by Susan Couso
In the early 20th Century, Fall River Mills, in Shasta County, was a beautiful place, supported mainly by the agriculture industry. But by 1919, Pacific Gas & Electric Company had plans underway to harness the force of the two local rivers, and things began to change.
In 1921, the area was inundated by strong young men, who were flocking to the site for employment, as P. G. & E. began work to build a new $5,000,000 power plant nearby. The power company had plans to build a 10,160-foot-long tunnel, which would divert the Fall River into the Pit River.
The combined rivers would create a massive force to provide electricity for California. To get equipment to the tunnel location, a railroad needed to be built. This huge project brought much-needed jobs and new prosperity to Shasta County.
In 1917, Susanville’s Lassen Industrial Bank opened a branch in Fall River Mills. The bank building set apart from other buildings, in a somewhat lonely part of town, and on a sleepy July day in 1921, all seemed quiet and usual. But something was afoot.
On Tuesday, July 26th, the bank manager, Mr. Irwin, Assistant Cashier, Chester Little, and Cashier George Taylor, went fishing at Burney Falls, leaving the bank in the control of Miss Edna ‘Bessie’ Black and her assistant, Miss Nellie Blanche Lee.
Things were slow, and the day stretched on. About 2:00 o’clock, a man came in and cashed a P. G. & E. payroll check. Then about three o’clock, as Bessie was closing for the day, the same man returned, and she grew suspicious. Bessie quickly closed the safe door and spun the combination lock.
The man approached her and asked to cash a check. She asked him to endorse the check, which he did, and then he pulled a revolver and pointed it at her, with the order of, “Hands up.” Bessie complied, but the hoodlum then saw Nellie Lee.
At this point, another man entered the bank and ‘covered’ the two ladies while the first bandit began to collect the money. He pointed the revolver at Bessie and told her to open the safe. She spun the safe knob, but told him that, because of the ‘time lock’, she was unable to open it.
This was not true, but Bessie was clever. The bandit then scooped the money from the drawer and rack, totally ignoring $2,000 on the shelf above. When the outlaws had finished amassing their prize, they fired two shots into the floor, and then herded the two women into the vault, where the bank’s main cash supply, unnoticed by the thieves, was safely stored.
They then slammed the vault door closed and hurried out the back of the bank.
Bessie and Nellie were stuck. They discussed what to do and came up with a plan to use a piece of iron to dig through the concrete wall. As they struggled to reach freedom, one of them decided to try the door handle, which easily opened. The robbers had not latched the door!
After escaping the vault, the women ran for help. Unfortunately, the bandits had cut the phone lines between Fall River Mills and the rest of the world. A considerable amount of time was lost as they tried to get to the P. G. & E. construction camp and use their telephone to summon help.
It took until 5 o’clock, but in Redding, Sheriff James Richardson finally received the word, and the manhunt was on. Deputies were sent to cover all roads, and witnesses reported seeing the fleeing men at several different locales.
Before long, it was determined that the outlaws were P. McMillin and I. L. Herbert, two disgruntled former employees on the P. G. & E. project. The two men had borrowed a small 1916 Pullman coupe belonging to Robert Rhe, and Rhe had not seen his auto since.
The same men were suspected of robbing a pool hall nearby, and it was assumed that they had cut the telephone lines, since the lines were cut at 2:40 p.m., and the robbery was at 3:00 p.m.
The bullets in the bank floor matched those from a gun, which had been stolen a few days before.
Through witness reports, it was learned that the wanted men were headed north, probably to Klamath Falls, Oregon, and authorities along the route were notified.
George Lange was acting suspiciously, and the word was out to arrest him, but he fled Redding before he could be brought in.
In Ashland, Oregon, the authorities were ‘on the lookout’ for Lange, and he did not disappoint them. As he fled through town, he was apprehended.
In his car, was some of the stolen money. As officers searched Lange’s home, they found loot which had been stolen in the pool hall robbery, and Lange’s wife was arrested as an ‘accessory’ to the crimes.
A total of $1,032 dollars had been taken from the bank, including a sack of nickels, and Lange had $787 of it, in the form of 236 $1 bills, 248 $2 bills, some other various change, and $89 in nickels.
Lange eventually admitted his part in the crime. He said that he had nothing to do with the robbery, but he was holding the money for the two ‘wanted’ criminals. He was to travel to Oregon, where he would meet up with the two other men. Lange said that the money had been given to him for ‘safe keeping’.
In August of 1921, after Bessie Black and Nellie Lee testified that Lange was not one of the men who robbed the bank, George Lange was found guilty of receiving stolen property, and sentenced to one-to-five years in San Quentin. It was assumed that Herbert and McMillin had ‘gone north’ and they were not seen again.
Thanks to the ‘mettle’ of two smart young women, thousands of dollars were saved, and the police got at least one man.
As a side note: Cashier George Taylor had a twin brother, Alfred H. Taylor. In October 1922, Lassen County Agricultural Commissioner Alfred H. ‘Fred’ Taylor, married Nellie Blanch Lee, at her parent’s home in Susanville.
