The September 11, 1919 issue of the Courier Tribune (Seneca, Kansas) featured a detailed account of the dramatic robbery of the Baileyville Bank.
BANK BANDITS AT BAILEYVILLE
TO BAD END IN KANSAS CITY
Held Up Bank at Point of Guns, Lock Men in Vault and Escape in Automobile.—Gang Broken in Kansas City.
“Boys, we’ve got it on you. Throw up your hands and look to the wall.”
So saying three bank bandits
Stepped into the Baileyville State Bank Thursday morning at ten o’clock and pulled their guns on Assistant Cashier J. A. Heiman and Clerk Frank Winkler. It was the surprise of a lifetime. Nothing of the kind was dreamed of. Without parley the workers did as they were told. So did Ben Oiberding, a patron of the bank who was there at the time.
Once Frank Winkler, becoming curious, half turned his head. Instantly the muzzle of a big .45 was thrust against his side. “I may forget what those burglars looked like,” Frank Winkler says, “but I never will forget that big .45.”
Next came the business of locking the three men in the vault. This was accomplished without difficulty. The three men had never a chance at resistance. They knew that a false movement would cost life. Events at Kansas City later proved that they did just the right thing in following out orders.
From the vault the bandits secured a physician’s instrument case that had been left there. They dumped its contents out and stuffed it with all the Liberty bonds, cash, and securities that they could readily lay their hands upon and made good their escape in a Buick car. Virgil Crumine, Ed Perrine, and George Griffiths saw them enter the bank and leave but thought nothing of it. They had no suspicions. The bandits were not masked and they supposed them patrons.
Will Broxterman came to the bank on business and heard the voices within the vault calling for help. He tried to release them by following their directions in working the combination but couldn’t get it straight. Then W. I. Davis came in and succeeded in working it and the imprisoned men stepped out. They had been confined perhaps ten minutes but of course, it seemed ages.
The bandits were off like a streak. They drove north of town, turned west, and were thought to have been seen in Centralia. They headed directly for Kansas City evidently, for it was there the gang was broken up at 3:00 o’clock Friday morning. These bold, bad men didn’t last long. Two of them are at the General Hospital, wounded in a fight with Kansas City’s vice squad that had been assigned to duty looking for motor thieves. The K.C. police were not looking for bank bandits and just happened upon the Baileyville gang.
Continuing their Diamond Dick career, the bad men had no sooner hit K.C. when they stuck up a gambling den at 1209 Grand Avenue. Here they cut loose with those ugly guns, then turned on the Baileyville folks. Shot a man by the name of Fred Gardner who attempted to hide behind a radiator. He probably will die. There were six men about the poker table when the bandits entered. Made them lay their money out on the table and lined them up against the wall. Kicked Gardner’s body that had fallen across some of the money out of the way and backed from the room.
The Star says: “It was the vice squad, on the lookout for motor thieves and other night prowlers, which fought with and caused the capture of two bank bandits. A week ago Charles Bland, acting sergeant of the vice squad, received orders at police headquarters to trans-”
for the activities of his squad to the pursuit of motor thieves. Early this morning Bland, George Burns and John Ford were driving about in a police car. At Twelfth and McGee streets, they were stopped by the house detective of the Mercer hotel. He told of having heard shooting in the neighborhood.
The patrolmen drove to Thirteenth and Oak streets near where a Buick car was standing at the curb. Beside it was a young man.
“We stopped,” said Bland, “and I asked him whose car it was.”
“Mine,” he answered. “We are driving through the country.” Then he told me he lived in Atchison, Kan. We looked in the car and saw the suitcases.”
When Bland demanded to see the contents of the suitcases the man, who later gave his name as Adams, said they were locked and the keys were in the house at 314 East Thirteenth street.
He offered to take the officers into the house for the keys, but before this Bland says he felt of Adams’ clothing to determine whether he was armed. The search failed to reveal any weapon, although it developed Adams had a revolver. Probably it was concealed in a holster under one of the bandit’s arms.
It was agreed that Bland should remain with the car while Burns and Ford went for the keys.
“We will have to go to the back door,” said the stranger, and led the way with Burns.
As Burns and the bandit turned the corner of the house Burns saw the dark form of another man standing near the back door.
“I was suspicious,” said Burns, “and drew my revolver.”
“Put up your hands there,” I called to the second man.
“Put up your hands or I’ll blow you off,” he returned and we began firing.”
Ford seized a riot gun from the police car and rushed to Burns’s assistance, firing as he went.
When Bland heard shots he left the two cars and went into the yard. The firing, he said, seemed to come from the interior of the house. He saw one of the bandits fire and fall. Then both Burns and Ford went down.
The second bandit ran into the alley at the approach of Bland, turning occasionally to fire. Bland followed and a battle was fought as the bandits ran north. With only one cartridge remaining in his revolver, Bland went back to where the wounded policemen lay. He says the first bandit had disappeared.
Ford was suffering intensely and himself wounded, Bland aided Ford to the police car. Residents of the neighborhood were gathering. It was believed the bandit who had fallen first in the encounter had entered the house, and Bland waited while Burns drove Ford to the General Hospital.
A fresh squad of police arrived a few minutes later and entered the house. In a room on the first floor, unclothed, lay Ed. Adams, wounded bandit. He was overwhelmed by superior numbers and surrendered.
A crowd stood near the house at the time of Adams’ capture. It was said a man had been seen crawling through the weeds at Ninth and Oak streets and several policemen went there immediately. They found Harry Clayton, shot through the head and shoulder, lying among the weeds.
Had $38,000 in Bonds.
A search of the car and its suitcases revealed $28,100 in Liberty bonds, some of them in envelopes bearing the name of the Baileyville bank.
There were also a vial containing a liquid, believed to be nitroglycerin, three Winchester repeating rifles, one Remington pump gun, one .45 caliber automatic pistol, one .38 caliber revolver, three leather holsters and nearly two thousand rounds of ammunition for the rifles, pistols and shotgun. Another repeating rifle was found in the house and further examination of the car brought to light a first aid kit containing bandages and medical supplies.
About his body he wore a belt containing $814 and three billbooks, which were identified by W. T. McCormick and L. E. (“Goldtooth”) Maxie, gamblers, as taken from them in the gambling house. Maxie identified Adams as one of the men who held up the game.
The bandit Clayton, alias Cladden, alias Cassity, is about 32 years old, with light complexion and blue eyes. Adams is 34 and is of dark complexion and has brown eyes. It is not thought either is dangerously wounded but both were greatly fatigued as they naturally would be after their wild experiences. They do not talk much.
Finding the goods on the bandits makes it seem almost certain that they will go over the route. If the Kansas City men they shot die they will without question be held for murder there. It will depend on
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BANK BANDITS AT BAILEYVILLE
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events and they will be tried where the authorities think they have the best case.
Recover the Loot.
The Baileyville State Bank will lose nothing by the hold-up. It has membership in a protective agency and this will cover any shortage of cash. But the greater amount taken was in bonds and negotiable notes and these Gov. Bailey and Asst. Cashier Heiman had no difficulty in identifying. The Star of Sunday says:
“Government bonds and securities totaling $81,740, representing nearly the entire loot stolen by bandits from the State Bank of Baileyville, Kas., Thursday, were recovered by the Kansas City police after the spectacular revolver battle with a robber band early Friday at 314 East Thirteenth street.
The bonds, found in suitcases in a stolen motor car, were returned to officials of the Baileyville bank late yesterday.
“Willis J. Bailey, president of the bank, late yesterday afternoon identified all the bonds found by the police in the possession of Adams and Clayton. After the robbery officials of the bank, in order to prevent alarm among depositors, gave out the report that only $1,000 in bonds had been stolen. Ex-Governor Bailey was so gratified at the recovery of nearly the entire loot that he gave Chief of Police Scott A. Godley a personal check for $200 to be given the officers responsible for the capture of the bandits. In addition, the State Bankers’ Association of Kansas will pay a reward of between $1,000 and $1,500 for the conviction of the guilty desperadoes.”
Mr. Heiman Knew Clayton.
One of the happiest things about the fortunate circumstances surrounding the capture of the bad men is that Mr. Heiman is able to identify at least one of the bandits. He must have had his wits about him when they stuck him up. The Star says again:
“Harry Clayton, one of the three bandits who held up a poker game in a gambling house at 1209 Grand Avenue early Thursday night, probably fatally wounding one of the players, and an hour later was wounded and captured by the police, was identified positively late yesterday as one of the trio who robbed the Baileyville bank. Identification was made by J. A. Heiman, cashier of the bank, who was in the bank at the time of the robbery.”
Uncertain as to Adams.
Edward Adams, the other bandit captured, was not identified positively by Heiman. Adams, with bullet holes in his head and body, is wrapped in bandages at the General Hospital. Heiman said he couldn’t identify or exonerate Adams because of difficulty in seeing his face, but that he believed Adams resembled one of the three men who held up the bank. Adams and Clayton are in the city hospital under guard. Clayton was shot in the shoulder.
To Bring Bandits Here?
There is some question whether the bandits will be brought before the Nemaha bar for trial or not. If the Kansas City men die it is likely they will be tried for murder. But if it is believed that a heavier sentence can be had under the Kansas laws for bank thieves it is believed that the Missouri officials can be induced to allow Nemaha county prosecute them. The third bandit may be found but it is not probable. No one believes that the two would have been detected had not the K. C. police just blundered upon them.
believe that the gang is responsible for the frequent Kansas robberies that have been pulled this summer. In the event that the bandits are tried in Nemaha county the State Bankers’ Association has engaged S. M. Brewster to assist County Attorney R. M. Emery, Jr.
One Victim Dies.
Fred Gardner, the gambler who was shot at the Grand Avenue joint, died Monday. The Monday Star said that Ford, the patrolman, is still in a critical condition as is Clayton, the bandit. It grows more likely that Clayton and Adams will be brought to Nemaha county for trial. County Attorney R. M. Emery, Jr. and Sheriff Charles Carman went to Kansas City Tuesday and they will bend every effort to have the criminals brought to Nemaha county for trial. Mr. Emery said Tuesday that he does not think there will be any difficulty in identifying them as the men who robbed the Baileyville bank. Mr. Heiman recognized one of them in Kansas City and no doubt could have identified the other had it not been for the thick bandages in which he was swathed.
On the other hand, Edward J. Curtin, county prosecutor at Kansas City thinks that there is insufficient evidence at hand to assure their conviction on a murder charge. Everyone knows how it is in those Kansas City gambling house murders. It is almost impossible to get anyone to testify against a bad man for he entertains lively fears that someone will “get him” for giving the criminal away. There is no fear of that sort of thing out here in Kansas. When these men are brought to Nemaha county, witnesses will identify them if they recognize them and they will get all that Judge Stuart’s court can give. There is no crooked black-hand politics in old Nemaha.
Then too, Mr. Emery wants them brought here to be tried for bank banditry for the salutary effect it will have on other bank robbers. He says that bank hold-ups are becoming all too common in Kansas and that the interests of large numbers of people who use banks must be protected. Mr. Emery and Mr. Carman may not return before Thursday and it is impossible for The Courier-Tribune to say when this paper is issued what the outcome will be.
For a glimpse of what Main Street Baileyville looked like in 1911, see our previous post, Baileyville Questions. Or, check out our website for more information about the Nemaha County Historical Society.