Fleagle Story – Amazing
You better believe it! This story, spread through the centuries, generation after generation, overthrew the life of a community in the roaring 1920s, irritated the great plains, and razed a nation. Little Jake Fleagle, an innocent enough name in his conception, seems a bit like one might expect him to appear in Apple Dumpling Gang, Little Raskals, or more recently Slappy and the Stinkers. But the man had no dimples, he was not cute, and his memory trembles with fear among the citizens of southeastern Colorado.
On a warm, sunny afternoon in May, the First National Bank opened its doors; a day like any other in 1928. Laughter invaded the prairie, neighbors greeted each other happily, and life in rural Lamar, Colorado, resonated with sheer simplicity. May 23, 1928 resonates in history as the date Lamar, Colorado lost its innocence. Devastated by the murder of prominent citizens, the community changed. Innocence abandoned the townspeople, and blatant reality filled their place
The story is told with historical simplicity by one of the best in the community, NT “Tom” Betz, with the expertise and precision we all expect from the Betz family. The Betz family published the local newspaper for many years, even during the time of the robbery. Real news, posts, articles and people who remember the incident well were interviewed and included for this factual commentary on one of the most magnificent crimes, still 77 years after the event, mocked as the largest robbery in county history. The details of an intense and ongoing investigation and search for the men guilty of murder make this a very interesting and insightful book. Intriguing commentary, news and accounts of historical events in the courtroom, tracking options, and numerous “firsts” used in investigating the crime and locating the culprits make this book a worthy read for anyone interested in the history of criminal investigations.
Some of the many “firsts” in the research process included:
* First fingerprint used to identify and locate the culprit in a murder / robbery.
* Airplanes were first used to track criminals traveling in a vehicle away from a crime.
An interesting aspect of the research and search included the various forms of communication used by everyone involved.
* Messages dropped from airplanes.
* People who receive verbal shouts from officials passing by.
* Messages left with injured passersby.
* Notes written and transmitted from person to person.
* Phone messages sent hours after the fact, saved, by the hour, in case another message is received.
* Telegraph.
In today’s extraordinary world of nanosecond communications, technologically advanced instant forms of transmission and instant satellite tracking systems, reading historical fingerprint commentary and flight tracking implemented for the first time provide the reader with an understanding of the extreme radical changes even experienced by basic services across our nation. and all over the world.
Tom’s interpretation of this hellish scar in the history of southeastern Colorado brings tears to the citizens there and revelations to those who pass through … An understanding of the isolation experienced by those who reside in the area.