then. I told all the tellers to get their money out of the drawers and put it into the sack.” One of the gunmen then screamed at the female clerks, “You all start shoveling money into the bag or I’ll blow his goddamn brains out.”
Lunn was then handed a second sack and instructed not to “put [in] anything less than tens.” As Lunn turned around, one of the bandits hit him on the back of the head and he fell to the floor. “After I came to, I rolled away from the door as soon as I thought it was safe enough to move. I thought he might come by and see me and think he might as well finish me off.”
At around the six-minute mark, the shorter of the bandit pair began to exit from the bank and told his companion, “Come on. What are you trying to do, put on a show for them?” As his partner backed out, he fired a warning shot into a window sash to keep everyone at bay. Leaving Constable Godwin behind inside the bank, the two jumped into his car and sped away.
J. H. White, the bank’s vice president and general manager, was returning from an errand when he learned from workmen outside that the bank was being robbed. He shouted the news of the heist down the street to a hardware store employee who, in turn, contacted the police department dispatcher.
By the time Police Chief Glenn Baggett arrived at the bank, the robbery had ended. “I got the call. When I drove up there I didn’t know just what to do at first. I didn’t see anything going on. Then I heard a car squall down the way. I saw it was Harry’s car. I thought ‘Harry’s on them. There will be one heck of a race now.’”
Baggett continued, “They overshot Bowling Green Road. That’s the first indication I had that Harry wasn’t in the car. Then I saw two men who had something on their face. They got out of the car and went over the fence. They had a bag.” He raced down the road and saw that the two men were attempting to board a small yellow plane.
Fort Meade wholesale fruit dealer Perry Johnson joined in on the chase and arrived on the scene a few seconds later. Baggett stated, “I got out the pump gun, but the shell wouldn’t pump into it. I gave it to Perry Johnson and used my pistol.” He continued, “I emptied my gun at them. I don’t know, but I think Johnson fired three times. They started shooting back.”
As one of the bandits climbed aboard the aircraft, the other pulled on the propeller to start the engine. He then climbed aboard as the plane made a quick turn before leaving the ground.
A search both in the air and on the ground commenced within minutes. It was soon learned that a yellow Aeronca airplane had been stolen earlier that morning from the Gilbert Airfield in Winter Haven, some 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Fort Meade. Around 2:00 p.m., a military plane spotted the Aeronca on the ground at the airport in Plant City, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of the crime scene.
Bullet holes in the Aeronca confirmed to investigators that it was the plane used in the robbery, but they were puzzled as to why the footprints left behind went just a short distance before coming to a sudden stop. After interviewing witnesses, it was established that the two men had abandoned the Aeronca and continued their escape in a smaller, silver Cessna with yellow trim.
A review of aeronautical records indicated that there were only two airplanes registered within the entire state of Florida that matched the description of that silver Cessna. One of them was quickly ruled out. When the owner of the second plane heard that the police were looking for his Cessna, he immediately made contact with authorities. He told them that earlier in the day, he had lent the airplane to an employee named Donald J. Thompson who needed it to attend to some urgent business in Venice, Florida.
Thompson was an immediate suspect, but nothing about him suggested that he would take part in a bank robbery. “Bugs” Thompson was a skilled ex-military pilot who had flown in many Florida airshows. Shortly after World War II he married his wife Barbara, and they were the proud parents of a seven-year-old daughter named Donna.
At 5:06 p.m., Thompson landed the Cessna at Tampa International and was immediately arrested. He admitted that he had been drinking, but emphatically denied any involvement in the Fort Meade robbery.
Coincidentally, a few minutes prior to Thompson’s arrest, there was a collision between two automobiles at the corner of Cypress Street and Howard Avenue in Tampa. Police became suspicious of one of the drivers—twenty-six-year-old Irving U. Suits—after learning that he was both an airplane broker and in possession of $305 in cash ($2,750 today). While he was being escorted off to the city jail, a further search of his vehicle uncovered two sets of coveralls similar to those used in the holdup.
Both Suits and Thompson were placed in police lineups. Two employees of the Fort Meade drugstore positively identified both men as the two that had bought sunglasses earlier in the day, establishing that the suspects had been in Fort Meade prior to the robbery. Yet Constable Godwin was only able to pick Suits out of the lineup.
Faced with all of the mounting evidence, Suits admitted to his part in the crime. He named Thompson as his co-conspirator, but Thompson steadfastly denied any involvement. Thompson admitted that he had been drinking and that he had given Suits flying lessons earlier in the day, but said he knew nothing about the bank robbery.
Suits told investigators that the robbery had been planned for several weeks. Fort Meade was chosen because it was a small town with a small police force. After the gun battle in Fort Meade, the two had flown to Plant City to ditch the Aeronca. They then piloted the smaller Cessna to an abandoned airstrip on Boca Grande Island, where they hid the loot. From there, they flew to Peter O. Knight Airport in Tampa, where Suits got out. Thompson refueled and then lifted off for Tampa International Airport to return his boss’s airplane. Suits crashed the car while he was driving to Tampa International to pick up Thompson and complete the final step in their grand escape.
When asked about the location of the loot, Suits stated, “I was so drunk at the time that I really am a little hazy about the entire matter. I don’t know whether or not I can take you to where those suitcases are.” On Friday, October 25th, two Coast Guard helicopters flew the search party and Suits to Boca Grande, and the hunt began. Twenty-five hours after the robbery had occurred, the two suitcases were located. One contained a pillowcase stuffed with the cash, while the other contained .32-caliber ammunition, a pair of coveralls, and a pair of shoes. All but $69 of the $26,657 stolen (over $240,000 today) had been accounted for.
And yet, Bugs Thompson stood by his story. He insisted that he had nothing to do with the crime. It was only after being confronted with all of the evidence gathered by investigators that he finally admitted to his role in the holdup on Saturday. Now that both men had confessed to the crime, they were asked to escort officers to the location where they had discarded Constable Godwin’s gun. As they left the jail, Thompson reportedly snapped at Suits, “Why did you tell them where the money was? You could have told them anything but that. That’s what we did it for—the money.”
The two were hauled into court on Tuesday, October 29, but declined to enter a plea until they had consulted with a lawyer. Suits told Judge Roy H. Amidon, “If I can ever be given another chance I swear there will never be another drop of alcohol in my house. I vow that before God.” He added, “I want to apologize to everyone for the trouble I’ve caused—the way I let my wife down and to my folks and to everyone concerned.”
On November 25, 1957, both pleaded guilty to the charges. Suits’ attorney J. H. Willson requested leniency, pointing out that his client had “freely admitted his guilt” and that he had helped investigators recover all of the money. Judge Amidon wasn’t buying any of this. “I am really sorry for your situation,” he told the defendants. “You have the potentialities of making good citizens, and you have shown a good attitude. We don’t
