Karpis was quickly accepted as one of the Barker family, and he almost seemed to replace Herman. Doc was released from prison in 1932, and as a condition of his parole, he was directed by authorities never again to return to Oklahoma. Once more the Barker gang went into full swing, pulling various bank and business heists. The family rented a house with Karpis and Dunlop at 1301 South Roberts Street in West St. Paul, Minnesota, but the landlady soon became suspicious on seeing them frequently entering and leaving the house carrying violin cases. Her son also recognized Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis from a detective magazine which featured a story about the killing of Officer Kelly. On April 25, 1932 the police raided the house, only to find that it had just been abandoned. The following morning, the body of Arthur “Old Man” Dunlop was found on the shores of Lake Frendsted near Webster, Missouri. Dunlop had been stripped of his clothing and shot three times at close range. Not too far away, the police found a bloodstained woman’s glove that was believed to belong to Ma Barker. The FBI later contended that Alvin and Fred had shot Dunlop to death, believing that he had been the one who tipped off the police.
The FBI had now started to close in on the Barker gang, which forced the outlaws to flee to Kansas City. Karpis posed as one of Ma’s sons, and the family bought a luxury home in an exclusive residential district known as Country Club Plaza. They attempted to masquerade as an upstanding family that worked in a successful insurance firm. The men ultimately teamed up with convicts Francis Keating, Thomas Holden, and Harvey Bailey (later an accomplice of “Machine Gun” Kelly), who had all escaped from Leavenworth Penitentiary. Another accomplice was Bernard Phillips, a corrupt police officer who had become a professional bank robber. The family started to move from one location to another, attempting to evade the FBI. On July 7 ththe FBI apprehended Bailey, Holden and Keating while they were playing golf at the Old Mission Golf Course in Kansas City. Phillips was also with the men, but he happened to be inside the country club, and watched from afar as the others were handcuffed and shoved into law enforcement vehicles. Phillips carried the news back to the gang, and Alvin and Fred quickly packed their belongings and fled. When the FBI raided the apartment they found cooked meals on the table, indicating an unplanned and rapid departure.
In July of 1932 Karpis, Phillips, Fred and Ma Barker, and another accomplice named Jess Doyle fled together from Kansas City to White Bear Lake in Minnesota, where they rented a summer cottage in a small resort. The gang maintained a low profile with the exception of frequenting a small nightclub called the Hollyhocks, which was owned by an associate named Jack Peifer. Their crime spree continued with a daring daylight robbery of the Cloud County Bank in Concordia, Kansas, where they secured over $240,000 in bonds and thousands of dollars in cash.
The family paid for the services of a private detective named Jack Glynn to help negotiate the release of Doc, who was imprisoned at Leavenworth at the time. Glenn conducted independent investigations, and managed to win Doc’s release on September 10, 1932. Glynn had also attempted to achieve the release of Lloyd Barker, who was likewise imprisoned at Leavenworth. But the authorities were unmoved by Glynn’s attempts, and denied Lloyd’s appeal. Doc spent a short time visiting with his father and a small stint attempting to make an honest living as a glass blower, and then reunited with Ma and the others back in Minnesota. Volney Davis was also successful in getting paroled, and he soon joined up with Doc.
On December 16, 1932 the Barker-Karpis Gang robbed the Third Northwestern Bank of Minnesota, and the violent aftermath left one bystander and two police officers dead in a hail of machine gun bullets. The gang had thought that the bystander was attempting to get their license plate number, and had therefore shot him to death. Gang member Larry DeVol was captured, and he was found to have $17,000 in his possession from the Third Northwestern Bank robbery. The others took flight once again, this time making their way to Reno, Nevada, where they stayed for only a short period.
The reign of terror would continue as the Barker-Karpis Gang raged through the Midwestern States, eventually ending up in Chicago, where they murdered another police officer. The gang split up and kept separate residences, Ma living on the exclusive South Shore Drive, and Alvin cohabiting with Dolores Delaney, the sister-in-law of Pat Riley, a mobster from the Dillinger Gang. In 1933 the Barker-Karpis Gang had returned to St. Paul and was keep a low profile while they began to meet and plan the kidnapping of William A. Hamm, Jr., the President of Hamm’s Brewing Company. On June 17, 1933 the gang abducted Hamm, demanding a $100,000 ransom from his family and threatening his certain death if they tried to involve police. The ransom money was paid two days later and Hamm was released unharmed.
The gang’s next victim was Edward G. Bremer, a prominent community leader and President of the Commercial State Bank in Minnesota. Edward Bremer was the son of Adolph Bremer, one of the most well known figures in Minnesota, who owned his own brewing company. On the morning of January 17, 1934 Bremer drove his nine-year-old daughter to school, as part of his normal daily routine. After dropping her off, he proceeded to a crossroad and stopped to check for oncoming traffic. Volney Davis approached the Lincoln Sedan and held a pistol to Bremer’s head, directing him to “move over.” Another man then entered on the passenger side and struck Bremer over the head several times with a blunt object, then covered his eyes with a pair of goggles that had black electrical tape over the lenses.
At 10:40 a.m. Walter Magee, a very close friend of the Bremer family, received a call at his St. Paul office from a man who called himself Charles McGee. The caller explained that Bremer had been kidnapped, and that a note could be found on the side of the building providing further instructions. Under a side door, Magee found a note which read:
You are hereby declared in on a very desperate undertaking. Don't try to cross us. Your future and B's are the important issue. Follow these instructions to the letter. Police have never helped in such a spot and won't this time either. You better take care of the payoff first and let them do the detecting later. Because the police usually butt in, your friend isn't none too comfortable now so don't delay the payment. We demand $200,000. Payment must be made in 5 and 10-dollar bills - no new money - no consecutive numbers - large variety of issues. Place the money in two large suit box cartons big enough to hold the full amount and tie with heavy cord. No contact will be made until you notify us that you are ready to pay as we direct. You place an ad in the Minneapolis Tribune as soon as you have the money ready. Under the personal column you must write: We are ready Alice. You will then receive your final instructions. Be prepared to leave at a minutes notice to make the payoff. Don't attempt to stall or outsmart us. Don't try to bargain. Don't plead poverty; we know how much they have in their banks. Don't try to communicate with us; we'll do the directing. Threats aren’t necessary - you just do your part - we guarantee to do ours.
Magee promptly notified the FBI, and they began a full-fledged investigation. Bremer’s abandoned car was discovered with bloodstains on the steering wheel, the gearshift, and all of the car seats. It was clear that a struggle had taken place, and the Bremer family feared that Edward was already dead. The gang quickly learned that the police had been summoned, and sent several more letters warning of the outcome if the family didn’t pull the police off the case. The gang also devised a new signal, which would be to place a special sticker on the office window when the money was ready, and they warned again that they would kill Bremer if the family failed to come through with the ransom. On January 25, 1934 another note and a key were found inside a can of Hills Brothers coffee. The note instructed Magee to open a locker at the Jefferson Lines Bus Station, located in downtown St. Paul, and stated that additional instructions would be found inside this locker. Magee complied fully with their demands, assuming the name of John B. Brakesham and boarding a bus that departed at 8:40 p.m. for Des Moines, Iowa. But despite Magee’s efforts, the payoff failed to transpire as planned, and officials later found another note canceling the whole thing.