The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1921-09-29
DAVE NEFF, BANK ROBBER,
BROUGHT HERE FOR TRIAi
Accused, With Others, of Having Rob-
bed KitZmiller Bank 4 Years Ago

bed Kitzmiller Bank 4 Years Ago
Dave Neff, a member of the Neff
gang of outlaws of Helltown, Shen-
andoah county, Va, who has just COM
pleted serving a term in the Virginia
State Penitentiary at Richmond, was
brought to Oakland Tuesday night by
Sheriff Roy o. Winters, who, in COM
pany with Senator Speicher, Fred. NJ
Brown and David Walters, left here
by motor on last Thursday morning
for the purpose of bringing the pris-
Oner back where he will stand trial
at the December term of the Circuit
Court for the part played by him in
the daylight hold-up and robbery of
the First National Bank at Kitzmiller
about four years ago.
Neff was delivered to the Garrett
county officer at point about hun
dred miles east of Bristol, Tenn.
at Convict Camp No. 5, in Virginia,
where large number of prisoners
(Neff amongst them) were engaged in
the construction of roads. From the
convict camp the party motored back
to Bristol where the first night upon
the return journey was spent, and
from that town the trip here was
via Roanoke, Va, through the Valley
of Virginia and on to Hagerstown,
thence by the National Road to Oak
land, the entire distance travelled be-
ing more than six hundred miles.
Netf's career started many years
ago, when he, with other members of
the gang of outlaws, defied the Shen-
andoah county officers. The band re-
tired to the mountains surrounding
their home, where a battle was wag
ed with the officials for several DAYS,
with both sides using high-powered
rifles. The Neffs escaped and were at
large for several months following the
battle in the mountains and in the
various sections which they visited
during their liberty, committed out
RACES of various kinds. They were
finally caught in Ohio and taken to
the Woodstock, Va, Jail, where they
made their escape and, after being re-
captured following a chase of sew
eral months, were taken to the State
Penltentiary at Richmond. From the
Penltentiary they were sent to the
convict camp from which one of the
Netf's again escaped and has not been
recaptured.
While the gangsters were at large
four years ago, they entered the First
National Bank at KitzmiIler where
they held up the officers and clerks
IN midday and robbed the bank of
several thousand dollars in currency
and made their escape over the noun
talns. Prior to the robbery of the
bank at Kitzmiller the men had an.
peared in the town and obtained en-
ployment with one of the mining COM
panles operating there, but upon the
day OF the hold-up and robbery of the
institution they had so disguised
themselves that they could not be rec
ognized and thus their identity was
clouded in mystery until one of the
members of the gang confessed and
upon being tried in the Circuit Court
here about year ago, was sent to the
Maryland Penitentiary for a short
term, his youthfulness and good be-
havior while a prisoner in the local
Jail being taken into consideration by
the Court when sentence was passed.
This prisoner was known as "Boots"
Fry and upon the day that he was to
be sentenced by the Court Sheriff
Winters had to ask the indulgence of
the presiding judge until he could send
out to his farm for the prisoner where
he was engaged in doing some agricul-
tural work for the officer. Fry came
into the court room unattended and
received his sentence.