𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐔𝐩𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 $𝟒𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝-𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐭; 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲; 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐥𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝

BELOIT, Wis.-(AP)-A gang of seven daring robbers obtained between $ 40,000 and $50,000 in a spectacular hold-up of the Second National Bank Thursday and escaped by using six girls as shields to prevent police from firing upon their automobile.

Following carefully laid plans, the robbers stuffed their loot into laundry bags, then made the girls, five of whom were bank employes, stand on the running boards of their Studebaker sedan. The girls were forced to cling to the machine in precarious positions, between the robbers and police who were descending on the bank.

Three blocks from the bank the girls were prodded with pistols and forced to jump off the slowly moving machine.
Then the car sped north over roads leading to Milwaukee.

During the course of the hold-up the robbers slugged two men, took a rifle away from a police sergeant and craftily deceived police when officers made a telephone call to the bank to ascertain what the burglar alarm was, ringing about. There have been many false alarms.

Shortly after 10 A. M., the big sedan pulled up in an alley back of the bank. The seven men, six of them well dressed and the seventh wearing overalls, stormed into the bank, which is on Grand avenue, a few yards from Beloit’s busiest business corner.

Only a few customers were in the bank but back of the cages the force was busy. The robber leader, a 6-footer weighing about 225 pounds, sprang nimbly over a railing and approached B. P. Eldred, president.

“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝-𝐮𝐩”
“It’s a hold-up,” he said. “Open the vault.” Eldred protested and was promptly slugged over the head. He fell unconscious but was not seriously hurt, it was ascertained later.

Henry Coxe, a customer, was standing beside Eldred. He, too, was slugged, apparently without reason.
Meanwhile, other robbers were herding customers back of the cages. They and the employes were forced to lie down.
One man thrust a pistol in the back of Emily Menhall, an employe, and forced her to empty all cash drawers into one of the laundry bags.

𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝
Then the robber leader faced the employes and said:
“Unless the vault is opened someone is going to be bumped off.”
Russell Mason, cashier, unlocked the vault. Three robbers entered and made deliberate inspection of the contents.

They took only currency, between $40,000 and $50,000, which the bank had on hand to meet several large payrolls. They spurned all securities, even tossing aside government bonds.

About this time the telephone rang. Lyle Munn, vice president, was forced to answer it. The call came from the police station, and Munn was commanded to say that the burglar alarm had been turned on inadvertently.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝
But the alarm sounded again and Desk Sergeant Fred Stockwell sped to the bank with a rifle. He ran through the door to face a submachine gun. He was disarmed and forced to lie with the rest. The robber leader then rounded up the six girls, Miss Menhall, Elizabeth Evans, Mrs. Louise Anderson, Lola Peebles, Louise Wolfram and Ruth Woll.

They were marched out of the bank to the rear of the building. The robbers got into the car and ordered the girls to the running board.
The car was drawing away with the girls in this position when Chief of Police J. Stanley Dietz arrived. He shot into the air several times, but hesitated to shoot at the car. The machine, he said, had Wisconsin license plates, the number being either 236-553 or 226-553.

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲
It was the first bank robbery in the history of Beloit. Authorities say it was obviously carefully planned, and that the robbers were aware of the cash being held to meet payrolls. Bank officials said the loss is entirely covered by insurance.