Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-12-05
BOYS STEAL MONEY
FROM TILL IN FIRST
NATIONAL BANK
Lad Slips Into Cashiers Booth at the
Noon Hour and Takes
$134.02.


their homes seated with their moth.
ers and fathers at the dinner table
Some of them were helping the cook:
les and pies that had been baked
that forenoon to disappear as fast as
possible while mildly espostulatine
mothers reluctantly cut the second
piece of pie or cut into that frosted
cake which had been baked for Sun
day. Not one of them at that hour
dreamed what might be going on in
down town bank-the First Ma
tional Bank-where at that moment
three little boys, two aged twelve
years and one fourteen, were robbing
the till in the savings booth OF
s134.02.
About 1915 o'clock, at the hour
Miss Cunningham, savings clerk, is
at home for dinner, the bank was de-
serted except for the two cashiers,
e. E. Mason and H. o. Cutler. Enter
two boys-vergil Hurst and Odra
Barngrover. Each of these lads are
twelve years old and the Barngrover
lad exceptionally bright for his age;
young Hurst approached Mr.. Ma
sons window and sparring for time,
asked for the daily paper Of the
night before. 1t was procured for
him and Mr.. Mason went on making
out a note upon which he had been
engaged when the boy approached.
Young Barngrover busted himself
with the Christmas Savings litera-
!ture lying on the ledge in front OF
the savings deposit window and
when Mr.. Cutler came down to wait
Ion him, he said he did not want
just wanted to read the
literature, so he was left alone at
some little distance from the 9TH
ers. The back door into the CASH
ier's and bookkeeper's Office was ajar
and the little fellow, who was IA
miliar with the arrangement of
things, evidently darted through the
half opened door and STOPPING, crept
into the cashiers booth, seizing the
cash which was available. There
happened to be less than 5000 lying
out, and of this the Barngrover boy
took exactly $134.O2. Then he slip
ped quietly out through the rear
door OF the bank where Glenn Iams,
aged fourteen years, the Oldest one
Of the boys, was stationed to watch
that no one came that way.
That was the end Of that part of
the tale. The rest came later when
Miss Cunningham balanced her
books about o'clock. She was
$134.O2 short. After vainly endeav-
oring to locate the amount, Mr.. Ma
son suddenly recalled the instance of
the boys lettering about the corridors
during the noon hour, and started
out to look for them. He was un-
able to find them. That evening
about Z o'clock when on his way
down to the bank, in company with
w. l.. Clifton, another bank clerk,
he spied the Iams, Barngrover and
Hurst boys ahead of him. They were
clad in new coats and were carrying
parcels under their arms. Follow
ing them, they came to the Mercan-
tile store, where one boy went inside
and the other loitered outside. Mr..
Mason took a short cut through the
grocery department to try and watch
the boy on the inside while Clifton
stood guard over the entrance. See
ing themselves evidently being
watched, the boys took fright and
disappeared through the rear door
of the Mercantile annex and ran
wildly north to the railroad yards.
The men gave chase but finally gave
up after a search Of empty box cars
and the stock yards.
The sheriff was notified and at
once began a search. In the after
noon the Iams and Barngrover boys
had entered the Boston Shoe &
Clothing store to buy some clothes.
They were questioned as to whose
boys they were and replied, 81 am
Bill Cessna and this is my BROTHER
This is where the names of the Cess
ma boys We're unjustly connected
with the robbery.
They bought their clothes and
paid for them. in no way rousing
the suspicious of Mr.. Boynoff, pro-
prietor of the store.
Early Sunday morning Sheriff
Nelson received complaint from ].
NJ. Whitson Of the disappearance OF
his horse and buggy from the mar
ket square some time Saturday even.