In the summer of 1903, a palpable sense of fear gripped Chicago as a quartet of young, ruthless criminals embarked on a violent spree of robberies and murders. This reign of terror, which had citizens wondering who would be next, culminated in the tragic death of James B. Johnson, a 38-year-old motorman for the Chicago City Railway Company. His life was cut short in the early morning hours of August 30, 1903, during a brazen and bloody heist that would cement his killers' notoriety as the "Car Barn Bandits."
The gang, composed of Gustav Marx, Harvey Van Dine, Peter Neidermeyer, and Emil Roeski, had spent months terrorizing the city. They were products of the city's slums who had escalated from petty theft to a string of deadly holdups, often shooting their victims for sums as small as $50. Their signature weapons were automatic pistols, and their targets were often saloons and railway stations. By the end of August, they had already left a trail of dead and wounded across Chicago, including saloon patrons and a railway employee who dared to resist them. Their crime wave created an atmosphere of dread throughout the city's neighborhoods.
On the night of the attack, James Johnson was asleep in a chair inside an anteroom of the Chicago City Railway's car barn at 61st and State Streets. In the main office, clerks Frank Stewart, William Edmund, and Henry Biehl were counting the day's receipts. At approximately 3 a.m., Marx, Van Dine, and Neidermeyer stormed the facility. Neidermeyer stood watch at a window while Marx and Van Dine, armed with a sledgehammer and a revolver, forced their way in. Marx pointed his gun through the receiving window and ordered the employees to raise their hands.
The ensuing moments were a chaotic flurry of violence. As the bandits demanded money, gunfire erupted. Awakened by the commotion, Johnson ran into the office to see what was happening and was immediately shot by the intruders. He and his colleague, Frank Stewart, were killed in the attack. William Edmund and Henry Biehl were also shot and seriously wounded but survived. The bandits smashed open a door with the sledgehammer, grabbed about $2,250 in cash, and fled into the night, making their way to Jackson Park to divide the loot.
The brutal double murder at the car barn intensified the citywide manhunt for the gang. For months, the police had been unable to identify the perpetrators of the escalating violence. The investigation finally broke in November 1903 when Assistant Chief of Detectives Herman Schuettler received a tip about Gustav Marx, who was unemployed but spending money lavishly. Detectives John Quinn and William Blaul tracked Marx to a saloon on November 21. As they moved in to arrest him, Marx drew his pistol and fatally shot Detective Quinn. Blaul returned fire, wounding Marx and taking him into custody.
Under intense interrogation, Marx confessed to the crime spree, implicating the rest of the gang in the car barn murders and at least six other killings. His confession sent Van Dine, Neidermeyer, and Roeski fleeing into Indiana, but they were soon captured and returned to Chicago. The case against the Car Barn Bandits moved swiftly. In January 1904, Marx, Van Dine, and Neidermeyer were tried together for the murders of Johnson and Stewart. They were found guilty and sentenced to death. On April 22, 1904, the three were executed by hanging at the Cook County Jail. Emil Roeski, who was not present at the car barn robbery, was tried separately for the murder of Otto Bauder during a saloon holdup. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, bringing a final, decisive end to one of the most violent crime sprees in Chicago's history.
