Friday, April 17, 2009

Joplin's Notorious Dead, Part Two

Another infamous character buried in Joplin is Harvey Bailey. Often called the Dean of American Bank Robbers because of the number of banks he robbed during the 1920s and early 1930s, he was an associate of George "Machine Gun" Kelley and other gangsters.
Bailey moved to Joplin in the 1960s upon his release from prison and shortly afterwards married the widow of Herb Farmer, who himself had been an associate of the Barker gang and other outlaws. Bailey died in Joplin in 1979 and is buried in the town's Forest Park Cemetery beside his wife. Not far away lies Herb Farmer.
Forest Park Cemetery is also the burial site of a notorious character named Jay Lynch, who killed the sheriff of Barton County in March of 1919 and was lynched on the square in Lamar a couple of months later. His body was removed to Joplin, though, for final disposition and buried at Forest Park. I don't think there is a headstone, but I'm not sure, because I've never tried to look for one.
Next time, the final installment in "Joplin's Notorious Dead."

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