Thompson sub machinegun, its magazine shoots 45 cal. bullets
A Town Goes Nuts
Breaking glass sparkles in the sunlight
When Nelson opened fire, his shots went wild. Not so much because he was a bad shot (although it appears from research that he was) but because he probably wasn't sure where the bullet that struck him came from, or if there would be more. He had no idea if it was just one or two bullets from someone trying to be a hero, or if the police were coming en mass.
When Nelson opened fire, Berg ducked back into his store. He was safe, but others weren't so lucky. One of Nelson's bullets hit a man's leg, veered up and lodged in his abdomen; another shattered a windshield across the street, covering the driver in broken glass; still another struck the concrete sidewalk and several people were stung by chips of flying stone.
A block away, Central High School sophomore Joseph Pawlowski was sitting in his father's green Ford when he heard the first shots. Like many others, he ran in the direction of the shots to see what was happening. As he rounded the corner, he heard screams and saw people running in all directions. He saw Nelson standing at the curbing and firing wildly at the scattering crowd. Pawlowski, who didn't realize the bank was being robbed, was amazed that no one seemed to be doing anything to stop the gunman. The youth made his decision. He ran toward Nelson and jumped onto his back. He wrapped his arms around Nelson's neck and tried to pull him off balance and get him onto the ground.
Nelson went wild with shock and confusion. He kept firing with one hand and with the other he tried to reach back and grab his assailant. He began to spin wildy trying to dislodge Pawlowski. What's wrong with these people, thought Nelson. First, some citizen shoots at him and now some clown is climbing on his back trying to get his gun.
Pawlowski later told police that he could hear Nelson grunting as he tried to reach back and that the gunman began to gasp as Pawlowski tightened his grip around Nelson's neck. He said he heard Nelson say: "Are you nuts? Who's this?"
Nelson continued to spin wildly, and finally managed to dislodge Pawlowski, who stumbled back several feet and slammed into the plate glass window of a store. Nelson turned to him and opened fire. The plate glass window exploded into thousands of pieces that sparkled like crystal in the sunlight as they fell to the ground. Bernice Clough, a retired typist in town to care for her ill sister, watched the scene unfold from across the street. Years later she would say that the one image that stayed in her mind was the sparkling glass and the sound it made as it hit the sidewalk - and then the "complete silence that filled the air for a moment afterward."
The bullet that shattered the window had actually passed through the palm of Pawlowski's right hand. The boy immediately passed out. Nelson, probably thinking he had killed him, turned his attention back to the street. The screaming had started again and the others were still inside the bank. Nelson was probably starting to realize the robbery wasn't going quite as planned.
As Pawlowski passed out surrounded by broken glass, Officer Wagner was struck by Van Meter's .351 and the sound of sirens grew louder, Patrolman Sylvester Zell and another officer, who had been directing traffic a block away, saw the commotion to the south. As they started to run diagonally across the street, a burst of machinegun fire ripped through the canopy of the State Theater above their heads. The sign calling attention to the new cooling system was ripped nearly in half. Of all the things to cross one's mind at a time like that, Zell would later say he felt bad for the theater owner because he had hung up that sign just that week.
A man in an upstairs window above the theater shouted, "Look out Zell. It's a holdup!" The two patrolmen ducked behind cars.
At the same time, the three bandits who had been inside were walking out the front door with three hostages - Coen, Stahly and Bruce Bouchard, the youthful manager of the Radio Service Company situated several blocks away. Although his hands were raised, Bouchard thought he looked like a gangster because he had a cigarette in his mouth and he kept trying to spit it out, but it was stuck to his lower lip. Coen, standing just in front of him, would say later he wondered why one of the bandits kept spitting on the back of his head.
A block away McCormick and Henderson were just finishing their pork chop sandwiches when the radio in the lunchroom broadcast a request for all policemen to proceed to the Merchants Bank. (At a time when few police cars had two-way radios, it was common to broadcast a general police alert via the local radio station.) They ran to their car, but traffic was hopelessly tangled.
"I can run there," said McCormick. "Give me the rifle." In the excitement, however, Henderson handed his partner a shotgun. McCormick grabbed it and ran toward the bank. Just as he neared the bank, he saw the bandits exits with their hostages. From this distance he knew he could easily take out the three robbers. He held his breath to steady himself and then raised his weapon .... and realized he had a shotgun. He couldn't fire for fear of hitting hostages. In disgust and frustration he lowered the weapon. He could only watch the rest of the drama unfold.
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When Nelson opened fire, Berg ducked back into his store. He was safe, but others weren't so lucky. One of Nelson's bullets hit a man's leg, veered up and lodged in his abdomen; another shattered a windshield across the street, covering the driver in broken glass; still another struck the concrete sidewalk and several people were stung by chips of flying stone.
A block away, Central High School sophomore Joseph Pawlowski was sitting in his father's green Ford when he heard the first shots. Like many others, he ran in the direction of the shots to see what was happening. As he rounded the corner, he heard screams and saw people running in all directions. He saw Nelson standing at the curbing and firing wildly at the scattering crowd. Pawlowski, who didn't realize the bank was being robbed, was amazed that no one seemed to be doing anything to stop the gunman. The youth made his decision. He ran toward Nelson and jumped onto his back. He wrapped his arms around Nelson's neck and tried to pull him off balance and get him onto the ground.
Nelson went wild with shock and confusion. He kept firing with one hand and with the other he tried to reach back and grab his assailant. He began to spin wildy trying to dislodge Pawlowski. What's wrong with these people, thought Nelson. First, some citizen shoots at him and now some clown is climbing on his back trying to get his gun.
Pawlowski later told police that he could hear Nelson grunting as he tried to reach back and that the gunman began to gasp as Pawlowski tightened his grip around Nelson's neck. He said he heard Nelson say: "Are you nuts? Who's this?"
Nelson continued to spin wildly, and finally managed to dislodge Pawlowski, who stumbled back several feet and slammed into the plate glass window of a store. Nelson turned to him and opened fire. The plate glass window exploded into thousands of pieces that sparkled like crystal in the sunlight as they fell to the ground. Bernice Clough, a retired typist in town to care for her ill sister, watched the scene unfold from across the street. Years later she would say that the one image that stayed in her mind was the sparkling glass and the sound it made as it hit the sidewalk - and then the "complete silence that filled the air for a moment afterward."
The bullet that shattered the window had actually passed through the palm of Pawlowski's right hand. The boy immediately passed out. Nelson, probably thinking he had killed him, turned his attention back to the street. The screaming had started again and the others were still inside the bank. Nelson was probably starting to realize the robbery wasn't going quite as planned.
As Pawlowski passed out surrounded by broken glass, Officer Wagner was struck by Van Meter's .351 and the sound of sirens grew louder, Patrolman Sylvester Zell and another officer, who had been directing traffic a block away, saw the commotion to the south. As they started to run diagonally across the street, a burst of machinegun fire ripped through the canopy of the State Theater above their heads. The sign calling attention to the new cooling system was ripped nearly in half. Of all the things to cross one's mind at a time like that, Zell would later say he felt bad for the theater owner because he had hung up that sign just that week.
A man in an upstairs window above the theater shouted, "Look out Zell. It's a holdup!" The two patrolmen ducked behind cars.
At the same time, the three bandits who had been inside were walking out the front door with three hostages - Coen, Stahly and Bruce Bouchard, the youthful manager of the Radio Service Company situated several blocks away. Although his hands were raised, Bouchard thought he looked like a gangster because he had a cigarette in his mouth and he kept trying to spit it out, but it was stuck to his lower lip. Coen, standing just in front of him, would say later he wondered why one of the bandits kept spitting on the back of his head.
A block away McCormick and Henderson were just finishing their pork chop sandwiches when the radio in the lunchroom broadcast a request for all policemen to proceed to the Merchants Bank. (At a time when few police cars had two-way radios, it was common to broadcast a general police alert via the local radio station.) They ran to their car, but traffic was hopelessly tangled.
"I can run there," said McCormick. "Give me the rifle." In the excitement, however, Henderson handed his partner a shotgun. McCormick grabbed it and ran toward the bank. Just as he neared the bank, he saw the bandits exits with their hostages. From this distance he knew he could easily take out the three robbers. He held his breath to steady himself and then raised his weapon .... and realized he had a shotgun. He couldn't fire for fear of hitting hostages. In disgust and frustration he lowered the weapon. He could only watch the rest of the drama unfold.
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