The Playful Wit of a Historic Bandit

In the winter of 1924, the boroughs of New York City were plagued by a series of robberies ostensibly committed by a young couple. This was not the first time a woman had been involved in armed robberies; however, rather than be a reluctant participant in the crimes, it appeared as though the traditional roles were reversed and the young woman was the mastermind behind the hold-ups. The press quickly caught on and soon the “Bobbed Haired Bandit,” as she came to be known in the papers, was grabbing headlines across the country. 

Starting with the robbery of grocery store in early January, the Bandit’s crimes got bigger as weeks passed, as did her personality. Not only did the criminal pair become famous for their exploits and fashion, but also for the ways in which she taunted the police with notes daring them to come after her. In time, the NYPD’s inability to catch the bandit began to reflect very poorly on Mayor Richard Enright, who was ridiculed by both the bandit and the public. 

Finally, in late April, the Bobbed Haired Bandit and her partner were arrested in Florida, having fled New York earlier in the month after a robbery in which someone was shot. To everyone’s surprise, the couple wasn’t quite the Jazz Age antiheros everyone was expecting, but a young newly married couple who were desperately in need of money at a time when employment was hard to come by.

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References

Brooklyn Daily Times. 1924. "Bob Hair Bandit and man shoot National Biscuit Co. cashier." Brooklyn Daily Times, April 1: 3.

Brooklyn Eagle. 1924. "Bobbed-haired girl held as boro bandit in crime roundup ." Brooklyn Eagle , February 6: 1.

—. 1924. "Bobbed Haired Bandit may be a boy; cusses like sailor but has feminine feet." Brooklyn Eagle, February 3: 5.

—. 1924. "Girls let their hair grow fearing they'll be taken for Bobbed-Hair Bandit." Brooklyn Eagle, February 24: 78.

—. 1924. "Hold bob-haired girl as pal of alleged bandits." Brooklyn Eagle, February 7: 2.

—. 1924. "New gunwoman defies police to catch her." Brooklyn Eagle, January 16: 1.

Dorman, Marjorie. 1924. "The Bobbed-Hair Bandit is a revolt." Brooklyn Eagle, March 16: 95.

Duncombe, Stephen, and Andrew Mattson. 2006. The Bobbed Haired Bandit: A True Story of Crime and Celebrity in 1920s New York. New York, NY: NYU Press.

Getty, Frank. 1924. "'Fish peddling bums" victims of Bobbed-Haired Bandit." Buffalo Enquirer, January 24: 1.

Johnson, Nunnally. 1924. "One word after another." Brooklyn Eagle, February 21: 16.

New York Times. 1924. "2-gun girl bandit holds up a grocery." New York Times, February 24: 1.

—. 1924. "Alienists to test Cooney for sanity." New York Times, April 25: 19.

—. 1924. "Bobbed Bandit gets ten years in prison; warns other girls." New York Times, May 7: 1.

—. 1924. "Bob-Haired Bandit attempts a murder." New York Times, April 2: 21.

—. 1924. "Girl bandit proudly describes 10 crimes." New York Times, April 23: 1.

—. 1924. "Hold-up girl gets $600 from grocer." New York Times, January 23: 10.

Times Union. 1924. ""Bobbed Haired Bandit" annoucnes her "getaway" for neighboring state." Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), January 22: 1.

—. 1924. "200 police fail to trap bobbed haired girl bandit." Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), January 27: 1.

—. 1924. "Enright may try himself to nab Bobbed-Hair Bandit." Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), March 23: 1.

—. 1924. "Ex-chorus girl arrested as chain store bandit." Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), January 15: 1.

—. 1924. "Note writers want Helen Quigley freed." Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), January 22: 3.

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