THE DETROIT FREE PRESS, March 31, 1931

* Gangster hitman Fred "Killer" Burke
* St. Valentine's Day massacre suspect
* Al 'Scarface' Capone era
* Prohibition & great depression

The top of the front page has a nice banner headline: "BURKE ARRAIGNED; PLANS LAST DITCH BATTLE" with subheads and related photo. Three more related photos are on the back page. (see images) Nice for display.
Complete with 20 pages, light toning and minor wear at the margins, small library stamp within the masthead, generally good.

Background:In 1931, Fred “Killer” Burke—an infamous Prohibition-era gangster and prime suspect in the 1929 Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre—was arrested in Green City, Missouri, under the alias Richard F. White. A local resident recognized him from a detective magazine and alerted authorities. After a brief hearing, Missouri’s governor approved Michigan’s extradition request, as Burke was wanted there for the 1929 murder of Officer Charles Skelly, whom he had shot during a routine traffic stop in St. Joseph, Michigan. Burke was transported under heavy guard to Berrien County, where he was arraigned. On April 27, 1931, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Although strongly suspected in the Chicago massacre, he was never formally charged for that crime due to insufficient evidence. He served his sentence at Marquette State Prison, where he died in 1940.