Brothers Notorious: The Sheltons - Southern Illinois' Legendary Gangsters (Legendary Illinois Gangsters)

The Sheltons they were, and they may or may not have been "America's Bloodiest Gang," as The Saturday Evening Post would have had readers believe in an article in 1950. Lawlessness abounded across the country during the Sheltons' reign from the Roaring Twenties through the heyday of gambling in the 1940's. Yet, it was astounding the way attention riveted on the Sheltons and their exploits even as Al Capone set the standard for wickedness most embedded in the state's legacy. When the Sheltons rode highest in downstate Illinois, few would dare to spit on the sidewalks of towns where they held sway, such as East St. Louis and Peoria, without permission from a Shelton. Read more