The Shelton Gang

3rd Cousins Four Times Removed through William Shelton Sr. and Hannah Yates

This page is under construction and revision......

The Shelton Gang was an interesting find. While corresponding with a cousin in Kentucky about Elijah Franklin Shelton, she mentioned the Shelton Gang to me as interesting reading. What follows is the research I have done so far.

The "Shelton Gang" was comprised of Carl, Earl and Bernard (Bernie, and Roy Shelton. Their line appears to be; Benjamin Shelton, Wilson A. Shelton, Josiah Shelton, William Shelton Sr.

In the early 1920's, the Shelton Gang joined forces with Charles Birger and his gang. The Shelton gang was running bootlegged liquor up from the southern U.S. for distribution in southern Illinois and the St. Louis area. Birger collaborated with the Sheltons to provide Harrisburg Illinois as a final layover for the runners and final preparations of the liquor were made there. The two gangs also worked together to establish slot machines across the region.

Apparently one of the focal points of this operation was the "Shady Rest". The Shady Rest, built in 1924, was about halfway between Harrisburg and Marion Illinois, and used as a "hideout" of sorts to offer bootleg liquor, gambling, cockfights and dog fights. There were few people, if any - including the police - who did not know the true purpose of Shady Rest. During the day, liquor runners from Florida rested up there before making the last leg of trips to St. Louis. The authorities never touched the hideout despite its notoriety.

Rift between the Shelton and Birger Gangs: The only thing I have been able to gather is that the cooperation between the two gangs was over a matter of a few thousand dollars.

Once the rivalry commenced, there was nothing stopping these two gangs. They would build armored vehicles on cars and trucks and have road duels. Carl Shelton setup the first civil aerial bombing in the United States of the Shady Rest, which failed due to bad explosives (read an interesting version of the pilots story (not verified))

The Shelton Gang members were eventually set up by Charles Birger and served sentenced to 25 years in prison. These trials were thrown out and re-tried. After the Shelton Boys were released from prison, they moved on from Southern Illinois, and went to St. Louis and Peoria Illinois.

Other information found follows:

One establishment they operated was the Para-Dice Lounge/Club in East Peoria, Illinois. In the 1940's-50's Joseph Rafool operated the club. For most of these years he had partners--The notorious Shelton Gang. They reportedly were "unwanted partners".

On February 17, 1943 "Dinty" Colbeck was driving on a lonely road outside of East St. Louis when another car pulled along side of him and a man with a machine gun straffed Colbeck’s car. The notorious crime chief was dead. Scores of hoodlums were arrested for questioning. Among these were former Egan gangsters affiliated with a gang that had the support of the Chicago mob. Others arrested were members of the Shelton and Italian gangs. There were no substantial leads and there were no prime suspects. Some historians blame the embryonic Wortman Gang, but they did not gain power until after World War II. The Italians were too engrossed in their own internal power struggles to exert any great control over the Eastside gambling community. The most likely perpetrators were members of the Shelton Gang. The Sheltons were the real masters of the Illinois underworld until Wortman successfully challenged them. The Shelton Gang had the most to loose from Colbeck’s latest activities.

Created and researched by Todd Shelton

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