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[Music] from its ranch and finely and outskirts to its humble close-knit community of
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several thousand residents the township of Cisco is emblematic of traditional rural Texas it's quaint character hasn't
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changed much over the decades except briefly during the 1920s when the population more than tripled to nearly
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8,000 people at the time Cisco was nestled on the edge of one of the United States most productive oil fields
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prompting an influx of newcomers hoping to make a fortune from the Black Gold law Texas tea as it was known the oil
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boom brought prosperity to Cisco and its residents and the town soon boasted a City Charter and a new railroad although
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the height of the boom had passed by the late 1920s by which point many had obtained the riches they saw it others
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continued to find new and innovative ways to keep making money there was the error of prohibition but
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in Texas opponents of the alcohol ban were in control of the government and refused to enforce its policies the
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south became a major producer and distributor of illicit whiskey better known as moonshine and bootlegging was
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favorably tolerated at the heart of Cisco's business center was a wired paved Boulevard lined with sturdy red
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brick architecture that housed typical small town fare a post office hotel antique stores and a bank
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in December 1927 the boulevard sparkled in green red and gold for Christmas festive decor was prominently displayed
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in storefronts and the streets were filled with children who had been released from school for the holiday
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break on Friday December 23 two days before Christmas Cisco's children were alerted to a very
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special arrival in town Santa Claus in his red suit silvery hair and matching curly beard was making his way down the
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main street children mocked at the beloved character while some adults noted this Santa was significantly
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thinner than usual his trademark red robe looked cheap it was clearly homemade and barely covered his street
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clothes underneath he carried neither sweets to give the children nor a collection team for
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charity instead he held an empty brown burlap sack with Idaho potatoes stenciled across the front
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Santa paused before a young boy and shook his hand asking well little men what do you want for Christmas
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the boy wanted to become a football player when he grew up and requested a football from a store across the road he
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grabbed two Santa's hand and tried to drag him towards the shop basanta shook him off explaining he couldn't deviate
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from his path he told the boy to point the gift out to his parents and that father Christmas would surely leave it
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under the tree for him Santa hastened his steps but couldn't shake the crowd of children that was now following him
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some expressed their disappointment that he wasn't handing out candy or small gifts while the older children declared
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that he wasn't the real Santa at all as he entered the front door of the first the National Bank of Cisco which sat on
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the corner of Main Street and a narrow alleyway the grown-ups chuckled that even Saint Nick had a banking business
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to tend to during the holiday season when the bell over the banks door rang cashier Alex
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peers looked up from tending to a customer than to called out a cheery hello Santa
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without a word the men in the red suit made his way to the desk in the middle of the lobby ignoring the children still
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following behind thinking perhaps Saint Nick hadn't heard him Alex kept up the Christmas cheer with another
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call of hello Santa Claus again there was no response from Saint Nick the other Bank patrons were paying such
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close attention to him that they barely noticed when the Bell above the door rang out again as three men entered the
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trio quietly drew pistols out from beneath their bulky coats and a yard stick them up this is a robbery
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[Music] in the United States the 1920s had been deemed the Golden Age of crime by 1926
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many parts of Texas showed the early science of entering into a depression and desperation from those who had lost
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everything caused the rapid increase in the number of bank robberies between 1920 and 1929 insurance companies
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reported that property crime from bank robberies to drug store holdups increased by 1700 percent banks in rural
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areas were particularly vulnerable when robberies grew to a frequency of three to four per week
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the Texas Bankers Association established the popular yet controversial dead bank robber reward
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program as part of the scheme anyone who shot and killed a robber during the act
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of holding up a bank was rewarded with $5,000 cash no questions asked the bounty would not be paid in the event
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the robber was merely injured the program garnered considerable media attention and while some viewed it as an
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extreme measure many celebrated it as an effective remedy where the culprits got
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what they deserved justice Ben Lindsay a progressive judge and social reformer based in Denver Colorado was firmly
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against the dead bank robber reward program and stated I am amazed that such a conservative group in Texas as the
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bankers would lend themselves to a practice that is so fraught with consequences to the orderly processes of
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justice the danger lies in the possibility that some grotesque mockery of justice may
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result especially if some peace officer in his zeal to collect five thousand dollars should shoot down an innocent
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man I see no reason why the bankers should set themselves up as Lord High executioner 'he's just as justice
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lindsey predicted that wasn't long until flaws in the system began to emerge few
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robbers were killed - during banking hours or in the actual commission of a robbery
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instead most of the shootings occurred at night and under suspicious circumstances many were carried out by
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local police officers who arrived at the scene after receiving alleged tip offs in one incident four Mexican laborers
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were picked up by two men including a deputy sheriff under the pretense of offering them work the workers were
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driven to a rural town and were told to wait by the local bank branch shortly afterwards
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the church across the street mysteriously caught fire capturing the attention of the town's
00:10:07
folk in the ensuing panic the deputy and his friend rushed upon the four Mexican
00:10:13
workers and started shooting killing - and seriously wounding a third the two gunmen alleged that the workers were
00:10:22
preparing to rob the bank the surviving victims testified that the entire scenario was a setup concocted by the
00:10:30
deputy and his friend to collect the $5,000 bank robber bounty they were prosecuted for the crime but there were
00:10:39
many more thwarted robberies where the bandits did not live to dispute the shooters version of events
00:10:45
since the introduction of the rewards program losses faced by the banks had decreased significantly even after
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factoring in the bounty payments as such the Texas Bankers Association refused to
00:11:00
withdraw the program but an amendment was made to the policy wording to clarify the reward was only available in
00:11:07
the case of lawful shootings which occurred in daylight during the actual commission of a robbery shortly before
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the men in the Santa Claus suit walked into Cisco's First National Bank he caught the attention of six year-old
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Francis Blasingame the child begged her mother to take her to meet him and to though mrs. Blasingame was reluctant
00:11:34
Francis wore her down and to the pier headed into the bank by the time they entered Santa had filled his burlap sack
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with cash and had taken possession of the bank's colt 45 automatic pistol which was stored on the premises for
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protection there were also several other handheld firearms secured in the black belt around his waist upon realizing
00:11:59
what was happening mrs. blossom game turned to wags at the front door but saw it was now guarded by one of Santa's
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armed assistance as she was somewhat familiar with the layout of the bank she took advantage of the commotion and
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ushered her daughter through the bookkeepers room where she knew of a door that led onto the neighboring
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alleyway the robbers warned her to stop but she shielded Francis with her own body and
00:12:25
to the pair managed to escape once safely outside mrs. Blasingame screamed at Francis to run and take cover
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she then raced up the alley and through a vacant lot yelling that the bank was being robbed she headed straight to the
00:12:44
police station where Chief of Police GE bit Bedford wasted no time in collecting
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a riot gun and two officers Artie Reddy's and two George Carmichael when local men spotted the police racing
00:12:58
towards the bank they too sprang into action the scenario presented an opportunity that fit within the terms of
00:13:06
the dead bank robber reward program offering the potential for someone to earn twenty thousand dollars should all
00:13:13
four bandits be shot dead the local men retrieved firearms from their vehicles then to those who were unarmed raced to
00:13:22
a nearby hardware store buying out the stores stock of guns and ammunition chief Bedford a veteran police officer
00:13:31
who was tall and strong in stature went to the front of the bank and directed his deputies to cover the back door he
00:13:39
was quickly joined by such a large number of armed citizens that the town's postmaster began marshalling them into
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an orderly line brokering deals to split the loot if anyone made a kill inside the bank Santa had finished to loading
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up more than twelve thousand dollars in cash and started gathering up the checks
00:14:00
bonds and other valuables held within the vault when suddenly a gunshot rang out nobody was quite sure who fired the
00:14:11
first shot or why but it set off a chain reaction bullets flew from the street into the bank ricocheting off walls and
00:14:19
furniture when a bullet struck one of the robbers through the front window the four offender's quickly gathered the
00:14:27
terrified customers and children around themselves and ushered their human shield towards the rear door they
00:14:34
emerged into the alleyway exchanging gunfire with police as they went choosing two hostages to leave with them
00:14:42
12 year-old Laverne comer and ten-year-old Mme Robertson they made their way into their getaway vehicle
00:14:49
that was parked in nearby er a navy Buick with wood trim and sped off officer readies corral cisco's men and
00:14:59
boys and formed an impromptu posse jumping into vehicles and on horseback they started in pursuit of the Buick
00:15:07
initiating the largest manhunt in the history of Texas several of the robbers were nursing injuries and one was
00:15:21
bleeding profusely all over the Buicks plush gray upholstery the group yelled at one another as their two young
00:15:28
hostages remained silent of the pair Laverne koma had reason to be especially fearful she had visited the bank that
00:15:38
day hoping to withdraw some of her hard-earned money to buy Christmas presents for her family and although he
00:15:44
was still wearing his scrappy disguise she had recognized Santa laverne's mother had bought a cafe from his mother
00:15:53
a year prior and he still dined at the establishment regularly Santa's real name was Marshall Ratliff Ratliff had
00:16:05
been a troublemaker since childhood he was spoiled by his mother who dismissed his misbehavior as youth all high jinks
00:16:12
even when his actions led to him being expelled from school in the ninth grade he went to work on a bar plowing helling
00:16:20
and pulling cotton but quickly became resentful of the back-breaking work he then joined forces with his older
00:16:28
brother Lee and turned to the bootlegging business although Ratliff's reputation as a troublemaker preceded
00:16:36
him many couldn't help but be charmed by the 21 year-olds good looks sense of humor and impressive singing voice his
00:16:45
friends found him to be fun and generous and always happy to share a bit of homemade to liquor with them Ratliff
00:16:52
looked after his mother and sisters but lost all pleasantries around to those he
00:16:56
didn't like although he found the bootlegging business to be easier than farming Ratliff yearned to make more
00:17:04
money with less effort he aspired to be like his neighbor old man you'll who always seemed to be flush with cash
00:17:12
despite never having a job when a young Ratliff asked the old man how he did it Yule confided that he and his brother
00:17:21
had successfully robbed a bank when they were young setting them up for life inspired by Yule story in 1926 Marshall
00:17:31
and Allie Ratliff held up a bank in valera Coleman County they fled with more than $3,000 but were later
00:17:39
apprehended by the police one of the officers responsible for the young men's capture conviction and imprisonment was
00:17:47
police chief Bedford who had elect into action upon learning that the first the National Bank of Cisco was being holed
00:17:54
up for their involvement in the Valero robbery the Ratliff brothers were raged sentenced to 18 years in the Huntsville
00:18:02
State Penitentiary the oldest state prison in Texas citizens who believed the boys deserved
00:18:09
the second chance made an appeal to the governor which was sweetened by a donation from their mother and they were
00:18:16
subsequently granted a pardon upon their release from prison Marshall and Allie Ratliff went straight back to
00:18:24
bootlegging Lee swore off robbing banks but his brother had gone over everything
00:18:30
that went wrong during their first attempt and thought he had it all figured out he had a new target in mind
00:18:37
possessing secret knowledge about one particular bank that would allow him to pull off a smooth lucrative heist for
00:18:44
those involved all he needed were some partners while looking for work in the Wichita Falls oil fields Marshall
00:18:54
Ratliff was residing in a modest the bunkhouse where he bumped into a familiar face from his time in
00:19:00
Huntsville penitentiary Robert Hill who was orphaned at age 10 had been convicted for holding up a tailor shop
00:19:08
he insisted he had taken the fall for others involved in the crime as he had no wife or family depending on him
00:19:16
Ratliff and Hill had bonded in prison and as free men they found a casual work together in the oil fields the pair soon
00:19:26
encountered another Rex Huntsville inmate Henry Helms aged in his 30s Helms was considerably older than Ratliff and
00:19:35
Hill the son of a reverend he had gone off the rails during his childhood and had never managed to get back on the
00:19:42
straight and narrow with a long criminal record and intimidating physical presence most people went out of their
00:19:50
way to avoid Helms he had four children with another on the way and had been working in the oil fields
00:19:57
to earn a living but was open to other ideas that would increase his income the three men became friends and two
00:20:05
moved out of the basic bunkhouse they shared with the other royal field workers and into a much more comfortable
00:20:10
boarding house in Wichita Falls the house was run by one of Helms's acquaintances an easygoing woman named
00:20:19
Mitch tell it who was warm chatty and not at all intimidated by the ex-convicts although her husband
00:20:27
disapproved of the man Mitch treated them as though they were her own sons Marshall Ratliff soon told hill and
00:20:37
helms that he had a grand plan to rob the First National Bank of Cisco during the busy Christmas period when the bank
00:20:44
held a large sum of money Ratliff was familiar with the building's layout and knew it had a rear door that opened
00:20:52
directly into an alleyway which would make very straightforward escape route he believed that the robbery would be
00:20:59
quick and easy as all they had to do was go in through the front door point a gun
00:21:04
at an employee until they handed over the money then swept quietly out the back the other men were not quite as
00:21:13
enthusiastic about the idea considering that Ratliff had previously been caught robbing a bank and was only a free man
00:21:20
thanks to a timely financial bribe produced by his mother they also reminded him about the $5,000
00:21:28
reward on offer for anyone who killed a bank robber but Ratliff remained convinced of his plan pointing out that
00:21:36
all banks were insured and that real professional bank robbers rarely got shot he believed that regular citizens
00:21:44
weren't brave enough to mess with armed bandits saying you take a smart banker and poke a gun at him he won't argue
00:21:53
he'll just shovel it out to you yell quit after some convincing Helms agreed to participate in the crime Hill
00:22:02
remained hesitant but when Ratliff told him the job would earn at least $10,000 apiece
00:22:08
his interest grew the trio spent many evenings planning their attack they put their trust in Mitch tell it by asking
00:22:19
her to purchase supplies they didn't want to be witness to buying including bandages iodine and snack foods for the
00:22:26
road without asking any questions Mitch abhorred everything they requested Ratliff knew exactly where everyone
00:22:36
needed to be during the robbery in order to secure the entire bank while he collected the haul from the safe and
00:22:43
vault they just needed one more person films had the perfect man for the job another ex-con who was experienced with
00:22:53
firearms although the men didn't plan on shooting anybody they wanted to appear as though they knew what they were doing
00:23:00
when carrying their weapons as their chosen date approached the would-be fourth member of the crew became
00:23:08
bedridden with the flu Helms and Hill took this as an omen suggesting they delayed the robbery
00:23:14
until the new year but Ratliff was adamant as he had determined that the bank would contain the most money on the
00:23:22
last Friday before it closed for Christmas Helms suggested he's in law lewis-davis
00:23:29
might fit the bill Davis had never been in trouble with the law before but the young man had a large family to support
00:23:36
and Helms was certain he would be eager for the opportunity to provide for them for years to come Ratliff and Hill were
00:23:45
hesitant about Davis's lack of criminal experience but as they were running out of options they agreed to meet him Davis
00:23:53
seemed agreeable and dependable enough to get the job done and so was brought in on their plan
00:24:00
on Thursday December 22 1927 the day before the robbery Ratliff had two final issues to sort out
00:24:09
while the other three men had never had any business in Cisco before Ratliff's face was well known around town
00:24:17
including by the police chief Mitch tell it had been sewing a Senna costume for the holiday season and Ratliff asked to
00:24:25
borrow it Mitch happily obliged the final part of the plan was the source a getaway vehicle
00:24:34
none of the men owned a car so they roamed the local neighborhoods until they found a navy blue Buick with the
00:24:41
keys in the ignition and a full tank of gas they drove it back to the boardinghouse and spent the remainder of
00:24:48
the evening bolstering their courage by getting drunk on Electra lightning a powerful bootleg whiskey in the early
00:25:02
hours of December 23 1927 the four men set off in the Buick for the 150 mile journey to Cisco avoiding driving
00:25:11
through larger towns where they might garner attention as they neared their destination
00:25:18
Ratliff went over the plan in detail once again he knew the names of the first the national bank employees likely
00:25:25
to be on duty that day and presumed Alex Pierce would be at the cashier's desk and jewel PO would be inside the first
00:25:33
tellers cage he didn't anticipate there would be more than a couple of customers
00:25:39
inside the bank upon their arrival Davis was extremely uncomfortable with the number of pistols and ammunition
00:25:46
they had brought along the Ratliff reassured him the guns were mostly for show and it was highly unlikely they
00:25:53
would be required to shoot the bank cashier Alex Spears was known to have said he would never risk being injured
00:26:02
just to be a hero in a holdup the group arrived in Cisco a little before midday Ratliff directed Hill to park the Buick
00:26:12
near the end of the alleyway and pointed out the door they would escape through after obtaining their loot Helms Hill
00:26:20
and Davis lurked in the shadows of the alley dressed in ordinary clothing while Ratliff donned his Santa suit disguise
00:26:28
for all his intricate planning Ratliff hadn't factored in the attention the suit might attract from local children
00:26:36
as he strode from the getaway car to the bank he thought the disguise would allow him
00:26:41
to blend in with the Christmas shoppers but instead it was drawing a lot of unwanted interest several of the
00:26:49
children followed him into the bank which was significantly busier than he had anticipated still committed to his
00:26:57
plan he awaited the arrival of his three accomplices he refused to respond to the
00:27:03
greeting given by the cashier Alex peers out of fear he would recognize his voice
00:27:09
when the others arrived the heist began and Ratliff quickly got to work stuffing
00:27:15
his burlap sack with cash and bonds while the others stood guard he'll yelled at a woman and her young
00:27:23
daughter who were making a break for it through the bookkeepers office but he was soon distracted from their escape by
00:27:30
a noise outside a crew of local men had formed an orderly blockade in front of the bank with guns drawn when the first
00:27:40
gunshot rang out the mob roared to life and descended on the building Hill fired
00:27:46
a volley of shots into the ceiling hoping it would signify that the robbers were armed and dangerous
00:27:52
but his warning shots were met with a barrage of gunfire Davis was struck multiple times as the
00:28:00
bank descended into chaos Helms spotted two young girls 12 year-old Laverne coma
00:28:07
and ten-year-old Mme Robertson cowering near the counter he motioned for them to
00:28:13
accompany him into the bookkeepers room behind the tellers the girls put their hands up as they raced over while the
00:28:20
other robbers used the several of the bank's customers to create a human shield many of the civilians sustained
00:28:28
gunshot wounds when they were rushing to the rear door as did Ratliff with the bullet having such a strong impact that
00:28:35
it caused him to spin around in order to protect the innocent people caught in the crossfire police ordered the
00:28:43
vigilante mob to cease fire Helms emerged from the rear door shielded by his two young hostages he brandished the
00:28:53
gun in each hand shooting both weapons at once Ratliff grabbed her Laverne and anim
00:28:59
from homes and to bundled them into the Buick he soon recognized the older of the pair as Laverne comer and realized
00:29:07
he would have to continue wearing his Santa costume to avoid being identified the four robbers climbed into the
00:29:15
vehicle and took off police chief Bedford planted himself in the middle of the alleyway and shot at
00:29:21
the windshield as citizens also gave chase Helms hoisted himself halfway out of the Buicks window aimed his gun at
00:29:30
chief Bedford and pulled the trigger hitting him five times as the Buick sped away the
00:29:38
shooting along Cisco's main drag came to a stop and witnesses surveyed the damage
00:29:44
police chief Bedford and officer George Carmichael lay mortally wounded and six citizens were badly injured including
00:29:52
bank cashier Alex Spears who had received a gunshot wound to the jaw Marion Olsen who had been part of the
00:30:01
robbers human shield and customers Pete Rutherford Brady Biggs and Oscar CLE had
00:30:06
all sustained gunshot wounds the bank was riddled with more than 200 bullet holes making it impossible to determine
00:30:15
whether the bandits the police or the bounty-hunting mob had been responsible for the injuries
00:30:36
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remember this sale ends December 31st go today simply stay calm / case file given its head start the Buick would
00:36:17
normally have outrun most of the vehicles that were pursuing it but every one of the cars windows had been
00:36:23
shuttered except the windshield and the front bumper had come loose and had jammed under the axle two bullets were
00:36:30
embedded in the backseat and one tire was completely flat in addition to the damage the robbers soon realized they
00:36:38
were facing another major problem having already driven the vehicle for a couple
00:36:43
of hundred miles the fuel tank was now close to empty they reluctantly pulled over to the side of the road and hatched
00:36:51
a plan to steal another driving in the opposite direction was a brand new Oldsmobile that contained the Harris
00:36:59
family who were returning to town and after completing some last-minute Christmas shopping
00:37:04
Ratliff still in his Santa suit waved frantically from the side of the road in the spirit of the season
00:37:12
the Harrises pulled over when the vehicle came to a stop Ratliff raised the barrel of a gun at
00:37:19
its passengers and ordered them to surrender the Harris family did as they were told
00:37:24
exiting their car and running from the scene the robbers piled their loot and two hostages into the Oldsmobile Davis
00:37:33
was badly injured and had passed out in the Buick so the men carried him into their new getaway vehicle
00:37:40
when Hill went to turn on the ignition he realized the keys were missing before escaping with his family 14-year old
00:37:49
Woodrow Harris had snatched the keys and stuffed them into his pocket without the
00:37:54
carjackers noticing none of the robbers knew how to hotwire a brand new oldsmobile so they hastily returned to
00:38:01
the Buick they didn't have time to carry Davis back to the original car and believing he was near death they took
00:38:09
off without him the three rubbers hoped there was enough gas remaining to allow them to intercept
00:38:16
another passing vehicle the vigilante group caught up and surrounded the abandoned Oldsmobile discovering Lewis
00:38:25
Davis bleeding in the backseat officer Reddy's decided to call off the police pursuit to tend to the
00:38:32
traumatized Terris family and to place Davis under arrest Davis was taken to Fort Worth hospital
00:38:40
and placed by the window in a ground-floor room as crowds gathered to gawk at him when he regained
00:38:47
consciousness the police demanded he revealed the names of his accomplices warning he would be put to death in the
00:38:54
electric chair otherwise but Davis remained tight-lipped several armed citizens continued to chase after the
00:39:05
Buick prompting Ratliff Helms and Hill to throw roofing nails out the car window to puncture the tires of any
00:39:12
vehicles following behind the three men then decided they would have a better chance on foot and veered off into a
00:39:19
pasture when they brought the car to a halt by a wall of scrub oak cactus and Mesquite they ordered their young
00:39:27
hostages to carry a satchel from the back seat which was so full and heavy that the girls struggled to lift it they
00:39:35
whispered to one another that it might contain stolen gold when in actuality had held hundreds of rounds of
00:39:42
ammunition as Ratliff Helms and Hill scrambled around the car gathering everything they needed they suddenly
00:39:50
realized they had left their stolen loot including twelve thousand four hundred dollars in cash and 150 thousand dollars
00:39:58
in securities in the backseat of the Oldsmobile with Davis Ratliff barked at Laverne and MMA to get
00:40:07
back into the Buick in July on the floor with their hands over their eyes so they
00:40:11
couldn't see which direction the three men fled into the scrub he warned that he would shoot them if they peaked
00:40:19
regardless the girls snuck a glance and two watched as the bloodied and Olympian
00:40:24
Santa disappeared into the night with his two companions three armed citizens of the vigilante group came across the
00:40:33
wrecked Buick and through its broken windows they spotted four raised hands they lifted their guns in anticipation
00:40:42
only to hear the panic two voices of Laverne and Donna Mae crying out from inside the car the pair were cowering on
00:40:51
the floor of the blood-soaked vehicle but Harvard had no physical injuries they were taken to the police station
00:40:57
where Laverne revealed she had recognized Senna has been marshal Ratliff she was told to keep her
00:41:05
suspicions to herself so that the officers had a better chance of trapping the fugitives yet the room has started
00:41:12
almost immediately after she returned home many residents of Cisco had known Marshall Ratliff and were not surprised
00:41:20
to learn of his involvement in the crime authorities determined that the Buick had been stolen from Wichita County and
00:41:29
upon speaking to the local sheriff they zeroed in on Henry Holmes as being one of Ratliff's two accomplices at large
00:41:40
on Christmas Eve the day after the heist the story of the Santa Claus bank robbery hit the local papers in the
00:41:49
neighboring town of Eastland journalist the boys house described to the incident
00:41:54
as quote the most spectacular crime in the history of the southwest surpassing any in which Billy the Kid or the James
00:42:03
boys had ever figured the crime had a profound impact on the local community especially its youngest members who were
00:42:12
left terrified by the idea that Santa was capable of committing murder when a man in a Santa Claus suit entered a
00:42:20
crowded Eastland Church that same day a collective gasp arose from the congregation and a young boy asked in a
00:42:28
tearful voice Santa why did you rob that bank that evening Lewis Davis succumbed
00:42:38
to his injuries and died the Santa Claus bank robbery had been his first and to last brush with the law
00:42:47
the arm to vigilantes who continued to seek out the now 15,000 dollar bounty vowed to continue their hunt until the
00:42:56
other three fugitives were brought to justice Ratliff hill and Helms had spent the
00:43:02
night after the robbery in the thick scrub near the location where they had ditched the Buick searchers came within
00:43:09
a few hundred feet of their hiding place but failed to find the wanted men in the
00:43:15
morning they stole another car and headed in the opposite direction to the search parties managing to evade them
00:43:21
for another day on Christmas Day members of the vigilante group took a break and
00:43:28
headed home to join their families for the festivities the hunt resumed on Christmas night with the group now
00:43:35
joined by journalists and reporters including boys house who had initially broken the story when sheriffs in
00:43:44
surrounding towns heard that the fugitives might be heading in their direction they assembled armed mobs to
00:43:50
protect their communities by Monday December 26 more than a thousand citizens were participating in the
00:43:58
search Ratliff hill and Helms crashed their stolen vehicle near the small Township of Putnam 13 miles west of
00:44:07
Cisco there they caught the attention of a father and his teenaged son who were driving past in a Dodge and commandeered
00:44:15
the vehicle overcome with pain exhaustion and fear the trio forced the teenager Carl Wiley to act as
00:44:25
their driver ordering his father out onto the road as Carl drove off his father pulled out
00:44:32
a concealed pistol and shot at the car in an attempt to hit the assailants only to shoot his son in the arm
00:44:40
Carl attempted to converse with his abductors who had fallen quiet due to their deteriorating health when
00:44:48
the Dodgers gas tank was almost empty Carl helped the trio find another appropriate car to steal they settled on
00:44:56
an old poorly maintained Ford that was stocked with plenty of petrol once they secured the vehicle they released Carl
00:45:05
Ratliff advised him to seek medical attention for his arm and to make sure he told the authorities his own father
00:45:12
had shot him and not them at this point Ratliff hill and Helms were under the impression that they kept true to their
00:45:21
original plan by not killing anyone they didn't realize that chief Bedford had died shortly after the robbery or that
00:45:29
his colleague officer George Carmichael was in hospital mortally injured Carl agreed to tell the truth including that
00:45:38
the men had treated him fairly and bid them farewell and good luck at 5:00 a.m. on December 27 Carl walked into the
00:45:48
Cisco police station and asked for a doctor he told officers that the robbers were heading towards Wichita Falls and
00:45:56
that Ratliff and Hill were badly wounded the former to the point of immobility he
00:46:02
doubted the group would last another 12 hours the sheriff was unimpressed that Karl
00:46:09
didn't take the opportunity to kill the weekend bandits while they slept but as they had been good to him the teenager
00:46:16
didn't feel that would have been fair Ratliff hill and helms were penniless and considered robbing a store but
00:46:25
deemed it too risky Helms was eager but the feeble state of his two accomplices meant they would have little energy to
00:46:33
run away as they need to the Brazos River the trio ditched to the fort and stocked
00:46:39
up on firearms and ammunition before making their way on foot or occasionally hands and knees across an oil field
00:46:46
towards the woods by the river police set up an ambush at South Bend an unincorporated community in Young County
00:46:57
located near a bend in the Brazos River certain the fugitives would soon pass through the area Texas Ranger saw
00:47:06
Bradford was now involved in the hunt he had a legendary reputation and according to some reports he stood in
00:47:14
the oil field with one cartridge in his shotgun and another two in his hand certain that was all he needed to halt
00:47:21
the offenders when he caught sight of a weak and exhausted marshal Ratliff across the field bradford aimed and
00:47:30
pulled the trigger he reloaded then fired at Henry Helms his final cartridge was spent at Robert Hill all three shots
00:47:41
hit their targets carrying six pistols and described as a walking arsenal marshal Ratliff was badly injured and
00:47:52
easy to capture in total he had sustained six gunshot wounds including one to the jaw after being shot by
00:48:02
Ranger Bradford Hill and Helms had managed to stagger into the nearby woodland by the river and two
00:48:08
disappeared out of sight despite wounded and without food the pair survived and hid from search
00:48:16
parties for two days moving slowly under cover of the woods while an aeroplane scouted for them from above
00:48:24
eventually searchers were able to track their footprints and early on the morning of Friday December 30 Robert
00:48:32
Hill and Henry Holmes were finally captured in the North Texas city of Graham and taken into custody by the time they
00:48:41
were arrested one week had passed since the men had entered the burster National
00:48:45
Bank in Cisco the largest manhunt in Texas had finally come to an end officer George Carmichael succumbed to
00:48:55
his injuries a week later on Saturday January 7 the press were enthralled by the great Santa Claus robbery and to
00:49:06
journalists the boys houses coverage of the crime propelled him to fame he moved
00:49:11
to Fort Worth a city in North Central Texas where he built an illustrious career writing books a syndicated column
00:49:19
and hosting his own radio program he was twice nominated to run as the Democratic
00:49:25
candidate for lieutenant governor of Texas but lost both campaigns 14-year old Woodrow Harris the teenager who
00:49:35
slipped the ignition keys to his family's Oldsmobile into his pocket before they fled from the robbers was
00:49:42
presented with a gold pocket watch by the first the national banks insurance company to commemorate his heroism the
00:49:49
swift act - led to the perpetrators accidentally leaving their loot behind and ultimately allowed the bank to
00:49:57
recover all the stolen money the cashier Alec Spears made a full recovery from his gunshot wound and
00:50:04
eventually became president of the Cisco First National Bank he worked at the bank until he passed away in 1945
00:50:15
Ratliff hill and Helms were H tried separately Robert Hill represented himself and was sentenced to 99 years in
00:50:23
prison for armed robbery throughout his incarceration he managed to escape three times on his third
00:50:31
attempt he left behind a note that read if you want me you have to come to Paris
00:50:37
France he made it as far as Houston Texas before he was recaptured back behind bars he decided to life would be
00:50:48
easier if he became a model prisoner and worked towards securing his release some
00:50:53
more honest the way marshal Ratliff was identified as the group's ringleader but given that nobody had seen him fire
00:51:02
a single shot he could only be convicted of armed robbery Hey - was sentenced to
00:51:08
99 years in prison having expected to receive the death penalty Ratliff was delighted and felt he could do his time
00:51:17
easily knowing that a model prisoner could be released from a life sentence in as little as twenty years he told
00:51:24
Texas Ranger saw Bradford that's no Hill for a high-stepper like me [Music] Henry Helms was identified as the
00:51:39
shooter responsible for killing Cisco's Chief of Police gee a bit Bedford and his colleague officer George Carmichael
00:51:46
and was sentenced to death by the electric chair in an attempt to avoid the death penalty he immediately said
00:51:54
about trying to convince everyone he was insane meanwhile the public was incensed
00:52:01
that Marshall Ratliff appeared to be so pleased with his sentence and unrepentant for his crimes they demanded
00:52:08
he be tried again the authorities agreed during Ratliff's second trial the prosecution was still unable to find any
00:52:18
witnesses willing to say they had seen him fire a single round regardless they found him guilty of involvement in the
00:52:25
murders of police chief bit Bedford and officer George Carmichael Ratliff was sentenced to join Helms on death row
00:52:35
despite Helms putting on a convincing show for the court his insanity plea fell on deaf ears
00:52:42
on Friday September 6 1929 nearly two years after the Santa Claus robbery Henry Holmes was dragged kicking and
00:52:51
screaming to his execution in the electric chair once again Marshall Ratliff's mother
00:52:58
attempted to come to her incarcerated son's aid by submitting that he was criminally insane
00:53:04
Ratliff spent his time in prison studying the behaviors of the mentally disordered and became convinced that he
00:53:11
could succeed in convincing the authorities that he was not of sound mind and thus unable to be put to death
00:53:20
while awaiting his insanity hearing Ratliff complained of paralysis and the prison guards had to physically lift him
00:53:27
up out of bed to feed him fifty three-year-old a deputy sheriff Tom Jones was a father of eight who took
00:53:35
on the responsibility of caring for Ratliff by feeding and bathing him as well as assisting him to use the
00:53:41
bathroom by Monday November 18 1929 Ratliff had remained completely motionless for ten days convinced he was
00:53:53
unable to move the guards became sloppy in their security measures that night as
00:53:59
deputy sheriff Jones and his colleague pack Kilbourne prepared to feed Ratliff the pair left the door to his cell open
00:54:08
in reality he had been faking the symptoms of paralysis all along and slipped out of his cell and snuck
00:54:15
downstairs to the sheriff's office where he found a pistol on the desk Ratliff then attempted to break free but
00:54:24
was soon watered by a locked door he returned to the office to search for keys and along the way he encountered
00:54:31
deputy sheriff Jones coming down the stairs Ratliff raised the gun and shot at the
00:54:38
deputy three times once in the stomach once above his left in a into once above the heart causing life-threatening
00:54:45
injuries when Pak Kilbourne heard the sound of gunfire he came running and Ratliff shot
00:54:53
at him too the shots missed and packed tackled him to the ground as the two men struggled they both fired their pistols
00:55:02
at one another but their bullets kept missing their marks as the scuffle continued packs daughter Mesa raced into
00:55:11
the room and aimed her own gun at Ratliff other officers quickly arrived and restrained me so before she could
00:55:18
take a shot and risk hitting her father PAP struck Ratliff over the head with his gun sending him into a daze then
00:55:27
press the knee on his prisoner to hold him down he aimed his pistol directly at Ratliff's head and pulled the trigger
00:55:36
however the gun was out of bullets sparing Ratliff who was taken back to his cell deputy sheriff Jones was
00:55:48
beloved in his community and when the news spread that Ratliff had caused him serious injury the townsfolk were sent
00:55:55
into a vengeful frenzy on November 19 1929 the day after Ratliff's botched escape a horde of approximately 2,000
00:56:06
men women and children descended on the ACE Blount Jail where he was imprisoned a majority of the crowd came from Cisco
00:56:14
but people had also joined from neighboring and faraway towns pack Kilbourne didn't believe in mob justice
00:56:22
and stood at the door of the jail pleading with the crowd to go away and to let the courts do their job an
00:56:29
enraged mob of 200 men overpowered pack and seized two Ratliff stripping him naked and dragging him outside they
00:56:39
carried him past the majestic theatre where a production called the noose was playing and came to a stop
00:56:46
on a well-lit Main Street one man tied a hemp rope noose and secured it around Ratliff's neck the
00:56:54
length of the rope was tossed over a nearby utility pole while a dozen men took hold and hoisted Ratliffe into the
00:57:01
air the jerk of the rope was so violent that a broke incent ratliff tumbling to the ground members of the
00:57:11
mob held him down until another rope could be retrieved when asked if he had any final words
00:57:17
Ratliff mumbled incoherently displeased the crowd started chanting string him up
00:57:25
string him up Ratliff was raised slow at this time and just before his feet left
00:57:34
the ground he offered his final words forgive me boys in the 1920s lynchings were not
00:57:46
completely unheard of in Texas however Eastland was considered a progressive area and its residents
00:57:54
claimed that this was the county's first lynching since 1888 the last one on record had resulted in the hanging of
00:58:02
the notorious horse thief three years prior to that two young men who were crucial witnesses in a pending court
00:58:09
case had also been lynched in the county after Ratliff was hanged his body remained on display for several hours
00:58:18
until a justice of the peace ordered him to be cut down it was then taken and put
00:58:24
on display in an Eastland furniture store where several thousand people stopped by to view it before his family
00:58:31
came to take possession when pat Kilbourne told deputy sheriff tom jones that he had tried his best to stop the
00:58:39
lynching Jones nodded and allegedly whispered that's good I'm glad they did it others have claimed they heard him
00:58:50
say that's bad they shouldn't have done it at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday November 20 1929 deputy sheriff Tom Jones died
00:59:03
from the wounds he sustained at the hands of marshal Ratliff he was the sixth and final death arising from the
00:59:11
Santa Claus bank robbery that occurred almost two years earlier an investigation into the lynching was
00:59:18
launched but resulted in no arrests a marker observing the event was eventually placed on the utility pole in
00:59:26
Eastland County where Ratliff was hanged nobody was able to claim the bankers dead Robert bounty for Ratliff but
00:59:35
several people came forward to declare they had been the ones to shoot Lewis Davis
00:59:40
rumors spread that the Texas Bankers Association was encouraging as many people as possible to come forward in
00:59:48
order to muddy the waters which would mean they could avoid having to make any payments ultimately nobody was allowed
00:59:56
to claim a bounty of any kind in relation to the Santa Claus robbery the only surviving bandit Robert Hill
01:00:05
succeeded in becoming a model prisoner and it was released in 1948 after serving the minimum of 20 years he
01:00:13
changed his name got married moved to a small town in West Texas and went on to live a quiet uneventful life until his
01:00:22
death in 1996 at the age of 90 the first the National Bank of Cisco remained at the same location on Main Street for the
01:00:32
rest of the century it eventually grew in size and was replaced by a more modern building that remained next to
01:00:39
the Le way where the 1927 shootout had occurred the back door where the bandits escaped became the drive-through deposit
01:00:48
window a mural of the robbery was placed in the lobby becoming a popular tourist
01:00:53
attraction since August 2009 the bank building has been occupied by an auto parts store but the Texas Historical
01:01:03
Commission placed a medallion at the site that reads scene of daring Santa Clause bank robbery December 23 1927
01:01:25
[Music] [Music]