New Britain herald., 1929-08-13
COUNTY SHERIFF
 SOLVES BIG THEFT
Colorado Officer Near Goal in !. S23S,BeO Bank Holdup

Lamar, Colo, Aug. 13.-The greatest manhunt in the southwest since the days of Jesse James IS nearing its end,,;and a rural sheriH who had been a farmer all his hle until his election two years. ago and who had never seen a rogues gallery, a Bertillon photo or fin gerprint card-has covered himself with glory as a detective whose deeds would rival those of Sher- lock Holmes.
 Flor Sheriff l.. F. Alderman Of Prowers County, Colorado-a tWo- gun peace officer Of the old School' who has steel-blue eyes, wears tAn.gallon hat and can shoot from the hip with either hand-helieVes ba has at last solved the $23S,oo0 holdup of the First National pahk of Lamar, featured by the brutal murder of four men, on May -5' 1928.
 He has used the rnost modern methods of the skilled detectlNe. 1necrprints. decoy letters, blood tests and even airplanes. In the IA months that he has been on the trail he has travelled more lhah 1oO,oOO miles by auto, train and ar plane in a dozen states. aided In inc arrests of 15o suspected bank rohbers from New York 10 Calliof- nia and jailed 40 Of them as eS- caped convicts or iugluNes lroin justice.
 Seven Jailed by Shcriil
 And now the manhunt is nearing lie end Sheriff Alderman has seven men under arrest, two oL whom he feels certain participated in the Lamar bank robbery and ouadruple murder and others whom he oeljeves were "in' on the crime in some fashion. And, by clever detective work, he has identified and obtained the fngerprints of the al legged ringleader.
 Police officers everywhere are now on the lookout for Jake Fleagle, wealthy eX-convict of Gar den City, Kan, who Sheriff Alder man missed by only 10 mnutets in Peoria, Ill. the other day. Ralph Fleagle, his brother, is under ar rest, Sheriff Alderman having cap tured him at kankakee. H., and brought him back by airplane The six others are in jail at Lamar, Colorado Springs and Canon City.
 No yellow backed novel of a gen. eration ago could equal in thrills the daring holdup of the First National bank at Lamar, and modern nc tion story detective could hardly surpass the record of this siX-foot, steef-eyed Colorado sheriff,
 Five Bandits Flee Win S2S,000
 It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon of May 23, 1928, when five men rushed into the First National bank here, headed by leader who was unarmed.
 Up with your hands," the un- armed leader commanded the bank employees and customers. And then a moment later: Lie down-every. body lie face down on the tloor.'
 But two men neither put up theil hands nor dropped to the floor One"was A. N Parrish, 70, presi. dent of the bank a Colorado state senator and veteran of the days when the wild west was really wild He snatched a revolver and fired point. blank at the leader, wounding him in the mouth.
 Ignoring his wound from which the blood spurted, ., the nnarmed leader motioned to one of his fol- lowers:
 Get the old fool." he con- manded.
 Bank President is Shot Dead
 A bullet crashed through the aged bank presidents brain.
 The other man who did not put up his hands was John Parrish youthful son of the bank president and bank clerk He stepped into a telephone booth for a rife that always rested there.
 Get him, tool" the unarmed leader commanded in the same un- excited tone, and young Parish