ATTACK ON BANK.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 10828, 29 March 1932, Page 3

ATTACK ON BANK.

’PHONE GIRL ROUSES TOWN. Roused from their beds by a telephone operator, vigilantes of WaVelaud, United States, pitting rifle volleys against machine-gun five in an hour’s battle in the dark, routed a gang of seven robbers trying to blow up and loot the State Bank of Waveland.

During the fight the bandits, clothed in white to distinguish one another in case of a melee, set off nine charges of nitroglycerine, wrecking the interior of the bank, but falling to penetrate the inner compartment, of the vault, where the cash remained intact.

Hiding behind ash barrels, building corners and other hastily taken cover, the vigilantes fired 57 shots from 30-30 rifles. The invaders finally fled, still shielded by darkness. Through the sound of cracking rifle shots came the.exclamation from one robber in the blast-torn bank: “It’s getting too hot. Let’s go!’’

“Come on,’’ replied a companion, “Let's keep on fighting.” But a few minutes later the bandits, only their white trousers apparent, ran from the rear of the bank towards automobiles parked a quarter of a mile away. One of the viligantes was slightly hurt, and it was believed that some of the bandits may have been wounded.

About 2.30 a.m. all; of the telephone trunk lines leading out of the sleeping village, of about 600 inhabitants, went out of order, snipped by the gang as they came into the place.

Miss Ruth Morgan, the lone telephone operator on duty, sensing the danger to her town and finding the local lines still working, called T. S. Banta, assistant cashier of the bank and head of the vigilantes. Then, on his order, she summoned the protectors of the village to mobilise with their rifles.

Deployed for an attack on the invaders, the Minute Men of Waveland were advancing toward the bank when the first explosion shook the centre of the town.

As the bandits set off a second charge of explosive, the vigilantes fired directly into the bank, which is on the main street midway in a block. Seven more charges were detonated by the robbers, while their outposts, concealed near the front and rear of the bank, returned the rifle fire of the townsmen.

The discharge of nitroglycerine shattered parts of the vaults and riddled the interior of the bank Avith pieces of steel. George Slavens, one of the vigilantes, was behind a barrel when one of the robbers’ bullets penetrated it, struck the trigger guard of his rifle and richocheted against his hand. He Avas not badly hurt.

Meantime Avord had been sent to CraAvfordsville, the seat of Montgomery County, and Sheriff G. L. BoAvers with an armoured car filled Avith deputies started for Waveland. Delayed by a tyre bIoAV-out on the way, however, he arrived after the citizen riflemen had put the robbers in retreat to the south toAvard Ruseslville. The sheriff immediately organised posses for pusuit. A suspect Avith a bullet Avound in the leg'was arrested several hours later at Danville, about 40 miles aAvay. Damage to the bank Avas estimated at about £1,500. but business Avas carried on the next day as usual. The Waveland raid was the third similar bank robbery in Indiana in five months and the authorities belived the same gang was responsible for all of the hold-ups. On October 13 five men took complete charge of the State Bank at Lizton and escaped Avith £S6O. On December 16 ten bandits robbed the Roachdalo Bank and escaped under heavy gunfire with £7OO.

The Bank of Odin was held up and robbed by three unidentified men. They escaped with an unestimated amount of loot. The Pilot Point National Bank at Denton, Texas, was looted of £1,600 just before dawn by three robbers who held prisoner two bank officials their wives, a night watchman and a pedestrian while dynamiting the vault.

Telephone and telegraph wires into Pilot Point were cut before the robbers rounded up the bank officials and ethers and went to the bank. Disregarding an alarm bell which began to ring furiously, they blew the vault and took all the cash. They then freed their prisoners and drove away in an automobile.