Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-01-02
WOMAN'S COURAGE
FOILS 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-Na-
tionaI Meeting of Bankers.

WQ6u the wave OF CT1mS dSdluSL
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 report to the protective authori-
ties of the Association, follows:
while I was posting my ledger,
with my back to the door, I heard a
commotion. When l turned around
there were two men back of the coun-
ter, with handkerchiefs over their
faces. The larger made a jump for
my gun, before l realized what was
happening. The robbers each had a
gun pointed at me, and one said. Lay
down or will shoot your l said, Z
will not lay down and you will not
shoot me- This conversation was re-
peated several times. l told them to
cut out their foolishness.
"a man who was in the corridor
when the bandits came laid down on
the floor, face down. I 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. l kept thinking that
some one would come in or see US.
"The larger man got busy with the
money. while the smaller one took
care of me. He jerked me to my
knees and hit me over the head. This
jolted my glasses and lifted my hand
waving it in front of his face and
telling him to wait a minute. took
my glasses off and put them on the
table. Lifting my hand caused this
man to look up and he saw we were
| observed from across the street. Then
he saw Constable Mosby with his
gun, and said to the man who was
gathering the money, Don, we ara
seen, we must make our getawayr
He then grabbed me rather roughly
and said: Come on here! You are
coming along!'
Struggles With Robber
"Here is where our struggle began
All the time we fought over his gun,
did not try to take it away from
\ him. but kept moving it from one side
to the other, and of course he was
determined to point it straight at me.
I told him. Il will not go and am not
afraid of you. You win not shoot me,'
| I'VE fought to the back door OF the
bank. When we got there, he raised
his arm to fire at Mosby. I grabbed
him around the neck, and he fred be-
fore I could get his hand. am posi-
tive that this man was never Rugged
so tightly, nor ever will be, as I hug
ged him, realizing that l must ffghr
for my life. The man tried his level
best to kill me. What the other man
was doing I do not know. Ny man
was trying to pull me out the back
door to their car. which YVES still run
ming, I was determined he should not.
1 ~ ~ Ae hSiCsf S4iC ma Ols VI M.
| Mosby shot the man in The arm. There
was a Jerk and out the door we went,
] Things were coming my way now. I
pulled the robber into the weeds. half
on his back and half on his left side,
'The robber finally said, 4 viii give
up I said. Give me your gun He
answered, I will not; know You win
L chnnf CO he c4~
We got back on our feet I meant to
have his gun and would fight him until
II got it. We fought through the back
room behind the counter. He begged
me not to take him. and I asked him
Iagain for his gun and he said No. 7
know you will shoot me- We strHg>
| g1ed through the front door and then
Constable Mosby said, Drop your gun
or viii shoot you The bandit gave
Iup and the men took charge of him.
One Bandit Killed
81 wondered about the other bandit
and started to look for him and found
him in the closet in the back of the
bank dying. r. c. Lapsley told me
afterwards that when the bandit and
III lurched through the back door the
larger man, with HIS gun in his right
hand and the sack of money in his
left. stepped up to the door They
both fired at once. The robber drop-
ped his gun and the money, but they
could not see what became of him.
'Tf all towns had as brave men as
we have here, bank robbing would be
a thing of the past. You can under
stand the remarkable craftsmanship
that was displayed. when I tell you
that in our struggle at the back OF
the bank the men took several shots
at the robber. but were very careful
mot to hit me. The robber got shot
in his right arm and CHANGING shot
in his left.
"All during the shooting and fight
ing. I felt confident I would get the
best OF my man. felt that the man
would not shoot me. and like all West
ern women did not lose my nerve
Bank robbers. as a rule. are towards
and il one shows that he is not afraid
Of them they win lose their nerve"
Works of Art IN Copper
Copper ornaments that were made
between $500 and 1900 years ago are.
dug up near Or, city OF ancseat Baby.
lonia. Made thousands OF years be-.
fore King Tut was born. these, copper
ornaments are among the earliest
works Of art. They express the in.
fancy Of the creative spirit. The Baby.
lonian copper objects represent men
and oxen. In addition to being art
they were intended as a history Of ac-
omplishment-main motive of which
10 vanity.-Farm and Fireside.