Columbus

“there are no apologies, no regrets,no sorrows

and no animosity. what happened, happened.”

and Ma and Fred Barker died in a shootout with FBI agents in Florida a week later. Karpis had been in Florida as well, but a call from friends in Cleveland alerted him to the FBI closing in. Karpis’ luck held when, a week after Ma and Fred Barker were killed, he had to shoot it out with local law enforcement, escaping from a hotel in Atlantic City. Karpis and Harry Campbell kidnapped a Pennsylvania doctor and made safe passage into Ohio, leaving their hostage bound and gagged in the Guilford Township Hall — with an extra $50 in his pocket for his troubles.

Karpis assembled a gang of his own and in April 1935 robbed a mail truck in Warren, Ohio, which was delivering payroll from the same train they would rob seven months later. When Karpis’ partners panicked on the station platform, the truck drove off. Karpis cut off the truck, and two accomplices got in and drove it to a garage, where the driver was unburdened of $72,000 of money from the Federal Reserve Bank. Within hours, two men unconnected to the Karpis gang were arrested for the robbery.

“I was beginning to think that the jails and prisons of North America were filling up with guys serving time for the jobs that I and the other Karpis-Barker members had actually pulled,” Karpis recalled in his autobiography.

The FBI continued to pursue Karpis, but he had already set his sights on the train robbery. He knew the Erie passenger train, which ran daily from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, regularly carried payrolls from the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank. He had planned it down to the second, even his escape. “I couldn’t lay low in Ohio after the score,” he said. “I’d have to move away fast.”

The morning of the robbery, the six-member gang loaded into a new Plymouth (Karpis wanted a Ford V-8 — Clyde Barrow’s favorite getaway vehicle — but couldn’t find one for sale) and headed to Garrettsville. The car was loaded with guns, dynamite and a medical kit — just in case. One accomplice, Ben Grayson — notable that day for his comical fake mustache — jumped into the cab of the locomotive to keep the engineer and fireman at bay. Another, Fred Hunter, monitored the parking lot to make sure no one entered or left. After Karpis yelled “Stick ’em up” to Davis, the mail car workers who were standing in the doorway talking to him, retreated into the mail car.

Karpis threw an unlit stick of dynamite into the mail car, and promised the next one would be lit, making the workers more cooperative. The robbery was over in a matter of minutes, with no one hurt. The robbery netted $34,000 in cash and $12,450 in bond securities — around $715,000 in today’s money.

“I’d been expecting six times that amount,” Karpis said, expecting another payroll for Youngstown Sheet & Tube to be on the train in addition to the Republic payroll. “I was sore, but I told myself that there’d be plenty of other scores.”

The gang lit out toward Ravenna, taking back roads on their way to Port Clinton. Karpis had mapped out the route well in advance, and if the robbery was a throwback to the Old West, his escape was completely modern. Karpis and Hunter had chartered a Stinson airplane, and the morning after the robbery, were flown to Hot Springs, Arkansas — another town known for its hospitality to criminals.

Karpis was already wanted by the FBI, but by robbing the mail car of the train, he’d incurred the interest of the U.S. postal inspectors, who identified him almost immediately as a suspect. J. Edgar Hoover was also facing political pressure to make a big arrest personally, after being grilled during a Senate appropriations hearing.

So, when the FBI located Karpis in New Orleans the following year, Hoover personally flew there to apprehend him. But the fugitive said that Hoover waited until he was safely in custody to show himself.

“I made Hoover’s reputation as a fearless lawman,” Karpis said in his memoirs. “It’s a reputation he doesn’t deserve.”

Karpis was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison (he was never tried for the train robbery). He was shipped to Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay, where he confessed to his role in the mail truck robbery, leading President Franklin Roosevelt to pardon the two men already in prison for the crime.

Karpis stayed at Alcatraz until shortly before the prison’s closing, the longest-tenured inmate there. In 1962, Karpis went to McNeil Island Penitentiary in Washington, where he met a young man named Charles Manson, who would go on to become the leader of a California criminal family responsible for eight murders over two nights in 1969, but at the time was in federal prison for passing bad checks. Karpis taught Manson how to play guitar.

In 1969, Karpis was paroled and deported to his native Canada, where he wrote his memoirs. Public Enemy Number One made him famous, and he relocated to Spain, where he died in 1979, shortly before publication of his second book, about his quarter-century at Alcatraz. He’d outlived his old nemesis Hoover by seven years.

“There are no apologies, no regrets, no sorrows and no animosity,” Karpis said in concluding his first book. “What happened, happened.”

COLUMBUS

Our capital city is a destination for holiday shopping, whether you’re looking for sought-after national names or neighborhoods filled with local galleries and shops. By Nicholas Adkins

COURTESY OF EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS

THE BOOK LOFT, GERMAN VILLAGE

Polaris Fashion Place

Located on the north side of the city just off Interstate 71, Polaris Fashion Place is one of the first shopping destinations many travelers encounter as they reach Columbus. With more than 170 retail, entertainment and dining options, Polaris Fashion Place offers a blend of both national names and local businesses. Favorites such as Apple, Lululemon and Barnes & Noble are here, as well as newer additions such as Public Lands, an offshoot of Dick’s Sporting Goods that focuses on outdoor apparel and equipment.

Polaris Fashion Place also has the benefit of a majority of its stores being located within the central mall, so shoppers don’t have to brave the elements while knocking gifts off their holiday shopping list. Starting Nov. 12, Santa’s Village opens within the mall, featuring a 22-foot-tall Christmas tree in the center court.

Dining options in and around the mall include BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Brio Tuscan Grille, The Cheesecake Factory and Mitchell’s Steakhouse, as well as a variety of fast and casual chains, including Chick-Fil-A and Potbelly Sandwich Shop. 1500 Polaris Pkwy., Columbus 43240, 614/846-1500, polarisfashionplace.com

Easton Town Center

With nearly 250 retail, entertainment and dining options, Easton Town Center is the largest shopping destination in Columbus. It draws more than 30 million visitors a year and its lineup of sought-after national retailers span Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton and Nordstrom. Easton Town Center also consistently ranks among the top 30 highest-performing retail centers in the United States.

Entertainment includes the AMC Dine-In Easton Town Center 30 movie theater and dining options range from Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant to Shake Shack to Columbus’ own Northstar Cafe. For those who want to make a weekend of it, the Hilton Columbus at Easton, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott and Aloft Hotels are all located on-site.

The holiday season kicks off at Easton Town Center with the Grand Illumination on Nov. 19. Enjoy walking among more than 2 million holiday lights and take in the 50-foot-tall tree. Check out the Easton Express Railway model train or opt for a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride. 160 Easton Town Center, Columbus 43219, 614/3372200, eastontowncenter.com

Winans Chocolates + Coffees is one of the draws of Grandview Heights, a walkable shopping area near downtown (top right). Polaris Fashion Place is located north of downtown off I-71 (above).

Grandview Heights

Those looking for a city shopping experience near downtown can head over to Grandview Heights, a compact and walkable area filled with small boutiques, a diverse mix of restaurants and independent businesses.

Find foodie gifts at Krema Nut Co., one of the oldest peanut-butter-makers in the nation, and Winans Chocolates + Coffees, a chocolatier, coffee shop and wine retailer. The district’s restaurants offer a wide range, from Aab India

Restaurant to Z Cucina modern Italian cuisine.

When it comes to shopping, creativity abounds. Pick up a gift at artisan candle company Penn & Beech or browse the jewelry at Red Giraffe Designs. Choose from a curated selection of yarns at Yarn It & Haberdashery, or make something to take home with you at the paint-your-own pottery studio Clay Cafe.

Stop by Created Hardwood to browse live-edge wood furniture, or work with one of the shop’s designers to collaborate on a unique piece. For information about these and other businesses in Grandview Heights, visit destinationgrandview.org.

Short North Arts District

The Short North Arts District is a thriving center for art, fashion and dining in the heart of our capital city. Galleries abound in the Short North, including favorites such as Sharon Weiss Gallery, Sherrie Gallerie and Brandt-Roberts Galleries.

A good way to sample what the district has to offer is by checking out the Holiday Hop on Dec. 4 from 1 to 8 p.m., where you can visit galleries and shops and enjoy special holiday performances.

Fashion retailers in the district range from national names such as Anthropologie and Bonobos to independent boutiques such as Ladybird and Happy Go Lucky. Homage, known for its hip and vintage-inspired T-shirts and sweatshirts inspired by pop-culture moments and memories, has a shop here, too.

When it’s time a grab a bite, the district has options that range from white-tablecloth dining to casual eats. The Guild House, located next to Le Méridien Columbus, The Joseph hotel, features creative American cuisine in a beautifully appointed dining room, while The Eagle Food & Beer Hall serves fried chicken and

The Short North Arts District offers a variety of galleries (top). Easton Town Center is among the nation’s highest-performing retail centers (above). German Village is a walkable gem (opposite page).

Holiday LIGHTS

Plan your visit to Columbus around these happenings.

Nov. 19–Jan. 2 Wildlights! At the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: Enjoy millions of LED lights, animated musical light shows, Santa, reindeer and more. columbuszoo.org

Nov. 20–Jan. 9 Conservatory Aglow at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: Walk among lights that twinkle and glow in stunning displays, and enjoy favorites such as the rainbow tunnel, gingerbread competition and more. fpconservatory.org

Dec. 5 Village Lights: Businesses and residents in the city’s German Village neighborhood line their sidewalks with luminarias from 5 to 9 p.m. during this evening highlighting local shops and light displays. germanvillage.com