BANK ROBBER JAIL 1952 WILLIE SUTTON VINTAGE ORIGINAL PHOTO For Sale

WILLIE SUTTON BANK ROBBER VINTAGE ORIGINAL 1952 PHOTO MEASURING APPROXIMATELY 7 1/8 X 9 INCHES WITH HIS ATTORNEYS
William Francis Sutton Jr. was an American bank robber. During his forty-year robbery career he stole an estimated $2 million, and he eventually spent more than half of his adult life in prison and escaped three times.
Born on June 30, 1901 in Brooklyn, New York, Willie Sutton was the fourth of five children. He attended school through eighth grade, then left home to secure a job. Sutton’s employment included jobs as a clerk, a driller, and a gardener. His longest continuous employment lasted 18 months. Sutton was married in 1929, but his wife divorced him after he was incarcerated. He remarried in 1933. Before his death, Sutton co-authored “I, Willie Sutton” and “Where the Money Was.”
Willie Sutton acquired two nicknames, “The Actor” and “Slick Willie,” for his ingenuity in executing robberies in various disguises. Fond of expensive clothes, Sutton was described as being an immaculate dresser. Although he was a bank robber, Sutton had the reputation of a gentleman; in fact, people present at his robberies stated he was quite polite. One victim said witnessing one of Sutton’s robberies was like being at the movies, except the usher had a gun. When asked why he robbed banks, Sutton simply replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”
On February 15, 1933, Sutton and a confederate attempted to rob the Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sutton, disguised as a mailman, entered the bank early in the morning. The curiosity of a passerby caused the robbery attempt to be abandoned. However, on January 15, 1934 Sutton entered the same bank with two companions through a skylight. When the watchman arrived, they forced him to admit the employees as usual. Each employee was handcuffed and crowded into a small room.
Sutton also executed a Broadway jewelry store robbery in broad daylight, impersonating a postal telegraph messenger. Sutton’s other disguises included a policeman, messenger and maintenance man. He usually arrived at the banks or stores slightly before they opened for the day.
Besides being known as an innovative robber, Sutton recommitted in June 1931 on charges assault and robbery. Sentenced to 30 years, he escaped on December 11, 1932, by scaling the prison wall on two 9-foot sections of ladder that were joined together.
Sutton was apprehended on February 5, 1934 and was sentenced to serve 25 to 50 years in Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the machine gun robbery of the Corn Exchange Bank. On April 3, 1945, Sutton was one of 12 convicts who escaped the institution through a tunnel. Sutton was recaptured the same day by Philadelphia police officers; this had been his fifth escape attempt at this prison.
Sentenced to life imprisonment as a fourth time offender, Sutton was transferred to the Philadelphia County Prison, Homesburg, Pennsylvania. On February 10, 1947, Sutton and other prisoners dressed as prison guards. The men carried two ladders across the prison yard to the wall after dark. When the prison’s searchlights hit him, Sutton yelled, “It’s okay,” and no one stopped him.
On March 20, 1950, Willie “The Actor” Sutton was added to the FBI’s list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Because of his love for expensive clothes, Sutton’s photograph was given to tailors as well as police departments. A 24-year-old tailor’s son recognized Sutton on the New York subway on February 18, 1952 and followed him to a local gas station where Sutton purchased a battery for his car. The man reported the incident to the police who later arrested Sutton.
Sutton did not resist his arrest by New York City police, but denied any robberies or other crimes since his 1947 escape from Philadelphia County Prison. At the time of his arrest, Sutton owed one life sentence plus 105 years. He was further sentenced to an additional 30 years to life in New York State Prison following a jury trial in Queens County Court.
Seventeen years later, the New York State penal authorities decided that Sutton did not have to serve two life sentences and 105 years. Sutton was ill; he had emphysema and was preparing for a major operation on arteries in his legs. On Christmas Eve 1969, 68-year-old Sutton was released from Attica State Prison. Ironically, in 1970, Sutton did a television commercial to promote the New Britain, Connecticut, Bank and Trust Company’s new photo credit card program.
On November 2, 1980, Willie Sutton died in Spring Hill, Florida, at the age of 79.
Willie Sutton, also called Willie the Actor, byname of William Francis Sutton, Jr., (born June 30, 1901, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died November 2, 1980, Spring Hill, Florida), celebrated American bank robber and prison escapee who earned his nickname “the Actor” because of his talent for disguises, posing as guard, messenger, policeman, diplomat, or window cleaner to fool authorities.
Raised in a tough Irish-American district in Brooklyn, he was a veteran thief and hoodlum by the time that he was a teenager and, at the age of 21, was arrested and acquitted on a murder charge. After a prison term for safecracking (1926–27), he engaged in bank and store robberies. In 1930 in Manhattan, he robbed his first bank, and a jeweler as well, while disguised as a Westrn Union messenger. Two months and other robberies later, he was caught and sentenced to Sing Sing prison. In 1932 he escaped, moved to Philadelphia, was caught again in a robbery, and spent the next 15 years in Pennsylvania prisons. In 1947 he and some confederates made a spectacular escape from Holmesburgh County Jail, near Philadelphia, using one real pistol, one dummy wood pistol, and guard uniforms.
Sutton remained free until 1952, when he was recognized and seized by police in Brooklyn. Sent to Attica state prison, New York, he remained there until paroled in 1969. In his book I, Willie Sutton (1953, written with Quentin Reynolds), Sutton estimated that in his lifetime he had stolen at least $2 million from banks. The title of Where the Money Was (1976, written with Edward Linn) echoes his allegedly oft-repeated reason for robbing banks: “Because that’s where the money is.”
Disguises and bank robbers go together like rama lama lama, ke ding a de dinga dong. Most of the time, the bad guys seem to go for something theatrical (think of the evil clown masks donned by the Joker and his buddies in "The Dark Knight"). But every now and then, a talented thief can get the job done with subtlety and charm.
That was the MO of one Willie Sutton, a celebrated American bank robber known as "the Actor" and "Slick Willie" because of his proclivity for disguises. He frequently posed as a Western Uion messenger and arrived at a target bank or store just as it was opening. Other favorite getups included a maintenance man, a policeman, a diplomat and a window cleaner. Once, in 1947, Sutton escaped the Philadelphia County Prison in Homesburg, Pa., in the guise of a prison guard. When searchlights caught him trying to scale the prison wall, he yelled, "It's OK," which fooled the real guards and allowed Sutton to escape.
In the end, though, Sutton's cleverness couldn't keep him from doing hard time. All of his crimes earned him a life sentence plus an additional 135 years. After his final capture in 1952, Sutton remained behind bars until 1969. He was released due to illness, but he lived until 1980. He died in Spring Hill, Fla., at the age of 79.
William Francis Sutton Jr. (June 30, 1901 – November 2, 1980) was an American bank robber. During his forty-year robbery career he stole an estimated $2 million, and he eventually spent more than half of his adult life in prison and escaped three times. For his talent at executing robberies in disguises, he gained two nicknames, "Willie the Actor" and "Slick Willie". Sutton is also known as the namesake of the so-called Sutton's law, although he denied originating it.[1]Contents1 Early life2 Career in crime3 Personal life and death4 "Sutton's law"5 See also6 References7 Further reading8 External linksEarly lifeSutton was born into an Irish-American family on June 30, 1901. The family lived on the corner of Gold and Nassau Streets in the neighborhood of Irishtown, Brooklyn, now called Vinegar Hill. According to his biography, "Where the Money Was", at the age of three the family relocated to High Street. His father, William Sutton Sr., was a blacksmith. His mother was Mary Ellen Bowles and, according to the biography, born in Ireland; however, according to the 1910 U.S. Census, she was born in Maryland and her parents were born in Ireland. By 1910, she had given birth to five children, of which three were still alive. According to the 1910 Census, his maternal grandfather, James Bowles, and his two maternal uncles were also living with the family. Sutton was the fourth of five children, and did not attend school after the 8th grade.[2][3]
Career in crimeHe became a criminal at an early age, though throughout his professional criminal career, he did not kill anyone. Described by Mafioso Donald Frankos as "a little bright-eyed guy, just 5'7" and always talking, chain-smoking ... cigarettes with Bull Durham tobacco." Frankos stated also that Sutton "dispensed mounds of legal advice" to any convict willing to listen. Inmates considered Sutton a "wise old head" in the prison population. When incarcerated at "The Tombs" (Manhattan House of Detention) he did not have to worry about assault because Mafia friends protected him. In conversation with Donald Frankos he would sadly reminisce about the 1920s and 1930s when he was most active in robbing banks and would always tell fellow convicts that in his opinion, during the days of Al Capone and Charles Luciano, better known as Lucky Luciano, the criminals were the bloodiest. Gangsters from the time period, and many incarcerated organized crime inmates, enjoyed having Sutton for companionship. He was witty and non-violent. Frankos declared that Sutton made legendary bank thieves Jesse James and John Dillinger seem like amateurs.[4]
Sutton was an accomplished bank robber. He usually carried a pistol or a Thompson submachine gun. "You can't rob a bank on charm and personality," he once observed. In an interview in the Reader's Digest published shortly before his death, Sutton was asked if the guns that he used in his robberies were loaded. He responded that he never carried a loaded gun because somebody might get hurt. He stole from the rich and kept it, though public opinion later made him into a type of Gentleman Thief, like Robin Hood. He allegedly never robbed a bank when a woman screamed or a baby cried.[5]
Sutton was captured and recommitted in June 1931, charged with assault and robbery. He failed to complete his 30-year sentence however, escaping on December 11, 1932, using a smuggled gun and holding a prison guard hostage. With the guard as leverage, Sutton acquired a 45-ft (13.5 meter) ladder to scale the 30-ft (9 meter) wall of the prison grounds.[citation needed]
On February 15, 1933, Sutton attempted to rob the Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He came in disguised as a postman, but an alert passerby foiled the crime. Sutton escaped. On January 15, 1934, he and two companions broke into the same bank through a skylight.[citation needed]
The FBI record observes:
Sutton also conducted a Broadway jewelry store robbery in broad daylight, impersonating a postal telegraph messenger. Sutton's other disguises included a police officer, messenger and maintenance man. He usually arrived at banks or stores shortly before they opened for business.
Sutton was apprehended on February 5, 1934, and was sentenced to serve 25 to 50 years in the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the machine gun robbery of the Corn Exchange Bank. On April 3, 1945, Sutton was one of 12 convicts who escaped the institution through a tunnel. The convicts broke through to the other side during daylight hours, and were spotted immediately by a passing police patrol. The 12 men were forced to quickly flee the scene, with all being quickly apprehended[6]. Sutton was recaptured the same day by Philadelphia police officer Mark Kehoe.
Sentenced to life imprisonment as a fourth time offender, Sutton was transferred to the Philadelphia County Prison, Holmesburg section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On February 10, 1947, Sutton and other prisoners dressed as prison guards carried two ladders across the prison yard to the wall after dark. When the prison's searchlights hit him, Sutton yelled, "It's all right!" No one stopped him.[1]
On March 20, 1950, Sutton was the eleventh listed of the FBI's FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, created only a week earlier, on March 14.[citation needed]
During February 1952, Sutton was captured by police after having been recognized on a subway and followed by Arnold Schuster, a 24-year-old Brooklyn clothing salesman and amateur detective. Schuster later appeared on television and described how he had assisted in Sutton's apprehension. Albert Anastasia, Mafia boss of the Gambino crime family, disliked Schuster because he was a "rat" and a "squealer". According to Mafia renegade and first major government informant, Joe Valachi, Anastasia ordered the murder of Schuster, who was then shot dead outside his home on March 9, 1952.
Judge Peter T. Farrell presided over a 1952 trial in which Sutton was convicted of the 1950 robbery of $63,942 (equal to $679,483 presently) from a bank of the Manufacturers Trust Company in Sunnyside, Queens. He received a sentence of 30 to 120 years in Attica State Prison.[7]
During December 1969, in response to a motion by Sutton's attorneys, Farrell ruled that Sutton's good behavior in prison and his deteriorating health due to emphysema justified commutation of his sentence to time served. At the hearing Sutton responded, "Thank you, your Honor. God bless you," and wept as he was led out of the court building. During 1970, a separate 30-years-to-life sentence given in Brooklyn during 1952 was also commuted on similar grounds, and he was released to parole.[8]
After his release Sutton delivered lectures on prison reform and consulted with banks on theft deterrent techniques. He made a television commercial for New Britain Bank and Trust Company in Connecticut for their credit card with picture identification on it. His lines were, "They call it the 'face card.' Now when I say I'm Willie Sutton, people believe me."[9]
Personal life and deathSutton married Louise Leudemann during 1929. She divorced him while he was in jail. Their daughter Jeanie was born the next year. His second wife was Olga Kowalska, whom he married during 1933. His longest period of (legal) employment lasted for 18 months.[citation needed]
A series of decisions by the United States Supreme Court during the 1960s resulted in his release on Christmas Eve, 1969, from Attica State Prison. He was in ill health at the time, suffering from emphysema and in need of an operation on the arteries of his legs.[citation needed]
Sutton died in 1980 at the age of 79; before this, he had spent his last years with his sister in Spring Hill, Florida.[10] He frequented the Spring Hill Restaurant where he kept to himself. After Sutton's death, his family arranged a quiet burial in Brooklyn in the family plot.
"Sutton's law"Main article: Sutton's lawA famous apocryphal story is that Sutton was asked by reporter Mitch Ohnstad why he robbed banks. According to Ohnstad, he replied, "Because that's where the money is". The quote evolved into Sutton's law, which is often invoked to medical students as a metaphor for emphasizing the most likely diagnosis, rather than wasting time and money investigating every conceivable possibility.
In his autobiography, Sutton denied originating the pithy rejoinder:
The irony of using a bank robber's maxim as an instrument for teaching medicine is compounded, I will now confess, by the fact that I never said it. The credit belongs to some enterprising reporter who apparently felt a need to fill out his copy. I can't even remember where I first read it. It just seemed to appear one day, and then it was everywhere. If anybody had asked me, I'd have probably said it. That's what almost anybody would say ... it couldn't be more obvious.
However, he also said:
Why did I rob banks? Because I enjoyed it. I loved it. I was more alive when I was inside a bank, robbing it, than at any other time in my life. I enjoyed everything about it so much that one or two weeks later I'd be out looking for the next job. But to me the money was the chips, that's all.[1]
The Redlands Daily Facts published the earliest documented example of Sutton's law on March 15, 1952 in Redlands, California.[11]
A corollary, the "Willie Sutton rule," used in management accounting, stipulates that activity-based costing (in which activities are prioritized by necessity, and budgeted accordingly) should be applied where the greatest costs occur, because that is where the greatest savings can be found.[12]
Willie SuttonThe colorful character who said he robbed banks “because that’s where the money is” was one of the first fugitives named to the FBI’s Top Ten list.
His taste in expensive clothes was partly his undoing. Sutton was spotted by a tailor’s son who had seen his Wanted flyer and notified the local police after seeing Sutton on the subway in New York City in 1952.
Born on June 30, 1901 in Brooklyn, New York, William Sutton was the fourth of five children. He attended school through eighth grade, then left home to secure a job. Sutton’s employment included jobs as a clerk, a driller, and a gardener. His longest continuous employment lasted 18 months.
Sutton was married in 1929, but his wife divorced him after he was incarcerated. He remarried in 1933. Before his death, Sutton co-authored “I, Willie Sutton” and “Where the Money Was.”
Willie Sutton acquired two nicknames, “The Actor” and “Slick Willie,” for his ingenuity in executing robberies in various disguises. Fond of expensive clothes, Sutton was described as being an immaculate dresser.
Although he was a bank robber, Sutton had the reputation of a gentleman; in fact, people present at his robberies stated he was quite polite. One victim said witnessing one of Sutton’s robberies was like being at the movies, except the usher had a gun. When asked why he robbed banks, Sutton simply replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”
On February 15, 1933, Sutton and a confederate attempted to rob the Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sutton, disguised as a mailman, entered the bank early in the morning. The curiosity of a passerby caused the robbery attempt to be abandoned. However, on January 15, 1934 Sutton entered the same bank with two companions through a skylight. When the watchman arrived, they forced him to admit the employees as usual. Each employee was handcuffed and crowded into a small room.
Sutton also executed a Broadway jewelry store robbery in broad daylight, impersonating a postal telegraph messenger. Sutton’s other disguises included a policeman, messenger and maintenance man. He usually arrived at the banks or stores slightly before they opened for the day.
Besides being known as an innovative robber, Sutton recommitted in June 1931 on charges assault and robbery. Sentenced to 30 years, he escaped on December 11, 1932, by scaling the prison wall on two 9-foot sections of ladder that were joined together.
Sutton was apprehended on February 5, 1934 and was sentenced to serve 25 to 50 years in Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the machine gun robbery of the Corn Exchange Bank. On April 3, 1945, Sutton was one of 12 convicts who escaped the institution through a tunnel. Sutton was recaptured the same day by Philadelphia police officers; this had been his fifth escape attempt at this prison.
Sentenced to life imprisonment as a fourth time offender, Sutton was transferred to the Philadelphia County Prison, Homesburg, Pennsylvania. On February 10, 1947, Sutton and other prisoners dressed as prison guards. The men carried two ladders across the prison yard to the wall after dark. When the prison’s searchlights hit him, Sutton yelled, “It’s okay,” and no one stopped him.
Photo of the 40-year career bank robber Willie Sutton used on the FBI Wanted Poster.Willie Sutton
Photo of a document that outlines Ten Most Wanted Fugitive William Francis Sutton's criminal history.The criminal history of Sutton. Click the image for details.
On March 20, 1950, Willie “The Actor” Sutton was added to the FBI’s list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Because of his love for expensive clothes, Sutton’s photograph was given to tailors as well as police departments. A 24-year-old tailor’s son recognized Sutton on the New York subway on February 18, 1952 and followed him to a local gas station where Sutton purchased a battery for his car. The man reported the incident to the police who later arrested Sutton.
Sutton did not resist his arrest by New York City police, but denied any robberies or other crimes since his 1947 escape from Philadelphia County Prison. At the time of his arrest, Sutton owed one life sentence plus 105 years. He was further sentenced to an additional 30 years to life in New York State Prison following a jury trial in Queens County Court.
Seventeen years later, the New York State penal authorities decided that Sutton did not have to serve two life sentences and 105 years. Sutton was ill; he had emphysema and was preparing for a major operation on arteries in his legs.
On Christmas Eve 1969, 68-year-old Sutton was released from Attica State Prison. Ironically, in 1970, Sutton did a television commercial to promote the New Britain, Connecticut, Bank and Trust Company’s new photo credit card program.
On November 2, 1980, Willie Sutton died in Spring Hill, Florida, at the age of 79.
Criminal, American Folk Figure. Many perceive Willie Sutton as a reincarnated lovable Robin Hood. On the contrary, he was a hardened criminal who used loaded guns, pistols and sometimes a Thompson submachine gun to rob while putting countless innocent people in harm's way. He garnered millions, robbing some 100 banks during his 35 year career, but had little time to enjoy his stolen money as he spent most of his life in prison. He was born William Francis Sutton Jr. in Brooklyn, New York, the fourth of five children. He became a school dropout after the eight grade leaving home to work at various temporary jobs, clerk, driller and at times a gardener. He found his calling at an early age starting at ten with pilferage. Soon, he attempted burglary after breaking into the business of his girlfriend's father, taking money so the pair could elope. The marriage soon ended in divorce after he was incarcerated for the deed. He watched his targets for days or weeks, studying the employees' routines. He could win a bank manager's cooperation by appealing to his ego. Adept at makeup and hair dye, Sutton knew the power of disguise and even fabricated a letterhead for a fictitious acting school so he could get any uniform he needed: messenger, cop, postal carrier or whatever the need. He usually arrived at the banks or stores slightly before they opened for the day and then with the employees tied, locked in rooms or incapacitated, proceeded with the robbery. He was not only an innovative robber, but earned the nickname 'Slick Willie' for his prison escapes, some successful most foolhardy with quick apprehension. However, he did manage to depart from three of America's escape-proof penitentiaries. His moniker has stuck in the American language usage and the phrase 'slick willie' has come to indicate a persons character. While incarcerated at the Philadelphia County Prison in Homesburg, Sutton and other prisoners fabricated, then dressed as prison guards. They carried two ladders across the prison yard to the wall after dark. Caught in the light of a searchlight, Sutton yelled, 'It's okay, it's only us' and they proceeded to scale the wall and escape. During a stay at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Sutton and fellow convicts spent a year fashioning an elaborate tunnel which featured brace supports, fans and lights. He was one of 12 convicts who escaped the institution through the opening. This was his milestone fifth attempt from the facility. The escapees went in different directions but all were recaptured the same day by Philadelphia police officers. Aging and in poor health with chronic emphysema and facing major surgery, he was given a Christmas eve gift with release from Attica State Prison. He was relatively quiet in his post-prison life. State Welfare was his mainstay. Ironically, a bank in Connecticut hired him for a credit card television commercial in which Willie proclaimed it was safe even from a 'slick' person such as himself. However, he was never issued one of his very own. His sister cared for him in the last years of his life. He passed away at her residence in Springhill, Florida from emphysema at age 79. He was interred in the family plot in Brooklyn. Willie Sutton is remembered...His alma mater, Eastern State Penitentiary was closed and taken from service in 1971. After years of decline it was declared a historic site and the old prison is being restored. Tours are now scheduled during the summer. One can see the cell where Sutton was incarcerated, view the many artifacts and then take a guided tour of the fabled tunnel where he and eleven other inmates disappeared into the Philadelphia night more then sixty years ago. Nearby is the London Grill where 'Slick Willie' stopped while in flight for a quick pint. This club now features a special Sutton dinner served with Willie Sutton Amber Lager. While in prison he co-authored the book, 'I, Willie Sutton' with Quentin Reynolds which was published in 1953. Also in his post-prison life, Sutton co-authored a book with Edward Linn, 'Where the Money Was-The Memoirs of a Bank Robber.'