1926-11-16-bellingham-herald-p4-loot-recovered

November 16, 1926 Bellingham Herald Page 4:

LOOT IS RECOVERED

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Two of Reardan Bank — . Are Behind Bars.

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REARDAN, Nov. 16.—Five hours after three masked men held up employees and looted the Farmers’ State bank here yesterday, obtaining between $20,000 and $25,000 in cash and bonds, two of the bandits were captured and nearly $10,000 of the loot recovered. The men had concealed themselves in a back room of the bank and made their appearance when officials opened the bank at 8:30 yesterday morning. E. G. Ahrens, cashier, was the first to arrive and opened the door and was at once followed by Lyle Beaver, the bookkeeper, and then by A. M. Jernigan, assistant cashier, and Otto Wegner, a customer.

Driven Back.

The bandits then sprang out, two of them, from the back room, and one from behind the counter. The four bank men were then driven into the back room, and then Ahrens, at the point of a gun, was brought out and made to open the safe.

After taking the bonds and cash in sight, the men left through a back door and ran. One lingered a moment beside the door and called to the men in the bank not to move for ten minutes. He then ran after the others. In about five minutes, when a son of the cashier came into the bank and called, the men came out and gave the alarm.

In Straw Stack.

Kelly was captured by two members of a sheriff's posse about two miles north of Ritzville. He was hiding in a straw stack. When he was taken to Ritzville he told where the larger part of the loot was concealed. Williams was taken on a butte, farther north.