The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-01-14
Captain in National Army Is
Identified as Robber
and Murderer
HACKED BANKS
OFFICERS WITH AXE
Shoots Himself After Order
to Have Finger Prints
Taken

Camp Funston, Kan, Jan. l4.-Capt
Lewis r. Whistler of Salina, Kan, ldenti
fled as the man who robbed the arm,
bank at thae national army camp here Fri
day night and said 10 have killed four mel
and injured a fifth with an axe or hatch
ct, committed suicide in his office lat
Saturday.
Capt Whistler used a regulation service
rifle, shooting himself twice in the head
The first bullet glanced and the second
entered the brain.
Capt. Whistler left note which read
II have been thinking of committing
suicide for long time, but | never had
good reason. Yesterday went out
and made myself reason
In room where Capt. Whistler had
washed himself, a table smeared with
blood and two blood soaked towels were
found
Capt. Whistler, il is said, borrowed two
hatchets from a supply company late
Friday, and Saturday he borrowed two
more.
His suicide came after a general order
that all captains report and have their
finger prints taken.
Kearney Wornall, wounded cashier of
the army bank, only survivor of the five
men in the bank at the time of the rob
berry, had previously declared that the
robber was an army captain and that he
recognized him.
Wornall said that the man hacked his
victims with an axe while their hands
were tied
The robber obtained all the money and
several Liberty bonds that were in the
army bank. The bodies of his victims
We're literally hacked to pieces They
were:
Charles Fuller Winters, vice president
of the National Reserve bank of Kansas
City, Mo.
John w. Jewell of Springfield. Mo,
editor of the Camp Funston Trench and
Camp, and associate owner with his fla
Their, H. s. Jewell, of the Springfield
Leader.
Carl Ohleson, son of Andrew Ohleson,
contractor, of Kansas City, Mo.
Q. Nj. HILL clerk in the bank
kearney Wornall, cashier of the army
bank, was seriously wounded
The army bank, branch of the Ma
tional Reserve bank of Kansas City, Mo, |
is situated in the center of the huge can
Torment.
1t is housed in small frame building, /
and Mr. Winters was ut the camp to su- |
pervise moving the bank to larger quar-
tiers. Oheson had been sleeping nightly |
at the bank, and Mr.. Jewell came to take /
the other men in his motor car to their |
sleeping quarters.
William Huttig, president of the Ma
tional Reserve bank Of Kansas City, of |
which the army bank is branch, could |
not give the exact amount of money in
The bank, but said that generally it was .
$4,000 to $1,000.
According to Wornall, an insistent i
knock at the door of the bank building
at $3.50 Friday night caused them to
admit man, who Immediately covered
them with revolver. He then com
handed Wornall to tie the hands of the
others, after which the bandit tied Worn
ais hands. Wornall said he then picked
up an axe from the floor and began rain
ing blows upon the heads and faces of |
he helpless men. IL
G. r. Winters, vice president Of the /
National Reserve bank of Kansas City 1
md cashier of the army bank, was the E
irst man attacked. c. NJ Hill and Carl t
)hleson, clerks, were soon struck down, i
lfter which the man attacked Wornall 7
md John Jewell of Springfield.
Efforts on the part of Wornall's ques- I
toner's to obtain further information I
we're futile, as he soon lapsed into un-
Consciousness. When he made the state $
nent that an army captain committed i
he murders his mind seemed to be work n
ng clearly, it was said.