In 1930s, a bank robber named Charles Floyd, (nickname: ‘Pretty Boy’) was praised as ‘Robin Hood’ by the locals for he would deliberately destroy their mortgage papers while robbing banks, therefore freeing many people from their debts.
Charles Floyd was generous to the poor and therefore, lovingly called, ‘Robin Hood’ by the locals who praised him, while many others considered him an ‘anti-hero.” He wanted to help the debt-ridden families who were struggling during the Great Depression. In 1939, a man named Woody Guthrie wrote a protest song to emphasise the kindness of Floyd by associating bankers with outlaws, implied that both the parties are literal robbers themselves. “Others tell you 'bout a stranger - That come to beg a meal; Underneath his napkin - Left a thousand-dollar bill;”
Many other songs like ‘The Message; began sneaking in Floyd’s name, therefore showing high respect to him.
In general, Floyd has been engaged in a series of bank robberies over the years. For instance, he was arrested for stealing $3.50 at the age of 18; then later arrested for payroll robbery at 21 where he served three and a half years in prison.
After getting out, he got involved with underworld criminals in the Kansas City where he got the nickname ‘Pretty Boy’ (later, ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’) because he was known to wear a white button-up shirt and slacks, and had apple cheeks, even during robbery.
In 1933, Floyd wrote a postcard to the Kansas City police, that said, “Dear Sirs, I, Charles Floyd, want it made known that I did not participate in the massacre of officers at Kansas City,” after he became a primary suspect in a gunfight that killed four law enforcement officers. While the officers at the time were actively looking for Floyd, they believed that the postcard was genuine. In addition, his family also emphasised that while Floyd has been involved in various crimes over the years, he was, in no way, associated with this one.
Floyd’s story was described as a man driven to tragic fate by social injustice, in a 1939 novel, ‘the Grapes of Wrath.’ It said, “I knowed Purty Boy Floyd. I knowed his ma. They was good folks. He was full a hell, sure, like a good boy oughta be….no matter what they say in paper, how he was — that’s how it was.”
Floyd faced a tragic death on Oct, 22, 1934, when an FBI agent shot him. Towards the end, he was found to be shot four times, exact details of the sequence and times shot remain to differ. His funeral was attended by a number of people anywhere between 20,000 and 40,000, making it the largest funeral in Oklahoma history.
Floyd’s story reminds us of resilience and hardship people faced during the era of Great Depression. While the authorities consistently titled him as the ‘villain,’ but in people’s eyes he had already won the title of ‘hero,’ for he was the one who offered them kindness and generosity, something that the banks never could have.
