‘Twas two nights before Christmas and the bank was being robbed. They were told to keep quiet but some customers still sobbed. Four men with guns had entered, and one dressed as Saint Nick. Though this Santa wasn’t jolly, in fact he was a prick.
“Hands up” yelled the bandits and the teller did comply. She knew if she resisted, that she would surely die. Bang, clank went the bank’s safe, the robbers had broken in. And filling Santa’s sack full, they scarpered with a grin.
Some words just don’t rhyme.
1927 Isthmus: The Story of When Santa Claus Very Nearly Stole Christmas
Welcome one and all to this very special Christmas edition of the Casual Criminalist. In today’s light hearted episode we will be talking about that most christmassy of topics, bank robbery. So get comfy, have a sip of your favourite tipple and allow me to spin you a yarn about that one time Santa and his elves robbed a bank in Texas.
All I Want for Christmas is Money
It’s December, 1927: the golden age of bank robbery. The infamous John Dillinger was robbing his way all around Texas and at this point in history, bank robbery had become something of a national pastime in the US. The problem was so bad that the Texas Bankers Association had an offer of $5,000 to anyone that killed a fleeing bank robber.
We find the protagonist of today’s story, Marshall Ratliff, living in a boarding house in the small Texas town of Wichita Falls. One week earlier, Ratliff had been released from prison after serving only 19 months of a 19 year sentence for bank robbery. Following this robbery he had hidden out in a small town called Cisco, but had been tracked down by the town Sheriff, one G.E. Bedford.
Despite, or perhaps because of, his very early release from a sentence that would’ve taken some of the best years of his life, Ratliff wasn’t in a reformed kind of mood.
After leaving prison, Ratliff had sought out his three accomplices to the robbery for which he had been convicted, finding two of them in Wichita Falls and only a week after his release, he was already planning his next robbery and had already chosen the next location. While hiding out in Cisco, the town where he was captured, Ratliff had spied a mighty fine looking bank. For whatever reason, it had stuck with him during prison and it would be here that he would commit the crimes for which he is known.
The two accomplices he found in Wichita Falls were Henry Helms, the getaway driver and Robert Hill the firearms expert. The third, the safe cracker, had been Ratliff’s brother, Lee, but he was now in prison on an unrelated offence. It just so happened that a relative of Henry Helms, Louis Davis, knew a good bit about picking locks, and was looking for some extra cash around Christmas time. And as we all know, compromise is the key to success and Ratliff was in no mood to let small things like good planning get in the way of his plan.
As such, the list of preparations went as follows: Get guns, get a first aid kit… That’s it. Robert Hill supplied the ammo, five pistols and two machine guns that they armed themselves with and Henry Helms would acquire the car.
As the day approached Ratliff, in all his omniscience, spotted a flaw in their meticulous plan. What if he was spotted by the Sheriff on his way into town? This might spell the undoing of all their hard work and must be avoided. So his solution to being spotted was… to wear a stolen Santa Suit… in broad daylight… two days before Christmas.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
On the morning of the 23rd the crew were ready to put their ‘plan’ into action. Ratliff, dressed as Santa, left the boarding house, with his elves in tow, ready to spread the Christmas cheer. Henry Helms was waiting outside the boarding house, with a stolen vehicle. After loading their provisions, the crew piled into the four door sedan and set off on the two hour journey that would bring them to the Cisco First National Bank.
It’s shocking to think that at no point during this two hour car journey, not one of them looked around and thought that this was perhaps a bad plan.
Several blocks from the bank Ratliff exited the car, swung his empty sack over his shoulder, and began making his merry way down the road. In a twist that I’m sure all of us could have seen coming, local children spotted jolly old St Nick striding down the street. Mall Santas weren’t yet commonplace, so seeing Santa walking up the street two days before Christmas was kind of a big deal. Soon Ratliff found himself mobbed by children, eager to meet Santa.
To his credit, Santa played his part well, laughing, answering the kids’ questions and patting them on the head. After shaking most of the kids off, Santa continued to make his way into the centre of town, meeting his elves in the alleyway adjacent to the bank.
Santa was the first in the bank, still followed by several children who wanted to see where Santa was going. Upon his arrival, there were several chuckles from the bank staff and patrons. A bank cashier that was free, gave a friendly ‘Hello Santa,’ but received no response. Robert Hill was the next to enter, brandishing his pistol at the cashier, and yelling to put her hands up.
Shortly after Henry Helms and Louis Davis followed him in, both wielding pistols. Then Santa reached under his shirt, extricating two 9mm pistols from his rotund belly.
Santa then moved to the cashiers desk, forcing his way through the partition and bringing Louis Davis with him. Once in the partitioned area Ratliff told Davis to start working on the vault door before turning his gun on the teller and telling them to open the safe. Meanwhile Hill kept an eye on all the customers and clerks while Helms watched for a police response.
In all of the kerfuffle and unbeknownst to Santa and his Elves, a woman, Mrs. B. Blassengame and her daughter, Frances, had heard that Santa was in town and had been spotted entering the bank. The pair entered the bank from a back entrance that led onto the alley, where the gang had parked their car.
It was only after they had entered that they observed the robbery taking place. Immediately Mrs. Blassengame grabbed Frances and tried to escape back the way she came. As she turned the robbers spotted her and yelled out for her to stop but she ignored them, carrying her daughter as she went.
One of the bandits gave chase, but by the time he had made it into the alley, she had already turned the corner and was out of sight.
Back in the bank Ratliff was made aware that the woman had gotten away and figured that the police wouldn’t be long from arriving. Growing impatient with his safe cracker, who was still struggling with the bank’s vault, he once again turned his guns on the bank teller and asked if she knew how to open it, which she did. After a moment they had broken in and began filling Santa’s sack with their ill gotten loot.
Meanwhile Mrs. Blassengame was running the entire distance to the town hall, screaming the words, “They’re robbing the Bank!” as she went. This of course caught the attention of a great many people, who were out doing their Christmas shopping, including the town Sheriff, G.
E. ‘Bit’ Bedford, the same sheriff that had tracked Ratliff down the previous year. Sheriff Bedford was a giant of man, thickset and a veteran of the police force. Immediately hearing the cries of the distressed Mrs.
Blassengame, he jumped up from his desk, grabbed a riot gun and gathered his two deputies around him, R. T. Redies and George Carmichael. He instructed Redies and Carmichael to cover the back exits to the bank while he would approach from the front.
Meanwhile Ratliff and co had nearly emptied the vault and had armed themselves for a shootout, retrieving the machine guns that had been stowed in the car. The police were yet to arrive at the scene but the robbers had noticed that they had a far larger problem than police to deal with, that being the inhabitants of Cisco itself. Remember that $5,000 reward (worth about $85,000 today) for shooting a fleeing robber? Well the townsfolk of Cisco were keen to get that juicy payout for Christmas and had flocked to the bank upon hearing Mrs.
Blassengame’s cries. This being Texas, all of them were already armed. So by the time the sheriff and his deputies had arrived there was a crowd of armed civilians waiting already outside the bank.
Don’t Shoot Me Santa
Things had gone downhill like a proverbial snowball, for Santa and his elves. Tensions within the bank were raised to boiling point when Ratliff’s nemesis, Marshall Bedford, arrived on the scene. Before any of the bandits had even discussed a new plan of escape, the shooting had begun, and once it had begun, it didn’t stop. The street that was, just 15 minutes earlier, bustling with families and good will, turned into a GTA mission.
At first, it was just a few shots from the police officers and the public, then Ratliff fired into the bank ceiling to show that they were armed. At the same time, Richard Hill was checking to see if the back alley was clear but he was met by the sheriff’s deputies, who opened fire when they saw him. Hill, who was now duel wielding his own pistols, returned fire. At the sounds of the gun battle raging in the back alley, all hell broke loose at the front of the Bank.
Santa and his remaining elves found themselves pinned down under a hailstorm of bullets.
The ensuing pandemonium gave cover for a postmaster within the bank to grab a hidden rifle and also open fire on the robbers, who returned fire on him. Louis Davis was shot in the shoulder and the postmaster was shot in the leg. As more and more bullets poured into the bank, civilian casualties began to pile up: a cashier was hit in the jaw by a stray bullet and a customer was hit in the leg. Under cover of confusion, another bank customer was able to slip out the front door and inform the sheriff that Santa had taken two little girls hostage, Laverne Comer (12) and Emma May Robertson (10).
Eventually Ratliff ordered all of those that remained in the bank to exit via the back alley, where the car was waiting. As the hostages poured out, several more civilian casualties were sustained by stray bullets from both the general public and the deputies that were waiting in the alley. For their part Ratliff and his elves waited for the hostages to clear the alley before making their exit.
Seeing the crowd of hostages leaving the alley, Sheriff Bedford ran around to the alley entrance and spotted the robbers making their way to their car. At the same time the last of their hostages cleared out and the two deputies got a clear shot. All three officers opened fire at the same time, seemingly unconcerned or unaware that Santa’s little human shields were still in the firing line.
In the ensuing shootout, Deputy Carmichael was fatally shot. Seeing this, his partner, Officer Redies, ran over to where his comrade had fallen and tried to revive him. The crew had almost made it to the car when they saw that Sheriff Bedford had placed himself right in the middle of their escape route and was firing on them with his shotgun. As the battle raged on, several armed civilians joined in at either end of the alley. The absolute chaos of the situation meant that nobody really knew who or where to shoot.
By the time the shooting was over, six civilians had been wounded, Louis Davis had been severely wounded, Ratliff had been shot in the leg and the chin, and Sheriff Bedford had been shot five times before finally going down. The robbers managed to make their escape but it would be foolish to think that they were out of the woods. They had just turned this quiet Texan street into a war zone, shot the sheriff, shot the deputy, robbed the bank, besmirched the good name of Santa Claus and, to top it all off, completely ruined Christmas. There was absolutely no way the townsfolk were going to let this go unanswered.
After doing what he could for his dying partner, Officer Redies attempted to pursue Santa’s sleigh on foot before being picked up by a member of the angry mob that had formed.
Now… I know hindsight is 20/20 and all, but I feel that some of this chaos could have been avoided with better planning. Such as remembering to fill the car up with fuel… which they forgot to do, a matter that was made worse when a member of the angry mob shot out their tires. In spite of all their excellent planning, it was clear that their current plan was untenable and the crew abandoned their car. Carjacking a passing vehicle, driven by a 14 year old—because the past.
Vacating his car he managed to not become another inadvertent victim of the mob as he went. The robbers loaded the injured Louis into the Oldsmobile, packed their money into the boot, jumped in and then realised that the driver had taken the keys with him. I feel the phrase comedy of errors comes to mind.
In a last ditch attempt to flee, they got out of the Oldsmobile and returned to their original car. Davis had passed out from blood loss by now and had to be left behind. The remaining three robbers and two hostages got back into their car and managed to get it moving again.
Soon they had left the majority of the mob behind but they were still being pursued by several trucks. The chase continued down the highway for several miles, all the while exchanging shots, and concluded when the crew turned down a dirt road and began throwing roofing nails out the shattered back window. This allowed them to lose their pursuers when they threw their battered car off-road into a thicket of undergrowth.
Which was just as well because less than a mile later their car finally bit the desert dust. Not only had the Texas mob turned the exterior panelling into something resembling Swiss cheese, the fuel tank had been entirely ripped apart and the tires had been reduced to filly little decorations on the hub caps.
As they extricated themselves from the car, I’d imagine they were feeling a little shell shocked. However it was worth it and they had gotten what they came for: they had managed to steal $12,400 in cash and $150,000 dollars of negotiable securities, worth a collective $2.2 million today. A pretty good haul that they had absolutely not just left behind in the boot of the Oldsmobile.
An Unmerry Little Christmas
Yes that’s right—they had gone through all that and left the bloody money behind. At first, when the police found the sack of money along with the dying accomplice, they gave up the search, giving the remaining bandits time to distance themselves. They managed to lay low as the search began to ramp up. As news spread, law enforcement from all over the state converged on the area to assist with the search.
Still the group remained unfound through the night and managed to steal another car from a small family farm the following morning, taking another hostage in the process. As they drove away in their commandeered vehicle the father of the hostage saw what was happening and shot at the fleeing vehicle but missed the robbers and hit his son.
And if you needed any more evidence that these were perhaps the stupidest criminals we have ever featured, following another night in the Texas wilderness they decided to return to Cisco on Christmas day. Somehow, nobody recognised the group that had robbed them just two days before. They stayed just long enough to get some fuel, supplies and hopefully some soap before leaving the town. With the option to put some serious distance between them and the ones searching for them, our band of boneheaded bandits decided to drive 45 minutes down the road and then settle into a boarding house for the night.
The following day they were leaving the town when they ran into a police checkpoint. Seeing three heavily armed men sitting in a stolen car, the police rightly suspected something was up and tried to arrest them. They were having none of it and drove away, leading to another police chase that ended when the gang drove into an oil field and crashed into an oil derrick.
They once again abandoned their car and fled on foot but this time they wouldn’t make it far. The officer pursuing them was Deputy Sheriff Cy Bradford, a seasoned veteran of the Texas Rangers and one of the best shots on the whole force. Getting out, he loaded his shotgun that, I shit you not, he had named ‘Old Betsy’ and levelled her—it—at the fleeing bandits.
Bang, the first went down. He reloaded, took aim and bang, the second went down. Reloaded again, took aim and bang, the third went down.
The first two had been Helms and Hill, who hadn’t been hit until now and were still strong enough to get up and hide in a nearby forest before Bradford could get another shot off. Ratliff, who had sustained no fewer than six gunshot wounds, was unable to move himself and was arrested at the scene.
Last Christmas
Thanks to the wrath of Old Betsy, Helms and Hill weren’t going to make it far and got tracked down in a town called Graham. By now they were so exhausted that they didn’t even put up a fight, simply submitting to the arresting officers. Ratliff was joined in hospital by his companions and all three men made a full recovery. Each would face trial as soon as they were fit to do so.
Helms was the second to recover and the second to stand trial. He was identified by witnesses inside the bank as the man who shot Sheriff Bedford and Deputy Carmichael. After unsuccessfully pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, the judge convicted him of murder of an officer of the law and sentenced him to death by electric chair in February of 1928. His sentence was carried out on September 9th, 1929.
Richard Hill was the third to stand trial and pled guilty to armed robbery, taking the stand against himself. He was convicted on all charges and spared the death penalty, instead being given a 99+ years sentence to be served in maximum security prison. He managed to escape three times in the coming years but was recaptured every time. After the third attempt he calmed down and became a model prisoner, being paroled in 1948.
Following parole he moved to a different part of the United States, changed his name and went on to become a reformed and productive member of society, dying in 1994.
Louis Davis died in hospital several days after the robbery. When speaking to police he stated his only reason for joining the crew was to have a little extra money for Christmas.
Sheriff Bedford died 12 hours after the robbers fled and Deputy Carmichael died several weeks after, due to complications with his treatment.
In spite of being shot six times, Ratliff was the first of the robbers to recover and the first to stand trial. There was some doubt as to whether his case would see a conviction, seeing as Ratliff was wearing a disguise the entire time. However, that little badass he took hostage saw to it that he didn’t get away: 10-year-old Emma Robinson testified, identifying Ratliff as the man dressed up as Santa Claus.
He pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to 99+ years in prison for armed robbery. Many were upset with this verdict as they wanted him to get the death penalty but there was insufficient evidence to convict him for the death of the Sheriff.
Ratliff wasn’t happy with his sentence though and appealed several months later, going for an insanity defence. Not only did this not work but when the judge re-evaluated his case he found that there was enough evidence to prove that Ratliff did indeed have a hand in the murder of the Sheriff and changed the sentence to death by electric chair. The original date had to be postponed to the 18th of November because Ratliff had to settle a lawsuit regarding the attempted carjacking of Woodrow Wilson’s Oldsmobile, a transpiration that infuriated the general public.
As his execution began to draw near and for reasons only known to him, Ratliff began to feign paralysis. He managed to convince his jailers that he was indeed paralysed and they began having to feed and bathe him. His execution was to take place in a small jail where he was being held and not an actual prison—because Texas, I guess.
This meant that many of the townsfolk who were eager to see him executed could literally see it happening through a window. As his executioners began moving him to the chair, Ratliff seized his final opportunity. Jumping out of his chair he grabbed a revolver from the desk near his cell, shooting one of his jailers.
Turning his sights onto the other, he aimed but the jailer rushed Ratliff and managed to avoid getting shot before slamming him to the ground and beating him unconsi—I mean restraining him. All of this was witnessed by the spectating crowd who were unable to intervene thanks to the jail’s locked door.
Because of the death of one of the jailers, Ratliff’s execution had to be postponed again and the public were now at breaking point. The following morning, on the 19th of November, a crowd began to form outside the jail and by nightfall it had swollen to nearly 2,000 people, all clamouring for Ratliff’s blood. Finally their restraint broke and the mob forced their way into the jail. They found the keys and dragged Ratliff out into the street, binding him with ropes and carrying him to an empty lot behind the local theatre.
There the crowd threw a rope over a telephone wire, tied a noose into it and strung Ratliff up. He was let down several times, once when the knot came undone, before finally being left to hang until dead. His last words were “Forgive me boys.”
Wrap Up
So remember this, my criminologically inclined friends, that when Santa comes to town, it may be for his own ends. He may be robbing the bank or just stealing the good will, doing it for the money or perhaps just for the thrill. Usually he brings gifts but occasionally he will not, and that may just be the year you have to call in the SWAT. So leave out some warm milk and remember your stocking—you don’t want to make a mistake when Santa comes knocking.
Thank you for joining us on this not so lighthearted tale; there’s just no christmassy way of recounting a lynching unfortunately. However I still hope you enjoyed and whether you celebrate around this time of year or not, I bid you some good rest over this holiday period and I wish you all a very Happy New Year.
Key Takeaways
- Marshall Ratliff led a 1927 Texas bank robbery dressed as Santa Claus, just one week after early release from a 19-year prison sentence.
- The poorly planned heist devolved into a massive shootout involving police, armed civilians, and hostages, killing two officers and wounding multiple people.
- The gang accidentally left their $2.2 million haul behind in a carjacked vehicle, then compounded errors by returning to the robbed town on Christmas Day.
- Ten-year-old hostage Emma Robinson identified Ratliff as Santa, leading to convictions; Helms was executed, Hill paroled in 1948, and Davis died from wounds.
- Ratliff’s death sentence was postponed twice before an enraged mob of 2,000 stormed the jail and lynched him on November 19, 1927.
Dana Ortiz covers prosecutorial mechanics, evidentiary procedure, and how investigations unwind decades after the original case file went cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the mastermind behind the Santa Claus bank robbery?
Marshall Ratliff was the mastermind behind the Santa Claus bank robbery. He had been released from prison just one week earlier after serving only 19 months of a 19-year sentence for a previous bank robbery.
Why did Ratliff decide to wear a Santa Claus suit during the robbery?
Ratliff wore a stolen Santa suit because he was worried about being spotted by Sheriff G.E. Bedford, who had tracked him down the previous year. He thought the disguise would prevent him from being recognized on his way into town.
Who were the four members of the robbery crew?
The four members were Marshall Ratliff (the leader, dressed as Santa), Henry Helms (the getaway driver), Robert Hill (the firearms expert), and Louis Davis (a relative of Helms who knew about picking locks and replaced Ratliff’s imprisoned brother Lee as the safe cracker).
How did the townspeople of Cisco find out about the robbery?
Mrs. B. Blassengame and her daughter Frances entered the bank through a back entrance, saw the robbery taking place, and escaped. Mrs. Blassengame then ran to the town hall screaming ‘They’re robbing the Bank!’ which alerted the townspeople, including Sheriff G.E. ‘Bit’ Bedford.
What was the Texas Bankers Association’s policy regarding bank robbers at this time?
The Texas Bankers Association had an offer of $5,000 (worth about $85,000 today) to anyone who killed a fleeing bank robber. This incentive caused armed townsfolk to flock to the bank when they heard about the robbery.
What happened to the money the robbers stole?
The robbers accidentally left all the money behind. They had stolen $12,400 in cash and $150,000 in negotiable securities, but after carjacking a 14-year-old’s Oldsmobile, they packed the money into the boot and then realized the driver had taken the keys. They returned to their original car and left the money behind. Police later found the sack of money with the dying Louis Davis.
What were the fates of the four robbers?
Louis Davis died in hospital several days after the robbery. Henry Helms was convicted of murdering an officer and executed by electric chair on September 9, 1929. Robert Hill was convicted of armed robbery, sentenced to 99+ years, escaped three times, but was eventually paroled in 1948 and became a reformed member of society. Marshall Ratliff was initially sentenced to 99+ years, but after an unsuccessful insanity appeal, his sentence was changed to death by electric chair.
However, he was ultimately lynched by a mob on November 19, 1928 before the execution could take place.
How was Ratliff identified as Santa Claus despite wearing a disguise?
Ten-year-old Emma Robinson, one of the hostages Ratliff had taken, testified at his trial and identified him as the man dressed up as Santa Claus.
What happened during Ratliff’s attempted escape from jail before his scheduled execution?
Ratliff had been faking paralysis and convinced his jailers to feed and bathe him. As executioners moved him to the electric chair, he jumped up, grabbed a revolver from a desk near his cell, and shot one jailer. He aimed at another jailer, but the jailer rushed him, avoided being shot, and restrained him. This was witnessed by a crowd outside the jail window.
How did the law enforcement officers fare during the shootout?
Deputy George Carmichael was fatally shot during the alley shootout. Sheriff G.E. Bedford was shot five times before finally going down and died 12 hours after the robbers fled. Deputy R.T. Redies survived. Deputy Sheriff Cy Bradford later apprehended three of the fleeing robbers by shooting them with his shotgun ‘Old Betsy.‘
Sources
- Original Casual Criminalist video: The Christmassy Criminalist: A Santa Clause Heist
- Hero image source by Gerardolagunes / openverse, by-sa.
