The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1926-12-02
SHERIDAN COUNTY ROBBED
SlO6,OOO, BANDITS ESCAPE
County Treasurer Locked In VauIt-Counter Piled
With Cash At Six P. M, Swept Up By Two Rob-
bers-No One Sees Them Come Or Go-Funds
Were Insured-State Officials Hurry To Scene
To Probe The Affair

From various sources comes
news of a colossal robbery of
county funds at Plentywood. The
news stories sent out from there
say that $45,OO0 in cash, and
bonds and other v9luables bringing
the total to $106,00O We're car
ried away from the county treas
urer's office by two bandits who
entered the court house at six
O'Clock Tuesday evening. County
Treasurer Torstenison was cover
ed with gun and made to lie
flat on the floor while the rob-
bers gathered up the cash and
valuable papers. A woman dep
uty, who returned to the court
house during the robbery was told
to stand facing a corner Before
they left, the bandits forced the
treasurer and his deputy into the
vault and locked them there.
Discovery After An Hour
The locked-in officials and the
robbery were discovered an hour
later by the courthouse janitor.
Although Sheriff Salisbury is
credited by the Plentywood cor
respondent with quick action and
vigorous efforts to get trail of the
bandits, no clues of Importance
have been found at last reports.
A natural conclusion was that the
bandits had escaped in a car, and
the usual "high4power Buick" was
said to have been seen. A car
of carrying the robbers
was traced to Reserve and from
there east for some distance. The
county treasurer was unable to
give a description of the robbers
other than that one was tall and
the other not so tall, and that
they had handkerchiefs over their
faces. IT appears no one saw
them enter the court house or
leave it. The whole affair is
shrouded in deep mystery and
'eads to lively speculations.
State Will Investigate
Numerous peculiar circum-
itences are noted by people both
1t Plentywood and at a distance.
The whole affair has such an un-
Usual aspect that Attorney Cen
raj L. A. Foot and Deputy State
Examiner jaw G. Larson left
Helena for Plentywood, after a
conference with Governor Erick-
.on, to investigate the whole af-
eir. It is stated that the funds
if Sheridan county were insured
lgainst robbery, which, if true,
5 fortunate for the taxpayers,
ince the county has been sub
eeted to heavy losses in the pass
through defunct banks and old
fashioned forms of looting.
The $4,000 in cash is referred
% as one days tax money, but
t appears to those experienced
n county business as an enormous
ium of currency to be taken in
n day since the usual method
If paying taxes is by check. AL
,hough it was six o'clock IN THE
evening, the cash appears to have
oeen outside the money safe and
EASILY reached The bonds also
must have been in place easily
'ound or known to The robbers.
The sheriff, who was credited
With such prompt action in mott
'ying surrounding counties, over
cooked both Roosevelt and Dan
els counties. Undersheriff Coun-
ii says no notice was received
lere and Sheriff Lawrence of
Daniels, when questioned, report
ID by phone that he was not mott
led and received the first news
# the robbery by radio from Re-
sina.
Flashy Reporting
The best work of the hectic
.vening over at the center of
county reforms must have been
lone by the correspondent of the
treat Falls Tribune. The rob-
very discovered at seven o'clock
vas covered by the correspond
mt after he had determined the
mount of cash taken and the
ther facts, and given the sheriff
% minutes to notify all surround
ng officials, and written up and
eported in time to get onto the
ront page of the mail edition. of
he Tribune which goes to press
bout eight o'clock. That the
eat was possible was proven by
he appearance of the story in the
'ribune received here Wednesday
lorning. Of course if the cor
had had the story al
eady written on the possibility
hat such thing might happen,
would have been easier to get
on the wire quick.
The people of this part of the
tate are anxiously awaiting the
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