Ford Bradshaw
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Ford Bradshaw (died March 3, 1934) was an American criminal and Depression-era outlaw. A rival of fellow Sooner, Oklahoma bandit Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, although Bradshaw was less known compared to Floyd, Brandshaw's small town bank raids far exceeded Floyd's
Terrorizing the state of Oklahoma during the late-1920 and early-1930s, Bradshaw robbed a bank of $11,238 with Newton Clayton and Jim Benge in Henryetta, Oklahoma on November 7, 1933 (the heist would be mistakenly attributed to Floyd, George Birdwell and Aussie Elliott the next year).
Bradshaw's most successful robbery occurred in 1934 when he successfully stole $13,000 from a bank in Okmulgee with Wilbur Underhill and others.
A close friend of Underhill, Bradshaw drove into Vian on December 31, 1933 with several other men and began a shooting spree damaging a restaurant, hardware store and the town jail in retaliation for Underhill's arrest by federal agents the previous day.
The attack on Vian however, caused a public outcry which finally focused attention from state authorities and, after several months on the run, Bradshaw was cornered at Ardmore and killed by sheriff's deputy William Harper while resisting arrest.
[edit] References
- Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Robbers, Heists, and Capers. New York: Facts On File Inc., 2002.
