The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-05
Barnes Bank Robbery Recalls
Days of Dalton Gang.
Was One of the Most Daring in
History of State.
unknown MAN WORKED ALONE
Held Up and Killed Cashier in
Broad Daylight.
Was Himself Killed in Bankers
Own DOOryard.

own UOOryarO.
Not since the days when the Dalton
gang infested southeastern Kansas
and invaded Coffeyville on that mem
orable morning more than 20 years
ago. has a bank robbery been pulled
off in Kansas which for sheer nerve
and pluck has even compared with
the daylight holdup of the Barnes
State bank one week ago by lone AND
unknown bandit. Detective Searles OF
the bank commissioners department
who visited Barnes this week, de-
clared that the robbery was one OF tne
most daring recorded anywhere IN the
country in recent years.
In the Barnes robbery Cashier
Brown was shot and killed when ne
showed fight and hesitated apout
turning over the money. A little more
from the cash drawers of the bank
Then the lone robber rushed to the
streets, where he was shot ana IN
stantly killed ten minutes later. Al
ali happened so suddenly and so
tragicaliy that the people in the little
town in Washington county have talk
ed of nothing since the robbery and
double killing.
have chosen Saturday morning for the
robbery is quite as great puzzle as a
dozen other details surrounding the
crime For two weeks the man nao
seemed to know him. He was not
communicative and even the manner
of his existence In those two weeks Is
quite unexplained. At night, Barnes
stacks in fields adjoining the little viii
Iage. After the shooting, the local
barber recalled that he had once
shaved the man. Another man VINO
kept a lunch counter remembered
that the strange and mysterious man
had once eaten breakfast In his place.
But that Is all the history that the
people of Barnes can give concerning
the man who single handed and alone
and with the aid of a rusty revolver
and six rounds of ammunition elected
TO rob the town bank In broad day
light.
Was Daylight Robbery.
1t was just $3.50 o'clock last Sat
urday morning when this strange man
walked boldly through the front door
of the Barnes bank. Cashier Brown
was talking to President Spencer about
business matters and the two men
paid no attention to the new visitor
until their conversation was rudely
interrupted.
Throw up your hands," was the
grim and determined manner which
the stranger chose for an introduction.
The bank cashier and the bank
president looked up. Just beyond the
iron railing which separates the little
banks counting room from the gem
eral lobby, the men saw rather tall,
strongly built man with a stubby
beard and wearing q SLOUGH hat and
duck coat under which was a much
soiled sweater. But the thing which
impressed the two bankers most was
the barrel of a revolver which looked
as big as the manhole of q sewer.
The barrel of that gun was levelled
right at their heads.
Throw up your hands," repeated
the mysterious stranger with just
CHI nF i'm
Two pairs of hands went high in
the air.
As the robber started to step
through a door that separated the
bank lobby from the little counting
room, Browns right hand went down
for Just a second. And when 1t went
down 1t clutched revolver that was
IN q drawer within easy reach. The
in time to see the movement. There
was a shot and Brown staggered
against a counter, but fired three
shots. The robber shot again. Brown
sank to the floor, but retained suffi-
Gent consciousness to fire the two
remaining chambers of his gun at the
robber. One of these shots passed
through the fleshy part OF the mans
leg.
Bank President Gave Alarm
While all of this was happening
and 1t happened in very few sec
onds-the bank president had slip
ped through a side door onto the
main street of the little town Here
he gave the alarm The robber heard
the sound of people running, he
heard excited cries on the street, but
he never forgot the purpose of his
visit. Hurriedly he walked to the
cash drawer. grabbed $500 in gold and
500 In silver and rushed to the main
street entrance of the bank.
Down q side street the man ran. He
had gone less than a half block when
a clerk in a hardware store emerged
with a Winchester rifle. Hurriedly the
clerk took two shots at the fleeing
burglar. Then he saw men and wo-
men running UP the street from the
same direction in which the robber
was going and he took no more
chances.
At the first corner the robber turned
north. BY this time everyone in the
little town seemed to know that some
thing had happened. Shooting is not a
daily recreation in Barnes an the
town was excited and didn't hesitate
to display the fact. Everyone was
looking for a gun. Half the people
probably didn't know just why they
wanted a weapon, but they had that
Unborn feeling that firearms were the
proper thing just at that moment.
from the Barnes State bank. is located
an opposition bank. L. D. Spence, a
clerk, heard the shooting and ran down
a side street hoping that he might de-
tect the robber-for Spence had grasped
the situation and knew that Kansas
man hunt was on.
Two blocks east and north of the
state bank, Spence saw a strange man
running. He called for him to halt.