Everett Bridgewater
Encyclopedia
Everett Bridgewater was a Prohibition-era bank robber. He is best known as an early associate of Harry Pierpont
.
, robbing the bank of approximately $4,000.00 in cash. No one was injured, and not a shot was fired. Five men went inside, two stayed outside.
The leader of the gang walked in ahead of the others and ordered "hands up", forcing the cashier and bookkeeper into the vault. According to newspaper accounts, the gang had evidently studied the situation, knew the surroundings, and carried out their job with clockwork precision and uncanny accuracy.
After the robbery, the bandits jumped into a purring Nash
motor car and sped off south. Sixteen towns in a fifty-mile radius of Marion were notified of the robbery, and to be on the lookout for a Nash car with yellow license plates. One report had them heading west on State Route 35, another report had them travelling east through Bluffton, Indiana
at a high rate of speed. A couple from Fairmount, Indiana
reported seeing a car matching that of the robbers at three o'clock, traveling west through Hackelman, Indiana in the direction of Elwood, Indiana
. Grant County
Sheriff Bert Renbarger and his deputies stopped a Nash car matching the description at Sweetser, Indiana
but the occupants were found to be out of town businessmen.
Initial reports indicated that based on the description of the bandits, they were believed to be the same gang who had robbed the Farmers National Bank at Converse, Indiana
the week before. Sheriff Renbarger speculated the robbers might be from South Bend
, Terre Haute
, Chicago, or Logansport
.
While three robbers rushed to the rear of the bank to cover officials, the other three ordered several customers and the cashier to hold up their hands. The leader of the bandits cautioned his associates to listen for an alarm repeatedly. With a revolver near his head, bank President Dunn touched a button on the floor which started a burglar alarm. The bandits immediately ran out the door and sped away with nothing for their effort. The bandits headed north in a Cadillac bearing Indiana license plate 11829 at a high rate of speed.
was robbed of two rifles, two double barreled shot guns, one hammerless double barrel shot gun, two single shot rifles, one Marlin rifle, repeater, two Remington repeating rifles, eight pocket knives, one six inch barrel pistol, one 32 German automatic revolver, about fifty boxes of ammunition, four flashlights, several batteries, and other articles.
Boone County, Indiana
Sheriff Joe C. Cain notified Grant County, Indiana
Sheriff Renbarger of the list of items stolen from the Lebanon
store and stated that the robbers were driving a Moon sedan, with the license 443-554, which was stolen from Indianapolis the night of the Lebanon robbery. The automobile belonged to George W. Killinger, Jr. of 1922 North Pennsylvania street in Indianapolis
and was reported stolen on December 22.
The bandits attempted to lock the cashier and a female employee in the bank vault. Finding that the safe would not work, they began scooping all of the money in sight as well as all the money in sight in the safe, consisting of paper and silver. One of the bandits cautioned bank officials against making false moves under pain of having "hell shot out of them".
After getting all the money in sight, they quickly left the bank and hoped into a waiting automobile, in which the sixth bandit sat, and departed north out of Upland, where it was reported they turned west.
A good description of the men was secured by Deputy Sheriffs John Schell and Woody Smith, who conversed with the six men at a filing station at Highland avenue and Washington streets in Marion
at about 2:30 in the afternoon that day. The men had been asking about the road to Hartford City
and that they desired to find State Road 35.
The men were first noticed in Marion driving a Moon car, bearing the license plat number 443-554, which was seen driving the wrong way around the public square. The license number matched one that had been in town about a week before, when it ran a stop sign at Fourth and Nebraska streets and failed to stop when called on by the police.
Reports indicated that Sherriff Renbarger notified many surrounding cities and Indianapolis, as it was believed that the gang had a headquarters in that city and was the same crowd who attempted to hold up a bank at Noblesville, Indiana
the week before.
The automobile used by the bandits of the Upland State Bank and the Lebanon hardware store was found abandoned in the mud at Kempton, Indiana
on December 27, 1924. Authorities learned at the car became mired in the mud around 7:30 in the evening of December 23. The men walked to a local home and called a garage at Kempton. The garage worker started to take the men to Frankfort, Indiana
at their request. Carrying shotguns, rifles, revolvers and satchels, the men changed their minds and asked to be dropped off at the edge of town at Lebanon, Indiana
. The men told the garage mechanic they had been out hunting and were from Louisville, Kentucky
and wished to get home for Christmas.
No one ever came back for the car, and authorities were notified.
, was arrested by Kokomo, Indiana
police on suspicion of possessing a stolen car. However, the possession of the Ford roadster they were driving was found to be legitimate and they were released.
The cashier of the bank was alone at the time of the robbery. Two and a half miles from Galveston the car was abandoned.
Bridgewater confessed to police that he had obtained an estimated $33,000 in cash and double that amount in securities. He confessed to being implicated in the robberies at Upland, Marion, Kokomo and New Harmony.
At the time of his arrest, police found two army rifles, a shotgun and a revolver with 150 rounds of ammunition in Bridgewater's possession.
Tried at Richmond, Indiana, Judge Earl Keisker gave Bridgewater the mandatory sentence of not less than 10 nor more than 25 years. Bridgewater had to complete the remainder of his original sentence from Howard County Judge Marshall for the South Kokomo Bank robbery, making the minimum sentence 21 years and the maximum of 36 years before he could be paroled.
Bridgewater attempted to bargain with the original judge, Judge Hoelscher, boasting of his knowledge of John Dillinger
and telling how the prison break had denied his receiving parole. When these efforts failed, Bridgewater obtained a change of venue and threw himself on the mercy of Special Judge Kiesker.
Harry Pierpont
Harry Pierpont was a Prohibition era gangster. He is perhaps most noted for being a friend and mentor of John Dillinger....
.
South Marion State Bank, Marion, Indiana, November 26, 1924
At 2:45 in the afternoon of November 26, 1924, seven young, unmasked, well-dressed bandits held up the officers and two customers of the South Marion State Bank at Thirty-first and Washington streets in Marion, IndianaMarion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
, robbing the bank of approximately $4,000.00 in cash. No one was injured, and not a shot was fired. Five men went inside, two stayed outside.
The leader of the gang walked in ahead of the others and ordered "hands up", forcing the cashier and bookkeeper into the vault. According to newspaper accounts, the gang had evidently studied the situation, knew the surroundings, and carried out their job with clockwork precision and uncanny accuracy.
After the robbery, the bandits jumped into a purring Nash
Nash Motors
Also see: Kelvinator and American Motors CorporationNash Motors was an automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1938. From 1938 to 1954, Nash was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation...
motor car and sped off south. Sixteen towns in a fifty-mile radius of Marion were notified of the robbery, and to be on the lookout for a Nash car with yellow license plates. One report had them heading west on State Route 35, another report had them travelling east through Bluffton, Indiana
Bluffton, Indiana
Bluffton is a city in Harrison and Lancaster Townships, Wells County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,897 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wells County.-Geography:Bluffton is located at ....
at a high rate of speed. A couple from Fairmount, Indiana
Fairmount, Indiana
Fairmount is a town in Fairmount Township, Grant County in the east central part of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,992 at the 2000 census. It is ninety kilometers northeast of Indianapolis...
reported seeing a car matching that of the robbers at three o'clock, traveling west through Hackelman, Indiana in the direction of Elwood, Indiana
Elwood, Indiana
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 9,737 people, 3,845 households, and 2,660 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,743.1 people per square mile . There were 4,179 housing units at an average density of 1,177.3 per square mile...
. Grant County
Grant County, Indiana
Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 70,061. The county seat is Marion. Important paleontological discoveries dating from the Pliocene epoch have been made at Pipe Creek Sinkhole in Grant County.-Geography:According to the 2010...
Sheriff Bert Renbarger and his deputies stopped a Nash car matching the description at Sweetser, Indiana
Sweetser, Indiana
Sweetser is a town in Franklin, Pleasant and Richland townships, Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 906 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
but the occupants were found to be out of town businessmen.
Initial reports indicated that based on the description of the bandits, they were believed to be the same gang who had robbed the Farmers National Bank at Converse, Indiana
Converse, Indiana
Converse is a town in Richland Township, Grant County and Jackson Township, Miami County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,148 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Converse is located at ....
the week before. Sheriff Renbarger speculated the robbers might be from South Bend
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, Terre Haute
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, Chicago, or Logansport
Logansport, Indiana
Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,396 at the 2010 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana, at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northeast of Lafayette.-History:...
.
Citizens State Bank, Noblesville, Indiana, December 16, 1924
Just before closing time on December 16, 1924, seven unmasked bandits made an unsuccessful attempt to rob the Citizens State Bank. The bandit's car drove up to the side of the bank and six men leaped to the sidewalk and ran into the building, brandishing revolvers.While three robbers rushed to the rear of the bank to cover officials, the other three ordered several customers and the cashier to hold up their hands. The leader of the bandits cautioned his associates to listen for an alarm repeatedly. With a revolver near his head, bank President Dunn touched a button on the floor which started a burglar alarm. The bandits immediately ran out the door and sped away with nothing for their effort. The bandits headed north in a Cadillac bearing Indiana license plate 11829 at a high rate of speed.
Shelby Hardware Store, Lebanon, Indiana, December 22, 1924
On December 22, 1924, the John D. Shelby Hardware Store of Lebanon, IndianaLebanon, Indiana
Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Indiana, United States. The population was 15,792 at the 2010 census. The city was named Lebanon because a stand of hickory trees on the site reminded one of the town's commissioners of the Biblical cedars of Lebanon...
was robbed of two rifles, two double barreled shot guns, one hammerless double barrel shot gun, two single shot rifles, one Marlin rifle, repeater, two Remington repeating rifles, eight pocket knives, one six inch barrel pistol, one 32 German automatic revolver, about fifty boxes of ammunition, four flashlights, several batteries, and other articles.
Boone County, Indiana
Boone County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,107 people, 17,081 households, and 12,810 families residing in the county. The population density was 109 people per square mile . There were 17,929 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
Sheriff Joe C. Cain notified Grant County, Indiana
Grant County, Indiana
Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 70,061. The county seat is Marion. Important paleontological discoveries dating from the Pliocene epoch have been made at Pipe Creek Sinkhole in Grant County.-Geography:According to the 2010...
Sheriff Renbarger of the list of items stolen from the Lebanon
Lebanon, Indiana
Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Indiana, United States. The population was 15,792 at the 2010 census. The city was named Lebanon because a stand of hickory trees on the site reminded one of the town's commissioners of the Biblical cedars of Lebanon...
store and stated that the robbers were driving a Moon sedan, with the license 443-554, which was stolen from Indianapolis the night of the Lebanon robbery. The automobile belonged to George W. Killinger, Jr. of 1922 North Pennsylvania street in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and was reported stolen on December 22.
Upland State Bank, Upland, Indiana, December 23, 1924
At 3:45 in the afternoon of December 23, 1924, six armed bandits entered the Upland State Bank within fifteen minutes of closing time and robbed the bank of approximately $2500.00The bandits attempted to lock the cashier and a female employee in the bank vault. Finding that the safe would not work, they began scooping all of the money in sight as well as all the money in sight in the safe, consisting of paper and silver. One of the bandits cautioned bank officials against making false moves under pain of having "hell shot out of them".
After getting all the money in sight, they quickly left the bank and hoped into a waiting automobile, in which the sixth bandit sat, and departed north out of Upland, where it was reported they turned west.
A good description of the men was secured by Deputy Sheriffs John Schell and Woody Smith, who conversed with the six men at a filing station at Highland avenue and Washington streets in Marion
Marion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
at about 2:30 in the afternoon that day. The men had been asking about the road to Hartford City
Hartford City, Indiana
Hartford City is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Blackford County. Located in the northeast central portion of the state, the small farming community experienced a 15-year “boom” beginning in the late 1880s...
and that they desired to find State Road 35.
The men were first noticed in Marion driving a Moon car, bearing the license plat number 443-554, which was seen driving the wrong way around the public square. The license number matched one that had been in town about a week before, when it ran a stop sign at Fourth and Nebraska streets and failed to stop when called on by the police.
Reports indicated that Sherriff Renbarger notified many surrounding cities and Indianapolis, as it was believed that the gang had a headquarters in that city and was the same crowd who attempted to hold up a bank at Noblesville, Indiana
Noblesville, Indiana
Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007...
the week before.
The automobile used by the bandits of the Upland State Bank and the Lebanon hardware store was found abandoned in the mud at Kempton, Indiana
Kempton, Indiana
Kempton is a town in Jefferson Township, Tipton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 335 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Kempton is located at ....
on December 27, 1924. Authorities learned at the car became mired in the mud around 7:30 in the evening of December 23. The men walked to a local home and called a garage at Kempton. The garage worker started to take the men to Frankfort, Indiana
Frankfort, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,662 people, 6,279 households, and 4,175 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,240.5 people per square mile . There were 6,682 housing units at an average density of 1,299.6 per square mile...
at their request. Carrying shotguns, rifles, revolvers and satchels, the men changed their minds and asked to be dropped off at the edge of town at Lebanon, Indiana
Lebanon, Indiana
Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Indiana, United States. The population was 15,792 at the 2010 census. The city was named Lebanon because a stand of hickory trees on the site reminded one of the town's commissioners of the Biblical cedars of Lebanon...
. The men told the garage mechanic they had been out hunting and were from Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and wished to get home for Christmas.
No one ever came back for the car, and authorities were notified.
Arrest in Kokomo, Indiana, March 22, 1925
On March 22, 1925, Everrett, along with Harry PierpontHarry Pierpont
Harry Pierpont was a Prohibition era gangster. He is perhaps most noted for being a friend and mentor of John Dillinger....
, was arrested by Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States, Indiana's 13th largest city. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard and Tipton counties....
police on suspicion of possessing a stolen car. However, the possession of the Ford roadster they were driving was found to be legitimate and they were released.
First State Bank of Galveston, Galveston, Indiana, June 6, 1925
On June 6, 1925, three bandits entered the First State Bank of Galveston, Indiana around 9 o'clock and robbed the bank of $3,000. A fourth bandit stayed at the wheel of a Studebaker automobile.The cashier of the bank was alone at the time of the robbery. Two and a half miles from Galveston the car was abandoned.
Arrest in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 19, 1925
Bridgewater managed to allude authorities for several months before being captured by Indianapolis police on June 19, 1925. Arrested along with with Bridgewater was Clinton Simms, 25, and Bridgewater's brother-in-law, William A. Zander.Bridgewater confessed to police that he had obtained an estimated $33,000 in cash and double that amount in securities. He confessed to being implicated in the robberies at Upland, Marion, Kokomo and New Harmony.
At the time of his arrest, police found two army rifles, a shotgun and a revolver with 150 rounds of ammunition in Bridgewater's possession.
Grocery store, Dublin, Indiana, December 21, 1935
On December 21, 1935, Bridgewater along with Clyde Steinbarger and Eugene Dickson, robbed a grocery store in Dublin, Indiana. Witnesses at the trial identified Bridgewater as the trigger man who fired several shots at store employees as they attempted to flee.Tried at Richmond, Indiana, Judge Earl Keisker gave Bridgewater the mandatory sentence of not less than 10 nor more than 25 years. Bridgewater had to complete the remainder of his original sentence from Howard County Judge Marshall for the South Kokomo Bank robbery, making the minimum sentence 21 years and the maximum of 36 years before he could be paroled.
Bridgewater attempted to bargain with the original judge, Judge Hoelscher, boasting of his knowledge of John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
and telling how the prison break had denied his receiving parole. When these efforts failed, Bridgewater obtained a change of venue and threw himself on the mercy of Special Judge Kiesker.