Fred “Killer” Burke is not as well known as some of the other more famous prohibition-era gangsters, however, he lived a fast and colorful life as a well-traveled gangster and killer.
Born Thomas A. Camp on May 29, 1893, into a large family in Mapleton, Kansas, Burke was said to have had above-average intelligence. He began his foray into crime early when at age 17 he was involved in a land fraud scheme with a crooked travelling salesman.
By 1915, Camp now going by Fred Burke had relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, and joined up with the notorious Egan’s Rats gang who at the time was the most powerful gang in the city. During these early years, Burke who was described as “honest-looking” would act as a “trustworthy” front man for the various fraudulent schemes that the gang was involved in.