Evening star., 1926-12-16
BANDITS RISK LIVES
lin ESCAPE OVER ICE
Flee Over River After Rob-
blng Bank and Terrorizing
] Iowa ToWn-Caught.
By the Associated Press.

OMAHA. Nehr.. December 16.-Two
brothers, one of whom confessed that
they were the pair who risked theif
lives by crossing the ice-sheeted
Missouri River in escaping a posse
after they had terroriZed Modale
iowa. citizens by shooting up the
town and robbing the Modale Savings
Bank of $3.50, We're in custody here
last night.
Two Modale men were wounded
neither seriously, in the shooting.
The men, Dave and Broy Harding
40 and %, were arrested as they drove
up TO their rooming house In a taxicab
in which, police said, they found
s3,l51. Although Broy's confession
implicated the brother. Dave refused
TO make any statement.
The brothers said they crossed the
Ace near the scene of escape and
walked 25 miles into Omaha where
hey hired the cab.
Full of Thrills.
The robbery and chase along the
missouri River lowlands in Iowa and
Nebraska We're fun of thrills. The
Two robbers foiled the posses at al
most every turn by their coolness and
daring. Before they crossed the ice,
they burned their stolen car and
changed clothes. Volleys of shots
We're the only answer of pursuit the
iowa posses could give as the pair
undertook their hazardous journey
ecross the ice, thin in places, into
Nebraska.
She holdup, in which Robert
Gassman, bank cashier, and Taft
jackson. a passerby, were slightly
wounded. likewise was bold and
dramatic.
The men left their car short dis
tance from the bank. Sauntering
across the street, they picked up Hi
Slgler, who was passing, and forced
him inside with them. With Carl
Bair and B. Walch, bank patrons,
Slgler was forced to stand against
the wall, hands in air. Sassman was
sitting at his desk. Showing a gun
at him, one of the robbers ordered
him TO put up his hands.
You can't have it," replied Sass.
man.
Stick 'em up" repeated the bandit,
pulling the trigger. A bullet struck
the cashiers head, and he dropped
TO the floor.
Opens Door of Safe.
The robber persisted in his demand,
again thrusting his gun at the wound
ed cashier, who got up, staggered to
the safe and threw the door open.
The men scopped up currency and
bonds and ran out the door.
In the street the robbers began
Mring wildly, aiming at any pedestrian
they happened to see.
In the meantime. Arch Schulz
meister, assistant cashier, who had
been in the rear of the bank, ran
from the back door through a volley
OF bullets from the robbers guns to
q drug store to spread the alarm.
Ed Drake, hardware merchant,
perched himself atop his store and
fired at the bandits as they emerged
from the bank. Several others by
this time were exchanging shots with
the robbers. Jackson was shot in the
thigh as he stepped from his car op-
posite the bank
AS the robbers drove away, Jess
middleton, garage man, and Dean
Strain, followed, unarmed, in an au.
tomobile. A posse organized quickly.
At noon Middletown reported he had
the robbers cornered in the lowlands
and several posses of sheriffs and
deputies from Omaha and Council
Bluffs raced to the scene.
ALoGdpC OtcE ace.
As the posse closed in the pair took
70 the ice and escaped into Nebraska.
In his confession, police said Broy
stated he and his brother left Omaha
Tuesday night, staying all night near
Blair, Nebr. He said they went to Mo-
dale yesterday morning and that he
went into the bank while Dave stayed
outside.
What did you do when you got
into the bank?"
Il stuck them fellows up and got
this money" Broy replied.
He admitted shooting while in the
bank. but denied shooting after he
came out.
He then told how they went di.
rectly to the river, how he burned the
automobile which he said was stolen
In Omaha, and how they crossed to
Nebraska and walked from Blair to
Omaha, where they hired the taxicab.
Broy insisted Dave was with him all
the time, and said he gave all the
money to his brother when he came
out of the bank