Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-14
CASHIER TELLS
HOW U.S.CAPTAN
ROBBED BANK
Badly Wounded, He Idend-
fies Body of Officer Who
Committed Suicide
FAIL TO FIND MONEY
After Tragedy, Slayer Erased
Bloodstains and Went
to French Class
FAIL TO FIND MONEY

Camp Funston. Kan. Jan. IL
Details of the manner in which Cap
tain Lewis J. Whistler robbed the
bank at the Army cantonment here
and killed with a hand AK four OF
five men who were in the building,
were told to Army officers yesterday
by Kearney Wornall. who, seriously
wounded, was the only survivor of
the captains fury.
For forty eight hours, WOrnall,
lowered between life and death. But
yesterday his progress was so salts
factory to the Army physicians that
they permitted him to tell the full
story of the tragedy, which ended
with the death of Captain Whistler,
self-intiicted at the moment of de-
lection.
1t transpired that a note Captain
Whistler wrote after he had decided
to kill himself was addressed to II
young woman at Ottawa. Kan, but
Army officers are making every ef-
fort to keep secret both her name
and possible relation to Whistler.
WornalPs story differed slightly
from that which had previously been
pieced together, as Army officers had
questioned him during his infrequent
intervals of consciousness. YeSter-
day Wornall told how he was in the
bank with c. Fuller Winters, vice
president of the National Reserve
Bank of Kansas City, Mo-; John w.
Jewell. editor of the Camp Fun
stone paper; Carl Ohleson. of Kan
sas City, and o. NJ. Hill. clerk III
the bank, when Captain Whistler
came to the bank.
1t was about 7.30 o'clock Friday
evening. The door was unlocked and
Whistler easily gained entrance to
the building. Walking around the
counter, he drew a heavy automatic
pictol and told the men he was
short i'm his account" and believed
that this was the best bet" to rem
edy it.
Wornall says that the officers re-
marks We're treated as joke until
he took an AK from under his over
coat and struck Mr.. Winters with
its fiat side. All of the men then
were forced to lie facedown on the
floor, while Whistler selected money.
mostly bills of large denomination,
and thew them into a sack. Wornall
says he then was forced to get up
and bind the other men. His own
hands then were tied by the officer
and all of them were gagged
Here says the staff officer who re-
ported Wornalls. statement. the
cashiers mind is blank, and he re-
he became conscious in an ambu-
lance on the way to the hospital.
Wornall had been found by a sem
try, wandering aimlessly outside the
bank about an hour after the crime
was committed. He could not an
swer questions. but mumbled unin-
telligibly, according to the sentry:
Don't strike him again. Are YOU
a fiend?" and finally murmured,
Bank ropbed'' Then the alarm
was given
Identifies Captains Body
That Wornall knew perfectly what
he was doing Saturday night wnen
he positively identified the body of
Captain Whistler as that of the rob
ber was attested to by a staff Off
Ger who was present at the identifi-
cation. Before the body of the Army
officer was wheeled into Wornall's
presence, the wounded cashier was
asked to read from n magazine to
show that he could see and under
stand.
Then Whisler's body, dressed in
his olive-drab campaign uniform
and upright in a chair, was wheeled
into the ward and placed directly
before Wornall.
That's the man, that's the cap
tain" exclaimed Wornall, according
to the staff officers story. Wornall
then made a sworn statement that
Whistler was the man who had rob-
bed the bank and committed the
murders.
After the crime, it now has been
established, Whistler went to the
quartermasters office. where he re-
moved the bloodstains from his
hands and garments. He then pro-
ceeded to class in French.
When an order came from head
quarters for a report from all COM
pany commanders Saturday the cap
tain seemed to know that detection
was at hand. 1t was then he killed
himself.