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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1934)
MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1934. PLATT5M0UTH SEMI - WEEKLY JOURNAL PAGE THP.EE Bandit Killed in Attempted Robbery of Plattsmouth State Bank Wednesday- Afternoon Trio of Fort Crook Soldiers Attempt Stick-Up with Fatal Result Two Captured in Garage on North 5th Street DEPUTY SHERIFF JARVIS LANCASTER THE HERO Takes Stand Just Outside Bank Door and Engages in Battle with Would-Be Bandits Kills One and Wounds Second Face Cut by Shattered Glass. Bank banditry in Nebraska re ceived a check Wednesday afternoon when in a gun battle with three sol dier bandits, Deputy Sheriff J. E. Lancaster shot and killed one and wounded a second of the trio at tempting to liold up and rob the Tlattsmouth State bank. The attempted robbery occurred at 3:20 during one of the busiest hours in the bank as the closing time wa3 approaching and the force of officers and clerks, President II. A. Schneider, Frank A. Cloidt, cashier, Carl Schneider, assistant cashier, and Miss Eleanor Hiber and Miss Edna "Warren were engaged in the details cf the bank work. At the time of the robbery Presi dent Schneider with John F. Wehr bein, a customer of the bank and well known farmer, Attorney H. C. DeLamatre of Omaha, were seated in the office space in the front of the bank, while George Saxton, Omaha commission man and a Nebraska City man named Martin, were standing at the counter near the group. The other members of the bank force were engaged in routine work in the bank ing room as the tragic scene was staged. The three bandits entered the bank, one going to the rear while a second stopped midway of the bank and pulled a gun to cover Cashier Cloidt and Assistant Schneider, while the third, apparently acting as: the lookout remained at the front a short distance from the door and confront ing the group in the president's of fice. The bandit later identified as John C. Scislowski came to Mr. Cloidt and threw an empty pillowslip at him; and with orders to gather up the j money lying on the counter and in the cash drawers of the counter say ing: "Keep quiet and don't start any funny business like ringing a bell or pressing any buttons. If you do some one will get killed. We have decided on you to hand over the money. Fill thi3 sack with dough." In compliance with the command Mr. Cloidt started to gather the money on the counter, some $1,500 in bills and coin. When the command to hold up their hands was given Mr. Schneider was standing and his foresight is one of the things that helped wreck the plans of the bandits. Mr. Schneider with his hands aloft stood near a window on the west side of the bank and where he attracted the attention of bystanders that led to the alarm. At the time of the stickup Frank and Claus Boctel were standing not far from the window where- Mr. Schneider was holding up his hands and they also a few moments before hand seen the bandit car drive up and the men going into the bank. As they heard the unusually loud command in the bank they glanced around and Faw Mr. Schneider and at once real ized that they were eye witnesses of the bank robbery. They called to parties across the street to call officers and at this moment Jarvis E. Lancaster, deputy sheriff, came down the street to prove the factor that blasted the plans of the robbers. They called Mr. Lan caster, who ran across the street and approached the door on his hands and feet and swung it open sufficiently to fire and the bullet caught Clyde Durham. 30. private in Co. A at Fort Crook, square in the heart and he fell to the floor, his two guns, auto matics rolling from his hand3 onto the floor. When the first shot was fired Scislowski. who was covering Mr. Cloidt partially turned as the cashier dived beneath the counter with the sack of money and all the staff and persons in the bank sought shelter beneath desks or against the walls, with the exception of George Saxton, who was caught in the line of fire, one bullet from the bandits' gun striking him in the right wrist and another plowed its way through a window to the south of the bank. Martin made a dive over the counter and while he alighted on his head escaped the danger zone. With Durham dead on the floor several more shots were fired and crashed their way through the large : plate glass door and Mr." Lancaster again found a target in John 11. Langston, the third of the trio, a bullet plowing its way through the upper part of the right arm. The deputy sheriff was handicap ped at thi3 time by flow of blcod from many tiny cuts inflicted by particles of glass from the shattered door and was unable to fire accurately and at this time Scislowski and Lngston turned and fled to the rear cf the bank and made their escape from the building and started to run down an alley to the east and then doubled north on Fourth street to again cut west to Fifth and continuing their flight. J. E. Brown, worker for the A. W. Farney company happened to be on the street near the bank when the trouble started and secured a revolver from the Kroehler hardware and as the men started to run from the rear of the bank he started in pursuit and was soon joined by a large group of citizens armed with weapons secured by Mr. Lancaster from the sheriff's office. The party was hot on the trail cf the bandits and were able to secure a shot at them several times as the men fled through the residential section on North Fifth street. The two fleeing bandits were seen to run onto the rear porch of the home of District Judge Begley and then flee to the Searl Davis home nearby. As the posse came to the Davi3 home they were informed by Mrs. Davis that the bandits were hiding in the gar age. Brown entered the garage to find the men crowded in a corner. They were disarmed, Langston hav ing one gun, dropping the second in the bank when he was shot and Scislowski disarmed of his two atito matics. The men were hurried to the coun ty jail where Langston was given medical aid for hi3 wound and the men questioned as to their names and the manner in which they had plan ned the holdup. John R. Langston when first ques tioned, told that he was a former soldier but later admitted that he was a corporal in Co. C, at Fort Crook and had two children residing with relatives in Missouri. He gave his age as 35. John E. Scislowski gave his age as 27 and that he was a private in Co. A of the Seventeenth infantry. He was unmarried, he told the offi cers. The two captured bandits gave the name of their companion that was killed as Clyde A. Durham, ateo of Co. A, aged 29 and married, with a wife and child residing at Bllevue. State Sheriff Fred Benton and his force arrived at the Jail and ques tioned the men as well as taking their fingerprints. The two prisoners stated that the crime had been attempted on the spur of the moment when they had all three been drinking and the idea was broached of getting some easy money. Langston said that he had been in bad financial circumstances and thought to get the money through sticking up a bank. Saxton, who is a former Union man, was taken to the office of Dr. T. P. I ivingston by John Wehrbein immediately following the shooting and had his injured wrist dressed, the wound found painful but not dangerous. As the gun battle opened between Deputy Lancaster and the bandits, large crowds gathered in the vicinity of the bank and made difficult the removal of the body of the slain Dur ham to the Streight funeral home where it was held until later taken to South Omaha to be prepared for burial. Durham was considered one of the crack shots of the rifle team at Fort Crook and it Is fortunate that De puty Lancaster was able to prevent his getting in action in the banking room where several might have been killed. Officers from Fort Crook were here later in the evening to investigate the matter and were deeply regret ful that three of their men had been implicated as all of the trio had ex cellent records in their soldiering. The car which the bandits drove, Do youn honestly know what your in surance policies would do for you in case of a loss? I'll be glad to explain any insurance question anytime. Searl & Bavss OFFICIOS: 2X1) FMOH Platts. State Bank Bldg. PLATTSMOUTH a Chevrolet coach, was left abandon ed at the west side of the bank as the two living robbers fled. The key to the switch was found in the pocket of Durham, who was the owner of the car, officers from Fort Crook stated. There had been an attempt to disguise the car by the removal of the license plates and the substi tution of a 1933 Lancaster county number. In the car was a high pow ered Springfield army rifle with 309 rounds of ammunition. The rifle was identified as that of Durham and that which he had used at Cleveland, Ohio, in winning the President's trophy in the national line tourna ment. The bandits will be arraigned on Saturday morning before Judge James T. Eeglcy and will be given their sentences for their offense, as they are to plead guilty to the charge of attempted robbery. HAS A FINE EEC0RD Rusell Wasley, who has been ath letic coach at the Superior, Montana, high school for the past two years, has this year produced one of the outstanding basketball teams of i-is poition of Montana and which will compete in the class "B" tournament for the state title. The record for the year was six teen victories and two losses, the lattsr two teams that were finalists iu other district tournaments. The Superior team won four straight victories in their own zone and in the contest with the winners of another zone, Thompson Falls, who were defeated by the score of 18 to 17 and which gave the team of "Rusrj' " the right to compete in the state meet. The I5uperior school has an en rollment cf fifty and a squad of twelve, so that the showing is more than ordinarily good with the small field to -draw from. Mr. Wasley was a graduate of the Plattsmouth high school in the class of 1924 and of the Peru state teach ers college in 1929. EXPECTED TO RETURN SOON The friends here of Everett Stan ton, ona of the office staff of the A. W. Farney Co., will be pleased to learn trat he is soon to return heme from the hospital. Mr. Stanton ha.s showed a fine rate of progress since his operation for appendicitis at the Lord Lister hospital at Omaha. He is expecting to be able to be back home by the last of the week or the first of next. NOTICE TO PUBLIC Anyone wanting manure may have same free of charge at Plattsmouth Feed Yard. fS-tfd&w Earl to Wed Dancer s- .v- V Xf f& " The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire, announcement of whose engagement to Mimi Crawford, London musical comedy dancer, caused a sensation in the English capital. He is a gTandson of the late Levi Leiter, Chicago millionaire, his mother having been the former Daisy Leiter. 3 . 4 K mmi :-i-i-m : -i-i-:-!' 4- Cass County Farm X Bureau Notes T Copy furnished from Offic of County Agent Wainscott J. Pupils Enjoy Hot Lunches. S50 hot lunches have been served by the 10 members of the 4-H hot lunch club to pupils of the Fairland school during the past two months. This makes the ninth year that mem bers of this school have had a hot dish to supplement their noon lunch. The members brought supplies from home and took turns in serving as cooks, housekeepers and book keepers. The recordi showed that these dishes had been served for two cents per pupil per meal. Fifty people attended the achieve .ncnt program which was presented by the club under the suervision of their leader, Miss Wiliene Fager. This completes the year's work, however the club expects to ccntinue serving a hot dish during the cold weather. Make 1934 Rsal Club Year. The February Stein winder carries the following suggestions to make 1934 a real 4-H club year: 1. Organize early. 2. Get all the new members pos sible. 3. Attend all meetings. 4. Do all the work assigned you cheerfully. 5. Exhibit your project work. G. File your final report. Let's start the year right by ac complishing the first two as soon as possible. 523 individual members profited by 4-H work in 1933. What will be the membership in 1934? You can help ret this fig" re. Come on, let's go. 75U Cass County Fanners Sign Corn-Hog Program. A cheek up in the corn and hog oft ice Saturday night revealed that approximately 1.400 corn and hog contracts were signed. There is about 2.0G3 farmers in the county. There are one and a half precincts to sign as yet that chould bring the total up to well over 1,500 contratcs. There will be quite a number of people come in and sign from other precincts even yet. The reasons for their not having signed as yet are, be cause they are moving, getting more proof, getting their landlord's con sent, etc. The temporary precinct committees are now at work on the clean up which means that they are contact ing every farmer in the precinct that hasn't signed. In many cases they can explain some point that has been confusion to the man and he is sign ing up. Others that will not sign are giving in a work sheet and are class ed as non-signers in the corn and hog office. Plan Achievement Programs. Miss Mary-Ellen Brown, state ex tension agent of Women's Work, met the Home Economies Council and as sisted with plans for the group achievement programs. The achieve ment days will be held at the six training centers sometime in April. Mrs. R. A. Kuehn and Mrs. Oscar Zink, Murdock, Mrs. Eveland, Elm wood, Miss Evelyn Wolph, Nehawka, Mrs. Everett Spar.gler, Murray, and Mrs. Albert Shelhorn, Louisville, rep resented the different groups. Watch the papers for the date of the pro gram in your locality. FOE SALE All cultivated eighty, woven wire fenced. Near Alvo. $6,000. Terms, $1,000 cash, balance five years, 5. RALPH FETTER MAN", Lincoln. d&w Journal Want-flds get results! PUBLIC AUCTION The undersigned, administrator of the estate of George Everett, deceas ed, will sell at Public Auction at the Gecrge Everett farm two and one half miles east and two miles south of Union, cn Saturday, Mar. 10 beginning at 1:00 o'clock p. m., the following described property: Two old horses. One red bull. One 2-year-old steer. Six cows, some fresh, others to freshen soon. Two heifers, one with calf Two ycung calves. One 1927 Chevrolet sedan. One wagon, half interest in ma nure spreader; one overshot hay stacker, two hay bucks; thirty tons of prairie hay; some alfalfa hay; 175 bushels of oats; two dirt slips; one buggy; several stands of bees and other articles too numerous to men tion. TERMS Cash. John Everett, Administrator of Estate of Geo. Everett, Deceased. REX YOUNG, Auctioneer. Happy Hundred Hail Advent o New River Era Continued from Page One City and has charge of the work from the Douglas street bridge at Omaha to Brownville. In the introduction of Governor Weaver, Mr. Patterson called upon II. A. Schneider, president of the Plattsmouth State bank, an old friend and associate of the former governor, to present him. Mr. Schneider told of the great waterways meeting at St. Louis, which he had attended and where he found Governor Weaver a leader and one whose counsel and advice was sought on the matters of river navigation. Governor Weaver in his opening complimented the Omaha Chamber of Commerce on the fight that they had made over a long period cf years for the river navigation program and which they were still carrying on. He al30 complimented former Gov ernor Sheldon for his administration of the state and Senator Banning for his v.crk in the legislature. He told of the gathering of the data for the Columbus and Sutherland projects in his term as governor and which hed been the basis of the successful fight for this plan before the govern ment officials at Washington. Mr. Weaver pointed out that there was more water in the Missouri river than any in the country, that the cubic inch flow was far greater than any stream that was now used for navi gation purposes. The west had help ed to build all of the other improved waterways and harbors of the coun try and was now only asking justice. The speaker told of the trip to Wash ington of the waterways boosters and their interview with the President in which they had presented their side of the case and which had readily been accepted by the President. Mr. Weaver paid tribute to President Roosevelt as a "great humanitarian American and who wanted to do the be:t for all the people." With the Fort Pock project awaiting it was proposed to pass the public works bill first and this matter he had taken up with Senator Wheeler of Montana and had gained the interview with President Roosevelt and as the result $25,000,000 had been alloted for this work before other propositions had blocked its way. The Fort Peck reservoir. Governor Weaver stated would provide ample water for the river and insure new life to this part of the west. Since the construction of the Panama canal, industries had fled from the west to locate on the seaboard or , along rivers where navigation was available in order to compete with the plants already there and which the isolated inland west could not compete with in rates for their raw materials or the finished products. He cited the case of a dairy firm that had to pay a rate on their manufac tured products of $1.10 a hundred, while on waterway shipments it was but 45c. The river development was but economic justice to the west, the speaker stated, and once placed in effect navigation would bring to the great west new life, industries, pay rolls and increasing population for all of the states. Not only would the river improvement bring renewed life to the industrial west but the pre vention of soil erosion would alone save the Missouri river valley the loss of 38,000 acres of land each year that are swept into the river. The river navigation program would not bring injury to the railroads, the speaker pointing out that in sections served by water carrier service, the railroads had been able to carry greater loads and bring greater in creases in their volume of business and it was possible for these two great means of transportation to co ordinate in serving the nation to the benefit of the railroads and the peo ple. The banquet closed with the bene diction by Dr. II. G. McClusky of the First rresbyterian church. FIND CLUE TO THIEVES Sheriff Homer Sylvester was busy Friday in the investigation of the looting of the chicken house on the John Rott farm near Eagle on Thurs day night and the taking of seventy hens and eight roosters of the White Rock variety. The parties taking the chickens were traced to Lincoln and where the truck apparently used by the parties was found. The sheriff states that Lincoln police are confi dent of the identity of one of the parties and it is hoped to round up the entire gang of thieves. From Saturday's Dally S. W. Copenhaver, of Union, was transacting business and visting friends in this city yesterday. For - Double-Quick Demand Because of a unique process in manufacture, Genuine Dayer Aspir in Tablets are made to disintegrate or dissolve INSTANTLY you take them. Thus they start to work instantly. Start "taking hold" of even a severe headache; neuralgia, neuritis or rheumatic pain a few minutes after taking. ") And they provide SAFE relief for Genuine BAYEIl ASPIRIN GENUINE BAYER ASPIRIN Te!ls Story of Splendid Service of Coach Here Work of Coach P.othert, and Team Given Review in Southeast Tour narr.ent Eve at 2Teb. City. The work of the riattsmouth bas ketball team and the brilliant record of Coach Fred A. Kothcrt in the local schools, is given prominence in the pre-tournament news in the Xebracka News-Press, a fitting tribute to his fine work. In addition to his fine work of the faotball and basketball field as given in the Xews-Press, Coach Itothert also has had many outstanding men in track in his eleven years here, Jack Hatt, Bernard Galloway and Hcmer Spangler setting records in Peru and Wesleyan meets. Perhaps the greatest contribution that Coach Itothert has given is his fine control anil example to the ath letes that he has had under his charge and no team has sliowii' more real sportsmanship on the field or on the court than tho local teams and he as well has aided in maintaining a very high standing of discipline in ! the school froni the young men under his charge. The review of his work as given by the Nebraska City News-Press is as follows: Plattsmouth, one of the favored teams in the coming regional Class A basketball test, has long been an outstanding southeast Nebraska com petitor. Coached by Fred A. Rothert the Platters will come to Nebraska City seeded in the top position of the upper bracket. Rothert. dean of Southeastern Ne braska thletic coaches, is now serv ing his eleventh year as coach at Plattsmouth. He has seen new ath letic directors come in every school in Southeastern Nebraska, but he has gone on through good seasons and bad. Rothert came to Plattsmouth in the fall of 1923 after two years at Peru, where he won his letter in foot ball and was ranked as one of Peru's basketball immortals. Here he made the all-state basketball team and led Caughr in Law's Dragnet fc?ra?$'T VjkT'V ML rPt 1 V- JWtij 'YZ i 0 Pi Showing unmistakable marks of conflict, the Millen brothers of Boston, Merton (center) and Irving, are pictured with Merton's wife in New York police headquarters after they had lost out in a gun battle with police in a crowded hotel lobby. They are wanted in connection with bank robbery and murder in Needham. Mass. Sirs, Millen is the daughter of a Boston clergyman. .elief And Get does not harm the heart. So if yon want QUICK and SAFE relief sea that you get the real Dayer article. Always look for the Bayer cross on every tablet as illustrated, above, and for the words A. GENUIN E BAYE R V' ASPIRIN on every bottle Jj.g or package. DOES NOT HARM THE HEART the conference in scoring. Coach ltothert's eleventh year in football shows that his teams have won o4 game:;, lo: t 47 and tied 0. In this long period, there were two sea sons where no victories were record ed, 1D29 and 1931. In fact ltoth ert's debut in 1923 was very inaus picious when his football team won only one game as against eight losses. Hiu best season in football was the s:aso:i of 1932 when a first game of the season at the hand.3 of Glenwood ai d a tie with Auburn were the only blemishes on a fine record of seven impressive victories. Plattsmouth has never been a "football town," yet Rothert has won nearly half of Ins games, ofttimes with a lack of ma terial and for a good many years, two Omaha high schools were on tho Plattsmouth schedule regularly. If Coach Rothcrt'3 record in foot ball ha:-; been Just fair, his eleven year record in basketball has been brilliant. During all this time, clos ing with the season of 1934, Roth eit's teams have won 111 games and lost only 54. In only three years out of eleven have they failed to win more than they lost by a good mar gin. In 1927, Plattsmouth won 13 and lost 2 i;n 1928, again 15 vic tories to only 3 defeats, climaxed by 16 victories against 2 defe'ats in 1932 and with it the regional cham pionship. Playing only 14 games during the season just' closed, Coach Rothe i t's team has won 11 games and lost 3. These defeats went to Omaha North and College View while Ne braska City inflicted the first de feat upon Plattsmouth in basketball since 1929 in a return game on the Oto? county floor. The team this year :s led by Cap tain Maynard McCleary, who is play ing his third year at forward. Every member of the regular starting line up is a senior. The other three mem bers of the first eight consist of two Juniors and a Sophomore. Lorence Rhoades, diminutive football cap tain of the past season, plays the other forward. Rhoades is playing his second year of competition and 13 known for his fast floor work. Platts mouth has two big guards who can take care of themselves under the hottest competition in Ronne and Armstrong. Ronne weighs 165 pounds, while Armstrong will tip the scales at 200. Wayne Hiner, 6 ft. 3 in. center, completes the starting five. FOR SALE Eight year eld mare. D. T. Haley. Tele. 522-J. Plattsmouth, Route 1. ml-2tw J? 1 i i 4? 2