04/13/2024
It was the night of April 22, 1934 that my dad's oldest 1/2 brother, Carl Christian Christensen, the Town of Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin newly elected Constable of 1 week was visited by 2 FBI Agents telling Carl that they needed his help. They told him that it was thought that John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and several other criminals were thought to be staying at a local resort/restaurant called Little Bohemia. They told him they needed his help to possibly set up road blocks and to ride along with them in their Ford Coupe in the event he saw anything unusual. This was all happening at about 10:00 pm so Carl pretty much had to go along with them as he knew the roads, the automobiles, and most all the residents within the area, and after all, he was the newly elected constable. The FBI Agents however never told him that Dillinger and his group had already escaped the shoot out at Little Bohemia, Dillinger running through the woods one way and Baby Face running the opposite way. It wasn't long and Carl went past one of the residents who owned a small resort on Little Spider Lake by the name of Koerner but there in Koerner's front parking area was an automobile that was running but had the lights turned off and it was not at all Koerner's automobile. J.C. Newman, the Agent that was driving the FB'sI Ford Coupe and pulled up next to the car per Carl's instructions. C. Carter Baum, the second Agent sat in the middle seat with a fully loaded Thompson machine gun with Carl up against the passenger side door. The FBI story stated that Carl had a pistol however Carl always told everyone concerned that he never ever carried a firearm of any kind. Suddenly a man jumped out of the driver's side door of the automobile quickly coming up to J.C. Newman's partially opened window within a few inches yelling, "I know who you son's a bi***es are and I know your wearing flack jackets and I'm gonna kill ya all." Newman quickly opened the door slightly jarring the pistol and was able to get out of the driver's side door at the same time Baby Face Nelson pulled the trigger grazing Newman's scull. Newman fell to the ground as Nelson opened fire at C. Carter Baum shooting him above the flack jacket hitting him in the neck as my Uncle Carl flung open the passenger side door taking of running towards Koerner's Resort. Carl was wearing his lamb skin jacket as there was still snow on the ground and was hit with 8 bullets, all but one entering and exiting through his body as he made it up to Koerner's white picket fence with Baum closely behind him. Carl said he could easily hear Baum gasping for his last breaths of air. It was said that Baby Face Nelson (aka Lester Gillis) then got into the FBI Agents empty automobile escaping back to Hwy 51 and disappearing into the darkness of night. J.C. Newman with that graze wound to the skull lay awaiting for help in the snow as did my Uncle Carl Christensen but it was said they waited up to 3 hours before the Agents and Little Bohemia owner Emil Wanatka came looking for them. This April 22, 2024 it will have been 90 years since John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Homer Van Meter, Tommy Carroll, John Hamilton and errand boy Pat Cherrington, and of coarse my Uncle Carl Christian Christensen, J.C. Newman and C. Carter Baum were all involved in the shoot out at Little Bohemia and of coarse Koerner's Resort and this year also some time in August a National Commemorative Memorial will be permanently installed in Manitowish Water's in Honor and Memory of those 3 men whom were willing to give their ALL and willing to die for the Well Being of their country. Thanks Uncle Carl for giving your ALL to this country of ours. May God Bless You and may you Rest in Peace.
Sincerely, James M. Nielsen
