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Carmel Clay Historical SocietySecond Quarter 2014 Established 1975 Our 39th Year
Museum Guides Share Depot’s History Last year, volunteer guides donated 279 hours to staff the Monon Depot Museum so more than 475 people could enjoy our changing exhibits and learn about local history. Saving the Monon Depot was the first major “cause” of the organization in 1976. And while the CCHS’s scope and mission has grown since then, preservation is still a hallmark of what we do. After literally decades of service to the CCHS, Ginny and Herb Luzader have stepped down as coordinators of the museum guide program. They both have dedicated hundreds of hours delivering keys, filling in for sick guides, leading school children, and thanking volunteers. Our most sincere thanks is extended to them for all they have done. CCHS Volunteer Coordinator Nancy Childs is now in charge of the museum guides. Our deep appreciation is extended to the following individuals who volunteered as guides last year: Millie Adams, Ellen Barmore, Jim Blessing, Eleanor Carter, Nancy Childs, John Clark, Nick Davis, Lester Fleener, Debbie Gangstad, Jim Garretson, Carol Hinkley, Donna Jones, Sherri Judd, Ginny and Herb Luzader, Kitty McGinity, Ethel O’Connor, Janet Randall, Cathie Reamer, Phyllis and Myron Rockhill, Joyce Rogers, Ev Simpson, Fred Swift, Ginny Terpening, Herb VanKeruren, and Rosemary Waters. 1
Tamara Hemmerlein and Jeannette Rooney of the IHS install the Faces of the Civil War Exhibit, on display through June 2.
In the first two weekends when the Monon Depot Museum was open, we had 145 visitors! If you are interested in being a guide in the museum, contact Nancy Childs at (317) 846-0865 or [email protected]. Museum hours are Fridays 5:30-7:30 p.m. (we have A LOT of people in the evening!), Saturdays 1-4 p.m. and Sundays 2-4 p.m.
McShane Update Katherine Dill got a sneak peek inside the McShane House, being renovated by Emily and Paul Ehrgott for their family of four. The concrete front porch is gone and a small porch, much like the original, has been put in its place. The front section of the house is stable. Concrete blocks on the kitchen addition have been replaced with siding, and wooden floors are repaired and restored. A modern kitchen will soon be installed. The house retains its historic flair, with antique doors, staircase spindles, and knobs all found in salvage stores. The family plans to move in this summer. Follow the progress of this historic restoration on the Ehrgott’s blog: http://mcshanehouse.blogspot.com
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Donations to the Annual Campaign Roy & Mary CageChristine Owens Nick DavisHarry McLaughlinNancy Piercy Joan SalzRussell Ennis, in memory of Margaret EnnisTrudy WeaverThanks to Alan Potasnik and Shock the Web! for donating space on their server to host the CCHS website.
If you have any of the following items, consider donating them to the CCHS as a tax-deductible gift: Blankets (any kind, used is fine)Plastic sheets/tarps (large, like those used in painting)Handheld steam iron (not flat)
Thanks to the following people who volunteered their time since the first of the year:Betty EstridgeSusan BockJim BurrellZach BurtonDonna BussellNancy ChildsRuthann Carson CrodaRyan CurryPhyllis L. DelpValery De LongLee, Marg & Douglas DolenRon and Veronica FritzJC HeedJennifer HershbergerJan RandallChris TerpeningGinny TerpeningJoan WischmeyerAndy Wright
New to the CollectionDebbi Byerly, Photographs of Carmel, grade cards, 1916 CHS yearbookBob Fearrin, Photograph of Elmer Fearrin as a sophomore at Carmel High School 1924-25Sherri and Bill Craig, Boxes of newspapers and clippings about Central IndianaFred and Alice Hecker, Metal roller skates for use in the Education CollectionArnold Savage, My Indiana 101 Places to See, featuring the Monon Depot MuseumJames Beard, Textile item sold by the Jewitt Clothing Store, tag intact.
Other CollectionsJane Reiman, Scrapbooks pertaining to Jane Reiman’s eight years in office as Carmel
Mayor will be donated to Indiana State Archives. The CCHS facilitated this donation, which is a valuable chronicle of Carmel's growth under the Reiman administration.
Upcoming datesJune 8 Sweet Success: A Carmel Icon Turns 54,
2 p.m. CCPLJune 14 Garden TourJuly 24 Historical Pub Crawl in CarmelAug. 7 The Nancy Chronicles, 7 p.m.
The Gazebo Aug. 27 What Killed Your Ancestors?
6:30 p.m. CCPLSept. 21 Annual Meeting and Picnic, 2 p.m.
CCHS grounds Oct. 10 Flapper and Dapper: A Speakeasy,
7 p.m. Bridgewater ClubOct. 19 Law & Order: Carmel Style Program,
2 p.m. CCPLDec. 5-6 Holiday Home Tour
Welcome to New MembersLeppert Mortuary, our newest corporate member at the Meridian LevelM.L. BorkBrian and Stephanie BorlikValery De LongBernard and Kimberly EnglishRon and Veronica FritzLance & Kidist HartingDonald JefferiesJess & Haley LawheadJeff & Janet LeftonBrent MartyBuddy McCartMarilyn MelangtonJanelle MorrisonTerry and Donna PratherJames ReillyJoan RobertsDiann RyanCarol SullivanJanet and Dale Waller
A special thanks is extended to the following Carmel City Council members who maintain their own individual memberships at the CCHS: Sue Finkham, Carol Schleif, Rick Seidensticker, and Rick Sharp.
Our Condolences Condolences are extended to the families of the following people:Peg Durrer, whose husband John died March 14Maurine Beach, who passed February 17Doug Callahan, whose brother Stan died April 27
Donations were made in memory of Dr. John Durrer by the following people:Joan, John and Karl Salz and Families, and Bear Ginny and Herb LuzaderKatherine Dill
How Does the CCHS Use Your Donations? You may wonder as you write your annual fund checks where the money goes that you donate to the CCHS. For every dollar you gave in 2013: • 18 cents was spent on our programs,
activities and services. These activities are the core of our outreach and what we do: offering school tours, creating exhibits, digitization of our more than 3,000 photographs, transcribing oral histories, offering field trips and tours, storing our collection properly and offering public programs.
• 14 cents supported the operations of the Monon Depot Museum. This includes maintenance, repair, cleaning, and operations.
• 21 cents was directed toward the CCHS’s capital campaign, for which consultants produced a feasibility study and continue with organization strengthening in preparation for a capital campaign.
• The largest portion of each dollar—47 cents—paid for general operations like salary, insurance, and utilities.
CCHS Receives Grants A $28,350 grant recently awarded to the CCHS by the 4CDC will be used to help support our Holiday Home Tour and allow us to hire Consultant Peggy Monson for the remainder of the year. Monson has been working with the CCHS for the past 3 months, continuing the work begun by Maureen Mercho, who moved to North Carolina. Monson is working from Mercho’s completed Feasibility Study to strengthen some areas before we begin on a campaign to build a new archives. In the coming months, Peggy will be working on a number of items, including: 1. Redefine our Mission Statement. (It’s
quite a mouthful right now!)
Continued on page 4
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Why Did the City of Carmel Refer Our Grant to the 4CDC for consideration? In a recent meeting with Mayor Jim Brainard, CCHS President Nick Davis and Executive Director Katherine Dill discussed the Society’s request for funds from the Carmel Arts Grant. The Mayor explained he redirected the CCHS grant to the 4CDC for funding because less money was available to fund the arts than in past years, and he felt our organization would likely get funding from the 4CDC. This move in no way indicates that the City felt we are not worthy of receiving a grant. Our balanced budget attests to our fiscal stability. We maintain a balanced budget by making cuts to our expenditures. The 4CDC unanimously voted to award the CCHS the entire amount requested.
CCHS Receives Grants...con't 2. Refine our Strategic Plan and create an
Executive Summary. The summary is a key piece that succinctly shows potential funders how we spend our efforts, time and money.
3. Create a Case for Support. This is a piece that will explain to others – potential members, sponsors and donors – why we are important.
4. Create a 2-3 year Fiscal Model 5. Update our donor list and create a strategy
for broadening our donor base The Conner’s Trail Chapter of Questers awarded the CCHS a $350 grant. The funds will be used to pay a textile specialist to inventory our collection of clothing and properly store them. They are currently in acid-free boxes, which is excellent. The specialist will interleaf acid-free tissue between the collection and assess the condition of the items and any damage present. The Questers have been long-time supporters of the preservation work undertaken by the CCHS. The Mattsville Pike Questers donated $100, which supported the purchase of specific acid-free boxes. Those containers have been used to safely house a top hat, ladies' hats, ladies gloves and handbags, and bonnets.
Grounds update The Hamilton County Master Gardeners who maintain and improve our beautiful gardens are hard at work creating a butterfly garden at the north end of the property. The gardeners will center the garden around the concrete traffic signal base that once stood outside local inventor Leslie Haines’s production office and eventually apply for it to be designated as a registered monarch weigh station. Milk weeds and other plants and flowers that attract and sustain butterflies must first be well established for this designation to occur. Signs explaining the four stages of butterfly metamorphosis will complete the garden. Also new to our grounds are three interpretive signs that explain the significance of our outdoor artifacts. These include the concrete base to Leslie Haines’ traffic signal model. It stood outside his shop on 1st Avenue NW. The replica luggage cart and the two railroad wagons/carts also have signage. The Monon Depot Museum garden will be on the CCHS’s 2nd annual Garden and Front Porch tour this year on June 14. You can also stop by the garden to check on its progress any time; our grounds are open to the public.
When the Bandits Rolled into Town By Andrew Wright
In the early twentieth century, law enforcement in Carmel was the job of Town Marshal Edward Evans. In the late 1920s, Carmel was policed by a deputized street commissioner and a night watchman. It was not until the late 1960s that Carmel established a metropolitan police force. With only one arresting officer and being ten miles from the sheriff in Noblesville, Carmel was a ready target for bank robbers.
The first bank opened on July 1, 1901, and the first robbery attempt followed about two months later. At 1 a.m. on September 7, three men tried to blast open the time lock on the vault in Citizens Bank with nitroglycerin and a hammer. The door was damaged, but remained sealed. The criminals lingered around town for a couple of hours before escaping to Indianapolis by way of a handcar, which was found near the fairgrounds the next day. They were never caught. The bank moved to a new building on the SE corner of Main Street and Rangeline Road in 1905. A state charter was granted two years later. On May 5, 1916, assistant cashier Chester Bailey was alone with two customers in Citizens State Bank. At 1:45 p.m., the female customer left, and a well‐dressed, nineteen‐year‐old George Francis Doyle walked up to the counter.
He pulled a revolver and demanded that Bailey open the safe. Thinking quickly, Bailey told him that only the cashier who was out for the day had the combination. Doyle took Bailey at his word, leaving thousands in the unlocked safe. After locking Bailey in the vault and raiding the cashier's cage, Doyle calmly walked west on Main Street to Fred Strattan's garage. He told Strattan he had important business in Indianapolis that could not wait for the train. Strattan drove him for $20. Along the way they met cashier Bailey Hawkins, who was on his way back to Carmel. Hawkins would later learn the stranger in Strattan's car had just robbed his bank. Chester Bailey was in the vault for fifteen minutes before a customer released him. He immediately alerted authorities, but Doyle escaped with $1,299. He traveled to Buffalo, NY, where he was the victim of theft, losing all but $98 after setting down the moneybag.
Doyle left Buffalo and spent time at home in St Louis before making his way to the First National Bank in Fortville, IN, on June 6th. He approached the counter unmasked, pulled a revolver and said, "I'm broke, and you've got to give me some money." The cashier ducked behind the counter, and assistant cashier Earl Roudebush challenged Doyle with a revolver of his own. Doyle fled, firing as he ran. Roudebush was struck in the arm but gave chase. Hearing the alarm, residents joined the pursuit. Doyle slipped in wet grass and fell into some bushes. Surrounded, he put up no fight; "If I hadn't
Town marshal/ night watchman, Tom Evans
Town marshal Edwards Evans
Citizen’s State Bank on SE Corner.
When the Bandits Rolled into Town—By Andrew Wright
Six weeks after the Carmel robbery, Watson and Landry attempted to rob the Fountain Square State Bank but were met with great resistance. As the sixty‐five‐year‐old bank president wrestled Landry for his shotgun, two tellers pulled revolvers, wounding Watson in the shoulder as he escaped and shooting Landry four
times in the head. Landry gave a full confession before he died in the hospital. Neither Landry’s death nor word of his confession slowed Watson's pace. Just four days after Landry was fatally wounded, Watson stole $8,700 from the East Side State Bank in Indianapolis. In response the regional bankers association called meetings to coordinate security efforts with local law enforcement and recommended member banks make use of armed vigilante guards. In the summer of 1930, Watson bought 260 acres in Texas County, MO, upon which he built a ten‐room, $25,000 home. The gangster hideout included a lookout post disguised as a water tower. His undoing came on July 9, 1930, when he robbed a bank holding postal funds in Troy Grove, IL. Federal investigators were now on the case. Postal inspectors watched mail sent to Watson's family in Iowa and determined Watson was using the post office in Raymondville, MO. They arrested him there on September 8, 1930. Watson was sentenced to 10 years for the Troy Grove robbery. He confessed to 15 robberies, a fraction of the dozens he committed in at least six states. He died in prison in Leavenworth, KS, on December 24, 1933. Citizens State Bank closed around 1930. Union State Bank opened in the building in 1940 and was robbed in 1955 by a dangerous criminal
who had spent nearly half of his 32 years in prison. On the night of September 24, 1955, cashier Thyrza Peters was readying for bed in the Whitestown home she shared with her elderly mother and younger sister when Roy Rudolph Drake and his accomplice, Robert Fowler, broke into the house wearing silk stocking masks and holding revolvers. "We don't want to hurt you; all we want is money," Drake told them. For six hours the terrified women lay face down on a bed. At 4 a.m. Drake drove them to the bank in Thryza’s car. He locked his captives in the bank's basement along with three female employees who entered as Drake waited for the
Harry Lee Watson
Union State Bank
Thryza and Mary Peters after the robbery. 6 7
When the Bandits Rolled into Town—con'tWhen the Bandits Rolled into Town—con't
smoked so many cigarettes you'd never caught me. I ain't got any wind left and you fellows are some sprinters." Doyle was sentenced to two to fourteen years in the State Reformatory. He was paroled in the spring of 1919. Though he confessed to the Carmel robbery, charges were dropped for unknown reasons. Citizens State Bank was reorganized in the early 1920s and moved to a new location on the NW corner in 1923.
At 9:20 a.m. on the morning of April 11, 1929, Harry Lee Watson walked into the bank and asked Chester Bailey for $80 in traveler’s checks. As Bailey walked to the vault, Watson’s accomplice, Jack Landry, entered the bank, pulled a revolver and followed him. Watson, brandishing a sawed‐off shot gun, led Bailey Hawkins, bookkeepers Minnie Doane and Doris Hinshaw, and four customers into Hawkins’ office while he and Landry cleared the vault of $5,700. The bank employees and customers were then forced into the unlocked vault with the exception of Chester Bailey, who was taken hostage to deter anyone from firing at the getaway car. Watson and Landry drove a half mile south on SR 31 (Rangeline Road) before releasing Bailey. After he looked at the license plate, one of the bandits warned Bailey, “I’ve got a good notion to bump you off right now. If you tell anybody what the license number is, I’ll come and get
you.” As Bailey trekked back to Carmel, authorities were alerted and roadblocks were employed, but the bandits escaped. The Indianapolis News dubbed them the “Bearded Bandits” for the long beards they wore as disguises. Carmel joined dozens of banks in the dangerous narrative of Harry Lee Watson’s criminal network. Watson had only been out of prison for a year when he robbed Citizens State Bank. He was released in 1928 after serving a ten‐year sentence for larceny and mail fraud, first in Huntsville, TX, from which he escaped twice, and then in Leavenworth, KS. By all accounts, he was a mild‐mannered and trustworthy prisoner. Watson kept a scrap book filled with numerous letters of recommendation and praise from prison officials, federal agents and judges. In a letter addressed to a judge, a U.S. Marshal vouched for Watson, “I am convinced that this man is going to make good.” A prison chaplain wrote about “the purity and sincerity of his religious life.” Watson claimed the intention of going straight upon his release, but he quickly found reason to call upon his criminal associates from the federal prison in Leavenworth after learning his family in Iowa had fallen on hard times. Watson masterminded a crime spree and amassed a fortune. In one Indianapolis robbery alone, he made off with $21,000.
Citizens State Bank in 1929
L to R: Bailey Hawkins, Chester Bailey, Minnie Doane, Dorris Hinshaw after the robbery.
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vault’s time lock to release. The vault opened at 8:55 a.m., and Drake emptied it of $16,095. Fowler drove him away in Thryza's car. Drake’s wife, Pauline, and her friend, Rosie Marie Gray, supplied a second getaway car west of Springmill Road.
On Drake's next heist, he held the president of Indianapolis’s Southport State Bank and his wife captive on the night of June 11, 1956. He robbed the bank of $66,546 the next morning, making it the second largest bank robbery in Indiana history at the time.
Two days after the robbery, Pauline Drake was arrested. Police found over $17,000 from the Southport robbery in her car. Fowler and Gray, who married and divorced in the nine months between robberies, were caught two days later. Pauline Drake and Rosie Marie Gray were sentenced to five years. Fowler got fifteen years for his role in taking hostages. Drake escaped to New Orleans. He married a second woman under the alias Bob Murphy and
lived the highlife in the French Quarter for a little over a month. His overtly lavish lifestyle caught the attention of local authorities, who arrested him on July 30, 1956. He confessed to the robberies and was sentenced to sixty years at Alcatraz. As a teenager, Drake escaped from a prison in Missouri. He later escaped from San Quentin during a twelve‐year sentence, was caught in Jackson, MS, overpowered a guard and escaped again. Drake made an escape attempt from Alcatraz as well. He somehow had court documents bearing the signatures of the federal judge and court clerk in Indianapolis sent to the warden. The documents stated the remainder of Drake’s sentence had been set aside, making him eligible for immediate parole. Prison officials caught the forgeries on January 7, 1963, just ten weeks before Alcatraz closed, making his the last escape attempt from the famed prison. These brazen crimes surely stirred up the usually quiet Quaker village as news spread among residents and state and federal agents arrived to investigate, but the people of Carmel kept calm and waited out the trouble, averting violence in each robbery.
Roy Rudolph Drake
When the Bandits Rolled into Town—con't
Can you identify this farm? It is unidentified and we know nothing about it. If you can give us information about the farm, the house or its owner, contact the office at [email protected].
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Oral History Transcriber: Listen to oral histories taken over the past two decades and transcribe the discussions. Volunteers can download the files from a shared file online and type out the oral histories at home.*
* These two projects are critical to making the valuable information in our oral histories and newspapers available.
Contact Katherine Dill at 317-846-7117 or [email protected] with questions or to volunteer.
Volunteers The CCHS invites you to volunteer help fill the following needs. All are flexible with regard to the amount of time required.
Monon Depot Museum Guide: Welcome visitors to the museum, tell them about our local history and invite them to explore our exhibits. Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Newspaper Indexer: Leaf through Carmel newspapers from 1890 through the 1960s and note events, names, businesses, advertisements and news stories. This work is done at the CCHS archives during the week.*
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Jennifer Hershberger, President Debra May, Vice PresidentCathie Reamer, Recording SecretaryRosemary Waters, Treasurer
Board Members:Eric Bell Nancy Childs
Nick DavisKelly Hindman Melisa Keiser Christine Owens Brian Poindexter Jan RandallFred Swift, ex officio
Carmel Clay Historical Society211 1st Street, S. W.Carmel, IN 46032
nonprofit org.u.s. postage
PaidCarmel, IN
Permit No. 146
• Return Service Requested •
Carmel Clay HistoriCal soCiety317-846-7117 • www.carmelclayhistory.org
[email protected]: Carmel Clay HistoricalSociety
Twitter: HistoryCarmel
SPECIAL THANKS IS ExTENDED TO OuR CORPORATE MEMBERS:
Kelly Hindman