The following transcription originally appeared in a newspaper in Louisiana on November 12, 1932.
A trio who gave their names as Jack Doud, 32; Benny Caphone, 34; and John Kolich, 19, are in the hands of the law today, following their capture three miles north of Tallulah, La., yesterday afternoon about three hours after Cashier E. A. Buckner had been held up and the Madison National Bank robbed of $6000.
The capture of the bandits ended one of the most intensive manhunts ever conducted in that section around the little Louisiana town. Aided by airplanes and posses of citizens and officers, the trio were forced out of a wood north of Tallulah and walked into a searching party at a crossroad on the Tallulah-Lake Providence highway.
The men were arrested by T. H. Montgomery, town marshal of Tallulah; J. W. Rogillio, C. Cagnolatti, and Sam Plant and taken to Tallulah where they returned the money taken from the bank to Mr. Buckner and were then placed in jail.
Caught in Woods
There was not a resident of the little town of Tallulah yesterday afternoon who was not aware that an unusual occurrence had taken place and while men and boys with guns on the shoulders scoured woods and watched the highways, women and children gathered in groups to discuss the likely whereabouts of the bank robbers, until their capture when throngs gathered around the jail in an effort to get a look at the yeggs or to find out the particulars of their capture.
Many a store and incident in connection with the holdup and robbery went the rounds and one after another was sure of having seen the bandits at some time or other about Tallulah before and some one or two were sure they had seen them afterwards on the highway or leaving the town.
The first report of the direction the men went, was said to have been given by a negro girl, who having heard about the robbery, and having seen three suspicious looking characters going down the highway east of Tallulah immediately reported what she had seen to officers. Two negro men reported having seen them enter the woods from which they emerged to be captured by a searching party.
A failure of their plans, lack of ammunition and the fact that they knew they were spotted were given as reasons by the bandits for their leaving the wood to walk into the hands of their captors.
Hearing a noise in the wood, Marshal Montgomery hid himself in a canal ditch and with others in the searching party concealed nearby awaited the appearance of the bandits, who when in the open were ordered to throw up their hands. They offered no resistance.
The men when captured stated that they wanted to take the money back to the man from whom they had taken it, thereupon their captors allowed them to stop at the bank upon arrival in Tallulah and turn the money over to Mr. Buckner. It was stated that the men got $6000 but upon the checkup, $250 was missing.
Bandits Talk
Nonchalantly seated about their cell in the Madison Parish jail, the three alleged bank holdup men seemed little concerned at their fate, when questioned by Evening Post reporters yesterday afternoon.
“We just got a bad break and have no complaint to make,” they stated.
Their worst break it seemed was the failure of an automobile which was supposed to meet them, to make its appearance at the right place and at the right time. During their conversation they stated they could have made the Vicksburg bridge in fifteen minutes. It is evident they had planned to meet a party working with them and beat it across the bridge into Mississippi.
The trio all said they were from Chicago. When asked where their home was one replied “it looks like we will be around here for a while.”
The men carried four pistols, four pocketknives, three razors, three flashlights, a mirror, shaving soap, shaving brush, cigarettes and chewing tobacco when captured. In the absence of Sheriff Andrew Sevier who had left Tallulah to carry some prisoners to Baton Rouge, the men were questioned by Deputy Sheriff Bettis.
The Hold Up
The men were said to have been seen around Tallulah for several days and it is evident from their plans that they were familiar with the situation, for picking a time when most of the residents are at home for lunch the bandits entered the Madison National Bank at 12:05 o’clock when the cashier, E. A. Buckner was alone in the bank.
Mr. Buckner stated that he was at the teller’s cage in the front part of the bank, working on a book when two men entered and one of them stuck a pistol in his face demanding that he “stick ‘em up.”
Mr. Buckner said that while he was on the floor the men questioned him about a car. He told them he had a car that was across the street but that his brother-in-law had the key. He said he gave them a key he had in his pocket which fitted a Nash car. The men took the key but did not try to fit it into the car across the street.
Mr. Buckner stated he was then ordered into the bank vault when he asked the bandits not to close the big outer vault door on him but to tie him up instead.
The men locked the grill steel door in the back of the vault but were unable to close the outer door and after trying several times left the bank. Closing the outer door was blocked by a runway which the men evidently did not observe.
Left Gold, Silver
After Mr. Buckner was locked in the vault, he stated they went to the teller’s cage. They took currency available and some American Express Company travelers’ checks but did not bother a bag of gold or silver money. It was believed they left this due to the fact they expected to make their getaway partially on foot.
After he knew the men were outside, Mr. Buckner stated that he took a key from his pocket and unlocked the grill door. Before he came out of the vault, he said he heard someone enter the bank and leave. He believed it must have been a customer and whoever it was must have seen the bandits leave.
Once out of the vault Mr. Buckner grabbed a rifle which is kept at the bank and went outside to give the alarm. He said he saw three men going east, whom he felt sure were the bandits, but he stated he was afraid to fire for fear of shooting the wrong parties.
The third man, Mr. Buckner state must have been lookout man, as he only saw two.
Jail Guarded
Radio Station WQBC was one of the first places notified of the robbery and the news was immediately flashed on the air notifying even the residents of Tallulah that the bank had been robbed.
Vicksburg officers were notified of the robber and kept a close lookout at the Vicksburg Bridge. Officers with bloodhounds were en route to Tallulah when the bandits were captured.
After notice that the men were in the wood, was received, posses and officers concentrated on that spot and Cecil Smith who owns an airplane and who returned from Jackson shortly after the robber flew over that section in an effort to locate the men. The trio stated when they saw the plane, they knew they were spotted and that everything was up.
A guard was placed at the Madison Parish jail last night to stop any jail break or communication that might be received by the men from an accomplice.
The Madison National Bank was organized in 1926 with a capital stock of $50,000, and is one of a group of three banks operating in Madison and Tensas parishes, and in Natchez, Miss. It now has total resources of half a million dollars, after only four years of operation. Forty-nine percent of the stock is owned locally. Officers of the bank are: L.M. Spencer, president; M. R. Beltzhoover of Natchez, Miss, vice president; E. A. Buckner, cashier; and D. M. Kell, assistant cashier. Mr. Beltzhoover is president of Britton and Koontz, oldest bank in the state of Mississippi.
Article from The Vicksburg Herald, November 12, 1932
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