Thomas Amos Camp: Gangster Aka Fred R Burke

Thomas Amos Camp was born 29 May 1893 in Mapleton, KS to Warren j Camp (1841-1923) & Martha B Pritchett (1855-1916). 




In 1915 he was a part of Egan's Rats  was an American organized crime gang that exercised considerable power in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1890 to 1924. Its 35 years of criminal activity included bootlegging, labor slugging, voter intimidation, armed robbery, and murder.

Here's link if you would like to learn more about them.






He entered WWI as a Tank Sergeant in France He departed from New York on 25 Sep 1918.

Name: Thomas A Camp
Departure Date: 25 Sep 1918
Departure Place: New York
Residence Place: Mapleton, Kansas
Next of Kin: Earl W Camp
Relationship: Brother
Ship: Oriana
Military Unit: 302nd Bn
Rank: Private First Class
Service Number: 3,076,426
Notes: Company C 302nd Battalion, Tank Corps, USA


He was also a part of the Purple Gang from Detroit.

You can read more on that gang here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purple_Gang

https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/purple-gang

He was sentenced to 2 years in the Michigan State Prison for Land Fraud, 1 year in the Missouri State Prison for carrying an arsenal of weapons in St. Louis.



Al Capone called him an American Boy.

He was a me suspect in the Valentine Day Massacre & Miraflores Massacre.  More about these at links below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milaflores_Massacre

https://www.history.com/topics/crime/saint-valentines-day-massacre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQc78EChhp0

He married Bonnie Porter under the alias of Fred White



She claimed to of not known anything about her husband's criminal activities.

Burke's End








There are hundreds of newspaper articles you can look up and read I only posted one.


He attended Sunday School all his childhood days.

Thomas A Camp died of a massive heart attack on 10 July 1940 in Marquette, MI.


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