Shelton Brothers Gang

The Shelton Brothers Gang was an early Prohibition bootlegging gang based in southern Illinois and were the main rivals of bootlegger Charles Birger .

Formed by Earl, Carl, and Bernie Shelton shortly after Prohibtion came into effect in 1920 the gang operated in Williamson County, Illinois making moonshine and other illegal liqour eventually dominating liqour distribution in east St. Louis until former ally New York gangster Charles Birger attempted to take over the Shelton Brothers bootlegging operations in 1926 begining a violent gang war, which saw both gangs use converted armored trucks and a bombing raid by the Shelton's on Birger's Egypt, Illinois "Shady Rest " headquarters, over control of bootlegging in southern Illinois. Despite having over fifty gunmen the Shelton Brothers were unable to compete against Birger and by 1928 with the conviction of the Shelton Brothers, based on the testimony of Charles Birger and Art Newman , for a 1925 unsolved mail carrier robbery of $15,000 the Sheltons were sentenced to 25 years and soon after the gang slowly disappeared as Birger dominated bootlegging in southern Illinios until he was executed for the murder of West City, Illinois Mayor Joe Adams in 1928.

Further reading

• Jay Robert Nash, Encyclopedia of World Crime (S-Z) Vol. IV, Crimebooks Inc., 1990, hardcover, 1,000 pages (853-1750)
• Taylor Pensoneau, Brothers Notorious: The Sheltons - Southern Illinois' Legendary Gangsters, Downstate Publications, 2002

External links

• Historic Peroria: The Shelton Brothers
• War in Illinios: Charlie Birger & The Shelton Gang
• Shelton Gang United Press Articles - 1943-1957
• Bootlegging in Illinois
• The Sheltons, downstate gangsters by Bill Monson