First National Bank, Lamar, CO (Charter 3749)
First National Bank, Lamar, CO (Chartered 1887 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Lamar is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Prowers County, Colorado. Lamar was founded on May 24, 1886 by Issac Holmes. It was named after Lucius Lamar. At the time Lamar was the Secretary of the Interior, but previously he had written the Mississippi Ordinance of Secession, served the Confederacy as an officer and a diplomat. In 1889 Prowers County was established, and Lamar was elected to house the county's government. Throughout its history, Lamar has suffered from fires and floods. The town was also greatly affected by the Dust Bowl. The city population was 7,804 at the 2010 United States Census. In 1890 the population was 566, rapidly expanding in 1910 to 2,977.
Lamar had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and two of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized June 30, 1887
- Chartered July 9, 1887
- Assumed Merchants State Bank 1891
- Bank was Open past 1935
- Merged with Lamar National Bank, Charter 14254 (No Issue) with name change to First National Bank in Lamar, August 1936
On Monday, July 11, 1887, the First National Bank of Lamar opened for business located temporarily in A.D. Rawling’s office. The officers of the bank were J.S. Springer, president; J.H. Holmes, vice president; T.H. Cecil, Cashier; and K.L. Koen, Assistant Cashier. The directors were A.D. Rawling, M.D. Parmenter, J.J. Munger, J.H. Holmes, E.L. Koen, J.S. Springer, Frank Exline and T.H. Cecil.
In March 1891, the officers of the Merchants' State Bank of Lamar were B.B. Brown, president; W.G. Gould, cashier; and E.F. Seeberger, assistant cashier. The directors were B.B. Brown, A.H. Heber, O.G. Hess, A.J. Hoisington, and C.V. Decker. This bank also was the Colorado Office for the American Mortgage Trust Company.
On Monday, July 11, 1891, one of the most important financial deals that ever had taken place in Lamar was perfected, when the two banks were consolidated under the name of the First National Bank. The Merchants State Bank went out of business entirely and was merged into the First National which became one of the strongest financial institutions in the Arkansas Valley. Under the new organization, Mr. B.B. Brown became president and Mr. Markham, cashier. The policy of the bank would be in the future conservative with its attention devoted to the building of Lamar and its business interests and the development of Prowers County so far as it can do so under a policy of strict business principles. Originally from Illinois, Mr. Brown was a passenger conductor for a number of years between Parsons, Kansas and Denison, Texas. He left the railroad service at Denison and came to Colorado about 1887 and opened the Merchants State Bank at Lamar. Mr. Brown was also the editor and proprietor of The Lamar Register.
The First National Bank's report of the bank's condition as of the close of business on July 15, 1891, showed total resources of $101,580.00. The bank had capital stock paid in of $60,000, Surplus of $1,000, undivided profits of $953.03 and $11,250 in national bank notes outstanding. The report was signed by L. Wirt Markham, cashier.
In December 1891, the officers were B.B. Brown, president and W.C. Gould, cashier. The directors were B.B. Brown, L. Wirt Markham, W.C. Gould, E.E. Blakely, and A.N. Parrish.
In January 1900, the officers were B.B. Brown, president; A.N. Parrish, vice president; and W.C. Gould, cashier. The directors were B.B. Brown, T.M. Brown, W.C. Gould, M.D. Thatcher, and A.N. Parrish.
In January 1920, the officers were A.N. Parrish, president; J.H. Thatcher, vice president; and J.F. Maurer, cashier. The directors were John F. Maurer, John H. Thatcher, Lewis Barnum, A.N. Parrish, and G.F. Trotter.
Colorado's biggest robbery, May 23, 1928
On May 23, 1928, gunmen shot up the First National Bank of Lamar, killing two officials and escaping with $218,000 in cash and in Liberty bonds. The robbery was executed in about three minutes. After their gun battle with the two Parrishes, the robbers scooped up the available money and bonds, kidnapped E.A. Kessinger and E.A. Lungren, bank tellers, and sped out of the city in a Buick sedan. Lundgren was dumped out. One of the bandits had been wounded by the older Parrish. The younger Parrish advanced from the rear of the bank possibly to aid his father or to arm himself. He was shot with a bullet in his heart. The older Parrish died of his wounds about two hours after the shooting. A.N. Parrish, president of the bank and his son, John Parrish, cashier; Everett A. Kessinger, teller; and Dr. W.W. Wineinger of Dighton Kansas were the victims of the band. The Parrishes were slain in a gun battle in the bank while Kessinger was kidnapped to be used as a shield from the bullets of pursuers. Dr. Wineinger was abducted from his home at Dighton to treat the wounds of one of the bandits shot by the younger Parrish. The bodies of both Kessinger and Dr. Wineinger were found in secluded spots of the western Kansas badlands. Whether one of the gang died or whether he recovered from the bullet wound suffered in the gun battle in the bank was unknown. However, Police believed that he probably died after Dr. Wineinger was kidnapped to attend him and that the bandits incensed over his death killed the physician.
After taking care of the wounded robber, the physician was killed. They pushed the doctor's car over a cliff with their shoulders to avoid leaving fingerprints. An airplane located Dr. Wineinger's wrecked auto. No prints were on the body of the car, but a single clear print near the top of the glass was found. Months passed and finally the print found was matched to a man arrested at Stockton, California by the name of W.H. Holden. His record showed he had served time in Oklahoma and at times he had given his name as Jake Fleagle. The Fleagle's Kansas post office box was watched and a letter postmarked Kankakee, Illinois and written by Ralph Fleagle arrived. Ralph was arrested in Illinois, but Jake escaped. Taken back to Colorado, information was obtained from Ralph and Abshier was arrested in Grand Junction, Colorado and Royston in California. All three confessed to the robbery and their trials were a mere formality.
By August 1929, 128 arrests had been made in connection with the robbery. Two-thirds of this number were behind bars for one crime or another. Peace officers and prosecutors were seeking one more--Jake Fleagle at whose father's ranch the criminals were thought to hide after their escape from a great dragnet thrown over southeastern Colorado and western Kansas by sheriffs' officers, National Guardsmen and citizens.
On July 18, 1930, Howard L. Royston and George J. Abshier (Messick was one of several of his aliases), members of the Lamar bank robbery gang were resigned as they faced execution that night at the state penitentiary in Canon City. Barring a remote possibility that a reprieve might be granted at the last moment, the execution would be held that night. Their only hope for deferring the death sentence lie in willingness to tell everything they knew of unlawful enterprises in which they or the Fleagle brothers, Ralph and Jake, may have engaged. Ralph Fleagle was hung the week prior on July 10th for his part in the Lamar robbery and Jake Fleagle was the object of a nation-wide search as the fourth member of the gang.
Ralph Fleagle conceived the idea of robbing the Lamar bank years in advance of the actual holdup. Working with his brother, Jake, who was still at liberty, Ralph made his headquarters at the "horseless horse ranch" in western Kansas, a ranch owned by the Fleagle family and used as a hideout by Ralph and Jake and their accomplices. Before the 1928 holdup, Ralph and Jake enlisted the aid of Howard Royston, a California cement worker, and George J. Abshier, an itinerant of western Colorado because they believed it would be a big job requiring at least four men to bring it to conclusion. The gang made several trips to the bank always ready for the holdup, but would not strike until conditions were favorable. On May 23, there were only a few persons in the bank when at one o'clock the gang entered and ordered everyone to throw their hands up. Instead of obeying orders, A.N. Parrish, president of the bank seized a gun and began firing. There followed a sharp exchange of shots and in the melee Parrish was fatally wounded, his son J.F. Parrish, cashier, killed and Royston was shot through the jaw.
On October 14, 1930, a capital D in the handwriting of William Harrison “Jake” Fleagle led to his demise. On July 6, 1930, Jake addressed a letter to Governor W.H. Adams of Colorado pleading for clemency for his brother, Ralph, who awaited death in the Colorado state penitentiary. From the letter authorities seized upon the very first letter D in the salutation: “Dear Sir." From the downward perpendicular stroke, Fleagle’s curve for the “D” was exceedingly high creating an unmistakable characteristic in handwriting. Compared with samples of Fleagle’s handwriting obtained from effects at the Feagle family ranch in Kansas the same characteristic was noted in every letter. This was all authorities had to work on, but it ended the most sensational manhunt in western criminal history. The post office department wanting Fleagle for postal robberies on the west coast renewed its efforts for his capture. Circulars of Jake's handwriting were mailed to all postal employees. Finally, one of Fleagle's letters was detected on the Carthage, Missouri to Newport, Arkansas run of a mail train. Other letters followed and Fleagle had been definitely placed. The stage was set for his ultimate capture. George J. Abshier and Howard L. Royston who with Ralph Fleagle were hanged for their part in the Lamar killing had promised to aid authorities to Jake's capture provided they were granted a 60-day reprieve. Governor Adams refused to interfere and rejected a final plea made by the Colorado Bankers’ Association the night of the executions. The only clue left seemed to be Jake Fleagle’s handwriting and remote though it was, it accomplished what other clues had failed to do. Various rewards had been posted for Jake's capture and at one point totaled $35,000. Colorado was the first to post its offer of $4,000 for his return dead or alive. On October 14, eight officers were aboard a train that paused at Branson, Missouri. They were hunting Jake, but intended to search farther south. One saw a man with particularly large ears standing on the station platform. It was Jake. Refusing to surrender Jake Fleagle went for his gun but was shot. Fleagle died a few hours later in Springfield, Missouri. The day after, his brother Fred was acquitted of robbing the First National Bank of Larned, Kansas.
Merger with The Lamar National Bank
On Saturday, March 28, 1936, a merger that absorbed Lamar's oldest and most historic business house and opened the largest banking firm in a 150-mile radius was completed with the combination of the First National Bank and the Lamar National Bank, Charter 14254. Gale A. Lee was president of the new bank. On August 15, 1936, this institution's name was changed to First National Bank in Lamar.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The First National Bank of Lamar, CO
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $247,740 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1887 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 27,190 notes (24,380 large size and 2,810 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 3073 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 504 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 250 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1260 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1261 - 2268 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 316 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 106 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 206 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 72
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1887 - 1936):
Presidents:
- Josiah Squire Springer, 1887-1890
- Benjamin B. Brown, 1891-1914
- Welley C. Gould, 1915-1915
- Benjamin B. Brown, 1916-1916
- Amos Newton Parrish, 1917-1928
- Raymond C. Thatcher, 1928-1935
Cashiers:
- Thomas H. Cecil, 1887-1890
- Lincoln Wirt Markham, 1891-1891
- Welley C. Gould, 1891-1914
- John Francis Maurer, 1915-1915
- Welley C. Gould, 1916-1916
- John Francis Maurer, 1917-1921
- John W. Young, 1922-1922
- John Festus Parrish, 1923-1928
- James Cleo Goudy, 1928-1935
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Lamar, CO, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar,_Colorado
- Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
- Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- Bent County Register, Lamar, CO, Sat., July 16, 1887.
- The Lamar Register, Lamar, CO, Sat., Mar. 7, 1891.
- The Lamar Register, Lamar, CO, Sat., July, 18, 1891.
- The Lamar Register, Lamar, CO, Sat., Dec. 26, 1891.
- The Lamar Register, Lamar, CO, Wed., Jan. 31, 1900.
- The Lamar Register, Lamar, CO, Wed., May 1, 1918.
- The Lamar Register, Lamar, CO, Wed., Jan. 7, 1920.
- The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO, Thu., May 24, 1928.
- Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, CO, Thu., Jan. 24, 1929.
- Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, CO, Sun., Aug 4, 1929.
- The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO, Fri., July 11, 1930.
- Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, CO, Fri., July 18, 1930.
- Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, CO, Tue., Oct. 14, 1930.
- Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, CO, Fri., Oct. 31, 1930.
- The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO, Mon., Feb. 12, 1951.
- Van Buskirk, Kathleen, "Outlaw for My Neighbor: The Jake Fleagle Story," White River Valley Historical Quarterly, Vol. 7(1), 1979.