The American Legion Auxiliary to Westphal Post #251 was organized with 31 charter members, August 6, 1920, with Mrs. F. R. Stinchfield serving as first president. Its purpose was to aid the Post in serving the disabled comrades and in caring for the needy children of veterans; to assist in community activities, especially along the lines of youth and health activities.
December 2, 1921, witnessed the first of two bank robberies. A man robbed the bank of $1,500 and Miss Carrie McDougall proved to be the heroine of the affair by courageously touching off the burglar alarm. Justice V. D. CrandaII, summoned by the alarm, shot and killed the robber. Crandall gave the reward money to the slain bandit’s daughter. On April 19, 1930, a second bandit attempted to get away after taking $5,000 from the bank funds; he was shot by John Bloberger, Jr., police officer, who had been notified by Ted Haight, janitor, that something was wrong. In those days the bank was open from six to eight p.m. Saturday evenings for the convenience of its depositors.
This is the tenth in a series of posts featuring Dorthy Hartig’s History of Robbinsdale. This informal account was written for the Robbinsdale Library Club in 1948. A copy was placed Lee’s School’s cornerstone time capsule the following year. The image at the top of the posts features the Security State Bank Building and a candid of Capt. Billy Fawcett and his second wife, Antoinette “Annette” Fischer.