Saint Valentine's Day Massacre Rats, had been the valet of the Chicago hit man Fred Goetz. Bolton was privy to many of the Barker Gang's crimes and pinpointed the Florida hideout of Ma and Freddie Barker (both of whom were killed in a shootout with the FBI a week later). Bolton claimed to have taken part in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre with Goetz, Fred Burke, and several others. Because the FBI had no jurisdiction in a state murder case, they kept Bolton's revelations confidential, until the "Chicago American" newspaper reported a second-hand version of the bank robber's confession. The newspaper declared that the
Saint Valentine's Day Massacre Birger. Deputy Farmer was documented as having ties with Egan's Rats, based 100 miles (160 km) away in St. Louis. By the beginning of 1927 at the very latest, the weapon had wound up in Fred Burke's possession. It is possible he had used this same gun in Detroit's Milaflores Massacre on March 28, 1927. Gun No. 7580 had been sold by Chicago sporting goods owner Peter von Frantzius to a Victor Thompson (also known as Frank V. Thompson) in the care of the Fox Hotel of Elgin, Illinois. Some time after the purchase the submachine gun wound up with