The Ipswich Historical Society is sharing articles written by IHS students. The students visited the museum, researched and wrote about events, people and businesses in the community.
Ipswich Bank Robbery of 1932
by Orchid Wilcox
I chose the Ipswich Bank robbery as a topic because I thought it was an interesting part of our town’s history.
On May 18, 1932 the very bank we call our own in Ipswich was robbed. Ipswich Bank was robbed by four members of a twelve member gang according to the Evening Huronite. According to the same source, the four members were part of a 12-membered gang with the other seven members in prison and one dead. On the day of the robbery Eugene Van Tress was parked outside of the bank as the getaway driver stated the Bismarck Tribune. While Van Tress was outside the bank was robbed by his partners Phil Ray, Sydney Roycraft, and Reinhold Engel who was the leader of the gang according to the Evening Huronite. During the robbery well-known bank president Marcus P. Beebe was shot in the thigh according to the Bismarck Tribune. The robbers kidnapped the bank’s cashier Robert Doolittle according to the same source. The robbers then fled the scene and drove through North Dakota where they released Doolittle according to the Bismarck Tribune.
The robbers got into a car accident attempting to flee from a police car according to the Evening Huronite. The robbers scattered and hid across St. Paul, Minn. until they were all found and arrested according to the same source.
According to the Bismarck Tribune, when in questioning Van Tress refused to speak. The police tricked Ray into speaking by telling him his partner, Van Tress, had confessed to everything according to the same source. Ray, being the youngest of the group, confessed to 37 robberies in the past seven years according to the Evening Huronite. According to the same source Ray confessed to 16 robberies in Wisconsin, 11 in Minnesota, 3 in North Dakota, 5 in Iowa, and 2 in South Dakota including the Ipswich Bank.
Ray, Van Tress, and Roycraft all pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 30 years each in the South Dakota State Penitentiary on May 26, 1932 according to the Bismarck Tribune. Leader Engel stated he was not yet ready to plead according to the same source. However, on May 27, 1932 Engel pleaded guilty and was also sentenced to 30 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary according to the same source. As for the other members of the gang five were imprisoned for unknown reasons, one for robbery, and one for the murder of the deceased member of the gang according to the Evening Huronite.
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