Are you interested in non-fiction crime dramas? Are you involved in law enforcement? Then you will want to attend the Morrison Historical Society Annual Meeting and program by Greg Langan from Dixon, IL, on Sunday, January 20, 2013. The venue is Morrison United Methodist Church, 200 W. Lincolnway, Morrison, IL.
Members of the public are cordially invited to this event. Come at 1:00 p.m. to enjoy a delicious potluck meal with the Board of Trustees and MHS members. Kindly bring a dish to pass and your own table service.
Or arrive by 2:00 to hear Langan’s fascinating, half-hour program about the origin and practices of the Illinois State Police during the 1920’s and 1930’s. His presentation is titled “The Secret Six, Starring ‘Buck’ Kempster and Hal Roberts.”
Langan stated these men solved the largest bank robbery of the time, recovering all but $10,000 of $2,400,000. After being incarcerated in Morrison for a short time, the six suspects were driven by the Secret Six to Chicago, IL, for a line-up. All were indicted, and the Secret Six drove them to Lincoln, NB, for trial. Earning a considerable number of convictions, the Secret Six solved 20 kidnappings, 15 bank robberies, and several murders. However, their success was short-lived, and their jobs ended abruptly.
Langan will explain everything during his presentation January 20, illustrated by visuals, photos of the individuals, documents, and newspaper articles.
Morrison Chief of Police Brian Melton received the art print below when he was appointed Interim Sheriff of Joe Daviess County, IL, in 2006. It hangs in his office. The vehicle is a 1923 Buick. The summer previous–1922–is when O. W. “Buck” Kempster, shown second from left, came to Sterling, IL, as the first officer in the newly-formed, Illinois State Police District 2. He and five other troopers, including Hal Roberts of Dixon, would soon be released from their duties by the Governor to solve high-profile crimes This local group became known as the “Sterling Secret Six.”
The Morrison Police Department is a group of “not-so-secret” six. They include Chief Melton, Sergeant Larry Rice, and Police Officers Gabe Gomez, Dan Simmons, Kevin Soenksen, and Curt Workman.
