Ma Barker, Ozarks legend

Ma Barker came from Ash Grove, Mo., which is a little northwest of Springfield. This area was post-Civil War bandit country back then. She and her unruly boys moved to Webb City, which is two hours west of Branson before relocating to Tulsa, where oil drilling and outlawry were a potent mix.
In 1931, after a surprise pardon, one son and an ex-con pal ensconced her in a nice place in Thayer, Mo., which is 2 1/2 hours from Branson, using proceeds from a crime spree. The men then killed a sherrif in West Plains, Mo., which is about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Branson. The family then fled to St. Paul, Minn., which at the time was a haven for outlaws and fugitives. Gang member Alvin Karpis, who she treated like a son, described her as a "typical Ozarks holy roller type" who listened to hillbilly radio programs and worked a lot of crossword puzzles.
The FBI exaggerated her role, calling her the gang mastermind, because she was inadvertently killed by agents in a shootout with one of her sons. The real gang mastermind, the FBI now says, was Alvin Karpis, who was arrested in New Orleans. He spent 33 years in prison, mostly in Alcatraz.