The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-01-16
AeBBERY. MURDER, SUICIDE.
ARMY CAPTAIN RoBs BANK AND
KILLS FOUR MEN.
Woundcd Cashier Gives Account OF
How Whistler Robbed Bank and
Killed -Four Men.

aiH OF the manner In which Capt.
Lewis J. Whistler robbed the bank at
the army cantonment here and killed
With n hand axe four or Ave men.
who wcro In the buildings. were told
10 army officers today by Kearney
Wcrnail. who. himself seriously
wounded. was the only survivor of
the captains fury.
For as hours wornali. who was
cashier OF the bank. had hovered be-
tween life and death. But today hrs
progress was SO satisfactory to the
army physicians that they permitted
him to tell the full story OF the trag-
edy which ended with the death Of
Captain whistler. self inflicted at the
moment OF detection yesterday.
In the meantime a systematic
search of the cantonment has failed
TO reveal any money which was stol-
en- from tho bank by Captain whistl-
err
IL transpired today that a note
Captain Whistler wrote after he had
decided TO kill himself was addressed
to q young woman at Ottawa. Kan.
bat army officers are making every
effort 20 keep secret both her name
and possible relation to Whistler.
wornall's. story today differed
slightly from that which had previous
~ been pieced together as army on
GERS had questioned him during his
infrequent intervals OF consciousness.
Today wornaiI told how he was In
the bank with c. Fuller Winters. vice
president Of the National Reserve
B&nk OF Kansas City. Mo-. John W..
Jewell. editor Of the Camp Funston
paper; Carl Ohlcson ot Kansas City.
and O. NJ. Hfil. clerk In tho bank,
when Captain Whistler came to the
bank.
Il was about 7.3o o'clock Friday
evening. The door was unlocked anil
Whistler gained entrance to the
building. waihins around the coun-
tef, ne drew q heavy automatic pistol
and U,id the mon he was short In hts
Aecount" and he believed that this
was the "best bet' to remedy II.
.wornaii says that the officers re-
n1&rks were treated as n Joke until
be took an axe from under his over
coat and struck Mr.. Winters with Its
nat side. All OF the men then were
forced 10 lie face down on the floor
whiio Whistler selected money. mostly
bills OF large denomination, and threw
thsm into a sack. wornall says he
then was forced TO bind the other
men, His own hands then were TIED
by the officer and all OF them were
gagged.
Hero. says the STAN officer who re-
ported woinairs statement. the cash
fers mind " blank and ne recall,
nothing that happened until he be
came conscious In an ambulance OF
the way to the hospital
wornaii had been found by a sen.
Try wandering aimiessly outside the
bank about an hour after the crime
~ss committed. He could not answer
Questions bat mumbled uninteiiigibly
according to tho sentry: Don't strike
him again Are you a hend?" and
nnaily murmured. Bank robbed
Then the alarm was siven. ''-
That wornali knew perfectly wha,
ne was doing last night when he
positively Identified the body OF Cap.
tain Wheeler az that OF the robber
was sttes,ed today by a staff Officer
who wsn present at the Identification
befcrs the body Of the army officer
was wheeled into wornalrs presence
; tho wounded cashier was made to
read from n mazasine- TO show tha,
he could sec and understand. ..
AZ Theh whist,er's body. dressed IN
M olive drab campaign uniform and
ight In "a chair. was wheeled into
~ hfd and placed directly before
1ThatST the man. that's the tcap-
ksasn.'. &oizinscd wornaii. accordins TO
sha o4r otic~r's story. wornall then
pds sworn utp,ement that whisti,r
~ thr .R<n who had robbed the
NIX and commussd the murders. Y
after the Grind. & now has been
biished. Whlstisr went to the
srnassssv sffsse where ne re.
ID the blood stains from his hands
- erments .He they zproceeded to
In French.
On order came from head
tcf report from all com.
p&e5 4rnanders yesterday tho cap
tain I'd 10 know that detection