FBI Most Wanted Fugitives List: The Worst Criminals of 1953

About the worst criminals in America in 1953 according to the FBI most wanted fugitives list including John Raleigh Cooke, Joseph James Brletic, Joseph Levy, Chester Davenport.

Most Wanted, 1953

JOHN RALEIGH COOKE. Crime: Armed robbery. Conclusion: Apprehended in Detroit, telling agents it was a "relief" to be caught.

JOSEPH JAMES BRLETIC. Crime: Prison escape. Conclusion: Brletic tried to lose himself in the tiny California town of Lancaster, but was arrested there February 10 after intense media publicity when he made the Most Wanted list.

JOSEPH LEVY. Crime: An expert con man, Levy was wanted for bilking hundreds of victims from New England to the Mexican border. One of his favorite bad-check schemes was to buy expensive gifts for then Vice-President Richard M. Nixon, writing the check for more than the purchase and pocketing the difference. Conclusion: He was arrested almost at the exact moment his name was being added to the FBI list, thus giving him the all-time record for being on the list the shortest period of time.

CHESTER DAVENPORT. Crime: He made the FBI list after escaping from an Oklahoma prison where he was serving a sentence for cattle rustling, kidnapping, and prison escape. Conclusion: When Davenport was arrested, his hands were too busy for him to reach for his gun--he was milking a cow on a California farm.

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