The Newsletter of the North Berrien Historical Society is published quarterly in Coloma, Michigan, to provide museum news, upcoming events, and local history articles to members and the public.
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It was around 9:20am on Saturday, February 21, 1925 in rural Millburg, Michigan, when a black Cadillac touring car with a group of young, well- dressed men pulled up to the State Bank of Millburg. Elizabeth Krietner and Ben Kral had just opened the bank when two men entered. One, armed with a revolver, jumped the cage and forced the two tellers into a back closet. The other hailed in two more men who looted the safe of $52,000 in bonds and $2,900 in cash. The subsequent car chase, man hunt, and trial became one of the most dramatic crimes of the 1920s in southwest Michigan. The cashiers were able to notify authorities quickly. Switchboards in the Twin Cities alerted police throughout the region of the fleeing bandits. The robbers raced away from the scene at top speeds, heading first toward Benton Harbor before turning south toward the Indiana state line on icy rural roads. A blockade was erected in Galien village by Deputy Sheriff Con Allen and former Deputy Sheriff Floyd Lintner. The car stopped and the five bandits jumped out as they were ordered to surrender. A gun battle ensued in which Lintner was shot in the right heel, severing a tendon. The bandit car escaped on a side dirt road toward Three Oaks and then over the state line. At the farm of Jed Droll- inger, seven miles southwest of New Carlisle, the bandits stopped to ask directions when the local Constable Elias Ackley and farmer Oscar Smith caught up to them. Ackley began to question the men, but Smith did not hesitate to fire several rounds with a sawed off shotgun into the car. Four of the men abandoned their car and ran to hide in Drollinger’s barn and outbuildings. At this time the South Bend Police arrived on the scene and the outgunned men were rounded up. Berrien County Sheriff Frederick Franz called them “the most desperate men ever jailed here,” for their willingness to shoot their way to freedom. They were held under $100,000 bonds each and charged with Bank Robbery. The five men arrested were John Marshall, 26; Frank King, 31; James Long, 40; Ed- ward Murray, 30; and Edward Sommers, 25. They were all known by several aliases and were suspected in other bank robberies throughout Michigan. Sheriff Franz The Great Millburg Bank Robbery NORTH BERRIEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Vol. III, No. 4 Hagar · Bainbridge · Coloma · Watervliet Winter 2011 300 Coloma Ave./ P.O. Box 207, Coloma, Michigan 49038 www.NorthBerrienHistory.org Continued on Page 3 Above: The Millburg State Bank in 1925 with inset photo of Elizabeth Krietner. Below: Four of the six bank robbers, from left to right, Frank King, James Long, Edward Murray, and Edward Sommers.
Transcript
It was around 9:20am on Saturday, February 21, 1925 in rural Millburg, Michigan, when a black Cadillac touring car with a group of young, well-dressed men pulled up to the State Bank of Millburg. Elizabeth Krietner and Ben Kral had just opened the bank when two men entered. One, armed with a revolver, jumped the cage and forced the two tellers into a back closet. The other hailed in two more men who looted the safe of $52,000 in bonds and $2,900 in cash. The subsequent car chase, man hunt, and trial became one of the most dramatic crimes of the 1920s in southwest Michigan. The cashiers were able to notify authorities quickly. Switchboards in the Twin Cities alerted police throughout the region of the fleeing bandits. The robbers raced away from the scene at top speeds, heading first toward Benton Harbor before turning south toward the Indiana state line on icy rural roads. A blockade was erected in Galien village by Deputy Sheriff Con Allen and former Deputy Sheriff Floyd Lintner. The car stopped and the five bandits jumped out as they were ordered to surrender. A gun battle ensued in which Lintner was
shot in the right heel, severing a tendon. The bandit car escaped on a side dirt road toward Three Oaks and then over the state line. At the farm of Jed Droll-inger, seven miles southwest of New Carlisle, the
bandits stopped to ask directions when the local Constable Elias Ackley and farmer Oscar Smith caught up to them. Ackley began to question the men, but Smith did not hesitate to fire several rounds with a sawed off shotgun into the car. Four of the men abandoned their car and ran to hide in Drollinger’s barn and outbuildings. At this time the South Bend Police arrived on the scene and the outgunned men were rounded up. Berrien County Sheriff Frederick Franz called them “the most desperate men ever jailed here,” for their willingness to shoot their way to freedom. They were held under $100,000 bonds each and charged with Bank Robbery. The five men arrested were John Marshall, 26; Frank King, 31; James Long, 40; Ed-ward Murray, 30; and Edward Sommers, 25. They were all
known by several aliases and were suspected in other bank robberies throughout Michigan. Sheriff Franz
Above: The Millburg State Bank in 1925 with inset photo of Elizabeth Krietner.
Below: Four of the six bank robbers, from left to right, Frank King, James Long,
Edward Murray, and Edward Sommers.
North Berrien Historical Society Board of Directors
Scott Young President Bennet Leedy 1st Vice President Kandyce Hays 2nd Vice President Cindy Young Secretary Shirley Boone Treasurer Ray Mays Assistant Treasurer Marc Hettig Director Karin Miller Director Pauline Morris Director Sherry Polashak Director Tom Scheid Director Sally Williams Director
Staff Alexander Gates Director / Curator Tracy Gierada Director of Education Ryan Nykamp Office Manager
The mission of the North Berrien Historical Society is to preserve and distribute information regarding the history of North Berrien County.
We wish to promote, encourage learning, and disseminate knowledge of the area’s
cultural and architectural legacy.
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From the Director’s Desk By Alexander Gates
Welcome to our new Office Manager, Ryan Nykamp, who began working at the North Berrien Historical Museum on October 4. Ryan is taking over the position of Gwen Elsner, who retired from the mu-seum in July. Read more about Ryan on page 7. Remember that the Michigan legislature has eliminated the state income tax credits for charitable donations, effective January 1, 2012. You can still take advantage of this perk on donations prior to this date. Please consider making a charitable donation to NBHS this season— our friends and members help us to provide our entire region with a great variety of events and educational programs free of charge. I’d like to note several artifact donations this year that have enhanced our permanent collection. Page 4 tells more about contributions from the family of Dorothy Cannell. Norm Wilhemsen has donated multiple Paw Paw Lake objects including a large buoy used on the lake, which will be incorporated into a fu-ture display. Finally Bob Chaput has been a helpful intermediary for the Boy Scouts from North Berrien, bringing in many articles and photographs for us to digitize and keep for our research files. Every year I am amazed with creativity and talent of our Holiday Open House volunteers. Over 25 local businesses and organizations will decorate Christmas trees this year, adding their unique touch to the galleries. Wonderful musical performances will again fill the air with holiday cheer. Visitors are in-vited to utilize their own creative talents by decorating gingerbread houses throughout the weekend. This is our highest attended event of the year, which brings in visitors that may otherwise not visit the museum. New this year is our Holiday Lights & Music Gala on Thursday, December 1 from 6-8pm. The Gala is a rare chance to view our trees shining in full glory at night, experience outdoor luminaries, taste delicious local holiday treats, and hear live holiday music on mountain dulcimer, ukulele, guitar, and harp. This event is a fundraiser for NBHS, and tickets are avail-able now at the museum. I hope to see you there! Finally, once again we are collecting un-wrapped gifts for Toys for Tots and non-perishable items for the North Berrien Food Pantry up until the week of Christmas. Thank you to all of our members and volunteers who made 2011 a great year. Happy Holidays!
Curator’s Blog: NorthBerrienHistory.blogspot.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/NBerrienHistory
Connect with NBHS Online!
Become a fan on Facebook
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Mark your Calendars!
Thursday, December 1,
6-8pm
Holiday Lights & Music Fundraising Gala. Enjoy seasonal treats and preview our 25 decorated trees in full brilliance at night. Hear live holiday music on a variety of instruments. Tickets are available at the museum for $12 in advance, or $15 at the door.
December 2-4 North Berrien Holiday Open House. Free Admission, Santa’s Workshop, Gingerbread House decorating, Santa & Mrs. Claus, Cookie Walk, Favorite Tree Contest and more! See flyer for details.
Monday, December 19, 6pm
Youth Internship Informational Meeting. Students in grades 7-12 and parents interested in our 2012 Youth Internship program are encouraged to join us for a brief informational meeting. Call the museum for more information on this program. Free.
Thursday, December 29,
1-2:30pm
Winter Time Travelers: Let it Snow! Experience winters of the past with fun, hands-on activities. Designed for ages 6-12; Family welcome. Only in case of a weather emergency, this will be held Dec. 30, 1-2:30pm. Free.
Tuesday, January 17, 7pm
Ice Age Imperials. A new exhibit at the Heritage Center in Saint Joseph takes you back to the prehistoric era when mammoths, giant beavers, and sabertooth cats lived among Paleo-Indians. Director Christina Hirn Arseneau and Upton Fellow Caitlyn Dial will discuss the Ice Age Imperials exhibit and programs. Free.
Saturday, February 11,
1-3pm
Victorian Valentines Party. Bring the family for festive refreshments, games, and crafts. Be inspired by our collection of historic valentines, and create your own valentines to take home. Suggested Donation $3/person.
Tuesday, February 21, 7pm
The Great Millburg Bank Robbery, presentation by NBHS Executive Director Alex Gates. Travel back to 1925 and experience one of southwest Michigan’s most sensational crimes. Free.
All events are at the North Berrien Historical Museum unless otherwise noted.
became so worried about the five gangsters having powerful criminal allies, he purchased Berrien County’s first machine gun to guard the inmates. The trial was moved to Kalamazoo in ex-change for trying all five men together. At 5am on May 11 the defendants were shackled together in heavy steel cuffs and transferred to Kalamazoo County Jail. The trial was short with the only defense being that the men were bootleggers caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. The jury took only a half hour to convict them all on May 16, 1925, and a half hour after the verdict they were sentenced. All five were sent to Marquette prison for life. The court read this statement by Judge Weimer, “These men are potential murderers. From the time they left Millburg
until the hour of their capture they did not hesitate to shoot at any or all persons who attempted to stop them. We do not hesitate in removing any person who has become a source of danger to peaceful citizens.” While the stolen bonds were recovered from the Drollinger farm, the majority of the cash remained unaccounted for. The mystery of the missing money was solved in 1929 when James Kane was arrested and convicted as the sixth Millburg State Bank robber who had escaped during the chase. Kane was also sentenced to life in prison. Join us on Tuesday, February 21 as Executive Director Alex Gates presents an in-depth look at this infamous crime.
By Alexander Gates Information and Images Courtesy of Will Nichols
Continued from Page 1
NBHS reached 1,016 in school programs alone last year, and we are quickly on our way to exceeding that record during the 2011-12 school year. This fall, for the first time, I took the Coloma 4th graders on historical tours of Coloma Cemetery. The students enjoyed learning about people from the past and see-ing memorials to their lives in the cemetery along with photos from the museum’s collection. We ex-pect that these tours will now be a yearly tradition. The annual cemetery tours for Wa-tervliet students have been post-poned due to the construction on M-140, and will take place in April. The 3rd grade classes from Watervliet North Elementary vis-ited the museum on November 9. In addition to covering our Native American, lumbering, and farming exhibits, we also explored the
Women in Baseball exhibit and imagined the Watervliet known by Maud Nelson a century ago. Teacher Kim Schaefer wrote to tell us, “The kids had so much fun! You do a wonderful job of making the history come alive to the students!” Thank you to volun-teer guides Kathleen Walter and Joan Polaskey for helping to pro-
vide another great set of school tours at the museum. We have also seen a rise in the use of our Traveling Trunk programs. Before the new year the trunks will be used with 3rd graders at Coloma Ele-mentary (Potawatomi Past & Present), Countryside
Academy (Michigan’s Fruit Belt), and Watervliet North Elementary (Fur, Forest & Frontier Days). This year we are also offer-ing Gingerbread House decorating for elementary classes in Decem-ber, for $3 per house, and a number of groups are scheduled to visit for that fun activity in the week before Christmas.
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Education News By Tracy Gierada
Stark family made many contributions to local history Dorothy Stark Cannell was well-known to longtime members of the North Berrien Historical Society, and her recent passing was marked with a celebration of her life at the museum. Many impor-tant NBHS projects and collections were derived from Dorothy and other members of the Stark family. Edward B. Stark (1842-1929) lived in Hart-ford and was an attorney for the Pokagon Potawatomi and other Michigan Indians, helping to settle dozens of tribal land claims and obtain compensation for his clients. He was the grandfather of Dorothy and her sister Allene, who once noted that Edward’s work
was motivated by his friendships with the Potawatomi since boyhood, and “his own father’s stories of the misery and injustices suffered” due to federal Indian Removal in the 1830s. Many Pokagon-related artifacts are in the museum today, educating generations of locals, thanks to the Stark family.
Dorothy and Allene’s parents were Allen and Mabel Branch Stark. Allen was linotype operator for the Coloma Courier. Mabel (1885-1976) wrote Trails from Shingle Diggins after more than 50 years of col-lecting stories from old-timers and pioneer families in North Berrien and was a founding member of NBHS. Dorothy (1914-2011) wrote a musical play Shingle Diggins Came First that was performed by community members. She also borrowed the title of her mother’s book for a local history column in the Tri-City Record, which she wrote from 1994-99. As a member of NBHS, Dorothy contributed much to the 1992 publication Glimpses of the Past. Dorothy’s children Thom Cannell and Nancy Li-taker have recently donated more of her belongings, in-cluding an original 1901 copy of Queen of the Woods by Simon Pokagon.
Left: Attorney Edward B. Stark of Hartford. Right: In 1938, Dorothy Stark appeared on the cover of Life magazine with her future husband Robert
Cannell. The magazine was recently acquired by the museum.
At the Historical Society of Michigan’s recent Annual Meeting and State History Conference, NBHS was honored with a State History Award for Outstanding Special Events. The State History Awards are the highest form of recognition presented
by the state’s official historical society. Executive Director Alex Gates accepted the State History Award in Traverse City on September 23, 2011. The Award recognizes the Women in Baseball exhibit and events presented by NBHS this year,
which included a civic festival, girls baseball tournament, and many educational programs. In addition to highlighting the story of Maud Nelson for locals, the project brought a number of out-of-state visitors to our area. Official press for the State History Awards also noted that Watervliet was the first community in the U.S. to com-memorate a female baseball player in this fashion. A second State History Award for Special Events was also given to the Henry Ford Estate at University of Michigan Dearborn for a landscape design symposium.
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Seventy-eight individuals participated in our first online Members and Friends Museum Survey this fall. Questions asked specifically about publications and exhibition topics, aiming to gather opinions about what our supporters would like to see from NBHS. This information will help us chart a 5-year research and publications plan. Several important points stand out among the results. First, respondents are interested in seeing a new local history book produced to update and expand upon Trails from Shingle Diggins, of which our stock is nearly gone. The majority of survey-takers indicate that they would buy this new book at a cost of be-tween $20 and $30, with a soft cover and casual writ-ing style preferred. In terms of historical themes to explore in fu-ture exhibits and programs, there was high interest shown in Chief Pokagon and 1830s Indian Removal, early settlement at Shingle Diggins, railroads, Paw Paw Lake resorts, crime, and shipwrecks. The two historical places respondents were most interested in were the Watervliet Paper Mill and Crystal Palace. Sixty percent of those surveyed would like to see
online exhibits and overall there was interest in utiliz-ing new technologies. If you would like the chance to submit your own responses to this survey, a paper version is avail-able at the museum upon request. As always if you have any further questions or comments feel free to contact the museum.
Online Survey Results Excerpt from Survey Results
Question 6: How interested are you in these possible exhibit features? Rank topics from 1 to 5, with 1 being not interested and 5 being very interested.
The highest interest was shown in:
Possible Exhibit Average
Outdoor history walking trail 3.92
Detailed map of Paw Paw Lake history
3.84
Historical video viewing area 3.61
Stagecoach reproduction to enter 3.59
Steamship reproduction to walk on 3.55
North Berrien Historical Society earns a State History Award
Left: Historical Society of Michigan Trustee Kendall Wingrove and NBHS Executive Director Alex Gates on September 23, 2011. Right: Maud Nelson
shows off our State History Award.
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This fall the museum offered many opportuni-ties to explore beautiful, historic sights around our community, and to meet special visitors with personal knowledge and expertise in local history topics. Great weather and fascinating presentations helped attract old supporters and new faces alike to our programs. Wrapping up our Women in Baseball event series, the museum welcomed three women who were All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players in the 1940s and 50s. Coming from the Mus-kegon and Grand Rapids areas, our guests told de-lightful stories of their days in uniform, showed a his-toric newsreel clip, and shared their baseball cards. Author Barbara Gregorich came from Chicago to speak at our Annual Dinner in October, and gave a highly entertaining account of her years of searching to re-discover Maud Nelson’s forty-year professional career in baseball. A great Book Discussion of Stolen Bases: Why American Girls Don’t Play Baseball was also held in cooperation with the Coloma Library. Historic buildings and landscapes were again the focus of the Tri-City Heritage Tour, organized for the second time by NBHS. On September 24, nine sites across the North Berrien and Hartford areas offered free tours, activities, and historical displays. Near the site of the dams removal project on the Paw Paw River, NBHS set up a tent for viewing historic maps, photos, and documents related to the Watervliet paper mill. The tent was graciously hosted by former employees of the paper mill, including George Lawton (Manager of Engineering), Milt Stibal (VP of Manufacturing), and Darrell Day (Marketing & Sales). Many thanks to all volunteers at the Tri-City Heritage Tour, also including Maggie Richter, Jan Sieber, Karin Miller, Carolyn McCoy, Will Nichols, Bill & Sue Moser, Rick Rasmussen, Fred Munchow,
Stephanie Daniels, Ted & JoAnn Tees, June, Dale & Sandy Nafziger, Kevin Hester, and Sam Monte. On October 29, large groups attended our An-nual Halloween Cemetery Tours in Coloma and Watervliet. In Coloma, graves covered for the first time included Nathan Knapp, the cemetery’s only War of 1812 veteran, and Laura Baker, a pioneer air-line stewardess and namesake of Coloma’s downtown park. Graves discussed for the first time in Watervliet included Frank Sterner, a lifelong miller who brought the first electricity to Watervliet in 1905. Another new Watervliet story was that of Captain Lyman Fel-tus who helped usher in the Paw Paw Lake tourist era with his steamers Margaret (named for his daughter) and Gypsy, and his development of Edgewater Resort and the Wigwam Hotel. Phyllis Rose, a travel writer from the Kalamazoo Gazette, enjoyed our cemetery tours and visited the museum the following week to complete a feature article on NBHS.
Fall programs brought outdoor adventures and out-of-town visitors
Left to Right: Director of Education Tracy Gierada, Dolly Niemiec Konwinski (Grand Rapids Chicks/ Battle
Creek Belles), Doris “Cookie” Cook (Kalamazoo Lassies/ South Bend Blue Sox), Rosemary Stevenson (Grand Rapids
Chicks), and Executive Director Alex Gates.
Below, Left to Right: 1. The history tent at Hays Park, near the Watervliet dams removal project, provoked great discussions at the 2011 Tri-City Heritage Tour. 2. Inside the Coloma Interurban Station at the Tri-City Heritage Tour, a
historical presentation begins. 3. Over forty people attended our annual Coloma Cemetery Tour in late October.
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New Office Manager joins museum
Donations
Jean Fannin Suzanne Knutson Kathleen Walter Dave Kliss Rod Krieger Margaret Schmieding Penny Hanks John Reid
Thank you to all the many donors to our Holiday Open House Cookie Walk!
New & Renewed Memberships
Eileen Healy Pauline Morris Alice Mow Jan Sieber Garry Lange Norman Wilhelmsen Linda Stibal Marge DuVernay Liz Lange Joan Polaskey Milt Stibal Judi White Bob Becker Cindy Young Scott Young Dave Kliss Lenny Becker Lori Carlson Margaret Schmieding Fran Konya Janet Emhoff Donna Hays Belzora ‘Bibs’ Page Jim Polashak John Nelson Irma Krieger Joyce Kolenko Sherry Polashak Barbara Nelson David Buzzek Will Nichols Donna Janke Denise Barowicz John Janke
The North Berrien Historical Society has hired a new Office Manager, Ryan Nykamp, who began in early October. Office and membership admini-stration, reception, and pro-grams/ collections support are all part of his position. Be sure to introduce your-self the next time you’re at the museum! Ryan graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in History and Business Administration from Cornerstone Uni-versity in Grand Rapids. He also attended Western Michigan University, pursuing a Post-Baccalaureate in Secondary Education with an emphasis on Social Studies. Ryan was previously employed by Kaplan Test Prep in Kalamazoo and Better Way Imports in Zeeland. While at these companies, he worked in a variety of capacities, such as marketing, warehouse management, testing/training, and web development. Ryan currently lives in Holland with wife Effie, and their 5 year old Golden Retriever, Kody. He is an avid hiker and runner and enjoys Pyrography (wood-burning), reading, and spending time outdoors in his free time. He is now training for his first mara-thon next August in the Manistee National Forest.
In Memory of Dorothy Cannell James & Mona Mackimmie Sally Williams Donald & Rheta Peters Thom Cannell Nancy Cannell Litaker Mary Alyce Hettig George & Francie Wooley Dolores Krenek
In Memory of George Wooley Donald & Claire Wooley Dolores Krenek
