| Hyman S. Lehman | |
|---|---|
| Died | Texas, United States |
| Conviction(s) | Violation of Texas state weapons law |
| Penalty | 5 years imprisonment |
| Status | Released on appeal |
| Occupation | Gunsmith, armorer and saddlemaker |
Hyman S. Lehman (fl. 1933-1941) was an American gunsmith and armorer. He provided specialized and custom made weaponry to countless bank robbers and outlaws during the Great Depression.[1][2][3]
Be advised that the spelling of the name LEHMAN may be in question. Other search engines carry much the same info, possibly more, under the name LEBMAN. United States court documents refer to him as Hyman Saul Lebman.[4]
Born to a prominent Texas family, Hyman Lehman was an accomplished gunsmith and owner of a successful gun shop in San Antonio by the time of the Great Depression. He was regarded as a reliable weapons dealer in the underworld selling the Thompson submachine gun, a favorite among Depression-era outlaws, as well as customizing "civilian" small arms weaponry. These weapons were often converted into full-automatic weapons for use in bank robberies and contract murders. One of his specialties was the "baby machine gun", a Colt .38 Super semi-automatic pistol converted to full-auto fire. This weapon featured an oversized ammunition magazine, a muzzle brake, and a fore grip adapted from the more familiar Thompson submachine gun which gave the shooter more control over the weapon in battle.[1][2][3]
Lehman did business with virtually every major criminal during the "Public enemy"-era. When Chicago bootlegger Roger "The Terrible" Touhy was arrested in Wisconsin on July 19, 1933, one of Lehman's "baby machine guns" was found in his car. Pretty Boy Floyd and John Dillinger were also known buyers. A full-auto Lebman Colt belonging to Dillinger was found at one of his hideouts in St. Paul, Minnesota on March 31, 1934 as well as leaving behind at the Little Bohemia Lodge three weeks later.[1][2][3]
His most famous customer was perhaps Baby Face Nelson whose earliest known purchase of weapons from Lehman occurred while visiting San Antonio in early-1933. His association with Nelson and the Dillinger gang would continue for another year and a half. In November of that year, Lehman had Homer Van Meter, Baby Face Nelson his wife over his home for Thanksgiving. Less than two weeks later, Tommy Carroll was sent by Nelson to pick up a shipment from Lehman. Carroll was forced to turn back upon reaching San Antonio when, on February 11, 1934, he shot and killed Detective H.C. Perrow.[1][2][3]
A month later, Nelson used one of his special automatics to kill federal agent W. Carter Baum and seriously wound two others during the shootout with authorities at the Little Bohemia Lodge on April 22. Although this gun was never recovered, the FBI were able to trace the gun left behind by Dillinger via serial number to the Colt factory in Hartford, Connecticut. From there, authorities followed the trail to a Fort Worth distributor who sold the unmodified weapon to Hyman Lehman. There was no federal law against civilian ownership or manufacturing of machine guns at that time, the National Firearms Act being passed only a few weeks later, however prosecutors did attempt to charge Lehman with possession of a .45 pistol claimed as stolen U.S. government property. He was never brought to trial for this offense.[1][2][3]
Lehman would continue to face legal problems. He was tried for violation of a Texas state law, passed in October 1933, which restricted possession of machine guns. Lehman was initially convicted of violating that law in 1935 and sentenced to five years imprisonment. He later won an appeal and his second trial resulted in a jury deadlock of 11-1 for conviction. Federal prosecutors suspected jury tampering in the retrial, specifically with the lone holdout juror, but they were never able to offer any evidence. Despite a five-year effort to reopen the case, Texas state attorney refused to hold a third trial. "Witness problems" and a heavy court schedule were also claimed by the District Attorney's office and the case was eventually dismissed in 1941.[3] Lehman retired from gunsmithing and remained in San Antonio designing custom boots and saddles until his death.[1][2]