Nash got his nickname because he was a safe-blowing expert, and "jelly" was gangland slang for nitroglycerin. He escaped from Leavenworth Federal Prison in 1930, and worked with several desperadoes, including the Barker-Karpis gang. Nash was captured by D.O.I. special agents on June 16, 1933, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The following day he was killed by two unknown men in the Kansas City Massacre, along with three police officers and a special agent.