Editing Fairfield, Illinois (section)

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2023}}
Fairfield is most famous for being the hometown of the "friendly" people, and for the [[Shelton Brothers Gang]], notorious [[Rum-running|bootleggers]] who fought it out with the [[Harrisburg, Illinois]]-based [[Charles Birger|Birger Gang]] to control criminal activities in Southern Illinois. During the first half of the 20th century, gang leaders Carl, Earl and Bernie Shelton made Fairfield a household name. Based on testimony of Charlie Birger himself, the Shelton Brothers were convicted for a 1925 unsolved mail carrier robbery of $15,000 and were sentenced to 25 years. They were released a few years later. Birger dominated bootlegging in [[Southern Illinois]] until he himself was hanged in [[Benton, Illinois|Benton]] for the murder of [[West City, Illinois|West City]] Mayor Joe Adams in 1928. After serving their time, the Shelton brothers built a new criminal empire. Based in [[East St Louis, Illinois|East St Louis]], one of the most prosperous cities of its day, they controlled all vice from [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]] and southward.

They met their demise at the hands of the Chicago mob and an insider Charles "Blackie" Harris. A land dispute led to Blackie joining forces with the Mob to kill off members of the Shelton gang. His most notable victim was Carl Shelton, the leader. He was ambushed several miles southeast of Fairfield, shot from his [[Jeep]]. Bernie was killed at his Peoria roadhouse. Earl moved to [[Jacksonville, Florida]] and became a successful land speculator.