Black Sheep Sunday: Kokomo Woman Was Friend of John Dillinger

KOKOMO WOMAN WAS FRIEND OF JOHN DILLINGER

By Bob Hullinger

John Dillinger, Indiana's most notorious gunman, reportedly had a Kokomo woman as one of his best friends during the height of his crime spree in the early 1930s.

However, the woman, Mrs. Pearl Elliott, wasn't the only contact Dillinger had with Kokomo.  The Mooresville, Ind., bandit once spent a couple of days here and one of his friends robbed a Kokomo bank.

Dillinger's known visit here was legal - he was seeking parole for one of his friends.  Reports have it that Dillinger was in Kokomo other times too, hiding out.

Mrs. Elliott was said to be involved closely with Dillinger and his gang.  It was reported she was treasurer for the gang and served as arbitrator during arguments which occurred among its members.

The Kokomo woman, listed as a roadhouse proprietress during her stay in Kokomo, had several run-ins with law enforcement officers here.  According to police records, several cases involving violation of public morals were listed against her.

She figured prominently in the 1924 robbery of the South Kokomo Bank and at the time was operating a place of questionable standing at Washington and Madison Streets.

Supposedly she harbored the gangsters who robbed the Kokomo bank, prior to the robbery.  The gangsters, headed by Harry Pierpont, obtained $4,828 in cash, $4,300 in liberty bonds and $2,000 in unnegotiable securities.

Pierpont and his associates were captured later in Detroit and brought her for trial and were convicted.  Pierpont escaped from prison, then "rescued" Dillinger from a Lima, Ohio, jail, after murdering the sheriff.

Kokomo's Chief of Police, Clint Jackson, traveled to Tucson, Ariz., to question Pierpont about activities concerning the Elliott woman, after Pierpont had been recaptured in that city.

The bandit told Jackson that he had stopped at the place on North Washington Street, formerly occupied by the Elliott woman, and had kicked open the door.  He found her gone, but talked briefly with a woman who apparently was keeping the place.

Although Mrs. Elliott was never captured by the police, the Department of Justice sent posters all over the nation, carrying her picture and listing her as wanted in connection with Dillinger and his gang.

After Dillinger was killed by FBI men July 22, 1934, Mrs. Elliott traveled to Mooresville to view the body in open defiance of authorities.

According to one newsman, Mrs. Elliott went to the funeral home in the company of four other women, all associated with the Dillinger gang.

The women drove a smart, maroon-colored coupe within hand-shaking distance of state troopers and detectives, then joined the line of those waiting to see the body.

One reporter for a wire service centered his story around the Kokomo woman.  "Official Indiana State Police circulars asking the apprehension of Pearl Elliott are in a hundred cities," he pointed out, "The woman has long been sought as the advance fixer and brains as well as treasurer of the Dillinger gang.  It is believed that this former proprietress of a fancy Kokomo establishment engaged apartments for the Dillinger-Pierpont bandits before they came in to 'pull their jobs', directed the division of loot, and acted as arbiter in the inter-gang quarrels."

The reporter claimed he approached the Elliott woman and asked, "What brings you here?"  She hesitated, and then answered, "I came for a last look at Johnny.  He never threw me down and I wouldn't do it to him."

Only a few months after Dillinger's death, Mrs. Elliott was reported near death of an incurable disease at her mother's home in Frankfort.

State police, upon learning she was in Frankfort, claimed they no longer wanted her since the death of Dillinger and the capture or death of most of the Dillinger gang.

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This undated article was part of the vertical files at the Kokomo-Howard County Library under "Pearl Elliott".  Pearl was the Kokomo madam who helped to aid young Harry PIERPONT and then later, John Dillinger, during the days of the "Terror Gang".  Harry PIERPONT (1902-1934), was my paternal cousin.


Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Black Sheep Sunday: Police Keep On Trail Of The Bandits

Source: Marion Leader-Tribune, Marion, Indiana, November 27, 1924, page 1.


POLICE KEEP ON TRAIL OF THE BANDITS


TRY HARD TO FIND THE GANG WHICH ROBBED SOUTH MARION STATE BANK


Many Clues, But None Had Resulted In Arrests At Early Hour Today -- Bank Is Robbed of $ 4,000 In Middle of Afternoon, Robbers Displaying Remarkable Nerve -- No One Injured, Not a Shot Fired -- Bank Fully Insured


In the middle of the afternoon yesterday, when the sidewalks in the vicinity were filled with people, none of whom knew the very unusual thing which was happening on the inside, not even the operator of the filling station, directly across the street, seven bandits, young, unmasked, well dressed, believed to be the same gang at Converse a week ago, held up the officers, and two customers of the South Marion State Bank, at Thirty-first and Washington streets, about 2:45 o'clock, robbed the bank of approximately $4,000 in currency, thereupon, in a cool and collected manner, just as if they were transacting an ordinary business affair, they jumped into their purring Nash motor car at the curbside, and drove rapidly away, less than five minutes passing from the time they entered the bank until they were on their way out of the city, followed closely by the police.


Clues galore have come in, the police are working desperately on the case, through the late afternoon and long hours of the night they scoured the countryside for miles around but no definite trace of the band had been received.


No One is Hurt


No one was injured, not a shot was fired, the employees and customers of the bank who were there at the time scarcely had an opportunity to suffer from the nervous shock, for almost before the robbery occurred, it was over.


Five of the men went inside, two stayed outside.


The first of the five, probably the leader, walked to the door of the cash room and ordered "hands up."


The other four followed closely behind.


The cashier and bookkeeper and one of the customers were ordered into the vault.  Still another customer, a woman, was forced into the back room.


No one there attempted to resist, it was realized such would be ridiculous.


The thieves talked little, little was said by anyone, the gang had evidently studied the situation, knew the surroundings and carried out their job with clockwork precision, and almost uncanny accuracy.


They failed in trying to lock up the force and one of the customers in the vault, but they raised the revolvers and eyed them closely.


Is Fully Insured


The loss is fully protected, the board of directors carrying the heavy and reliable burglar insurance.


Following a report that several men answering the description of the bandits in a car said to be a Nash, had stopped at Thirty eighth and Washington streets before the noon hour yesterday and inquired the road to Muncie, Chief of Police Frank Brandon and Captain Jake Campbell left for Muncie last night, but had not returned at a late hour.  The bandits worked so smooth and fast, that but very few clues were left to work upon.


Soon on the Trail


Immediately after the robbery the police were notified.  Chief Brandon, accompanied by Captain Campbell and Patrolmen Braden and Marsh, armed with riot guns and shot guns left the police station and reached the bank within ten minutes, where a description of the car and bandits was given.  They then drove south, in which direction the bandits left after the robbery, and for more than two hours covered many roads in every direction from Marion to Anderson and Muncie, but failed to get sight of a clue of the robbers.  They returned to the city after dark.


Many Towns Notified


Sixteen towns and cities within a fifty mile radius of Marion were notified by the police of the robbery within a short time.  A few minutes later a telephone call was received from Liberty Center, near Bluffton, that a Nash car had been driven at a fast rate of speed east through that town and was been the bandits.  Another report brought in was that a Nash car was seen going west on State Road No. 35 a short time after three o'clock.


From reports received by South Marion residents, the bandits, after leaving the bank drove south on Washington street.  At the Scientific Milling company plant at Thirty-second and Washington streets, Harry Jones, manager stated that a large car with yellow license plates, corresponding to the plates seen on the bandit car, had narrowly missed hitting a team standing at that place and were travelling at a fast rate.


Near the corner of Thirty-fourth and Washington streets, where a number of city employees were at work in a ditch, the same car narrowly escaped going into the ditch.


Employes [sic] remarked that the party in the car must be trying to get out of town for some good reason.


Residents along East Thirty-eighth street, reported a car of this description as going east on that street, near the Home corner.


Byron Baxter, cashier of the bank stated that the loss is fully covered by insurance and that no loss would be sustained by bank patrons or the bank.


When It Happened


At two forty-five, within fifteen minutes of the closing hour of the bank, Mr. Baxter, cashier, and Miss Margie Warren, assistant cashier, were in the bank, as were two customers, M.E. Pope of the Pope Grey Iron foundary [sic], and Mrs. George Van Cleave, each of whom came into the bank to make deposits.  As the patrons were at the windows, five men, none masked, entered the bank, one of whom appeared to be the leader marched ahead of the four others, who were grouped together.


They walked back to the side door leading into the bank cage, when they drew guns on the bank officers and customers and gave a command for them to turn their faces to the walls.  


An instant later, the bank officers were told to come back and walk into the vault in the rear.


Shoved Into Vault


They were shoved in, together with Mr. Pope.


An attempt was then made by the bandits to lock the vault, but their efforts failed and the three persons were ordered to obey their commands.


Mrs. Van Cleave was ordered to step into a rear room.


Two of the men then walked to the cash drawer, where they gathered all of the money in sight, including $50 which Mr. Pope had just deposited.


While they were busy at the cash drawer, the three other bandits told Cashier Baxter to open the safe, which he did.


Valuable bonds and papers, which were picked up by them were thrown down on the floor, while a box of silver money amounting to $200 was picked up and then set down again, not being taken on account of its weight.


The bandits then walked out of the bank and jumped into their auto and drove rapidly south on Washington street.


Bandits Described


Mr. Baxter described the bandits as being from 25 to 30 years old and well dressed.  He said that they worked with a system and that the robbery was completed in a little more than a minute.  According to persons outside, the bandits' car was a Nash, blue body with wire wheels and carried a yellow license plate.  No one secured the license number or the state from which it was issued, but it was stated that Michigan license plates as well as Pennsylvania are of a yellow color, while Illinois license plates of yellow lettering.


From the description given of the bandits and of the apparent circling around the county after the robbery, it is thought that they are the same robbers who held up and robbed the Farmers National Bank at Converse a week ago yesterday.


According to citizens who were in the vicinity at the time, the bandits' car came up to the bank from the north and parked in front of the bank.  The robbery was done so quickly that not one person in the community, even the persons in the filling station across the street, were aware of what was taking place until the robbers had completed their work and disappeared.


The report of the robbery spread quickly throughout the city and the news that the robbers were using a Nash car was also spread quickly and many people began to look for Nash cars.  Last night a man who resides on Thirty-eighth street, reported to the police that he was the owner of a Nash car which had a Michigan license plate on and he desired to tell the police that it was not his car which was used in the robbery.


The board of directors of the bank had just held a meeting at the bank last Monday night, when the subject of the recent bank robberies in the state was taken up and a special inquiry was made to see that the bank customers were well protected and that there was sufficient insurance carried by the bank to insure no loss to anyone.


Officers of Bank


The officers of the bank, which is located at Thirty-first and Washington streets, are Ernest Prior, president; Carl F. Barney, vice-president, and Byron W. Baxter, cashier.  The directors are Ernest Prior, Carl Barney, E.S. Townsend, J.D. Williams, William Berger, W.B. Stephenson, Guy Boots, M.A. Bartels and John Hungerford.  The bank is a member of the Indiana Bankers Association.


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This account of cousin Harry PIERPONT (1902-1934) and his gang of bank robbers was located at the Marion Public Library.  In late 1924 and early 1925, Harry led a group of ex-cons in terrorizing a number of banks around Indiana.  The South Marion State Bank job, and others like it, laid the ground work for the later robberies of the Dillinger "Terror Gang."  The robbery and subsequent capture of members of the gang, generated a lot of ink in the Marion newspapers.




Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Black Sheep Sunday: Kokomo Robbers Held In Detroit

Call-Leader, Elwood, Indiana, April 3, 1925, page 1.

KOKOMO ROBBERS HELD IN DETROIT

Two Young Men Arrest and $ 7,100 in Securities Are Recovered

STOLEN AUTO PROVES CLUE

(International News Service)

Detroit, Mich., April 3. – James E. Hayes, 27, said to be the third member of the bandit gang which last week held up and robbed the Southside bank at Kokomo, Indiana, of $ 9,000, was held by the police today.  His alleged accomplices, Henry Pierpont and Thaddeus Skeer, also held here, will be taken to Kokomo.  Five thousand dollars have been recovered.

Detroit, Mich., April 2 – Frank Mason, alias AL Pierpont, 24, and Thaddeus Skeer, 22, were arrested here to day and are being held for Kokomo (Ind.) police in connection with the robbery of South Kokomo Bank last week, in which nearly $10,000 was taken.

A girl giving her name as Louise Brunner, 22, of Fort Wayne, Ind., was arrested and, is being held as a witness.  Miss Brunner was trailed to Detroit by detectives, who apprehended Skeer and the girl as the two met.  Mason was arrested later.

Pierpont was found with $ 4,000 on his person and bonds and securities totaling $5,400 were uncovered in the apartment where the trio was found.  The loot originally amounted to $ 7,000 in negotiable securities and about $ 2,000 in Liberty bonds.

Suspension [sic] was directed toward Skeer, it is said, when it was learned that the machine used by the bandits had been stolen in Fort Wayne a few days before.

He was suspected of the automobile theft, and when the robbery was reported, police began working on the theory that he was implicated.

Kokomo, Ind., April 2 – Louise Brunner, held as a witness at Detroit in the South Kokomo robbery case, Harry Pierpont and Thaddeus R.  Skeer, both held as suspects in the robbery, are to be returned to this city tomorrow, according to word received by Kokomo police tonight.  All the bonds, amounting to $ 7,1000, stolen from the bank, have been recovered and have been identified by A.E. Gorton, cashier, according to information received here.  A part of the case has also been recovered.

The three prisoners have waived extradition and warrants charging petit larceny and bank robbery, have been issued here by City Judge Joseph Cripe against Pierpont and Skeer.

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This account of the arrest of cousin Harry PIERPONT (1902-1934) and part of his gang in Detroit was from found during research at the Elwood Public Library, and provides a different take on the account from other papers, such as here and here.

Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Black Sheep Sunday: Laketon Robbers Traced To Warsaw

Elwood Call-Leader, April 1, 1925, page 4

LAKETON ROBBERS TRACED TO WARSAW


Fort Wayne, Ind., March 31 - Efforts of police departments and sheriff's officers to find trace of the bandits who robbed the Laketon State bank, Laketon, Ind., this morning, in the northwestern section of the state, were unavailing, according to fragmentary reports received here tonight.  One report indicated that the bandits who fled in two autos had been traced to Warsaw, Ind., but communications from that city did not substantiate the rumor.


According to word received here from Laketon, the bandits secured slightly over $1,000, which they secured from the cash drawer of the bank.  Cashier E.L. Bright, who was held at bay while the money was taken, is quoted as having said that over $8,000 in liberty bonds and nearly that much in currency was overlooked by the bandits in their haste to escape.


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This article provides some follow-up to the suspected robbery by Harry PIERPONT (1902-1934) of the Laketon State Bank in Laketon, Indiana.


Further transcripts from the Wabash Plain Dealer were provided by Ron Woodward, Wabash County Historian from the April 1, 1925 edition:


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SEARCH FOR LAKETON BANDITS CONTINUES; CLEWS ARE MEAGER

Exact loss placed at $1,969.31 by Cashier E.L. Bright following check of accounts.  Sheriff Summerland goes to Marion on possible clue.  Willy-Knight coupe was stolen at Ft. Wayne. 

Cashier tells story of robbery.

Sheriff Summerland went to Marion this morning in response to a call from the sheriff of Grant county, who thought he might have a possible clue to the bandits who robbed the Laketon bank yesterday.  Deputy Sheriff Smallwood was inclined to think, however, that the Marion clue was not as good as another that came this morning from the northern part of the state.

An officer from Lagrange county telephoned here this morning that three men in a Willys-Knight car stopped at a small town in his county and had dinner at a boarding house.  When they paid the woman who served the meal they asked here for a ten dollar bill in exchange for silver.

If it was the bandits who robbed the Laketon bank, it is wholly possible the officers thought, that they wished to get rid of some of their silver as they had taken from the bank $20 in half dollars and $150 in quarters.

License Stolen at Ft. Wayne

Officials in the northern part of the state are on the lookout for the robbers, some cities, including South Bend, having men out on motorcycles to apprehend them if possible.

There is no clue other than the description E.L. Bright, cashier, of the Laketon bank, was able to give of the men, and the fact that they were driving a Willys Knight car.  It has been ascertained that the license number on the Willys Knight car, which is known to the officials, had been stolen from a Buick car in Fort Wayne last week, so that this offers no tangible clue.

The license had been issued to Lagrange county and belonged to a salesman who worked out of Fort Wayne, but whose home is in Lagrange.  His numbers were stolen last week.

Farmer Gets Number

The procuring of the license number of the Willys Knight was a very thoughtful piece of work on the part of a farmer named Bohnstedt, who lived north of Laketon near where the bandits left the Willys Knight and where they returned in the Ford coupe after they had stolen the money.

The two men who did the actual robbing left a third man in the car until they should return.  Mr. Bohnstedt noticed the Willys Knight coupe standing in the road-which was a by-road-about 6:30 in the morning and it remained there for about three hours.

The car attracted the attention of Bohnstedt because the man in it seemed so nervous.  He would get out and look around the car, doing that frequently.  Later Mr. Bohnstedt talked to him and the man said he was stalled because of a bad battery.

The farmer then became suspicious and took his number, writing it on the side of his wagon so he would not forget it.  And it was from the wagon bed that officials procured the number.

Bandits Get $1,969.31

The bandits procured $1969.31 from the bank, according to the check-up made yesterday afternoon by the cashier.  From the safe they got $1200 in currency, $495 in gold, $20 in halves, $150 in quarters, $2.50 in pennies, making a total of $1867.50.

On the counter they got $28.39.  They also got $73.42 which were the receipts from the Moyer farm sale, which Mr. Bright had clerked.

In the cash drawer near the safe was about $1000.  Mr. Bright said, but this the bandits overlooked.

Fully insured

The total loss is covered by insurance, Mr. Bright said yesterday.

“None of the depositors will lose anything as we have complete insurance coverage,” said Mr. Bright.  “I figured that right away as soon as I realized what was being done and then I knew too that there was no use to resist.

“Mrs. Ogden happened to be in the bank Tuesday morning, though generally she does not come until noon.  We were sitting in the ? room which is right in line with the front door and we could easily see the front part of the bank.  I had a business letter that I wanted Mrs. Ogden to know of and I was reading it to her when a man came in the front door.  I went to the front counter and gave him $5 in change as he had asked.

Story of Robbery

“He looked to be a man of 21 or so.  He was shabbily dressed and had a court-plaster across his nose.  I asked him if he had been in an accident and we started chatting.  After a while I happened to glance out the front door and saw a strange man looking in and watching me closely.  In a second he opened the door, held his gun drawn and then the man at the counter got his gun and said:  “You had better put ‘em up.”

“I realized at once what was happening and called Mrs. Ogden to put up her hands.  One of the men went back and brought her in behind the counter and then they asked me where the money was.  I told them in the safe in front, but they doubted me.  Finally I convinced them and they took the money, all the time keeping us both covered.  One man seemed frightfully nervous.  The right hand which was holding his gun shook a great deal as he worked with his left.

“It really made me sick to see them scoop up all that money and put it in their sacks, but resistance was useless.  When they finished they asked for my gun.  I convinced them I didn’t have any and then they put us in a back room and told us to stay there five minutes.  I was out as soon as I heard their car start which was about thirty seconds.  I think and then I got on the telephone and called every town anyways near.

“Just then a man came in at the front door of the bank-a customer-and I asked him to go out and spread the word.”

Good Business Institution

The Laketon bank is a small frame building and is located on a corner.  It does a good business, it is said, due to the good farming country around Laketon.

S.D. Henry is president of the bank; George Frederick, vice president; F.L. Bright cashier; Violet Ogden, assistant cashier/  Directors include Mr. Henry and Mr. Frederick, Lyman Metzger, William Frev A.M. Robinson, John Tryon and H.W. Rager.

The bank was the scene of more or less excitement all day yesterday, though in the late afternoon there was nothing more than quiet, curious conversation among those who dropped into the bank to hear the story of the robbery and to wonder whether “any one lost anything.”

State Bankers Interested

Mr. Bright kept the bank open all day, though did no business.  After the word of the robbery spread, he did little but answer the long distance telephone calls.  The State Bankers’ association, who are making special efforts to capture bandits, were notified and two of their members came last night to consult with Mr. Bright regarding the affair.

Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Black Sheep Sunday: Laketon Bank Robbed Today

Call-Leader, Elwood, Indiana, March 31, 1925, page 1.

Laketon Bank Robbed Today

Wabash, March 31. – The unmasked bandits held up and robbed the Laketon State bank, north of here, shortly after it opened this morning, making away with between $1,000 and $1,800.  The bandits overlooked several thousand dollars in bonds.

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The Laketon bank robbery in Wabash County, Indiana was one that was believed to be the work of Harry PIERPONT's gang.  However, after Harry's arrest, the clerk was unable to identify Harry as the robber.


I also received the following transcription from Wabash County Historian Ron Woodward, from his files on the robbery from the March 31, 1925 Wabash Plain Dealer:

BANDITS LOOT LAKETON BANK 

HOLD CASHIER AND ASSISTANT AT BAY WITH GUNS WHILE THEY RIFLE VALUT OF OVER $1,000

     Armed with revolvers, two youthful bandits, calmly walked into the Lateton State Bank at 9 o’clock this morning and after covering E.L. Bright, cashier, and Mrs. Violet Ogden, assistant cashier, with guns, looted the money drawers of between $1,000 and $1,200.  they left the bank immediately and stepping into a Ford Touring car sped away to the north before an alarm could be given.

     Arriving at a point five miles northeast of Laketon the robbers abandoned the Ford and transferred their loot to a Willys-Knight coupe and proceeded on their way.  The Ford touring car was stolen in Milford, Ind., and it is presumed that the more powerful car was also a stolen machine.

     The bank opened about 8:15 this morning according to Mr. Bright and at about 9 o’clock, the young men stepped inside.  No one besides Mr. Bright and Mrs. Ogden were present at the time.  One of the bandits stepped around the counter and forced Mr. Bright and Mrs. Ogden to hold up their hands.  The other remained outside the cage to serve as a lookout.

     “I was backed up against the wall,” said Mr. Bright, “and told not to move unless I wanted to be shot.  The one fellow then scrapped the money off the counter and took change out of the vault and each drawers.  He passed it on to the other man and then the two of them backed out of the door and jumped into the Ford touring car.”

Loss Over $1000

     “I haven’t been able to make a check of the exact loss but it won’t run much over $1000,” said Mr. Bright.  Detectives operation Webster Bureau at Indianapolis informed the United Press today that they believed the loss would reach $2500 judging from the reports they had received.  Mr. Bright denied this statement.

     Residents of Laketon report that early in the morning they saw the Willys-Knight coupe in Laketon and that it contained three men.  The car was driven around the street and passed the bank several times.  The number of the license plates is known by authorities and may prove a big asset in locating the robbers.

Start Pursuit

     As soon as possible Robert Fulton, S.A. Pense and R. Stranglin, all of Laketon, jumped into a car and started in pursuit of the bandits but their efforts were of no avail.  The first car ahd too great an advantage in time and had disappeared.  Police in Northern Indiana cities were informed of the robbery shortly after it occurred an detectives are now at work on the rather meager clews.

Laketon in Turmoil

     Laketon was very much excited today.  The little hamlet which is accustomed to a peaceful existence suddenly became a hot bed.  The news of the robbery spread like wildfire and it was not long before autos bearing folks from surrounding towns began to arrive on the scene.

     Some of the depositors were anxious as to the amount taken thinking that perhaps the loss would seriously cripple the finances of the bank.  There was no cause for alarm as the bank was covered by insurance and business was carried on as usual following the excitement.

Bandits Show Craftiness

     The transfer from one machine to another in order to throw pursuers off the track was a craft move on the part of the bandits.  They had long before it was attempted, evidently carefully planed the job.

     Both were young men, judged by Mr. Bright, to have been ? ? of age.  They were of dark complexion and wore conventional clothes. 

Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Black Sheep Sunday: Marion Bank Robber Is Identified

Source: Marion Leader-Tribune, April 4, 1925, p. 1 (cont. p. 5)

MARION BANK ROBBER IS IDENTIFIED

LOCAL BONDS ARE FOUND

A.L. Pierpont, Alleged King of Robber Gang, Soon on Way to Kokomo

MUCH BOOTY RECOVERED

$900 of Bonds Stamped With Name of Grant County Bank Included.

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Frank Mason, alias A.L. Pierpont, who is wanted in Marion for robbing the Upland State bank and the South Marion State bank, Thaddeus Skeer of Fort Wayne, who have been identified by A.L. Gorton, cashier of the Kokomo South Side bank, as two of the men who robbed that bank of more than $40,000 last week and Miss Louise Brunner of Fort Wayne, who is being held as a witness, were expected to arrive at Kokomo early this morning, where they will be placed in jail to face charges.  Homer R. Miller, prosecuting attorney of Howard county will try to place a charge of being habitual criminals against both men, which carries with it a life sentence.

The third man who was arrested was found to be James Roscoe Hayes, known as "Whitey", but was released from custody of the Detroit police last night.  Hayes was a former member of Pete Sullivan's orchestra, which appeared around here last fall on several occasions for dances and will be remembered by several Marion people.  During the World War, Hayes, who was a member of Company G 152nd infantry, deserted from Camp Shelby, Mississippi and served a term at Fort Leavenworth prison.

Bonds Recovered

After the prisoners had left Detroit late yesterday afternoon for Kokomo, a dispatch was received by the Leader-Tribune from Detroit, stating that the Detroit police had found $900 worth of Liberty bonds in their apartment, which had been stamped by the State Bank of Marion, Ind., and that authorities in this city were notified.  Byron Baxter, cashier of the South Marion State Bank, which was robbed of $40,000 on the afternoon of November 26, stated last night that no bonds were stolen from that bank, the robbers, in their haste, throwing several Liberty bonds found at the bank, on the floor.

It was thought possible however, the bonds were those of the Upland bank, but officials there said not after midnight this morning.  It was also thought possible the bonds might have been taken from individual and bore the name of some bank where they had been left for keeping.

In any event bonds in the amount of $900 have been recovered, and they are supposed to bear the name of a Grant County bank.  More information on this phase of the subject will be secured later.

Efforts were being made yesterday and last night to connect Pierpont and Skeer with the robbing of the bank at Laketon, Wabash County last Tuesday morning, when $1,937 was stolen by the robbers.

Practically all of the Liberty bonds and securities which were stolen from the Kokomo bank, have been recovered, according to Charles Jinkerson, president of the banks, while part of money has been recovered.

Mason, alias Pierpont, is said to have been given a sentence in Marion County in 1922 on a charge of assault and battery with intent to commit murder, while Skeer was sentenced from Allen County in 1917 to the state penal farm on a charge of larceny.

Part of the loot taken from the Kokomo bank was found in Skeers apartment at Detroit.  When arrested, Skeer was found to have in his possession $850 in new bills of $50 and $100 denominations, while the Brunner woman, who is said to be engaged to Skeers, was found to be in possession of a number of valuable pieces of jewelry.

Long on the Trail

The Indian [sic] Bankers Association has been looking for Mason, alias Pierpont, since the robbery of the Grant County banks and have been on his trail since that time.  Pierpont's and Skeer's arrest came about as the result of the activities of Captain William F. Pappert of the Fort Wayne police department, who gave information that Skeer had been seen at the Brunner woman's home in Fort Wayne with a large roll of money of large denominations and it was learned that she was to meet Skeers later at Detroit.  Detectives followed the woman to Detroit, where she went directly to the apartments occupied by Pierpont and Mason and the arrest of the entire party soon followed.  When the apartment was searched, revolvers were found in the apartment.

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This account of the arrest of Harry PIERPONT (1902-1934) gives an account of his aliases, albeit the paper had his first name wrong in the initial report.  A different account of his arrest can be found here and here.  As I continue to research these various robberies I will continue to post the results here and update Harry's Wikipedia entry.

Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Black Sheep Sunday: Robbers Outwit Kokomo Police

Call-Leader, Elwood, Indiana, March 28, 1925, page 1.

ROBBERS OUTWIT KOKOMO POLICE

Holdup Bank, Getting Cash and Liberty Bonds and Make Escape

THREE WITNESSES OF RAID

Kokomo, Ind. March 27 – Police were thrown off the trail of four bandits who held up and robbed the South Kokomo bank of $4,000 in cash and a like amount of Liberty bonds about 1:45 o’clock this afternoon, when the conspicuous blue car used by the bandit to make their escape was found this evening concealed in a slough about five miles southwest of the city.  A farmer reported that he saw the bandits, about seven in number, change to two small cars, a coupe and a sedan.

The bandits entered the bank singly.  While the first was having a $10 changed, the second entered and waited at the cashier’s window.  The third suddenly displayed a gun and ordered A.E. Gorton, cashier; Miss Winifred Dimitt, assistant cashier, and Miss Frances Gorton into the rear room.  Gorton was forced, with a pistol at the back of his head to open the inner vault.  “Speedy,” a small terrier, boldly attacked the burglar’s ankle, and was kicked into the basement.

Stolen From Fort Wayne

The bandits’ car was stolen from Fort Wayne Thursday night, and carried the license plates of a phaeton, belonging to Barrett M. Woodsmall, of Indianapolis, stolen from there on March 11 and found here riddled with bullets Thursday night.

The hold-up was watched by three young men in a drug store across the street from the bank, but they were prevented from calling police because of fear of a stranger who stood in the store and watched them closely.  The alarm was not sounded until the bandits had escaped with the money.

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This perspective of the Kokomo robbery, which sent my cousin Harry PIERPONT (1902-1934) to prison, was interesting in that it added details not found in other accounts.  The fact that the robber kicked the poor dog, just makes them downright mean.  This article was researched at the Elwood, Indiana Public Library.

Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Black Sheep Sunday: Alleged Bank Bandit Leader Held

Source: Leader-Tribune, Marion, Indiana, April 3, 1925, page 1 & 15

ALLEGED BANK BANDIT LEADER HELD

H. PIERPONT IS ARRESTED

He Is Said to Have Led in the Robbing of Two Grant County Banks

Held in Kokomo Case

Bonds Taken From the Bank There Recovered by Detroit Police

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Harry Pierpont, 24 years old who it was alleged was the leader in the robbing of the South Marion State bank and the Upland State bank last fall, was arrested yesterday at Detroit, Michigan, as a suspect in the robbing of the South Side Bank at Kokomo on Friday, March 27.   Thaddeus R. Skeer, 23, known as “Sudy” Skeer of Fort Wayne, was also arrested, as was Miss Louise Brunner, also of Fort Wayne, who is being held as a witness.

It was reported that a third man said to me, Everett Bridgewater, also a member of the gang  which robbed the Grant county banks, had also been arrested for having taken part in the Kokomo robbery, but this could not be verified last night.

Woman is in Prison

Bridgewater’s wife, Mary, is now serving a term in the women’s prison at Indianapolis for having taken part in the robberies in this county.

The three prisoners have waived extradition and will be brought back to Kokomo, probably today, where the men face charges of bank robbery and petit larceny, warrants of which have already been issued by City Judge Joseph Cripe of Kokomo.

A.E. Garton, cashier of the Kokomo bank, from which more than $10,000 in cash was stolen, went to Detroit yesterday afternoon and identified bonds, amounting to $ 7,000 which were also taken by the robbers.  A part of the cash stolen has also been recovered.

Vernon Shaw, a customer who stopped into the Kokomo bank at the time the robbery took place and who was held up and “Chic” Nelson, who was in a drug store across the street from the bank at the time of the robbery, left last evening for Detroit, where they will attempt to identify the prisoners as those who took part in the robbery.

Gives False Name

Pierpont, when arrested at first gave his name as Frank Mason, but later in the day admitted that his name was Pierpont.  Detectives from the Pinkerton agency trailed the Brunner woman from Fort Wayne to Detroit, and a short time later the woman and Skeer were arrested, when they met in that city.  Pierpont’s arrest followed a short time later.

Deputy Sheriff Woody Smith, who has been working on the case on the supposition that Pierpont and Bridgewater were implicated in the Kokomo robbery, gave a description of Bridgewater to the Detroit police yesterday afternoon, and was told that Mason had admitted that his right name was Pierpont.  Deputy Sheriff Smith stated last night that he would go to Kokomo with a warrant for Pierpont and Bridgewater and would try and get the Kokomo authorities to turn them over to him for trial in this county for robbing the Grant county banks.

With the arrest of Pierpont and possibly Bridgewater, the entire gang of robbers who are alleged to have robbed the Grant county banks will have been rounded up, the other five now serving sentences in prison.  Mrs. Bridgewater was arrested at her home in Indianapolis and brought back to this city, where she was given a sentence of from two to fourteen years.  The other members of the gang, who admitted to being implemented in the robbing of the Upland and South Marion banks, were James Robbins, arrested at Lebanon, the first member of the gang to be arrested; William Behrens, who was arrested at Monticello; Marion (Red) Smith, alias “Springfield Red,” who was arrested at Indianapolis,  upon his return from Springfield; George Frazier of Kokomo, who came to Marion and was turned over to the police by his father and Robert Morris of Indianapolis, arrested in that city, all of whom entered pleas of guilty in the circuit court and were given sentences of from ten to twenty years in prison and Mrs. Emily Morris, arrested at Indianapolis with her husband, who also “plead guilty” and was given a sentence of from two to fourteen years.

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This article from the Marion, Indiana newspaper gives a little different perspective on the arrest of my cousin Harry PIERPONT (1902-1934) for the Kokomo robbery and ties him to bank jobs in Grant County that need further research.

Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.