Shades of Bonny Parker and Clyde Barrow!
Mar 11, 2021 22:03:10 #
Sometime during the 1960’s there was a bank robbery of the First National Bank of Saint Jo, Texas. Now this was a front page, headline event because this was the only bank in town!
I don’t believe I ever learned just how much loot the robbers were able to get, but it could not have been much. Besides that, they picked a poor prospect because there were very few escape roads out of town, and each could be blocked before the bank robbers could get very far away from the site of their crime.
One phone call could have road blocks set up in every direction before the bank robbers, even driving at top speed could get out of the net that would be set up to apprehend them. In fact, that was exactly what happened. They chose the road out toward the county seat, Montague, and sure enough there was a road block waiting for them there. They abandoned their car and ran into the woods in a vain effort to escape.
As part of the comedy, the banker, Clyde Yetter, grabbed his pistol and was in hot pursuit. However, he only encountered the abandoned car. It was at least a day or two before the robbers how had all they could stand out in the woods without food or water. They finally walk out with their hands in the air, willing to surrender after a cold night in the woods.
During this time, the town of Saint Jo was still on edge, as there were rumors these robbers had crept back into town and might be holding some of the citizens hostage. There were reports of house-to-house searches, but I am not sure those were anything but rumors. It was a time of high excitement and fun time. Some of the residents thought the mayor should declare an annual Saint Jo Bank Robbery Day every year to liven things up and allow the citizens to have some fun and excitement. The only danger was some citizen might get shot accidentally. Just Sayin…RJS
I don’t believe I ever learned just how much loot the robbers were able to get, but it could not have been much. Besides that, they picked a poor prospect because there were very few escape roads out of town, and each could be blocked before the bank robbers could get very far away from the site of their crime.
One phone call could have road blocks set up in every direction before the bank robbers, even driving at top speed could get out of the net that would be set up to apprehend them. In fact, that was exactly what happened. They chose the road out toward the county seat, Montague, and sure enough there was a road block waiting for them there. They abandoned their car and ran into the woods in a vain effort to escape.
As part of the comedy, the banker, Clyde Yetter, grabbed his pistol and was in hot pursuit. However, he only encountered the abandoned car. It was at least a day or two before the robbers how had all they could stand out in the woods without food or water. They finally walk out with their hands in the air, willing to surrender after a cold night in the woods.
During this time, the town of Saint Jo was still on edge, as there were rumors these robbers had crept back into town and might be holding some of the citizens hostage. There were reports of house-to-house searches, but I am not sure those were anything but rumors. It was a time of high excitement and fun time. Some of the residents thought the mayor should declare an annual Saint Jo Bank Robbery Day every year to liven things up and allow the citizens to have some fun and excitement. The only danger was some citizen might get shot accidentally. Just Sayin…RJS
Mar 11, 2021 22:37:38 #
Mar 12, 2021 19:35:42 #
Mar 12, 2021 23:43:30 #
No, it was an unusually exciting day, since nothing like this had happened in the town's history. Just sayin,...RJS
Mar 15, 2021 12:03:32 #
GSMJr
Loc: SoCal> Pflugerville (Austin), TX
And this is why RJ keeps a pencil & paper on his nightstand to record new stories to tell.
Thanks for one more story on the Stage with many more to come.
Thanks for one more story on the Stage with many more to come.
Mar 15, 2021 15:27:53 #
Mauwehu
Loc: Norwalk Ct
Robert J Samples wrote:
No, it was an unusually exciting day, since nothing like this had happened in the town's history. Just sayin,...RJS
Great story RJ! My high school girlfriend became a bank robber. Well actually she was a teller who decided to take some of the goods home. Her sister noticed that she was buying expensive stuff and asked her how. She told her about taking the money from the bank, and her sister told their father who was a big shot at Texaco. He went to the bank CEO to pay it back and asked him to sweep it under the rug but the CEO called the FBI. She ended up going to prison for 3 years. Joke at home — before mom you went out with bank robbers!
I heard a similar story from years ago in small town America and the bank president didn’t press charges, the teller just lost his job.
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