In In the winter of 1932, the young man born Lester Gillis, escaped his

second sentence of one year to life for one of the bank robberies he had led

during a successful crime spree the previous year.

Known in Chicago's underworld as Jimmy and known to others as George Nelson, the 23-year-old

had eluded capture and headed west. In Reno, Nevada and the San Francisco area,

the crafty, loyal, notoriously quick-tempered outlaw had worked as a private chauffeur

to the gambling czar of Reno and as a driver for one of the biggest bootlegers on the west coast.

Though short in stature, the man whom history would remember as baby-faced Nelson had been a good lieutenant to both men.

But it was clear to anyone who crossed Nelson's path that he wanted more.

When his restlessness got the best of him, he headed back to the Midwest.

In St. Paul, Minnesota, he aimed to form his own gang and make a name for himself as a bank robber.

Under the tutelage of the notorious outlaw Alvin Carpice, Nelson

filled the ranks of his gang. Carpice, who had pulled off dozens of successful robberies

with his partners, the Barker family, connected Nelson to the illustrious Eddie Bents.

Bents was an oddball in the criminal underworld.

He was an intellectual with a fondness for first editions of Robert

Lewis Stevenson's books and rare coins. He was known to meticulously plan his

heists. Bents thoroughly scouted his banks. He profiled bank employees

and knew the ins and outs of the small town politics where the banks were

located. He mapped multiple escape routes and had contingencies for everything.

Nelson's fearlessness and Bents' attention to detail seemed like a great combination for a bank

robbery team.

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