The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-08
Sheriff Blocked the Highway
Against Fleeing Bandits.
Sent Car Into Ditch and "CoY-
cred" Robbers With Guns.
BROUGHT THEM BACK ALONE
Miller Held One by Wrist With
Foot Against the Other.
NitrO-Glycerine in Car-The
Bandits Heavily Armed.

one of the most daring DAYLIGHT
robberies in the history of shawnee
county occurred this morning when
two negroes locked the clerks and Of
ficials of the Farmers National bank.
or st. Marys, in the vault at 1880
o'clock and got away with s4,451. The
oandits were captured and the money
recovered an hour later on the lower
Silver Lake road three miles west of
Topeka by Sheriff Robert Miller and
Deputies Oscar Perkins and Robert
Pendleton.
Sheriff Miller and his two deputies
starleo west to meet the negroes as
soon as the report came from St
Marys. Three miles out on the silver
LAKE road they saw coming ahead of
them the Chevrolet sedan which II was
said the negroes were driving. Per-
kins, who was driving, turned his car
sharply across the road in the path
OF the approaching Chevrolet, which
had to run into ditch to avoid a
crash. Already Miller and Pendleton
Were on the ground with their guns
ieveled at the negroes. The two nc
sroes and a white man, who was driv-
ing stepped from the car and held up
their hands. Each negro had a Colts
automatic revolver in his possession,
but made no attempt to use it.
White Man Drove Car.
The negroes gave their names as
James Jones, of Pocatello, Idaho, and
Frank Smith, of Junction City, Kan
The white driver gave his name as
Fred Lyle, of Junction City. He said
the Chevrolet sedan belongs to his
father, who drives a taxi in junction.
City. He declared that the two
negroes came to him in Junction City
and hired him to drive them to St.
Marys. He said he did not know what
their intent was until after the rob-
berry.
According to bank officials, the two
negroes walked in the front door and
| leveling their automatics at the cash.
Ter. his assistant and two customers,
ordered them into the vault p. C.
Goethe, cashier; J. L. Bisenius, as
sistant cashier; T. H. Carrier, former
vice president, and r. w. Drury,
bank at the time.
Handed Money Out of Vault.
The negroes backed them into the
vault. they declared, and then COM
PEELED them to hand out the money.
They then locked the four men in the
vault, calmly carried the loot to the
waiting automobile and drove away.
A crowd which collected quickly.
released the imprisoned men from tho
vault and the alarm was given. Driv-
ing east. the robbers went thru Silver
Lake at the rate of ten miles an hour.
it was said. One man said he observed
the sedan. but did not know at that
time about the robbery.
Before posses could organize and
get under way at St Narys and Ross
vile. Sheriff Miller and his men were
speeding west on the Silver Lake
road. R. o. Garrod. special deputy
sheriff and a State Journal reporter,
following close behind. arrived at the
spot within moment after the Chew
rolet was halted. The sheriffs car
was hopelessly mired in a ditch and a
passing car had to be commandeered
to pull it out Within ten minutes
auto loads of armed men from st.
Marys and Rossville had arrived.
Sheriff Brought Them to Topeka.
With Hickory Jones, a trusty at
the county Jail, driving the sedan.
Miller brought the negEoes to the coun-s
| ty Jail single handed. He placed one
on the seat beside him, holding to his
| wrist The other. powerfully built
man. he made sit facing him. and
! planted his foot in the negros stomach
so he could not fall forward upon him.
| In his right hand he held a revolver
/ and thus he escorted them to Topeka
while the rest of his force were ex-
/; Treating his car from the mud.
Found Nitro-Glycerine.
After Sheriff Miller arrived at To-
peka with the two men, Hickory Jones
found a small bottle of nitro-glycerine
| in the sedan. 1t was deposited care-
/ fully in the safe at the sheriffs office.
! The money. totaling s4.451, was
! contained in a cigar box and a paper
sack. More than $4,000 in paper
| money was stuffed in the sack. and
the balance, in silver dollars and nick
| els. was in the cigar box. When the
negroes were taken to the Jail and
searched, a considerable sum in paper
money was found in their pockets.
T. They refused to talk to Officers
about the robbery after being locked
up.
Sheriff Miller and his two deputies
1 probably will receive a reward Of