“Slippery” Carlos Henderson: St. Joseph’s Notorious Outlaw and His Deadly Last Stand
By Leyton Furlong
Of all the outlaws in St. Joseph's history, very few come close to the level of infamy of “Slippery” Carlos Henderson. Starting off by stealing everyday items, he soon became known for stealing jewelry and valuables from the most influential in St. Joseph. In his day, he was known for his bold and daring escape attempts that earned him the nickname “Slippery”, and for his ignoble last stand that left him and two officers dead. Although largely forgotten today, Carlos' story was one of the most widely recognizable tales of early 1900s St. Joseph and one that painted a clear picture of crime in the Roaring Twenties.
Early Escapes
Carlos Scott Henderson was born on May 19th, 1891, to Jessie Henderson and a prostitute named Minnie Henderson. Carlos’ first run-in with the law began when he was only 12. In 1903, he was arrested at his school for stealing some supplies and was arrested later that year for stealing boxes of gum from the Letts-Spencer Grocery store. On March 23rd, 1905, Carlos and some other neighborhood boys were caught stealing copper wiring from the roof of the railway powerhouse on Felix Street. While the other boys were quickly apprehended, Carlos sprang to his feet, ran towards the river embankment, and jumped into the freezing waters of the Missouri River. He quickly grabbed hold of a log and floated downstream to the Grand Island Bridge. He was only caught two months later while visiting a carnival on 6th and Olive Streets. Legend has it he managed to evade capture again during this time by jumping out of a police wagon and hiding in a sewer.
On the evening of November 4th, 1905, Carlos struck again. He was caught trying to steal a pair of large light globes from the Artesian Ice Company. He was arrested and sent to the central police station. While he was being booked, he leaped headfirst out the window next to him and made a run for it. He was apprehended on December 1st while at the Lyceum Theatre. But within 48 hours,
he was already gone. While being carried to the courthouse by police to stand trial, he slipped out of his coat and made a run for it. Henderson managed to outpace the officers even as they attempted to catch up to him on horseback. He was only apprehended after he was cornered in an alleyway on 6th and Poulin. His ability to elude the police earned him both annoyance and a begrudging admiration from the SJPD. Around this time, he had also earned many nicknames: “The Rabbit”, “The River Rat”, and the one that he became most known for, “Slippery”.
Slippery Carlos Henderson could outrun the cops, but he couldn’t outrun bullets. This was the case on April 10th, 1906, when he was accidentally shot in the chest by his friend with a .22 caliber rifle. Although .22 Caliber rounds are comparatively weaker than most bullets, the damage was seemingly bad enough that he was expected to die in the hospital. The papers thought for sure that this would be the end of Slippery Carlos. However, Carlos managed to evade death as well and made a full recovery. This experience had a profound impact on him, as he surrendered to the police without a fight in March of 1907 after being arrested for sleeping in the basement of the railcar powerhouse. The policeman had warned him that should he be shot, he would be permanently crippled. The police arrested him and humiliated him by forcing him to crow like a rooster.
A Professional Thief
Throughout 1907, he continued to steal copper wiring and sugar across town, even using an accomplice to take the fall while he sprinted away from another of his robberies. He was arrested again in June of 1907 after a lengthy police chase, where the cops attempted to shoot at him. Although Slippery Carlos had been arrested numerous times, his court dates were often years after the fact. He stood trial in December of 1907, representing himself. His mother pleaded with the judge to allow Carlos the opportunity to be sent to a workhouse where he could be reformed. Carlos was sentenced to a year in the workhouse. However, it seems as though he didn’t learn much, as upon his release in 1909, his targets became more daring. Seemingly not satisfied with
stealing copper or bulbs, he set his sights on more daring and valuable targets. He began to break into homes and steal golden pocket watches, diamonds, jewelry, and valuable rings, seemingly undetected. He was arrested again on July 13th, 1909. He offered to show the police where he had hidden the stolen belongings on Prospect Hill. While pretending to look around, he rolled down the hill and ran as fast as he could. Two days later, he was spotted swimming in the Missouri River. When the police attempted to catch him, he ran out of the river completely naked. Carlos turned himself in not long after, fearing that he would be shot. This time, he was sentenced to about 4 years in the State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Upon his release in 1914, he was back at it.
Many affluent residents noticed that their jewelry had suddenly disappeared. Carlos dodged bullets in a daring chase in July of 1914 and was only apprehended in August of that year. Carlos revealed that he was the one behind all of the jewelry thefts. He was sent back to the penitentiary for another 10 years. The papers joked that now all he could slip through were the narrow bars of the Penitentiary. However, on July 11th, 1921, his sentence was commuted by the governor. Predictably, he resumed his old ways. But little could he have known that this year's string of robberies would be his last.
Carlos' Last Stand
On October 26th, 1921, the police were notified that Henderson had just robbed a house and that he was hiding out in his stepfather’s house on 7th and Sycamore Street. The Chief of Police, Clay C. MacDonald, Chief Detective Thomas Johnson, and a handful of detectives and patrolmen arrived at the house. Slippery did the unexpected. Instead of running away, he barricaded himself in the house and began shooting at the officers. Detective Johnson was shot in the chest, and a bullet grazed Detective Edward Eads. An intense gunfight broke out. Carlos shot and killed a young officer named Albert Hall and wounded Chief Macdonald. Macdonald had the house set on fire and had Henderson killed. As the gunfight raged on, large crowds gathered around the residence. The officers were using a variety of guns of different calibers, which prevented them from being able to distribute spare ammunition when bullets were running low.
Many of the officers had experience in the First World War and had been using army-issued
Springfield M1903 rifles. Not long after, the house had been torched with burning burlap and gasoline; Carlos attempted to make a run.
Brandishing a pair of dueling revolvers, he crawled out the window to try his luck one last time. He was shot to death by the police as he tried to escape. A cheer arose from the crowd as the outlaw who had eluded capture for so long was finally gone.
2 policemen were killed: Officer Albert Hall and Chief Detective Thomas Johnson, who died of his wounds the next day. Both were First World War veterans and were well loved by the people of St. Joseph. Two memorial plaques for them were erected in 2000 at the Peace Officers Memorial by City Hall. A subsequent police review regulated the use of standardized .38 revolvers for all SJPD officers to prevent ammo shortages in dangerous situations. Three officers, including Police Chief MacDonald, were wounded; MacDonald would live with the bullet that struck him still inside his body until his death in 1925.
The body of Slippery Carlos Henderson was buried in an unmarked grave in the Sunbridge Cemetery north of Krug Park. A man who was once legendary for his bold escapes now lies
forgotten in a potters' field. For all of his feats, he’s remembered as little more than a footnote in the town’s history by the few who know the tale of his end. Perhaps it’s most ironic then that his victims, who were honest men, have had their legacy preserved for decades and decades to come.
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