The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-15
EARL ROSS BULLOCK.

Nothing more unusual in the annals
of crime has happened than the boy
banditism of Earl Ross Bullock the vic
tim of his own hand. Twice within one
month he was successful in robbing the
same bank at Eudora. He made good
J his escape in the first instance with
| loot to the amount of 81, 900 by shooting
and killing a police officer who tried to
! stop him. AS an incident to his second
robbery he severely wounded a man
whom he thought might interfere with
his plans. He got away from the bank
with the money on this second occasion
but was SO hard pressed by posse
which soon got on his trail that he
killed himself rather than to submit to
capture.
To look at Earl Bullock, one would
have thought him to possess all of the
admirable traits which are necessary
for the making of a worthy man. While
bis folks were not exceedingly prosper
Gus, he had the advantages of a good
home and a mothers love. He had al
ways been looked upon as an ordinary
boy in ordinary circumstances, a credit
to his family and an honor to his
friends. But such he evidently was not
With the boldness of the most harden
ed of desperadoes he walked into the
Eudora bank a month ago. locked its
officials in the safe, and hurried away
with a large sum of money. He did
not hesitate an instant to shoot to
death a man who got in his way. And
then he made good his escape with an
case that would have done credit to
professional criminals of lengthy Ca
reers. He dropped out of sight as
though the world had opened and swal-
lowed him up. Nothing was heard of
him by those interested in his capture
Until he appeared again at the Eudora
bank on Friday afternoon and robbed 1t
once more this time with youthful COM
panion who did not play much Of part
In the second robbery and who soon
gave himself up to the pursuers.
All of this reads like a page from
the writings of dime novelists of the
most vivid imaginations. In fact, If one
OF them should write such story the
lads who delight in these tales would
throw it away in disgust as being al
together too improbable. But truth. in
deed, is stranger than fiction.
There is no valid explanation for the
sudden change of young Bullock from
demure lad of lovable qualities to
demon of desperate criminality. After
his frs. robbery an effort was made
by some of his friends to charge the
beginning of his career of crime to the
fact that a young girl had refused to
accept him as an affianced sweetheart
because he was not blessed with much
in the way of this worlds goods. But
such a reason can be dismissed as utter
folly. And Bullock being dead there is
no way to find out the motives for his
crimes, nor to analyze his mental make
up which would be so interesting.
There surely is a lesson, though, in
IBIS serious misdeeds which ought to be
of value to all young men who may be
tempted in the future to crime for the
getting of a little easy money. The
thousand dollars which Bullock got
away with did not do him a particle
of good. He wasted it away on moth
ings with the idea that he was having
good time. His first success as a
criminal spurred him on to further
crime, and ne found out all too late
that crime does not pay. 1t never does
and it never has. Some men have been
successful criminals for extensive per-
iods of time but the prison or the gal
lows usually gets them. If it doesn't
they wander about like hunted animals,
afraid almost to trust themselves to the
direst of poverty is far more desirable
than any fleeing profit and pleasure
which may be gained by crime.