and South Beloit's in Illinois and Beloit is the armpit of Wisconsin 267. People. No, thousand no, on the list. Oh, on the list 267 on the list. Fair enough, Okay moving on. Yeah, sorry, we got sidetracked by population. But at the time Peoria was the second largest. I would have never guessed that. And I know that's, you know, a hundred years ago or whatever, but you know why? Why? Because one there's a river going through there. A river runs through it. Uh-huh, that's a movie. Okay. Yep.

23:46 And then there's also two major military bases there. Oh really, I wrote them down. I couldn't pronounce them so I deleted it. Why? You know how? much I like hearing you fumble words. Okay, so they have like a don't ask, don't tell. Policy in Peoria. Kind of like the military for a while there. Exactly so. The Great Depression which was also happening around this time. Yeah, that was a big part of all of this. That was also winding down. The economy was rising a little bit. Folks are ready to drink, gamble and forget. Prohibition even happened. Go to war. And Peoria earned the nickname Wide Open City. Wide Open City. Taverns ran 24-7 slot machines.

24:27 Oh, politicians that didn't see anything. Law enforcement not seeing anything okay basically no one saw anything no, one saw nothing I didn't see nothing don't ask, don't say, don't ask, don't tell that too see something, don't say something. If you see something, don't say something moving on. That might be the title of this episode. We'll see if we have any other gems that pop up if you see something, don't say something see something, don't say something. Wow, okay, good lord okay anywho yes so um move along yes, absolutely moving along okay so peoria actually had a big kind of organized crime history already, did it really?

25:27 yeah, okay, um, and peoria's longtime mayor yeah edward n woodruff ran the town is this the one that was potentially going to be assassinated? nope that was in southern oh, I'm sorry and that was a governor yeah, yeah, yeah yeah that's okay. We're talking about a lot of people here yeah, we are yeah, so um the the mayor of this town, woodruff. He basically called um peoria, peoria liberal peoria liberal that's like the philosophy that they accepted okay vice is inevitable, so let's monetize it I mean, it sounds like good business sense I guess guess.

26:08 Everything's allowed, just keep it tidy and neat. And on the hush hush. And then it will be profitable. And if you see something, don't say something. Exactly so. Slot machines are basically like big piggy banks out there. Yeah for sure. The city charged $20 a month per machine as a license. Okay $20 a month Today a license Okay $20 a month today Do you want to try to guess $4,000. Not even that close, unless I got my zeros wrong again $4 million $20 a month is about $400. Okay. Well, I mean, I had the the four.

26:49 I had the four right per machine per month I mean that's, and I'm sure, that's a lot it's not like they had one machine. They probably had tens of hundreds or whatever could be up in the four billion or millions we don't know so let's get off the numbers gambling houses paid monthly fees as well. And as long as no one made a mess for the newspapers officials were actually pretty chill about everything. Of course, the violence was pretty bad for business. Usually it is today but they would have like back room pokers and bourbon and bribes and everything else was fine, right? So by the late 1930s, peoria's peoria was living their best liberal life.

27:33 Okay, um, they had 200 plus taverns. Um, they had gambling dens in really swanky lounges as well as, like the really off the cuff bad crusty yeah, places hole in the wall, exactly. Sometimes those are pretty amazing, though you and I are both rather akin to, uh yeah, holes in the wall, holes in the wall, dive bars, all that stuff, especially when it has divide. That's why I like our, one of our favorite places to go is, uh, brown bear. It has like that kind of feel, but it's not that type of bar it's not it's so good, but it's got that kind of feel like overall aesthetically looking and all that. That's why I think we like that place so much.

28:14 Yeah, but no, we like to find kind of off the beaten path bars when we hey, let's go get a beer. All right, yep, we have our staples that we like, obviously, like Rick's and Whitewater and brown bear like I said or whatever, but we like those random. Yeah, this looks like a whole. Let's go check it out kind of thing right we've been into a few and we've actually gotten pretty disappointed because, like what? is this place do you have a medello? No. Do you have anything dark? A lin is no. Do you have a dark? No. Do you have any pale ales? no, it's like we bud light, miller light, bush light.

28:56 That's what we got, that's the problem with a lot of those bars. It has regulars yeah, and that's what they drink, they're in. You know that tight knit area. That's what they drink, that's what they carry. They don't, they're not gonna have a boatload of craft beers or whatever. Yeah, which you know, I understand, but at the same time sucks okay, so with prohibition kind of falling out, yeah, and the southern part of illinois, kind of like their whole empire, the shelton's empire, were kind of crumbling as well because they've been in prison was that little egypt? what was that called? Yes, yes, little Egypt. Is that what it was called? Did I get that right? Oh shit. Yeah, yeah, so they, shelton brothers, were actually invited unofficially up to Peoria.

29:38 And. I'll tell you how. By who? So, the mayor. So Peoria's gambling elite, like the ones who are always gambling, spending the high dollars, they had one big fear, and that was Chicago and Al Capone in. Chicago yeah, because he was quite a big deal. It was a big deal. Yeah. And Peoria's local kingpin, clyde Garrison, was a little intimidated by it. Okay, he proclaimed himself to be the gambling king of Peoria. He liked being in charge of the dice and the cards and anything shady in between. Sure, and someone tried to kidnap him in 1930.

30:19 Oh, he was with his wife. Oh dear. And the rival mobsters tried to abduct him, ended up firing a shot shot, I think. It hit his leg, I think and another bullet went straight into his wife's head oh god, and killed his wife. Yeah, I'd say it did so after that he's like I need some backup wow. So he invited he invited the shelton brothers, brothers because he. He probably heard about him because of what they were running at the time they weren't chicago. They had nothing to do with al capone yeah, they had no ties to that, they had street cred yeah, no, I mean it makes sense to go elsewhere. Yep, you heard about these guys. Like you said, the biggest thing is not having that tie to chicago, yep, or any allegiance to capone or any of the other gangsters yeah um.

31:06 So it makes sense that he would want them to come and help him, because, hey, pay allegiance to me, I'll pay you good money probably, and all that shit so yeah, no, that makes total sense yeah, so the shultons came in with the reputation, the loyalty and the muscle right and um. At first they acted as like garrisons enforcers. Okay, they were kept rival gangs at bay, they protected Peoria's assets and they kept the violence contained. Okay. The money was flowing and everybody was politely terrified. Politely terrified Maybe that's the title. Shit.

31:46 And so, just like that, the Shultons kind of had this new empire. Right, yeah, and this time it's not on illegal moonshine, but more on the gambling aspect. Illegal gambling, exactly, yeah. So at first they kind of played backup and bodyguards to Clyde Garrison, but and they weren't quite calling the shots yet. No, but Carl worked his charm with the politicians there, okay, um, and he also like bribed all the police officers saying everything's fine, you can just relax. We got this, it's fine, everything's fine bernie, um, you know all the big guys.

32:27 Away with his angriness. Yeah. Yes, so Garrison ran the books, Shultons ran the muscle and everybody ran to the bank because they were getting paid. Yeah, profiting from all of this and the city of Peoria was booming. Well, that second biggest city in Illinois, booming metropolis. That still blows my mind, and only because I've been there. It's just. I mean, I know it's again, it's almost a hundred year difference, but it's just wild to think that they were the second biggest city in illinois. I just, I never, would ever guess that yeah so wow, so world war ii started happening and a wave of soldiers, um, and their paychecks, came wafting through.

33:11 Remember it was on two different military bases. So the gambling money poured in the bars were full Brothels were busy, so those bases were already there. Yes, okay, yes, and it just obviously, with the war happening and people mobilizing and shit, it brought more people into those bases to get them ready to ship out, and when you got people like that, they're looking to spend their money. Absolutely. Because they don't know when they're going to be able to have a good time. Absolutely, and they're all far from home and very far from home. So yeah, Okay. So one historian from Peoria says there were two Peoria's. So one historian from Peoria says there were two Peoria's the respectable one up on the bluff and the Valley City where the dice never stopped rolling.

33:54 Oh, is there a bluff in Peoria? So, yeah, because there's a river, yeah, it kind of does go up a little bit, I suppose. Yeah, yeah. It's been a second since I've been there, so I'm probably just blowing smoke. Tony, you can let me know. Tony, help us out because we don't recall. Like I said, I haven't been there in probably I think it's been a quarter of a century. And yeah, we drove through it for the July stuff. Not like all the way through, we more kind of drove around it. Yeah, exactly. So anyways. So with all the great like criminal partnerships, somebody wanted a bigger piece. The Sheltons, yeah Weird, particularly Carl.

34:34 The oldest, Carl's the oldest, Bernie's the youngest and Ernie is the middle. Yep. Earl. Earl, because you called him Ernie before. Oh my bad. I got Earl and Bernie. Carl and Bernie, and you called him Erernie. My bad, my bad anyways. So carl tried to kind of big, so okay. So there were theories. Okay, this isn't like 100, no, but the theories were carl tried to like one-up, garrison cozying up to like the same officials garrison had relied on oh, so he was trying to buy his way in with the same people to get favor. Yes, basically. On the other hand, Mayor Woodruff and Garrison had their own spat and the mayor decided it was time for the Shultons to kind of take over.

35:19 Okay, or both of them happened. We don't know. Yeah, it's possible. Yeah. So, whatever reason, by 1941, garrison was out and the Shultons were in. Okay, okay. So, according to one detective who later ended up on the Shulton payroll, he said that Mayor Woodruff personally gave the green light for this new regime. Oh, okay. Yeah, like you said, it's time for a change. Yes, all right. Yes, wow. So with Garrison gone, the Shelton brothers took over Peoria's vice scene. Slot machines, gambling, dens, political coverage, they had it all right.

36:00 By the early 1940s the Shelton brothers weren't just in the Peoria criminal scene. They were the criminal scene. They ran the show. Yes, they absolutely did um. So carl shelton moved to a place on knoxville avenue, if anybody out there knows where that is I sure don't yeah, same um bernie shelton, settled on um a farm on the edge of town where he raised horses oh nice. And maybe hunchmen, we don't know. And maybe what. Hunchmen. Because it sounded like you said hunchmen, Hunchmen because I did. That's what I thought. I'm like who raises hunchmen? The hunchback of Notre Dame.

36:41 The hunchmen of Notre Dame. And in my research. I didn't know where Earl was, but I think he ended up on a farm as well. Maybe you couldn't find him because he changed his name to Ernie. Okay, so their biggest cash cow was slot machines. Right. So, even with the $20 machine. That was during Garrison's time and I'm not sure if that continued, it might be the same you would think I think it was the same. That's how they get a piece, so I would assume there's something there yeah, yeah, they paid it to city hall. That's what they yeah. So, um, it was 20 a month to city hall.

37:21 So it was legal gambling then, because if they paid the for this license basically because that's what it was it was a license right yeah, I think it was. I don't think it was legal. They were just kind of paying for it as if it was to keep, to keep all the officials at bay, isn't that? wild. Yeah, it's like, yeah, here you go, yeah, okay so the brothers founded the peoria amusementusement Company, which sounds charming but really isn't. Right. But it was for running slots and jukeboxes and the occasional brothel that's amusement yeah. Almost every tavern and club in Peoria had a Shelton run slot machine. Of course.

38:02 Even the really fancy places would have it. Oh really, mm. Hmm, so the Shelton's weren't into messy gangland drama okay at least not in peoria. Um, they had they. They kind of ran a tight ship like they had rules oh, I mean, even when you're nefarious like that you, you got to have some order yeah because otherwise you get people that fucking try to one-up you and undercut you did with garrison yeah exactly that's where I was getting to, yeah, but that's. You know, you need your rules and whatever to have order with, even within a crime fucking unit. Yeah, you know, like the mob, you know they had a mob boss and the captains and all that shit.

38:44 They had order for a reason because they wanted to be able to function as a unit, right, not just have fucking chaos. Right. So, even though you're doing shitty things, you need order. So yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, they know brawls in the streets. No gunfire unless necessary. Well, clearly no freelance criminals doing stupid things. Freelance criminals Yep. They called it gangland peacekeeping. Well, makes sense, yeah, okay. And it kind of made Peoria feel a little safe. I'm sure it did. Yeah, yeah, because you know, even though there's shit going down, they, they kept it orderly, so okay.

39:31 One historian said as long as the sheltons were running, things you weren't getting robbed at random. Wow yeah, unless you owned like a competing slot machine company or something of course were the? were the sheltons, these three sheltons, um? Were they married or anything? That they have families of their own that you came across? Oh, golly. Um, I think some of them were surprisingly. I know more about the other brothers, the ones that weren't in the gang that they did marry okay and I don't remember about these three and they're still. the rest of the family is still south, right, yes, okay, yes, I don't remember about these three and they're still, the rest of the family is still South, right, yes, okay, yes, I don't remember if I read that.

40:12 That's all right. I was just curious because, like, obviously, yeah, they were pretty prominent in this city and you would just think that there'd be something if there was yeah, I don't know, I don't remember reading them Right. I don't remember reading them Right. So remember the wide, open city concept of Peoria. Yep, it was basically crime, but organized. Right, right, so it was organized crime. That's the one, that is the one Okay.

40:54 So remember the other brother. Delta, the weird name dalta. Yes, he had two sons. Oh, there we go. That's how I know that's how I know he had a family, because he had two sons so did the sons become part of the the gang they did in in a way, yes, so okay so little, earl little earl, not little ernie nope, little earl was born in 1919 and little carl was born in 1924 so dalton named him after his brothers yes, wow and yes were they officially called little um they I'm kidding their real names were earl and carl, but to separate themselves. It was big earl and little earl. Clearly, big carl and little carl. I can't imagine their name on the birth certificate no little middle name earl shelton, so so, as teenagers in the 1940s, they began helping their, their cousins or their uncles excuse me, their uncles born in 1919, in the 40s, he he would already be 21, 21 okay, math expert I'm sorry but um, they were essentially learning the family business.

41:58 Quote-unquote family business from the ground up. I'm sure they were learning it prior to being 21 yeah I'm sure they had contact with their uncles and were learning what the fuck they were doing. Yeah, because why else would they want to join the family business? yeah, if you will, but I mean their father wasn't in it, he was a farmer Right. They would do errands and act as junior muscle when needed and sometimes be the chauffeurs, but historians think that they were kind of raising these two kids as being their successors. Okay. But World War II came Sure did. And little Earl and little Carl went off to serve in the military were they drafted.

42:39 Do you think I? I don't know, I wonder, or did they offer up their services because a lot of people joined? Yeah to help the effort. Yeah, the great war and everything but a lot of people were drafted too yeah because they needed bodies to put out there in front of the bullets so. So they survived the war and they came back okay um I'm sorry that I keep asking questions that you might not have an answer to. Do you have any idea where they went? no, okay, no, I was just curious no, so the shelton brothers um tried to actually pass as citizens, respectable citizens, um the older ones yeah okay so especially carl.

43:22 He was kind of the pr guy. I remember the front desk person sure was. Carl rubbed elbows with peoria's elite um rotary club meetings and tried to kind of act as a pillar in the community and he didn't want to be seen as like a mob boss. He wanted to be seen as more of a philanthropist he wanted to put on a good face yeah and have a good uh public persona, basically. So and they kind of had deep roots in the city hall, like with informants and bribing the police and politicians right, and for a while it worked. The shultons managed to keep a stable system okay of corruption and order whatever whichever one you want to look at and the money kept coming in.

44:05 They lived like kings, whatever. But peace plus gangsters really don't equal much success no, there's always a time where the bottom drops out. Exactly. Exactly. So they ended up. The Sheltons ended up getting a little bit more territory than they could defend. Oh, so they're spreading themselves too thin kind of deal. Former enemies were starting to kind of come in Encroach on their territory. And then they were getting a little bit more attention in chicago and st louis well, I mean, how far? do you know how far st louis is from peoria? It's really it's not terribly far um maybe three hours is that about right?

44:48 I mean, that sounds roughly right it's been a while since I even went from from decatur, which is where I lived for a while, to st louis, it's been a while so yeah, but I imagine because st louis is a pretty big city but also east st louis was a part of their original territory when they lived in the south is, that is east st louis in illinois I think so is it I? think it is like actually a town in illinois. Okay, yeah just like south Beloit, and Beloit is in Wisconsin Exactly, cause I mean I've, I've only driven through St Louis once or Kansas city, which is in Missouri but there's also a Kansas city in Kansas, kansas, but yet the Kansas city chiefs play in Missouri.

45:28 Yeah, it's weird, it's so weird. Okay, so, world weird, it's so weird. Okay. So world war ii ended. Soldiers were coming home, yeah, and crime bosses up north were like hey, remember, peoria, there's a ton of shit happening over there right now. Let's go let's get our fingers in the pie exactly, yeah, so according to a an evening post report in 1945. Okay, the Chicago Syndicate. Yes apparently slapped a $10,000 bounty. Oh on Carl Earl and Bernie $10,000 for all three, so $3,333.33 each.

46:09 I don't know If it was all three together or separate, or $30,000? . Yeah, I'm just curious, because you know. But $10,000 today would be $178,000. That's a lot of money to go put a bounty on somebody. But they're like take him out and get Peori for ourselves. Who was running Chicago at this time? Was it still Capone? It's still Capone, but I'm sure he had goons to do all the bidding for him. Well, no, I know had goons to do all the bidding for him. I know that I've, just I didn't know you know, like management tears. It might not have come directly from capone, but maybe someone you know from his capos and all that stuff, whatever he had. So one night in 1945, five hitmen from chicago, oh wow, armed with thompson submachine guns that was a big gun back in those days strolled into bernie's one of your bernie's peoria gambling clubs.

46:57 Okay, carl and bernie were inside, possibly playing poker, we're not sure. Probably playing some gambling yeah the plan was to shoot, collect bounty and disappear back to chicago how do they collect the bounty? there isn't the bounty paid from the people who sent them. Okay, so I wrote it down wrong they were probably gonna rob the place, but I'm not sure if, like carl, saw them coming because he made a quick phone call, oh, and got all of his gunmen to show up, oh, and scared away the would-be assassins. Oh, really, yeah, like there was no shootout that's impressive, yeah, so it was really strange these five guys show up, they see oh shit, they got some muscle here yeah let's uh abandon this.

47:47 Uh, okay, yep, wow it could have been like a massive massacre well, yeah, because these, those five guys from chicago would have went in and, yeah, they had their two people they were they're literally gunning for and uh, whatever, but collateral damage at that point they didn't give a fuck as long as they got those two people. Like I said, probably robbed the place then because money's around yeah and then hightail it back to chicago. Yeah, that would have been a huge massacre. Not just the two people. It's not like they got some sniper taking these two guys out, they would have just shot fucking everybody yeah, they didn't care. Oh, a sniper does come into play eventually.

48:28 Oh wow, so just as the Shelton's were like pushing the hitman from Chicago away, yeah, someone from inside the crime family, okay, frank Buster, wartman Buster. Wartman. A guy who used to work for us but now wants to be us kind of a guy. Okay. He was once a Shelton enforcer, oh he was once a Shelton enforcer. Oh, but Morton had moved shop to the central excuse me, the St Louis area. Okay. And while Carl and Bernie were busy doing slot machining in Peoria, okay, wartman quietly took over their grounds in Southern Illinois.

49:12 Oh, took over their grounds in southern illinois, oh. By the late 1940s wartman had tons of cash, ambitions and no interest in like splitting his territory with. The shelton's investigators, late later pegged wartman as the mastermind, um, but he actually put out assassination hits on Carl and Bernie. Okay. Okay, is this where the sniper comes in? Soon, oh, okay, yeah. So while Wartman plotted in the shadows, yes, it's a good place to plot. Peoria voters decided they were kind of done being like the sin city of Illinois. That's probably why they're not number two anymore so slot machines kind of brought in jobs and brothels brought in customers and like the economy seemed to be kind of booming a little bit.

50:03 They were also kind of like just they're not really wanting to be a part of that scene anymore, sure? So by 1945 reformers and church groups and other killjoys were kind of asking for change. So the city's reputation was kind of spiraling. It was shifting. Yes, yeah. So Carl Treble Treble, who is the opposite candidate of Woodruff, the Mayor Woodruff, okay, he was running against him. He was the opposing candidate. He was the mayor woodruff. Okay, he was running against him, the opposing candidate. He was an opposing candidate with a bible. With a bible, he campaigned to clean up peoria I always run with the bible and he won wow wow so shortly after taking office, mayor tribble met with carl shelton, okay, and they basically had like a professional breakup.

50:55 Said hey man, we're done, All right. Exactly. That's exactly what happened. Party's over, Gambling's done and Carl was like okay. I'll go farm, yeah, see you man. Yeah, it was just like that. So he just gave it all up to go farm. Yeah, I, yeah. I think he kind of knew like time was done, like it was spent they had their, their, their time yeah I mean, he was doing it at that point for 15 years so I mean yeah 15 years since they even got out of prison and they started prior to obviously, so yeah wow, okay so they ended up folding um and they started pulling out of the peoria gambling scene. They shut down rackets um and they kind of laid low and they all focused on farming okay so by september of 1946, um peoria, um they were, there was, the gambling was done, the broth brothels were kind of quiet, quieted right slot machines were still there, but not for a long time, you know, not for very long, right?

51:55 So the Shultons didn't go completely cold. Turkey, well, no, no, they actually set up like a roadhouse right outside of town, so out of like the township, essentially. Sure. City limits, called the Parkway Tavern. Is it still there today? don't know, I didn't look it up, damn I know. Sorry my bad it's cool but they felt like it was far enough from the where mayor that they could probably get away get away with this. Yeah, so carl is kind of pushing 60 at this point oh, I suppose yeah and he wants to kind of retire and work on his farm and he wants to live more of a quiet life now. So he'd be 57 at this point.

52:37 Yeah, so he's like he wants to keep an eye on the books and the boys and maybe raise some farm cats and maybe some donkeys, I don't know. But the booze did still flow a little bit and games were still happening at this tavern. Okay, it was much smaller scale, scale, but it still paid some bills for him, sure. But on may 30th 1948 at the parkway tavern, okay, a fist fight broke out, oh dear, between two patrons, and one of them was a friend of bernie's, okay, and this friend lost oh dear and rather than take the loss. Bernie and his sidekick john kelly, which doesn't really matter who, because that's the only time we're going to mention this guy, but he was with bernie, they pistol whipped.

53:24 Oh, this guy okay and fired warning shots in the parking lot like it was the wild west sure and peoria county deputies ended up showing up and breaking up this, this scuffle okay um, and they found themselves in a brawl with bernie a bernie brawl a bernie brawl. Punches were thrown somehow. Somehow Bernie got injured. I tried to find out how he was injured, but I couldn't find it. But both he and his friend John Kelly were arrested. They spent a night in jail and were hit with some felony charges. Oh, I mean felony charges.

54:05 That's pretty prominent, yeah, yeah. So, after decades of bribes and intimidation, the law was finally like all right guys, we kind of need to do our jobs now, that's enough. We got to do what we're supposed to do. Yeah. Well, and different people in that position. So exactly. So the stage was kind of getting set for what would kind of be the final takedown of the Shelton Empire. Ok, for what would kind of be the final takedown of the Shelton Empire? Okay, between February and October. Three of Shelton's gang like hunchmen.

54:46 Why do I keep saying hunchmen? I don't know, but it's pretty fucking great because I wish I had some hunchmen. They were gunned down in Peoria. Oh, wow, yeah, so this is still in 48, from February to October in 48. We might be in 49 now, I was just curious. It might be, I don't know. Okay. So three of the henchmen were gunned down. There were no witnesses, no convictions. Of course, yeah, there were some suspects the Chicago mob, the St Louis mob, maybe even Wartman. We're not really sure. Right, but after decades of these like shootouts and whatever, carl Shelton, the smooth talking older brother, right?

55:31 Yeah, yeah, yeah. He kind of met an unceremonious end oh, man on his farmer october 23rd 1947, he was driving down a country road near his southern illinois farmhouse, so he he skipped rocks and went all the way back to yeah yeah, he was ambushed by gunmen in a passing car oh boy, so they were. they were kind of looking for him A hail of bullets tore through him. Okay, the shooter sped off. No arrests, nothing, no names, no clues, nothing, wow, nothing. So I assume he crashed and did he die like that? He was left bleeding by a ditch.

56:13 Right. And yes, he did not survive that come to his wounds? he did. Oh man, yeah, poor, poor carl so then there was bernie's death the youngest july 26 1948 okay around midday bernie stepped out of his parkway tavern in peoria, or just outside of peoria. He was heading to get his buick and oil change. He was like I gotta go do this random maintenance, random thing. A single rifle shot rang out from the wooded area near his tavern so someone was waiting for him. Yes, the bullet hit him squarely, dropping him to the gravel, and he crawled a few feet and then collapsed where did it hit him?

57:02 did it say? um, I don't think I read that okay but a witness was coming out of the tavern, saw it ran back inside said hey, bernie's been shot pretty much saying like there's a sniper outside, you know, so give me a beer. Bernie was taken to the hospital, okay, um, and he said to the ambulance driver quote they're following us, green car, they're following us. Oh, so he saw, and then he died. Oh, we're not sure if he was delirious, because it was a sniper in a bush. Yeah. Yeah, I mean he probably was delirious because, well, he's losing a lot of blood and so on, and he just maybe saw a green car and associated with that or whatever.

57:49 Yeah. Or took the leaves being green as a car. Who the fuck knows? who knows, yeah so again no arrests, right, no charges. No one ever came out taking the credit, nothing right so with carl gone and bernie gone, the shelton game was being decapitated, essentially yeah, they were uh falling quickly here yeah, so the last remaining brother, earl or ernie case here going along he got the hell out of dodge I thought he was in peoria, sorry he was in southern illinois at this time. I couldn't resist but either way okay, so where did he go?

58:31 so he um. So he was actually ambushed on his property in southern illinois in may of 1949 oh, wow, okay he was shot at a bullet to the arm but survived okay okay, but uh, in 1950 they set they set his barn on fire, so now they got arson to their name. So do you find it wild that they all moved south again, back to where they were from, at least Earl? did Stop saying Ernie. Every time I try to say Earl, because now I'm getting confused. You're the one who started it.

59:12 But I ended it too. Too, I mean at this point they're, they're pretty much out of it right for the most part, but not. Yeah, I mean they were doing like a much smaller scale, but yeah, they were trying to kind of mind their own yeah, and that's why it's wild that they're still being sought after to be killed. You know, literally two years down. Yeah, to gun them down. That's just okay, yeah so earl's barn was torched um, and earl, that's when earl was like all right, I'm getting out of town, I gotta go. So he packed up his remaining family, his sisters and his mother.

59:55 Oh, okay. And they moved to Florida. I would imagine they still had some wealth from their bootlegging and gambling days. So remember that they had another brother named Roy yes, who was not part of the gang, not at all, yeah. So he actually had a. He had a wife, I think at least a wife, if not kids too. But on, June 7th 1950, Roy was shot to death in an ambush while he was working on a tractor in his field. Did they mistake him for? not sure for not sure if it was just like Nope, you're associated with the shelton, so we're gonna.

1:00:41 That seems like a dick move, man. Yeah, he never was even a part of it. So it's an unknown. Assailant hit, hid and fired on roy as he tended his farm, basically killing him in cold blood, and the killing made headlines all the way to australia really oh wow and one newspaper noted that roy was the third of five brothers in the shelton family to be murdered since 1947. That's crazy, yeah. So even the brothers who stayed out of this whole still got killed. Still got killed, damn that's too bad, yes so somewhere in there the dad died of natural causes I kind of figured because you mentioned the mom and not the dad. And there was one situation where I saw that the mom was fired upon but not hit, but I couldn't confirm that anywhere else.

1:01:23 Okay. So I don't know how true that is. What kind of dicks do that man? Yeah, so after seeing their uncle's fates, little Earl and little Carl also moved to Florida, and they became law abiding citizens. Oh, there you go. In 1970, somehow the sister Lula was shot and wounded in Jacksonville. What and she survived had no correlation to this. Well, I don't know if it had a correlation if someone from the mob, like came down and found her. I don't know, it's 20 years, 20 years later fucking weird and she had nothing to do with it, why would you go and shoot her? Yeah, that's fucking wild so little. Earl um moved to florida in 1951 and he's worked as a truck driver.

1:02:07 He lived until he was 79 died in 1998 okay little carl um settled also into like a quiet civilian life and he lived until 2009. Oh wow, earl yeah, big girl, big girl died in 1986 at the age of 96. Wow, he was never assassinated, never convicted for anything that's crazy that he got to be that old and his brothers got well killed he was a retired gangster, probably one of the few gangsters that could retire, make it that far so wow, who fucking killed the shelton's?

1:02:49 we don't know well, how would you? Because no one took ownership of it, they just were eliminated because they were a threat in other people's eyes and they said go take care of this problem. I got yep all right, no guy so justice never came. It's suspected that it could be buster wartman, um, who was kind of taking over the central or southern illinois area, possibly chicago, possibly other people in st louis, maybe combination, not really sure, but sure um, but yeah, so um, I, oh gosh, I think that's it, um okay the killers were never caught and you know, the network of shelton's ended up being taken down and everybody freaking moved to florida and we're like let's just get a tan and stay out of shit well, except for the sister who got randomly shot at yeah, but she survived.

1:03:47 It's fine. Oh, you're cool you're good, you survived. You're all right, rub some on it. So that is the Shelton brother gang of Peoria. Southern. Illinois. Yes. Wow, never heard of that. Yeah, that's crazy, tony, you'll have to let me know if you've heard of that gang or not. What's the name of the bargain? The? Parkway Tavern. Yeah, tony, if you do listen to this episode, uh, please let me know, or kate know, or email us or something that if it's still in operation to this day. My guess is no, but I'd be curious to see. I would assume, not I would think not but I don't know nope, nope, we'll just leave it at that.

1:04:33 All right, a little bit of mystery to end this episode so so how do you like your shanty? I mean, I still do I know me too your medellus, mama dallas. Yeah, I mean shandy, it's my go-to staple you know what's entertaining uh, gladiator, are you not entertained? oh wait, yeah, have you seen the second one yet? I have not same I haven't? I'm kind of dragging my feet about it same, because I absolutely love the first one. It's like what? Literally one of my favorite movies, yes, and I just I I'm not saying they didn't do a good job. I haven't watched it yet, but I feel like I don't want to taint the first one that's how I felt about twister and twisters like don't even try and then independence day and the resurrection.

1:05:19 Don't even try. No, just can't you just keep the classic ones classic? like sex in the city and just like that oh, it's so bad. It's so bad. That's what you were telling me. Like I'm glued to it because I know the story and I know all the people and they're bringing back old people. Now you got to finish it. They're trying to be so, pc they're bringing in every possible conflict all at once. It's really horrible. It's so dumb. It's just so dumb how they're doing it. I mean, they talk about gender, they talk about teen sex, they talk about pronouns, but it's all in like one episode. I know like it's just like we're not saying anything is wrong with that, but you they're, you don't.

1:06:04 You don't need to write a story focused on that. You can still have a good story. Include these people into this story, but you don't have to make that the main focus of the story. Yeah, it's just, I don't know. They just tried the main focus of the story. Yeah, it's just I don't know. They just tried really, really, really hard to quote be up with the times, check all the boxes. Yeah, it's just very strange. That's the problem with a lot of story writing is. I know it's a product of the times, obviously that you're in, so I totally understand that, but it's like just just write a good story. Yeah, yeah, anyways well I suppose all right, buffoons, that's it for today's episode buckle up, because we've got another historical adventure waiting for you. Next time feeling hungry for more buffoonery, or maybe you have a burning question or a wild historical theory for us to explore hit us up on social media.

1:06:52 We're History Buffoons Podcast on YouTube X, instagram and Facebook. You can also email us at historybuffoonspodcast at gmailcom. We are Bradley and Kate. Music by Corey Akers. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts and turn those notifications on to stay in the loop. Until next time, stay curious and don't forget to rate and review us. Remember, the buffoonery never stops.