Charles "Fat Charley" Makley
Makley was born November 24, 1889 in St. Mary's Ohio. At one time he had worked in a horse stable there. 180 pounds and 5'7, he walked with a slight limp. Charley had a long history of criminal activity and boasted he could sell anything; was once a salesman. He had also stole his brother's wife Edith and admitted to two bank robberies to get her released when they were captured. She had been his getaway driver. On June 23, 1928 he had been sent up the river to Michigan City, thus his association with Dillinger and Pierpont. After his capture with the rest of the gang in Tuscon, he was tried for the murder of Sheriff Sarber. Found guilty, he was sentenced to death. He and Pierpont decided to try and bluff their way out of the Columbus, Ohio death row by carving guns out of sandstone on September 22, 1934. They hadn't gotten out of the cell block when prison guards open fired on them, wounding Pierpont and killing Makley. Charley's funeral in Leipsic at the Purnell Funeral Home attracted large crowds. He was buried at Sugar Ridge Cemetery there in an unmarked grave.
Recently myself and several other caring people donated to purchase a marker for Charley. The work is finally finished and the plaque is down. Fortunately there are people out there that cared enough to see Charley finally receive a gravestone and I thank them all, Jeff Scalf, Sandy Jones, Jim Adams, Ellen Poulsen, Bob Peckinpaugh, Estella Cox, Jeff King, William Smith and Bill Raynes, the caretaker of Sugar Ridge. Without them, all of this would not have been possible.
Rest In Peace Charley
{Courtesy:Sandy Jones}
Huge thank you to Bob Peckinpaugh of Leipsic, Ohio for all his assistance in aiding with the gravestone. Without his legwork and generous donation of time, this wouldn't have been possible.
