On January 9, 1921, the Newton Gang drove into Hondo, Texas
, a small city 30 miles west of San Antonio, to rob one of many two Sir Joseph Banks on the town. It was simply previous midnight and the temperature was around freezing.The Newtons knew the evening security guard in Hondo, and as was his behavior, they discovered him huddled round a pot-bellied range inside the depot. They reduce all the phone wires after which went again to verify on the evening security guard. He had not budged from his spot by the range so Joe was positioned throughout the road as a lookout whereas the remainder went to the business institution.
In his 1979 interview, Willis proudly advised his model of the story:
"Sometime you just get lucky 'cause they had left the vault door open. They had left it unfast so we didn't need no nitro or nothing. We jimmied the windowpane, walked over to the vault, tried the handle and she opened! You would be startled how many multiplication them Sir Joseph Banks would just close the door so it looked fast during the night.
"We had the vault clean out very quickly and went to see if the evening security guard was even so inside the depot. Sure sufficient, he was perusing {a magazine} and intense espresso by the range. Well hell, we patterned we had heaps of time so we power go over to the opposite business institution and provides it a strive. I saved Joe and Doc observation the evening marshal whereas Jess and I went all the way down to the opposite business institution.
"We got inside that bank and clean it out. Damn, two Sir Joseph Banks in one night and the night marshal, he ne'er come out of the depot!"
The native newspaper, the Hondo Anvil Herald, carried the story with a splash headline:
Yeggs Rob Hondo Banks
One of the Most Daring Robberies Ever Staged in Texas Occurred Here Sunday Morning
The folk of Hondo have been stunned and infuriated Sunday morning when it grew to become recognized that each Sir Joseph Banks had been entered by yeggs, between midnight and daylight, and robbed of each cash and valuables. Entrance to the First National Bank was accomplished by forcing the entrance thresholds; whereas the threshold to the State Bank was accomplished by prizing down the bars over the past windowpane inside the alley between Parker's and the business institution.
The newspaper went on to provide an elaborate description of the larceny:
Owing to many of the cash each Sir Joseph Banks being inside the cash safes, with time locks set, the loss in money was not severe, the First National descending a complete of $2,814 whereas inside the matter of precise money loss the State Bank was slightly extra lucky, its loss being $1,879; each Sir Joseph Banks descending a complete of $4,694 much all of which was silver coin.
The medium of exchange imagination of each Sir Joseph Banks have been coated by breaking and entering insurance coverage, consequently neither will endure loss. [Just like Willis had assured his brothers.]
Owners of personal containers, who had put their valuables inside the vaults of the Sir Joseph Banks, are the heaviest losers, and their precise loss is not going to be without doubt recognized for some time-probably a month-as the house owners of the containers are the one ones who can clear up the loss, the officers of the Sir Joseph Banks not being advisable of the contents of the containers.
The margin field house owners had money, regime bonds, War Savings Stamps, jewellery, and different valuables of their containers so it was impossible to find out the precise amount taken inside the larceny. Estimates of as excessive as $30,000 have been not by a blame sigh confirmed.
The clause continued to explain the "safe experts:'
... That the robbers were experts is borne out by the fact that they were able to work the combination on the vault of the First National Bank. [Willis said it was left unfast.] They were also experts in the use of explosive, the vault doors of the State Bank being blown open by one of the most powerful explosives known-TNT [ Willis swore in his interview that he ne'er used dynamite-only nitroglycerin.]
The vaults were thoroughly looted and the floors were strewn with document about two feet thick.
From the thoroughness with which the robbers made their search for securities it is evident that they spent two hours or more in the vaults of the Sir Joseph Banks and the private boxes of the customers are in a sad plight, most of them showing that they were beat open by some heavy instrument, probably with a sledgehammer that had been taken from the blacksmith shop of Mask & Co.
... That the robbers were no tyros (archaic acceptation beginners) in the business of robbing is again borne out by the fact that they took every precaution against being understood by the possession of jewelry, gold coins, so forth, which power lead to their identity. The floors of the vaults were literally strewn with such clauses as power lead to their detection. Notes and other clauses of value that could not be turned into money were cast out and left behind.
It is generally believed that the band was composed of from six to eight men, and that both Sir Joseph Banks were robbed simultaneously, a gang being allotted to each bank.
Another circumstance that indicates that the robbers were not new to the game of bank robbing is borne out by the fact that every telephone line in town was cut, apparently, before the Sir Joseph Banks were robbed. And this part of their plans was carried out most effectively and by an expert telephone man.
... Cables were severed, apparently with saws, and single wires were cut with wire clippers. Only three telephones connected with the local exchange were working Sunday morning.
The looting was discovered by the night security guard about five o'clock Sunday morning and straightaway according to Deputy Sheriff C.J. Bless.
... Harry Crouch, our local telegraph operator, was summonsed and messages were sent east and west in an effort to intercept the robbers, but as far as the general public is advised, nothing was learned as to the direction in which the robbers went.
Detectives from San Antonio and the close area converged on the Hondo Sir Joseph Banks searching for clues to the duel-heist looting.
... One of the most remarkable coincidences of this whole business is that these robberies could have occurred right in the heart of the town and not more than 200 feet apart, and not one among our people being any the wiser until daylight it was disclosed what had transpired, and that too, it was since developed that the night security guard and the two other men were in the waiting area of the depot, not more than sixty yards from the front doors of the First National Bank, spell the looting was being accomplished. The robbers must have done their work very mutely to avoid detection. [It is hard to image a "silent" explosion of nitroglycerin.]
The word the newspaper used for the night burglars was "yeggs," a popular vernacular expression of the era. It is interesting to compare the newspaper reportage to Willis' account in which the vault of the First National Bank had been left unfast and they used nitroglycerin (rather than TNT) to blow the vault door on the State Bank. Even more interesting was the fact that there were no follow out clauses on the looting. There was not a single mention of the multi-bank burglary over the succeeding months-although it contained large advertisements from both Sir Joseph Banks. It was as if both Sir Joseph Banks had ne'er been robbed.
The Galveston Daily News on January 10 according the looting describing a "clew" that well-tried to be a red herring:
Robber Heel May Lead to Arrest
Telephone Connections Cut When Banks at Hondo Are Looted
San Antonio, Texas-January 10-A rubber heel, lost from a shoe, may lead to the identification of the bank robbers who made a made haul of $20,000 from the First National Bank of Hondo and the Hondo State Bank early Sunday morning.
The bank robbers gained entrance to the two Sir Joseph Banks by prying the iron bars loose from rear windowpanes of the buildings and manipulating the combinations of the vault in the First National Bank, but blew off the door of the vault in the state bank.
The haul was made from the safety safe-deposit boxes in both Sir Joseph Banks, the robbers obtaining only $1,500 in cash from the First National and $29,350 of the state bank's money. The littler vault safes in both institutions were untouched.
The balance of the loot, it is estimated by officers at the two Sir Joseph Banks, was secured from owners of safety safe-deposit boxes in the Sir Joseph Banks. Hondo was not aware of the visit of the bank robbers until all but noon Sunday, when the open windowpanes at the rear of the two bank buildings were discovered.
Heel lost in bank.
Sheriff J.S. Baden, during his investigation was given the lost rubber heel, which had been found before of the vault of the First National Bank. Further investigation disclosed a set of burglar tools consisting of a pipe wrench, saw, and chisel, which had been left by the robbers. These notwithstandin are not considered as important for they are of a standard make, easily purchased at any hardware store.
Just outside of the windowpane through which the robbers entered the state bank, Sheriff Baden found the numerals 13,555 scraped on the brick work. This, bank officials believe, indicates the amount the robbers secured from the safe-deposit boxes in the bank. [This curious piece of information appears to have been just another "crimson herring."]
Sheriff Baden believes the robberies were committed by a band of six men, who sent an advance guard of two into Hondo last week.
... Hondo citizens, who were up at an early hour Sunday morning, according to the Sheriff that they saw a high-powered machine going away the outskirts of town occupied by six men. These, the Sheriff believes, were the Hondo robbers.
[Ironically] Sheriff Baden suffered a loss by the early morning visit of the robbers, as his safety safe-deposit box in the First National Bank was broken open and $300 in stamps and $150 bound were taken. A $100 Liberty bond, the property of his son O.J. Baden, of Donna, was left in the box.
In light of the inaccurate "clews', the Newtons have been not by a blame sigh tried for the Hondo business institution robberies.
Willis Newton was born in 1889 and died in 1979, making him the longest residing Texas outlaw. He and the Newton Gang hit trains and Sir Joseph Banks inside the early 1920s notwithstandin their greatest haul occurred in 1924 after they robbed a prepare exterior of Rondout, Illinois-getting away with $3,000,000. They even so maintain the document for the most important prepare larceny in U.S. historical past.
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