By Charles Pederson
In 1929, a massive gunfight between lawmen and the bad guys ripped through downtown. Was it in Chicago or New York City? No. It was Shakopee!
People often associate the Great Depression (October 24, 1929–1939) with crime throughout the United States. Even Scott County had its share of illicit activity: throughout the county, gambling, illegal liquour clubs called speakeasies, and unlawful stills could be found.
Bank robbery was also on the agenda, including 35 days of robberies that rocked the county.
The Roaring 20s had seen a steep rise in bank robberies throughout the United States, and Minnesota bankers were not happy with government response. Rather than wait, the Minnesota Bankers Association organized groups of citizens called rangers (essentially, these were posses) to be deputized by county sheriffs in case of robbery. Additionally, rewards (“dead or alive”) of up to $5,000 ($80,000 today—multiply 1929 money amounts by 16 to get the estimated 2021 equivalent) were offered at each bank in the association for the capture or killing of any robbers. “‘Shoot to kill’ will be the instructions,” warned the Minneapolis Journal newspaper. Satisfied with their preparations, Minnesota’s bankers went about their business.
The Crime Spree Begins—First Robbery
On November 5, 1929, the Depression was less than two weeks old. In late 1929 and 1930, the unemployment rate jumped from 3.2% to 8.7% (still far below the 1933 high of nearly 25%). The U.S. economy had been weak during the summer of 1929, but it simply collapsed around people’s lives in October, robbing them of jobs, dignity, and future security. It may not be a surprise that ordinary folk felt pushed into crime to earn a living, or that those already in crimes stepped up their activities in an environment ripe for plucking.
Case in point, November 5, 1929: Three men entered the First Bank of Savage, demanding money and getting away with approximately $1,200. They escaped, though four men were later arrested and questioned. Of those four, John Morrow and Walter Williamson were positively identified by bank employees and were bound over to a grand jury. Byron Green and Edward J. Dee were released after bank employees could not identify them. Police, however, arrested Green in connection with crime in the southeastern Minnesota town of Caledonia and a series of creamery robbers in nearby counties.
Second Robbery
The excitement caused by the events in Savage was subsiding, and county life was just settling down, when bam!—on December 5, three armed men entered the Belle Plaine First National Bank. They threatened bank employees and got away with $6,000. They remained at large. Fear ratcheted up, and county residents fearfully wondered where and when the next robbery would be and what had happened to the robbers. All their questions eventually would be answered. For now, people could only speculate.
Bank check from the First National Bank of Belle Plaine, circa 1930. SCHS Collection.
Mysterious Tip-Off
Shortly after the Belle Plaine robbery, Charles Brown, head of the Minnesota Bankers Protective Association, dramatically announced he had received “from underworld sources” a tip about a robbery in Scott County. Acting on the tip, he notified all the county banks to be alert.
Around 2:00 a.m. on December 9, Brown received a second mysterious tip that the Shakopee bank was the target—for that very day. Brown notified the Scott County sheriff, Joseph Weckman. They armed themselves and several others and hid at short distances around the bank. Brown himself carried a Thompson submachine gun, famous for its part in New York and Chicago gangland shootouts.
Unaware of the warm welcome awaiting them in downtown Shakopee, three men drove into town. The men—Fred McKusick, also known as Frankie Morris, of Chicago; William “Bud” McNearney (or McInerney, depending which newspaper you read), of Saint Paul; and George Larkin—had stolen the car in Saint Paul. All three were known to police in various jurisdictions for criminal activity. No doubt they thought this would be a quick and easy, in-and-out bank job—a bunch of rural hicks against experienced lawbreakers. At least they were right about the “quick” part.
Inside and Around the Bank
Blissfully going about their everyday tasks, six people were already inside the bank: Henry Marshall, local farmer; Lucille Schwartz, bookkeeper; John Thien, cashier; E. J. Huber, assistant cashier; Theodore Weiland, president; and his son, C. T. Weiland, cashier.
Lucille Schwartz (far left) with her sisters as children, 1905. SCHS Collection.
The robbers parked in front of the bank and rushed in, forcing everyone onto the floor. Marshall stated that the “bandits fired a couple of shots into the ceiling, probably to terrorize us.” They grabbed $2,000 from the vault and headed for the street again. Huber later reported that the bank actually contained about $100,000. The early warning from Brown, however, had allowed the bankers to hide almost all the money.
The robbers could not have known that their easy day was about to end. When they emerged from the bank, at least five concealed people fired weapons, including Brown’s Tommy gun. McNearney, although shot several times, staggered back into the bank, attempting to escape through a back door. However, Al Tiedt, a nearby restaurant owner, raced out his back door when the shooting started. “I took the shotgun and ran out into the alley,” he recalled. When he saw McNearney, “I aimed and let him have it. The slugs hit him in the shoulder and face and sort of spun him around.” The robber dropped the money he carried but kept running, so Tiedt “hit him in the legs. He went down.”
Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion to the story in Part 2!