The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1926-11-19

Continued from page One)
unmasked bandits who assaulted him
shortly after he had opened the bank
at about 1920 am, Friday.
The two bandits who attacked Mr.
Petersen, together with third mem
Der of the party who remained in a
Buick car parked in front of the in
stitution, escaped, taking a nOrtherly
route out of Wheelock.
Earl R. Gordon, Williams county
deputy sheriff, who was called to the
scene of the shooting Immediately af-
ter Mr.. Petersen had been found,
mortally wounded stretched across a
bed in the back room of the bank,
does not believe that the bandits OBJ
tanned any money.
Mr.. Petersen was found by G. o.
-Hougen, an employee of the First
State bank here, shortly after the
fatal shooting. Mr.. Hougen had en-
tered the Citizens bank on business,
he told deputy Sheriff Gordon, and
finding no one in the front office
walked into the rear room, There
he lOuulu CHe uylHB banker.
500 in Till
A sum of money, said to be about
$4,000, was locked in an inner COM
partment of the banks vault, Gordon
declared. Nearly 500 in cash was
in the till. The fact that the cash
was overlooked and that apparently
no effort had been made to force the
vault door leads the officers to be-
lieve that the bandits became fright
ened after shooting Mr.. Petersen and
fled without obtaining any loot.
The three bandits fled in a new
blue Buick four door sedan with vel
low wheels, Mr.. Gordon declares.
A description of the men has been
obtained, Mr.. Gordon declares, from
the manager of an oil and gasoline
service station from whom they
bought gasoline this morning. The
men had lOitered around the streets
here for several hours before Mr.
Petersen arrived from Williston
where he makes his home during the
winter months to open the bank.
According to stories told by towns
folk, Mr.. Petersen arrived here at
about 1918 am, walked into the
postoffice and secured his mail, and
then crossed the street to the bank.
As he entered the bank, it is said,
two of the bandits, who had been
sitting in the parked car in front of
the bank, got out and followed the
cashier into the office of the institu-
ton.
A short time later the two bandits
came out of the bank, took their time
IN walking to the car and slowly
drove out of the town.
1t was nearly ten minutes after this
that Mr.. Hougen entered the bank.
Alone in Bank
Mr.. Petersen managed the bank
without assistance, and because of
this it will be impossible to secure a
positive statement as to whether OF
not any loot was obtained by the
bandits until an examiner has had
time to check the books of the in
stitution, Mr.. Gordon declares.
The banker died of two bullet
wounds, one in the right temple and
the other in the right cheek.
Immediately after his arrival here
from Williston Mr. Gordon tele-
graphed authorities in all neighbor-
ing towns and posses were inmedi-
ately organized in Stanley and Minot
Shortly after noon the bandits were
sighted near Ross, N. D., Mr.. Cor
don said, and citizens of that town
started in pursuit.
Mrs. Petersen, who was rushed to
Wheelock from Williston by w. L.
Davidson, Williston banker, Mr.. Cor
don and H. 7. Skovholt, a doctor,
arrived here about 10 minutes before
Mr.. Petersen died.
The bank, of which Henry M. SOM
sen, Wheelock, is president, and N.
Henningsen, New Ulen, Mimi, is
vice-president, is capitalized at $1O,-
600 and has deposits totaling approx
imately $4,000.