(The following is the last half of the article from last week’s “Bits by Betty.”)
The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on May 23, 1924:
BANDITS ROB ASHCREEK STATE BANK
Secure $700.00 in Currency and Few Liberty Bonds in Daring Day-Light Hold Up
GEO. M. LaDUE FORCED INTO BANK’S VAULT
Robbers Consist of Four Men Who Come and Disappear in New Buick Automobile
Shortly before two o’clock, the occupants of the new Buick were seen to drive up and circle the street square opposite the bank and then return to a point near the Omaha stockyards in the south part of the village. Ten or fifteen minutes later they returned and parked the car along the sidewalk on the west side of the bank.
The two men entered the bank, and as Mr. LaDue got up to wait on them they walked to the south end of the bank lobby, instead of stopping at the cashier’s window. As Mr. LaDue came up to them they disclosed leveled revolvers, and ordered him to walk to the south wall of the office and study a wall map. One of the men kept right close to him, and held the barrel of his gun against Mr. LaDue’s back.
While Mr. LaDue was kept covered, the second man proceeded to go through the drawers and into the vault in quest of currency, but in his hurried search he overlooked a considerable number of bills and bankable paper, contained in a large wallet.
During this time A. D. Emerson, the Ashcreek merchant, and E. W. Brown, of this city, were out in front of the Emerson store, straight across from the bank on the north. They were looking towards the bank, noticed the men go in, saw them inside the bank and saw them come out, but their suspicions were not aroused.
After compelling Mr. LaDue to enter the vault, the men closed the vault door all right, but failed to turn the dial wheel of the door, or throw in the door bolts. As soon as the robbers had gotten out of the bank building, the imprisoned man started pounding on the vault door in the hope of attracting the attention of someone who might be passing. The blows on the door caused the dial to gradually turn back until it finally reached the correct position for the door to open, and Mr. LaDue walked out.
A. D. LaDue was at once notified and while the telephone was brought into use to notify the officers of surrounding points to be on the lookout for the robbers. Mr. LaDue accompanied Sheriff Wiggins and Deputy Sheriff Kitterman to Ashcreek, but the party from Luverne were unable to accomplish anything in the way of aiding in the apprehension of the robbers. After leaving Ashcreek they had gone south to the state line road, and thence west, and were last seen about three miles north of Lester, presumably headed for Sioux Falls.
The loss sustained by the Ashcreek bank is fully covered by burglar insurance.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.