Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-01-08
WOMAN'S COURAGE
F0ILS BANDITS
GrappIes With Armed Robbers
Who Attempt to Hold Up
Her Bank.
UNARmED, WINS LONG FIGHT
One Bandit Killed and Other
Wounded When Men Come to
ResCue-Story Told at Ma
tional Meeting Of Bankers.

When the wave OF crime against
banks. which has reached unprec-
edented proportions. was under dis
cussion at the recent meeting Of the
American Bankers Association at Chi
cago, and defense measures were up
for consideration, the bankers were
told how one resolute woman defend
ed herself against two armed despera-
does In her little Western bank The
woman was Mrs. Mary Clearinghouse.
cashier Of the State Bank Of Vera,
Oklahoma which she conducts single
handed Her own story, as she told it
In a report to the protective authori-
ties of the Association, follows:
while was posting my ledger
with my back TO the door, heard a
commotion When / turned around
there we're two men hack of the coun-
ter. with handkerchiefs over their
faces. The larger made a Jump for
my gun. before I realized what was
happening. The robbers each had a
gun pointed at me, and one said Lay
down or | will shoot yous' / said I
will not lay down and yon will not
shoot me- This conversation vas re-
peated several times. | told them to
cut out their foolishness
"a man who was-ein the corridor
when the bandits came laid down on
the floor face down. tried to argue
with the robbers and they began to
get rough, but something within me
seemed to realize that they were get
ting confused kept thinking that
some one would come III. OF. see MS.
'sThe larger man got busy with the
money while the smaller one took
care OF me. He ierkad me to my
knees and hit me. over the head THIS
jOIted nv glasses and Il lifted nv hand
waving IT III Front of his face and
telling him to wait minute took
my glasses off and put them on the
table. Lifting nv hand caused this
observed from across the street Then
he saw Constable Mostly with hts
gun. and said TO the man who was
gathering the money. Don we are
seen. we mist make our getawavi'
He then grabbed me rather roughly
and said Come on herel Yon are
coming aIong!'
Struggles With Robber
'Hnre is where our struggle began.
An the time we fought over his gun,
II did not try to take ii away from
him. but kent moving It from one side
20 the other. and Of course he was
determined to point il STRAIGHT at me-
Il told him. I Will not go and am not
afraid OF You You will not shoot met
I'VE fought to the back door Of the
bank When we got there. he raised
his arm to fire at Mosbv. grabbed
him around the neck. and he fred he
fore could get mis- hand am posi-
tive that this man was never huggad
so tightly, nor ever will be. as I hing
Fed him, realizing that 7 must dght
for nv life The man tried his level
best to kill me. What the other man
was doing I do not know NV man
was trying to pull me out the hack
door to their car. which was still run
ming was determined he should not
ar G. Tansley, the mayor. or Ed
Mosbv shot the man in the arm There
was jerk and ont the door we went.
THINGS were coming nv way now 7
pulled the robhnr into the weeds. half
on his hack and half on his left side
1.-THE rnhber finally said. 7 will give
mp said Give me vour gun He
answered I will NOT: know Won viii
shoot me- So the struggle kent on.
We cot back on corr feet I meant TO
have his gr,n and would fight him until
Il got It. We Fought through the back
room behind the counter He hegged
me not 10 take him and asked him
again for his pm and he said No. I
know Won will shoot me We stvug-
gled throu~h the front DIOR and then
CONSTABLE Mosbv said Iron vonr grn
or win shoot Won The bandit gave
mp and the men took CHARGE OF him.
One eandi4 Killed
Il wondered about the other bandit
and started to look FOR him and snwnd
him in the closet in the hack Of the
bank dying. r G. T.anslev to1d me
afterwards that whom fhe bandit and
lurched throneh the hacsy door the
larger man. with his Gun in his rioht
hand and the sack OF money in his
left, stepped no to the door They
both fred at once The rchher drop
ped his gun and the money hut they
could not see what became Of him
''Tf all towns bad as have mon as
we have here hank rohhing would he
q thing of the mast. You con under
stand the remarkable workmanship
that was displayed when tell von
that in orr struggle at the back of
the bank the mon took several shots
at the robber. Init we're very careful
not TO hit me The robber got a shot
IN his rioht arm and a elanctng shot
IN his left
~Ail during the shooting and fight
ing. felt confident 7 would pet the
lest OF nv man felt that the man
would not shoot me ard Iike All West.
ern women did not lose nv nerve
Bank robbers as ru1e are towards
and If one shows that he is not afraid
NJ them they will lose their nerve"