Crime solvers

Jan. 21--The Fleagle Gang robberies and the Clutter murder case have long brought national attention to Finney County and southwest Kansas, and as a result are deeply entrenched in local history.

While the stories of how these infamous crimes were committed never fail to capture the imagination and attention, the Finney County Historical Museum would like to shine a different light on these cases -- by focusing on what law enforcement did to solve them.

Discussions on the exhibit started nearly two years ago, and after months of getting it put together, the museum is ready to open it's "True Crime, Solving Notorious Cases from Finney County's History" temporary exhibit.

"The exploits of the the Fleagle Gang, and also the Clutter murders are part of Finney County's history. We initially were thinking that we'd do an exhibit primarily just on the Fleagle Gang, but as we got to exploring the idea, there are two major crimes -- the crime spree of the Fleagle Gang and the murders of the Clutter Family -- that good or bad brought national attention to Kansas and to Finney County," said Steve Quakenbush, executive director of the Finney County Historical Society. "They are both a part of our history, so they thought, 'Let's expand it and also address the 1959 Clutter case, as well as the Fleagle Gang.

"We have done through our education with Johnetta Hebrlee, our education coordinator, a number of presentations on the Fleagle Gang, and the response to those presentations is what initially inspired the whole exhibit. Every time the museum presents anything on the Fleagle Gang, there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm and interest."

Evidence on exhibit

Brothers Jake and Ralph Fleagle formed the Fleagle Gang in the 1920s, who then proceeded to carry out a series of bank robberies in the region. It was in 1928 when they robbed the First National Bank in Lamar, Colo., taking two bank employees hostage. One of the hostages was released, but the gang later took a doctor hostage and killed him, leaving his body in a car in a canyon. Law Enforcement at the time found one unidentifiable finger print at the top of the right rear window of that vehicle that ultimately led to the conviction of Jake Fleagle.

That window is what on display in the new exhibit.

in November 1959, Richard Hickok and Perry Smith entered the Herb and Bonnie Clutter home in Holcomb looking for a supposed safe full of money. After not finding a safe, the two men killed Herb and Bonnie, along with their teenage children Kenyon and Nancy.

The two killers eventually were hunted down and convicted of the crimes, and ultimately were sent to their deaths at the gallows.

It was a bloody boot print left by Smith at the scene of the crime that left a break in the case and led to the conviction of the two killers. The boot worn by Smith on the night of the murders is also on display in the exhibit.

"I would say the two most significant artifacts are the car window glass on which Jake Fleagle's fingerprint led to the arrest, conviction and subsequent executions of the Fleagle Gang, and then probably another artifact that we borrowed from the Law Enforcement Center, and that is the boot worn by Perry Smith when he and Richard Hickok committed the Clutter murders in 1959," Quakenbush said are the highlights of the exhibit.

Quakenbush said the Fleagle Gang case resulted in one of the first convictions involving fingerprint evidence, which "was a fairly innovative form of forensic evidence at the time," Quakenbush said.

"It was the first single print evidence involved in a conviction involving the FBI, so it is fairly significant," he said.

Quakenbush also said he believes part of what made the Clutter case famous is Truman Capote's 1967 novel, "In Cold Blood," which was based on the murders.

"No matter what people think of Truman Capote -- good, bad or indifferent -- "In Cold Blood" was a groundbreaking novel that put Garden City on the map. Maybe not in a favorable way, but put Finney County, Holcomb and Garden City, on the map, so there's a strong interest," he said. "... We have found out that though the details may be hazy to some people, almost everyone is aware of the Clutter case. Not as many people are aware of the Fleagle Gang, but through the exhibit, they are becoming more aware of that... Today, theyre not as well-known as say Baby Face Nelson, John Delinger, Bonnie and Clyde, but in their time, they were just as notorious, and maybe people are just starting to discover that."

In a press release from the museum, Roxanne Morgan, Finney County Convention and Visitors Bureau director, said people may not realize it today, but the way the Fleagle and Clutter cases were solved and prosecuted had a major impact nationally.

"In fact, the fingerprint that nailed the Fleagle Gang was an innovative kind of forensic evidence back in the 1920s, and we can be proud of the way that law enforcement officers right here in Finney County played a major role in closing the book on the gang's exploits," she said.

True crimes

Along with artifacts and information on the Fleagle Gang and Clutter murders, the exhibit also displays other artifacts related to crimes and law enforcement.

There is a Winchester rifle that was once kept by Fidelity State Bank to ward off robberies. There is also a collection of career souvenirs from the life of Sheriff Earl Robinson, the first officer to arrive at the scene of the Clutter murders; and a gown worn at the New York ball given by author Truman Capote after the publication of "In Cold Blood."

Quakenbush said there is also a timeline of the earliest developments in establishing law enforcement in Finney County and the construction of all three courthouses that have served Finney County.

"There's an account in the exhibit of an early day fatal shooting at the railroad depot in Garden City involving our town marshal, Newton Earp," Quakenbush said. "Everyone knows about Wyatt Earp. Newton was Wyatt's older half brother, and he was the marshal here in Garden City for a period of time (in the 19th century)... It's sort of an overall survey of law enforcement and major crimes that put Finney County on the map."

Overall, the exhibit incorporates approximately 20 historical artifacts and three dozen early-day photographs, Quakenbush said, and was created by Brian Nelson, with the support of the entire museum staff.

"From the response we're getting from people, it's obvious he did a good job," Quakenbush said. "... The discussions on this started probably two years ago, and it's taken months and months to get this put together."

The museum held a soft opening for the exhibit earlier this month, Quakenbush said, noting that several people already have visited it.

"We've have people from New Mexico, Arizona, a couple of other states, as well as local residents," he said. "As word has gotten out, we have had more and more interest."

The official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new exhibit is slated for 4 p.m. Thursday.

Quakenbush said local law enforcement leaders and members of the Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors are expected to be on hand during the brief program, and guests will be invited to record their impressions in a special visitor's log inside the exhibit.

"The museum will also be open an hour later than its regular hours on that day, until 6 p.m.," he said. "... We hope people will come and see it, and we're optimistic people from southwest Kansas, all over the state as well as other states, will come to see it as well."

Whether it's something good or tragic, pieces of the crime exhibit are still a major component of Finney County and southwest Kansas history, Quakenbush said.

"In the case of those murders and also the crimes of the Fleagle Gang, southwest Kansas was thrown into the national spotlight, so we think that that makes it equally significant," he said. "...We hope that people approach this as a means of education and learning about what happened."

Contact Josh Harbour at jharbour@gctelegram.com.

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