Fostoria Banked on Excitement When Dillinger Gave Robbery His Best Shot
May 5, 1996 article one

PIX#1 - This postcard of the Union National Bank depicts the old First National Bank building much as it looked on May 3, 1934 when John Dillinger came to Fostoria with bank robbery on his mind. This week is the 62nd anniversary of the heist. Many thanks to Ray Dell for the use of his postcard.

The two men had overcoats slung over their arms to conceal their machine guns when they entered Fostoria’s First National Bank on the northwest corner of Main and Tiffin Sts. It was May 3, 1934. John Dillinger had come to town.

That spring Dillinger and his gang were in the midst of an orgy of bank robberies throughout the midwest that would eventually net them over $300,000 in ill-gotten gains. Fostoria was one of the gang’s last targets.

Dillinger and his redheaded henchman, Homer Van Meter, one of the gang’s deadliest machine gunners, entered the bank lobby through Orwig’s Drug Store, located in the bank building lobby’s south side. Ralph Orwig was talking with Bert Miller when they say gangsters stride silently through the store, but thought nothing of it at the time.

Dillinger and Van Meter headed for the tellers and ordered, “Everyone out of their cages!”

Ruth Harris, a 21 year old bank employee, recalled, “We thought it was a joke.” The robbers removed the coats so everyone could see there was no joke. Bank president Andrew Emerine had revolvers placed at each window for just such an emergency.

Teller Chester Lust went for his weapon, but a poke from the butt of Van Meter’s weapon gave him pause to reconsider.

Ruth Harris said, “They were the most collected, coolest individuals I think I’ve ever seen, considering they were robbing a bank.”

In the bank at the time were Emerine; bank employees Harris, Bill Daub, R.S. Powley, Ralph Barbour, Chester Lust, Ross Ewen and Alberta Foos; and customers Frances Billyard, James Decker and Mrs. Ada Dalton of Risingsun.

Dillinger cased the bank well. It was close to three o’clock, the hour when the vault’s timelock would open. Dillinger and Van Meter cleaned out the tellers’ drawers, stuffing the money into sacks from an Arkansas rice company.

Unnoticed by the gunmen, Frances Billyard slipped out of the bank and went looking for Fostoria Police Chief Frank Culp who made a point of being on Main St. on foot each day around three.

By now the commotion had attracted the attention of others in the building. People from the mezzanine floor began to come down to see what was going on. At this point Dillinger and Van Meter opened up with their artillery, spraying the lobby and mezzanine.

Dillinger smashed the glass door to the vault area and forced Emerine to enter the vault with him. When they exited, Emerine was toting a money sack and a box of cash and bonds.

Each bandit seized a hostage. Dillinger took Bill Daub. Van Meter grabbed Ruth Harris. At this point, Chief Culp and Officer Louis Stagger attempted to enter the bank lobby through Harding’s Jewelry Store which occupied the north side of the bank lobby. They hoped to use the elevator as cover, but it had been taken to the second floor.

Dillinger and Van Meter opened fire on the Fostoria lawmen, hitting Culp in the chest. Culp and Stagger couldn’t return fire because of the gansters’ human shields. The policemen retreated to Harding’s where Culp slumped in a chair. He ordered Stagger to return to the station for a “riot gun.”

In the 30's there were several hardware stores downtown and most sold guns. By now word of the robbery had spread and hardware store owners were distributing guns and ammunition to anyone who knew how to use them in an attempt to apprehend or cut down the robbers.

The outlaws evacuated the bank through Orwig’s. When they reached the street, they held their hostages in front of them and sprayed Main St. with a hail of bullets.

Police officers, firefighters and citizens drew beads on the bandits as they made for their getaway car, a black Ford, parked on Tiffin St. None fired because of Harris and Daub.

Dillinger and Van Meter forced Emerine to put the loot on the car floor. Harris and Daub were made to stand on the running boards while the robbers sped off down W. Tiffin St. with Van Meter continuing to pour lead out the back of the car.

The robbery took a mere 20 minutes. Dillinger had left First National Bank light by $17,299.

Meanwhile Chief Culp was paying the price for his heroic attempt to quell the hold-up. He was taken to Fostoria City Hospital and attended by Dr. James Murphy. The bullet had injured a lung, crushed one rib and lodged under another.” Culp was too weak to attempt removal of the bullet right away and his survival was in doubt.

The Chief’s daughters, Emily and Ruth, surgical nurses in Cleveland, rushed to Fostoria to tend to their father.

Culp eventually made a complete recovery. He retired from the police force in November 1934. In 1935 he was elected mayor, serving one term. He passed away in 1950 at age 84.

Dillinger and Van Meter turned north on Union St., took a left at Culbertson and lit out Perrysburg Rd. (199) to Stearns Corners and headed west. The route evidenced bandit cunning. Many folks thought Fostoria immune to bank robbery because the frequent trains would block a quick escape.

The route Dillinger chose was the only one that got them out of town with no chance of an unwelcome train. When the stickup men hit Perrysburg Rd., they dumped roofing nails out of the car to slow the pursuit. The gunmen reportedly reached speeds of 70 mph.

Pursuit was coming hard. Auto dealer Willis Hakes gave Stagger and Bailiff Morton Craun a car with his nephew, Vernon Rinehard, as driver and they began the chase. West of Stearns Corners the robbers headed across a field. Rinehard, Stagger and Craun couldn’t negotiate the turn and lost the trail.

Harris and Daub held on for dear life while the outlaws careened out of Fostoria at high speed. Miss Harris recalled that Van Meter had a vicious grip on her wrist to keep her from falling off the running board. He pulled her hear inside the car.

Near Stearns Corners, Dillinger and Van Meter slowed down and let the hostages jump off. Ruth Harris fainted and when she came to, she and Daub were in Sage Whitman’s hog laden truck. Whitman drove the terrified pair back to town where, once they recovered their composure, they helped tally the bank’s losses.

In addition to Chief Culp, several others suffered gunshot wounds. William Feasel a 67