Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 121, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1909 — BOLD BANDIT KILLS BANK CASHIER AT NEW ALBANY. [ARTICLE]

BOLD BANDIT KILLS BANK CASHIER AT NEW ALBANY.

Lone Handed Desperado Captured After Long Chase and Taken to Reformatory to Prevent Lynching. J. Ifangary Fawcett, cashier of the Merchants National Bank, of New Albany, Ind., was murdered, and John K. Woodward, the president of the bank, and James R. Tucker, a negro chauffeur, were perhaps fatally wounded Thursday at about eleven o’clock in the morning. The murderer was identified after his capture as Thomas Jefferson Hall, son of a second hand furniture dealer of Louisville, and only 17 years of age. His mental food seems to have been dime novels and he entered the bank to rob it. After killing the bank cashier and wounding the president the young bandit ran out in front of the bank and entered an automobile that he had stolen at Louisville. He ordered the colored chauffeur to hasten away with him, but the darkey was too scared to move and the bandit jumped from the machine and fired a bullet through the chauffeur’s body. He then ran to the river and appropriated a skift, but before he could row to the Kentucky side officers had secured a motor boat and thus effected his capture. A mob of some two hundred infuriated citizens of New Albany met the boat when it returned and there were loud cries demanding that he be lynched, but the Chief of Police resorted to a clever ruse to prevent the summary punishment. He commanded Hall to lie down in the boat and then told the mob that Hall had ’taken poison and suicided. He had two of his officers carry Hall out and in that way got him into an ambulance and then he was taken to the reformatory at Jeffersonville for safe keeping.