Charles Birger was born to a Jewish family in the Russian Empire, and emigrated to the United States as a child with his parents.
On July 5, 1901, Birger enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to Company G of the newly formed 13th Cavalry Regiment, then stationed in South Dakota.
Following World War I, in 1919, the United States adopted national prohibition, which banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.
Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers Gang fought for control of the coal fields of southern Illinois, but their attention was diverted by a common enemy.
[citation needed] Many of these immigrants worked in the coal mines of southern Illinois, living mainly in very small towns while maintaining a very strong ethnic pride.
The Klan drew its support from both the farming community and people in the larger towns, the latter mainly of Scotch-Irish origin and belonging to the Baptist and other traditional Protestant churches.
Two of Young's companions, fellow Klansmen Edward Forbes and Omer Warren joined in the melee, and all four men were fatally wounded.
[3] In April 1926, Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers joined forces to attack the remaining Klan leaders in Herrin, using Tommy guns and shotguns.
Lawfully elected local officials returned to their offices, and Birger and the Shelton Brothers went back into business.
When a small shop was robbed, Birger publicly made good the owner's losses and the suspected thief was found shot dead a few days later.
This incident coincided with the beginning of his war with the Shelton Brothers Gang, fought over control of bootlegging in the area.
In December 1926, two men, Harry and Elmo Thomasson, appeared at Joe Adams' house, announcing that they "had a letter from Carl [Shelton]".
[citation needed] In June 1927, Birger was arrested on a charge of ordering the contract killing of Mayor Joseph Adams.
Birger objected that it was unfair he should receive the death penalty while the confessed trigger man was sentenced only to prison in return for his cooperation with investigators.
At Birger's request, he was accompanied to the gallows by a rabbi and wore a black hood rather than a white one, since he did not want to be mistaken for a Klansman.
Charlie Birger is buried in Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.
Birger's name entered the news again in 2006 when the granddaughter of the county sheriff who had supervised the execution sued the local historical museum in an attempt to regain possession of the noose used in the hanging.