Hot Springs Gangster Era Caches

From the 1920s through the 1940s Hot Springs was a nationally known resort where gambling, bootlegging, and political protection flourished. Crime figures including Owney Madden and visitors linked to Al Capone frequented clubs such as the Southern Club and the Arlington Hotel scene. Local lore claims emergency cash, jewelry, and liquor profits were stashed in hillside springs, abandoned mines, and rural garages when raids or tax investigations threatened. These are organized-crime cache stories rather than single documented robberies; researchers treat them as twentieth-century folklore layered on an already notorious town.