Chapter 13
Two days had passed from the Abberton robbery and shoot out.
Back at Jesse’s farm, Hud, Jack, Willie, and Harold cleaned their sub-machine guns and Colt 45s on the kitchen table. Ester stood by the sink with an apron around her waist while she peeled some potatoes.
In the doorway of the kitchen, Jesse had the Kodak camera in hand, and he snapped another picture of everybody.
Over at the Bureau of Investigation offices in St. Louis and Indianapolis had finally revealed the names of Hud and his gang. Wanted posters were now posted in post offices in Missouri and Indiana.
Then over at the Indianapolis Star newspaper office in Indianapolis, a reporter named Danny Kirkpatrick glanced at an article he was in the process of writing about the gang. He had obtained copies of Hud and Harold’s rap sheets. Danny read a witness statement of a robbery in Indiana where the witness described Henry as the leader. He looked at Henry’s rap sheet. His eyes lit up with an idea when he saw that Henry had a “Hud” tattoo.
He typed “The Hudsters Gang Killed Two Police Officers in Abberton” headlines.
From that day forward, Hud and his gang were known at The “Hudsters.”
Three days had passed, and Hud and Jesse sat on his front porch, smoking cigars and guzzling whiskey.
Hud read a newspaper. His eyes widened the second, he saw an article about their recent bank job.
“Ester, round up the guys,” he called out.
A few seconds had passed, and Ester, Harold, Jack, and Willie walked out of the house and to the front porch.
“What?” asked Ester.
“We’re still making the newspapers. But they’re calling us The Hudsters,” Hud told everybody then showed them the article.
Ester, Jack, Harold, Willie, and Jesse all glanced at the article.
“The Hudsters. I like the sound of that,” said Jack.
“We’re going to be as famous as Al Capone,” Harold added and loved the thought of that.
Everybody nodded in agreement along with Hud, as he loved being the center of the attention.
He glanced back at the article with a smile.
Everybody else read the article over Hud’s shoulder.
June 22nd, 1933 rolled around, and The Hudsters headed off to Piedmont for their next jewelry store heist in the middle of the night.
They broke inside Sampson’s Jewelry Store.
While Willie was in the process of figuring out the combination of the safe, the owner of the store Wally Sampson entered through the back office. He was drunk and had a young drunken floozy named Dorothy with him. Since Wally was married, he wanted to use his back office for sex with Dorothy.
But The Hudsters surprised Wally while they were emptying his safe.
“What are you doing?” Wally asked while he stood there with Dorothy by his side.
“What the fuck does it look like?” Hud asked and reached under his suit coat and placed his right hand on his Colt 45.
“Robbing me,” Wally replied then saw Harold with his Colt 45 aimed at him.
Hud looked at Dorothy and realized what Wally was doing here when he saw Wally’s wedding ring.
“You’re married and bringing this whore here to fuck?” Hud questioned with a smirk.
“Dorothy’s not a whore,” Wally replied.
Dorothy shook her head that she was not a whore.
Hud had a great idea while he looked at Wally and Dorothy.
Five minutes had passed, and The Hudsters made it out of Sampson’s Jewelry Store without anybody getting killed.
But they did leave Wally and Dorothy tied up back to back and bare ass naked on the floor of his store area. Hud figured the people of the town should spot them first thing in the morning.
Two days later, Hud, Ester, and Jack went back to Springfield and fenced the jewelry to Ernie. They made a $25,000 profit. While they visited Ernie, they stocked up on some bullets.
A day after they got back from Springfield, Hud drove his Hudson down to Titus, Kentucky in the middle of the night. He found the gravesite for an Elmer Brown and buried his portion of the jewelry loot in another small leather satchel for safekeeping for the future cash needs.
He jotted down “Elmer Brown, Titus, Kentucky down on that piece of paper with the burial site of his first hidden stash.
Hud walked away through the cemetery with his small shovel in hand satisfied his stash would be safe
Three more weeks passed, and The Hudsters still had a safe haven at Jesse’s farm.
In Union Park, the people knew Ester to be Candace Lane. To keep up with their ruse, Ester still paid for the motel room and would on occasion spend a few days and nights there. Her story of why she was not there on some days was that her husband was a traveling Fuller Brush salesman. They planned on buying a house in Union Park next year to settle down, so she told everybody. The people of Union Park were so gullible.
Then July came around, and Hud planned out their next bank job. He picked the town of Daleville.
So during the morning of July 17th, 1933, The Hudsters drove off in their Chevy to Daleville.
Jesse and Ester sat in rocking chairs on the front porch. They drank coffee and watched while Jack drove the Chevy down the dirt driveway and headed to the road.
Jack drove the Chevy into Daleville, and they found The Commerce Bank and parked across the street around 12:45 that afternoon.
But something felt odd for Hud when he saw another car with a guy waiting behind the wheel outside the door of the bank. He saw the passenger of that car get out with a gun in hand.
He then saw a young boy sitting on the curb across the street of the bank.
“Someone beat us to robbing this bank,” Hud told the others while they watched the bank.
They saw some customers enter the bank.
They saw the driver of that car get out with a gun in his hand and rushed into the bank.
Then Hud and the guys saw the two men run out of the bank and get into the car.
Those bank robbers raced off and what Hud did not realize at that time, was that one of those robbers was John Dillinger.
“Fuck! We now need something else to rob,” said Hud and looked pissed that he lost this opportunity.
“This town must have a jewelry store,” said Harold.
Hud looked up and down the street, and a cop was not in sight. “I doubt this town has any cops either,” he said then thought for a few seconds. “Okay, find one,” he said.
Jack drove off down the street.
A little while later, Jack found the Daleville Jewelry Store.
They got out of the car and found the owner of the store, Russell Story standing outside.
“I heard the bank got robbed,” he told Hud, Harold, and Willie while they walked up to him.
“And also the jewelry store,” Willie said and showed Russell his Thompson tucked behind his suit coat.
Russell’s legs started to tremble when he realized he was being held up at gunpoint.
“Let’s go nice and easy inside,” Hud told Russell while he flashed his Colt 45 in his shoulder holster under his suit coat.
Russell nervously went back into his store with Hud, Harold, and Willie behind him.
Jack waited in the Chevy for any signs of cops. None were in sight.
A little while later, The Hudsters drove out of Daleville with some jewelry. It was not much, but Hud did not want this to be a wasted journey.
Two weeks had passed, and the jewelry from Daleville was fenced in Springfield for $12,000. Hud buried his share in the gravesite He buried in the grave for Abner Murray.
Hud jotted down that name on his piece of paper then headed out of the cemetery with his shovel in hand.
August rolled around, and Hud had the itch for another big score with a bank job.
So in the early morning of August 17th, 1933, The Hudsters drove to the northwestern part of the state.
During this drive, Ester gave Jesse a bonus for their stay. She let him fuck her in his bed since he was able to get an erection.
Jack pulled into the town of Douglas in the late afternoon.
After their usual process of checking things out, Hud, Harold, and Willie rushed into the bank and collected the money.
But while Jack waited outside, two Douglas cop cars raced down the street. It appears one the pedestrians on the street felt the bank was being robbed and previously ran down the police station.
Jack jumped out of the Chevy and started firing his Thompson machine gun at the oncoming cop cars.
The two cop cars screeched to a stop.
Two cops jumped out of each cop car and started firing at Jack.
Jack returned fire, and one of the radiators of the cop car hissed out steam.
Hud, Harold, and Willie ran out of the bank, and they started firing their guns at the four cops.
One of the cops fell to the dirt dead.
While Hud, Harold, and Willie ran to the Chevy, Harold got shot in the side of his left leg.
“Fuck!” Harold called out in pain while he tried to run as fast as he could to the Chevy.
Willie jumped on the passenger running and provided cover with his Thompson machine gun while Hud, Jack, and Harold got in the Chevy.
Jack floored the car and raced off down the street with bullets from the cops hitting the back of the Chevy.
While Jack raced out of town, Harold was in the passenger seat in pain from his leg would. “I got shot! I got fucking shot! Fucking cops!” he yelled out in anger.
Jack raced the Chevy out of the town of Douglas.
Later that evening, Jack pulled the Chevy into Jesse’s barn.
Hud and Jack assisted Harold into the farmhouse.
Once they got in the house, they placed Harold on the kitchen floor still in pain.
“Ester!” Hud called out.
Ester and Jesse walked into the kitchen and saw Harold on the floor with a bloody hole in the side of his left thigh just above the knee cap.
“Harold got shot,” Hud told Ester.
“I don’t know anything about getting out a bullet,” Jesse said while he looked at Harold’s leg.
Ester thought for a few seconds. “I know a doctor in Pikesville we can trust. He works out of his house,” she said.
“Are you sure?” asked Hud.
“He would visit me numerous times back in Saint Louis. So I don’t think his wife wants to know about those so-called business trips,” she replied with a smirk.
“Get him up,” he told Jack and Willie then looked at Ester. “Get some blankets.”
Ester ran out of the room while Jack and Willie got Harold to his feet.
Five minutes later, Hud drove his Hudson down the dirt driveway of Jesse’s farm.
Harold sat on a blanket in the backseat so that blood would not ruin the seat. Ester sat by his side.
An hour later, Hud drove his Hudson into the town of Pikesville.
Harold was getting weak.
He drove around the town, and they eventually found Dr. Albert Harvey’s two-story house and office.
Hud parked out in front of the house.
Ester and Hud got Harold out of the car and assisted him to the front porch of Dr. Harvey’s house.
The house was dark and quiet while Ester pounded on the front door.
After a few seconds, the front door opened and fifty-five-year-old Dr. Albert Harvey appeared in his pajamas and looked groggy. “What do you want this early in the morning?” he asked and did not recognize Ester.
“Albie, it’s me Ester from Saint Louie,” she said.
Dr. Harvey looked at Ester, and it took a few seconds for him to remember her. Then he looked worried. “What are you doing here? My wife is home,” he whispered.
“My friend here got shot in the leg. We need you to take out the bullet,” she said.
Dr. Harvey stepped out in the front porch and saw Harold and then saw Hud. It took a few seconds for it to dawn on him that these guys were the bank robbers from the paper. “It will cost you,” he said.
“Is five hundred okay?” Hud asked.
“Bring him inside,” Dr. Harvey said.
The second Hud and Ester walked Harold inside the house, Dr. Harvey’s wife, Beth, walked down the stairs.
“What’s going on down here?” she asked and looked sleepy.
Dr. Harvey looked at Beth then he looked at Harold. “Oh, this young man accidently shot himself in the leg while hunting,” he told his wife.
“At night?” Beth curiously asked.
“I never said my friend was bright,” said Hud.
“Go on back to bed, dear. Let me do my doctoring,” Dr. Harvey told his wife.
Beth yawned and headed back up the stairs.
“Let’s go into my office,” Dr. Harvey told Hud and Ester and pointed to a closed door to his right.
An hour had passed, and the bullet was removed from Harold’s leg.
Hud paid him $500 in cash and Ester gave Dr. Harvey a blow job to insure he kept his mouth shut.
Harold limped with Hud and Ester back to the Hudson. In fact, Harold would walk with a slight limp.
They got inside the car and headed back to Union Park.
Three weeks had passed, and Harold’s leg healed. He still had a limp with his left leg when he walked. He would be that way for the rest of his life. Harold thought that was cool and gave him a little character.
Hud now planned for their next jewelry heist, and this time it would be in the town of Hickory, Ohio to change things up a bit.
Also to change things up a bit, Jack and Willie took a mid-night drive down to Tennessee, and they stole a replacement Chevy. They left the old one in the woods and set it on fire.
So on September 6th, 1933, The Hudsters headed east to Hickory, Ohio.
It was in the middle of the night then Jack pulled the Chevy down the street from Burns Jewelry Store.
They snuck around to the rear of the store and Willie successfully unlocked the rear door.
Twenty minutes had passed, and The Hudsters drove out of Hickory with another successful jewelry heist, and no guns were fired or tied up. They felt that maybe their bad luck was behind them.
Two days later and Hud, Ester, and Jack made another trip to Springfield to visit Ernie.
They left with $18,000 profit for selling the jewelry they stole in Hickory.
Hud refrained from burying his share this time as he wanted to wait a few months.
A week of relaxation had passed from the Hickory heist. Hud, Jack, Willie, and Harold relaxed on the front porch of Jesse’s house and passed around a bottle of whiskey.
Jesse walked out of the house with the Kodak camera in hand.
Jesse walked off the porch and stood in the grass.
Ester appeared in the front doorway in her panties and bra. “Jesse’s going to take another photo, so look mean,” Ester told the guys.
Jesse snapped a picture with the Kodak of Hud, Jack, Harold, Willie looking mean on the porch with Ester in the doorway in her panties and bra.
Three more weeks had passed, and The Hudsters still had a safe haven back at Jesse’s farm in Union Park. So Hud planned their next job and picked Ohio again thinking Indiana was getting too warm.
Way over in Washington, DC, J Edgar Hoover got pissed that The Hudsters were still on the loose killing and robbing banks and jewelry stores in Indiana. So he assigned Bureau of Investigation Agent Ricky Kelly, a thirty-eight-year-old veteran agent with the bureau, in charge of a task force. Ricky vowed to J Edgar Hoover that he would bring The Hudsters to justice or to an early grave. They did not connect the Ohio jewelry heist with The Hudsters at this time.
The next day, Agent Kelly headed off to Indianapolis to set up his headquarters for his task force.
With him, he brought experienced thirty-year-old Agent Bobby Handson, thirty-year-old Agent John Austin, and twenty-eight-year-old Agent Bill Henderson to Indianapolis.
During the morning of October 3rd, 1933, The Hudsters drove out of Jesse’s farm in the early morning and headed east to Ohio.
Meanwhile, Agents Kelly, Williams, Austin and Henderson arrived in the Bureau of Investigation office in Indianapolis.
After some short introductions with the other Bureau of Investigation Agents of that office, Agent Kelly’s task force started setting up shop in a large room.
Later that afternoon, Jack drove his Chevy into the quiet town of Eatonville, Ohio.
They found the State Bank of Eatonville, and after their usual routine, Hud, Harold, and Willie ran into the bank.
“This is a stickup,” Hud yelled out then Willie fired his Thompson machine gun into the ceiling spraying the customers with plaster.
A lady screamed while she and the other customers dropped to the floor for protection.
When everybody froze in fear, Hud removed his potato sack that was tucked under his suit coat.
He strutted over to the first bank teller with his Colt 45 aimed.
“All the money,” he instructed the teller and handed him the sack.
It did not take the teller long to empty his cash drawer, and Hud noticed.
“Take me to the vault,” Hud ordered.
“Yes sir,” the teller said while his legs trembled.
Harold and Willie watched the customers while the teller walked Hud back to the vault.
While inside the vault Hud watched while the teller dumped fifteen bundles of twenties into the sack, Hud escorted him out of the vault.
What Hud, Harold, and Willie did not realize that the Eatonville Chief of Police Jerry Oswald would always enter the bank by using the rear door.
Jerry saw Hud escort the teller out of the vault, so he removed his 38 Special from his holster. “Halt!” he yelled out at Hud.
Hud turned around a little surprised to hear a voice behind him, so he turned around.
Jerry saw Hud’s Colt 45 in his hand and took this as a potential threat. So he fired off a shot and hit Hud in his upper right chest muscle.
That caused Hud to fall back on his ass.
Jerry inched toward Hud, but then his eyes widened the second he saw Willie rush over with his Thompson machine gun in hand. It was too late, as Willie fired his machine gun at Jerry sending him flying backward.
Jerry was dead the second his body slammed onto the floor.
Willie kept his Thompson aimed at the customers while he helped Hud get back to his feet with the sack still in his hand.
“Thanks, Willie,” Hud said while they rushed to the door.
Hud and Willie ran out of the bank with Harold on their tail.
It was quiet out on the street while Willie assisted Hud back to the car.
Harold provided cover for any signs of cops. For some reason, the street was void of any threats.
They got back into the Chevy, and Jack raced the car away.
Back in the Bureau of Investigation office in Indianapolis, Agent Kelly and his task force had their office set up. They just finished placing marks on state maps of Missouri and Indiana where The Hudsters were reported to have committed robberies. Agent Kelly looked determined to bring the gang to justice.
An hour later, Jack pulled the Chevy into Jesse’s barn and turned off the car.
He and Willie helped Hud walk to the house.
“Ester,” Hud called out the second they walked into the kitchen.
Ester soon entered from the living room. She saw the bloody hole in Hud’s suit coat. “I know, Doctor Harvey,” she said.
Hud nodded in pain.
An hour later, Jack drove Hud’s Hudson into the town of Pikesville in the early evening.
Ester sat with Hud in the backseat.
Jack followed Ester’s directions and found Dr. Harvey’s home.
Jack and Ester assisted Hud to the front porch.
Ester pounded on the front door.
The front door opened and Dr. Harvey appeared in his white doctor’s outfit. His eyes widened when he saw Ester and then he turned his sights on Hud. He saw the bloody hole in Hud’s suit coat.
“Again?” Dr. Harvey asked Ester.
“Yeah,” she replied.
“Come inside,” Dr. Harvey told them.
An hour later, Dr. Harvey removed the bullet from Hud’s chest for $500. And like she promised the last time, she gave him a blow job.
Jack drove the Hudson back to Jesse’s farm in Union Park.
A month passed, and November rolled around.
Hud recuperated from his bullet wound, and it left a nice round scar.
But now it was time to get back to work.
So on November 15th, The Hudsters were back on the road and headed back to Ohio. This time they went to Harristown, Kentucky and successfully pulled off another jewelry store heist.
They raced back to Jesse’s farm in Union Park.
Two days later, Agent Kelly’s agents received numerous phone calls, and they now learned that The Hudsters pulled recent jobs in Ohio and now Kentucky. Plus they learned Harold Pyle was shot in the leg and Hud Hudson was shot in the chest.
Agent Kelly still felt they were hiding somewhere in Indiana.
So Agent Kelly put the word out for that a $10,000 Reward was being offered for information leading to the capture of The Hudsters.
Then the next day, traveling salesman Burt Gregory stopped off at a post office in Kennesaw Indiana. He had to mail his orders back to his office in Chicago.
He noticed the Wanted Poster for Public Enemies The Hudsters with the most up to date information and mug shots with the $10,000 reward amount. He also saw the phone number for Agent Kelly at the Indianapolis Field Office.
The end of November rolled around, and it was time for Thanksgiving.
Ester and Jesse went into town and bought a turkey and other items for their Thanksgiving feast.
But while they were in Tony’s Grocery Store, Ester did not notice Burt Gregory buying some groceries for the rest of his trip down to Atlanta.
Burt saw Ester with Jesse and did not recognize her at first.
Then when he paid for his groceries, he saw Ester get into the Hudson outside the store. He suddenly remembered her from Madam Harriett’s House of Pleasure in St. Louis. Burt was a frequent customer of Ester when he traveled through St. Louis on his sales trip.
Burt rushed out of the store and got inside his Buick.
He got in his car and followed the Hudson hoping to find out where she might be working again.
Ester was clueless she was being followed by Burt while she drove back to the farm.
But a little while later, Burt got a little confused when he saw Ester pull the Hudson into the dirt driveway of Jesse’s farm. He thought that might be her father’s farm and she worked as a whore somewhere else in town.
Burt had to leave because he had to see an important client in Atlanta. But he planned on coming back, as he always thought Ester was a great fuck and worth the money.
Two days later and Ester cooked a nice turkey dinner for Hud, Jesse, and the guys.
Jesse took a picture of Hud, Ester, Jack, Harold, and Willie with the Kodak camera while they sat around the dining room table with the turkey dinner.