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Incredible original police bulletin board assembled and maintained by the Chief of Police in Drumright, Oklahoma, 32.5 x 29.5, displaying 10 original United States Bureau of Investigation and Division of Investigation wanted circulars for many of the Prohibition era's most infamous public enemies, issued between 1932 and 1934, accompanied by seven contemporary mug shots and identification photographs. According to an accompanying provenance statement, the board originally belonged to Drumright Chief of Police Jack Ary, remained in law enforcement hands after being acquired in 1937 by Oklahoma City officer W. C. ‘Spot’ Gentry, and was presented in 1977 to retiring Oklahoma FBI bureau chief Kenneth W. Whittaker.
The wanted notices include John Dillinger, Clyde Barrow, Charles Arthur 'Pretty Boy' Floyd, Lester M. 'Baby Face' Nelson, Homer Van Meter, John Hamilton, Wilbur Underhill, Tommy Carroll, Frank Nash, and Verne Miller. Many of the circulars bear contemporary handwritten notations recording each outlaw's ultimate fate, such as "Killed at Chicago," "Killed in Ohio," and "Killed at St. Paul," while several retain typed update slips reporting later developments, including deaths and captures. The board also incorporates additional mounted mug shots of lesser-known criminals, including Herman Barker and Earl Quinn, creating a working 'rogues' gallery' that remained in active use as events unfolded during the FBI's war against organized crime.
In overall very good condition, with assorted stains, toning, tears, and areas of paper loss. Accompanied by the referenced provenance statement, an original portrait painting of J. Edgar Hoover, a photograph taken at the time the board was presented to Whittaker showing him standing beside the board with the offered Hoover portrait visible in the background, and a clipped signature of Hoover, each individually framed and ranging in size from 13 x 17 to 20.5 x 26.25. ccording to the consignor, the photograph was taken when the items were presented to Whittaker in 1977, documenting the board and Hoover portrait together at the time of their presentation.
Preserved as an authentic working law-enforcement reference board rather than a later collector's display, it reflects how local police departments tracked the Public Enemy manhunts of the early 1930s. Contemporary handwritten annotations and typed update slips record the deaths, captures, and other dispositions of many of America's most notorious fugitives, preserving the board much as it appeared in active use. Its documented provenance through local police and the FBI includes Kenneth W. Whittaker, a former aide to J. Edgar Hoover. Whittaker later served as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami office and was personally involved in the November 1972 arrest of organized crime figure Meyer Lansky upon his return to the United States after leaving Israel. Whittaker boarded Lansky’s plane at Miami International Airport and placed him under arrest.
