Record
Case file
1934-12-31/1959-11-04
National Archives Catalog
The United States of America vs. John Paul Chase (No. 28680): the Barrington killings, 1934
Federal criminal case at Chicago over the killing of Inspector Samuel P. Cowley and Special Agent Herman E. Hollis at Barrington, Illinois on 27 November 1934. The National Archives says Chase was convicted under the Act of 18 May 1934.
- Date
- 1934-12-31/1959-11-04
- Kind
- case-file
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-12
- NAID
- 411131517
- Docket
- 28680
- Rights
- A record of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, held by the National Archives in Record Group 21, Records of District Courts of the United States. A United States government work, public domain under 17 U.S.C. § 105. The National Archives catalog marks use "Unrestricted." Series "Criminal Case Files" (NAID 624785), National Archives at Chicago.
The National Archives describes the case as concerning “the murders of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Samuel P. Cowley and Herman Edward Hollis by John Paul Chase and Lester Joseph Gillis, also known as Baby Face Nelson,” who were “gunned down in Barrington, Illinois on November 27th 1934.” It says Chase was “charged with and convicted for the ‘Killing of Special Agent of Division of Investigation while engaged in the performance of official duties’,” in violation of “Public Act No. 230, 73rd Congress, Approved May 18, 1934, Title 18. U.S.C. Sec 454 (a) 48 Stat. 780.”
The catalog adds that “The majority of court documents are held in the affiliated case #28613,” which has no digitized pages. This file has 90 page images; they were not read for this archive. The statute it names is filed here.
