GUN MYSTERY—Mayor Al Krizenesky and Assistant Police Chief Jarred Phillips examine the .22 caliber pistol found recently on the bottom of the Peshtigo River by Peshtigo resident Lonny Cummings. Speculation is that the gun may have been thrown into the river following the May 21, 1956 robbery of the Peshtigo National Bank by two robbers. Attempts are being made by authorities to clean up the gun to secure a serial number.

Possible Connection Of Gun In 1956 Bank Robbery

A .22 caliber hand gun was found in the Peshtigo River by Lonny Cummings, Peshtigo, and could have been used in the May 21, 1956 robbery of the Peshtigo National Bank.

Cummings found the gun about Monday, July 2, on the river bottom near the bridge which is being replaced. Because the river is drawn down for replacement of the bridge on Business 41, that portion of the river bed has been exposed and has drawn people to look for various items.

He found the gun mired in the mud. Age has taken its toll on the gun which is rusted. At first Cummings did not say anything about finding the weapon as rumors began to spread in the city and reached Mayor Al Krizenesky. The Mayor then requested Police Chief Kent Kline to make inquiries and Cummings was located and gave the gun to police.

Because of its rusted condition, a serial number could not be obtained, but work continues to clean it and possibly restore it and hope to find a serial number possibly leading back to the bank robbery. It will possibly end up in the Peshtigo Fire Museum.

At the time of the robbery, two men, one aged 17, formerly of Porterfield, and the other 21, both of Chicago, entered the bank. They committed the first bank robbery in the city’s history about 9:58 a.m.

During the robbery, three shots were fired with one bullet striking Mrs. Robert (Yvonne Valliere) Sieloff, in the jaw where it still remains. Now 83, she resides in Menomonee Falls with her husband and still recalls the robbery. Her dentist keeps a close check on the situation.

One of the other two bullets struck the leg of a chair and the other missed her husband who was at the counter. The two bullets were recovered by police while the third remains lodged in her jaw.

At the time of the robbery, the Peshtigo National Bank was located in the building now occupied by the Eklund Insurance Agency. Speculation is that if the robbers had thrown the gun away upon exiting the bank, it could have been thrown over the two-lane French St., U.S. 41, into the river.

The robbers were in the bank about one minute according to a story of the robbery in the Peshtigo Times at that time. The robbers rushed out of the bank to their waiting vehicle, a 1956 red and yellow Mercury convertible parked on West Front St. and headed, unknowingly to the Peshtigo Harbor Area, six miles south of Peshtigo, where they had assumed was another bridge to cross the river. They became stuck and within three hours were found by authorities and taken into custody. At the time they informed authorities they had thrown their weapons away.

The pair was captured by a posse of over 200 individuals and by 12:30 p.m. were in custody. Found was $990 in their possession and they admitted losing part of the loot in their attempted get-away. They were discovered on a tip by Howard Brabender Jr., Peshtigo, while he was returning from fishing at the Peshtigo Harbor. Brabender noticed their partially hidden convertible. Upon arriving home he was informed by his mother of the robbery and then he notified authorities of what he had seen.

The get-away car had also been spotted from the air about noon by Ted Axtell of the Civil Air Patrol. He had no radio and had to land his plane on a nearby road to inform searchers and authorities. About the same time then Sheriff Mariner Kohlman and five members of the posse were creeping up on the robbers who were lying exhausted on a strip of land. Kohlman fired a shot in the air and warned the robbers to surrender and take off their pants and wade across a stretch of water to him. They were then handcuffed and taken to jail.

Under questioning by authorities the pair admitted that two days prior to the bank robbery they had entered the Marinette Sporting Goods Store in Marinette and stole three .22 caliber guns used in the robbery.

The pair also admitted cruising around Peshtigo and at first possibly thought about robbing the then Peshtigo State Bank. Their car had also been noticed in the city a few days prior to the robbery and the license number and description were written down by then Police Chief Stewart Jarvis.

Because the robbery involved a national bank, the case was taken over by the FBI. The 20 year old was charged with violating the federal bank robbery act and the 17 year old was held under the federal juvenile delinquency act. The case has been closed by the FBI.

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