Death of Pretty Boy Floyd

Side A: In these fields, formerly the site of the Ellen Conkle farm, notorious Depression-Era desperado Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd met his death at the hands of federal agents and members of the East Liverpool Police Department on October 22, 1934. Floyd’s criminal career as a bank robber, who reputedly committed a dozen murders, mostly police officers, caused him to be designated “Public Enemy #1” only three months earlier by J. Edgar Hoover. (Continued on other side) Side B: (Continued from other side) Believed to be returning to his home in the Cookson Hills of Oklahoma after a year of hiding, Floyd and his partner, Adam Richetti, had attracted the attention of local police near Wellsville, Ohio. A shoot-out ensued, resulting in Richetti’s capture and Floyd’s escape. Agent Melvin Purvis supervised the three-day manhunt, which ended here when eight lawmen ended Floyd’s life of violence. “Pretty Boy’s” body was placed on public display in East Liverpool before being returned to Oklahoma for burial.