Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1931-06-18
BOWMANS CAPTURED AFTER
COMMITTING MANY CRIMES


1t is stated that Howard Bow
man, %, and Neil Bowman, p. for
merly of Chesterhill, and one OF
their gang, Lyle Cornell, %, said to
be from Texas, were captured Mon
day in a boat at Camp Ohio, on the
Brown and Clermont county line,
after they had robbed the Citizens
bank at Higginsport, near George
town, of $4,000. Following the
robbery they attempted to cross the
Ohio river and were captured, it is
stated. by a posse of zoe citizens.
According to the reports the posse
surrounded the three named, on a
hill between Felicity and Rural, but
the bandits eluded them, making
their way on foot for several miles,
and then stole truck which they
drove to the Ohio river at Camp
Ohio. There they broke row boat
from its moorings and started
across the river. when the posse ar
rived on the bank and opened fire.
The fugitives made a desperate eff
fort to reach the Kentucky shore,
then surrendered and returned to
the Ohio side.
The gang drove into Higginsport
early in the afternoon, and after
their fashion began to shoot up the
town similar to other robberies they
committed, at Coulson's store. NAL
ia, included. The fire was directed
at siren on top of a telephone
warning. Probably thinking they
had the place terrorized. the three
entered the bank. While in the
bank the telephone operator sound
ed the siren, and residents rushed
to the streets. The bandits secured
about $4,000 from the bank, but
in their haste to escape the volume
of citizens bullets. dropped S20,-
900 of the loot, and the balance of
it was recovered in the boat, after
the capture of the trio.
AS they left the bank, it is stated.
they forced C. B. Williams, cashier,
to walk in front of them, saying to
him, 1--WE are onto this game. you
are going to afford us protection
Two citizens waited until Williams
was out of direct range, and then
opened fire on the robbers. also
their auto wounding Cornell and
disabling their automobile The
Bowmans dragged Cornell who was.
shot in the back, into the cashiers
automobile, and sped toward Fe-
licity. In the sunmen's abandoned
car were found three rifles, two re-
volvers and a machine gun. The
cashier and a lady clerk were alone
in the bank when the robbers en-
tered, and after forcing them into
the teller's cage. they scooped up
the money.
1t is stated that Howard Bowman
said he believed that he and his
brother could have escaped. had
they not stopped to take care of
their wounded pal.
1t would seem that the Bowmans
of late have directed their attention
more to bank robberies, and upon
being captured, it is said they adj
mitted that they robbed the Rus
sellville, O., bank, last November,
which netted them $500 and in the
Morristown bank robbery got So
600, which they stated enabled
them to Give like kings out west
The three were lodged in the Brown
county jail at Georgetown.
The Bowmans gave their address |
to officers, as Portland, O.
Louis Schenck, so, who was shot |
and wounded during the battle |
which followed the bank robbery |
died Wednesday, and because of his
death, the Bowmans and Cornell |
may face murder charges. A grand |!
jury has been called to convene az
GEORGETOWN today to consider in |
dictments against them, Each is eX-
pected to face a charge of first de-
gree murder, with prospects of |
death in the electric chair, if con- |
victed.
Members of the Bowman gang |
have operated in Ohio, West Vir- |
ginia. and Kentucky 1t is said that |
every robbery committed |
in southern and eastern Ohio, dur |
ing the past number of months, !
has been attributed TO this gang. !
and they have been the object of an |
tri-state search for more /
than a year.