Dead in Necropolis: Arthur "Doc" Barker

Arthur "Doc" Barker, guarded by William Gates - January 22, 1935. Photo courtesy of the News-Call Bulletin Photo Morgue, San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, SFPL.

It's almost Halloween and that means it's time to talk about that creepiest of ghostly creeps in the One City One Book 2009 pick, Alive in Necropolis: Arthur "Doc" Barker.

The real "Doc" Barker was a notorious criminal who committed various crimes throughout the 1920s and '30s, from bank robberies to kidnapping and murder. His mother, "Ma" Barker, made headlines as the leader of the crime gang made up of Doc, his brothers (Herman, Lloyd and Fred) and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (so called, because of his sinister grin).

Doc was arrested in Chicago on January 8, 1935 and was sent to Alcatraz prison in 1936. A map found in Doc's apartment led to the discovery of Ma Barker's hideout where a shoot-out with the FBI left her and Fred Barker dead.

On January 13, 1939, Doc Barker and two other Alcatraz inmates attempted escape. None made it off the island however, and Doc was killed by a shot to the head during the melee.

In honor of the upcoming macabre holiday, here is a truly creepy photograph of Arthur "Doc" Barker's 'death mask' that we found in the San Francisco News-Call Bulletin Photo Morgue:

Death Mask of Alcatraz Convict, Arthur 'Doc' Barker, January 24, 1939. Photo courtesy of the News-Call Bulletin Photo Morgue, San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, San Francisco Public Library.

The Library owns the photo morgue of the San Francisco News-Call Bulletin, a daily newspaper that covered the time period from the 1920’s to 1965. Much of the San Francisco History Collection comes from the News-Call Bulletin morgue. However, the morgue also includes national and international subjects that have not been digitized or cataloged.

Looking for a historical photograph of San Francisco? Try our online database first. Not there? Come visit us at the Photo Desk of the San Francisco History Center, located on the sixth floor at the Main Library. The Photo Desk hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.