State Exchange Bank of December 29, 1920  

the bank on Dec. 29, 1921…note bullet holes in the windows

At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 29, 1920, robbers staged a bank hold-up.

One of the men shot Jacob Saine, Culver resident who later died of the wounds. Jerome Zechiel was also wounded. Carl Adams twin brother, Earl, another defender on the scene, was not injured.

Three robbers escaped on foot through the basement of the bank.

One bandit who had crossed the street to the Ewald meat market and locked several customers of that store in the ice box after having spraye the bullets that killed Mr. Saine got in the car with the driver of the get-a-way car and the two drov away from the scene. Later the three hold-up men who escaped through the basement were caught.

The driver, named Byer, was apprehended in Knox, Indiana while he was walking into his home.

The bandit who shot Mr. Saine was not caught. On January, 1, 1921, the bandits were moved from the Marshall County jail to the Michigan City detention center as a precautionary move as the citizens of the county were very irate at the intrusion of their world.

The bandits were arraigned on January 8 in Marshall County and were indicted by the Grand Jury on Manslaughter charges.

the getaway car, complete with bullet holes.

On May 18, Clarence Darrow from Chicago, Il, an attorney made famous by the "Monkey Trials" as the dispute concerning the origin of man became known, was named defense attorney for the three men. Even though the nationally known attorney made an impassioned plea for the defendants’ release, the jury brought in a guilty verdict. (Darwin's origin of Species: Man sprung from the monkey, but in this case of the bank robbers, they didn't spring far enough.)

May 20, the judge sentenced them all to life imprisonment. (Please note the short time frame, January to May of the year 1921 to bring the bandits to justice.)

Beyer, the driver of the car who left the scene, was later up for parole Will Osborn was asked if he approved of the man being released. W.O. was reported to have suggested since the boy was only sixteen at the time of the robbery and had been in jail for some time he believed Byer should be released. Mr. O. became Byer's parole officer. Byer moved to Culver, reported to Osborn, even to bringing his bride-to-be in for Will's approval. The young man obtained a loan from State Exchange Bank and never defaulted a payment.