drove to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Steen was forced to call Kannapolis police and let them know that he had not been kidnapped and that everything was fine. A stop was then made at a nearby motel where LaFevers and Bigham picked up their clothing. From there, they drove to Douglas Municipal Airport in Charlotte and rented a car, leaving their vehicle behind.
They then started driving toward Atlanta. Upon reaching Spartanburg, they rented a room at the Howard Johnson Motel.
The two robbed Steen of a $130 check, plus $4 that he had in cash. Bigham, who wished to purchase an airplane, threatened to kill Steen if he did not come up with an additional $5,000 ($41,000 today). LaFevers’s request was straightforward: either Steen married her or she would kill him. “If I can’t have you, then nobody else will,” Steen later quoted her as saying.
At 3:00 a.m., Bigham fell sleep. Steen continued to talk to LaFevers until she went to bed at around 5:00 a.m. While the two kidnappers slept, Steen grabbed the car keys and pistol and quietly exited the room around 6:00 a.m.
Steen jumped in the car and quickly locked the doors, but the slamming of the car door awoke LaFevers. Unable to get into the car, she threw her body across its hood. Steen proceeded to slowly drive away, fearing that excessive speed would cause her to fall off the hood.
LaFevers begged to be let into the car. When Steen refused, she ripped off the side view mirror and smashed the windshield with it.
The sight of this scantily clad woman riding on the hood of a car caught motorists by surprise, and many began to follow Steen’s vehicle. One motorist pulled up beside Steen and pointed at the young woman on his hood, but Steen kept on going. He traveled slowly as an ever-growing line of cars trailed behind him. This caught the attention of officers and when Steen stopped at another traffic light on Magnolia Street, they jumped out and surrounded the car.
LaFevers slid down off the hood of the car and charged right at Steen. Arresting officer J. G. Tate stated, “She was down and clawing at him in a hurry. We pulled her off and put her in the patrol car but she wouldn’t tell us a thing.”
The three bewildered policemen were unsure of what had really happened. While Steen claimed that he had been kidnapped, his story seemed unbelievable. As a result, both Steen and LaFevers were arrested. Eventually, Steen was able to convince police that his story was true. Officers then went to the Howard Johnson Motel and arrested Bigham.
Soon after Bigham was taken into custody, other inmates began to request that the jailer allow them to pay off their fines. It was soon determined that Bigham had cashed Steen’s $130 check and distributed the money to the inmates.
Bigham and LaFevers were both sentenced to four-year terms in federal prison for the kidnapping.
1941
Two women stood before Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge Orfa Jean Shontz on November 6, 1941, in what initially seemed to be an ordinary case. Mrs. Sophie Koshelnik had been bitten by a dog owned by Ms. Rose Wolf. Koshelnik was seeking $50 ($860 today) in damages.
As Mrs. Koshelnik explained what had happened, she shocked Judge Shontz when she stated, “Just because I bit the dog, the cur turned around and sunk his teeth in my lip.”
“What did you say?” Judge Shontz questioned. “It sounded like you said you bit the dog.”
“That’s right, your honor,” Mrs. Koshelnik replied. “But it was all a mistake.” She explained that she had been playing with the dog. When it began to growl, bark, and snap its teeth at her, Mrs. Koshelnik decided to do the same in return. She growled. She barked. She snapped her teeth. “Imagine my surprise when I found I had bit the dog on his nose.” The dog was equally surprised and bit her on the lip.
The judge awarded Mrs. Koshelnik $10 ($172 today) and advised that she avoid biting dogs in the future.
1957
The unusual story of two high-flying aviators who attempted to pull off the perfect crime.
On Thursday, October 24, 1957, two drunk men landed a small airplane on a field just outside of Fort Meade, Florida. They proceeded to walk down Broadway before entering the local drug store. After purchasing a couple of pairs of sunglasses, the two then used the payphone located at the front of the store.
The taller of the two men called the local police department, which was located directly across the street. He asked to speak to the police chief but was informed that he had gone home for lunch. When he questioned to whom he was speaking, the person on the other end replied, “This is Constable Harry Godwin.”
“Well, Constable Godwin, you better get down here on East Broadway. Couple men acting drunk and mighty disorderly.”
The two men, dressed in coveralls, then walked into the street as Godwin drove up alongside them and got out of his patrol car. Observing that the men were clearly intoxicated, Godwin stated, “You’re under arrest,” to which one of the men replied, “We don’t think so—you’re the one under arrest.”
One of the men shoved the muzzle of a gun into Godwin’s left side as the other pressed a gun into his right. They then took Godwin’s gun and watch before forcing him to drive a short distance to a wooded area. One of the men stated, “You don’t think we mean business, do you?” To emphasize his point, the man brought the gun near Godwin’s face, shot a round into the air, and then asked again whether or not Godwin thought they meant business. Godwin replied, “Yes, sir, I do.”
Next, they forced the constable to drive back into town. Their destination was the First State Bank of Fort Meade, located on the corner of Broadway and French Avenue. The plan was to enter the bank at 12:58, two minutes prior to the bank’s 1:00 p.m. closing.
1910 image of the First State Bank of Fort Meade.
While en route to the bank, Godwin tried his best to attract attention to the potential robbery. Upon spotting a city truck, he swung his police car into its path, but the driver pulled aside and allowed him to pass. Next, he attempted to pull into the path of an approaching car at an intersection, but once again the other driver gave way.
Once they reached the bank, the two men placed stockings over their heads, put on gloves, slipped on their newly purchased sunglasses, and forced Godwin to enter with them. Godwin attempted to draw attention by placing his hands high in the air. In response, one of the bandits blurted out an expletive and said, “You tryin’ to give us away? Put your hands down.”
Two customers about to enter the bank were herded inside by the bandits as one of them held onto Godwin by his belt and firmly pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of his head.
Twenty-two-year-old assistant cashier Morris R. Lunn was the first to spot the bandits. “I saw them come in the door. They were pushing the constable around some.” He continued, “I heard one of them say something. I asked him what he said. I didn’t have to ask him what he wanted. I could see that.”
Regarding the taller
