Christmas is usually a time for family celebrations and gift exchanges. In many households, Christmas is the most important day of the year. Nearly 100 years ago, residents of Cisco, Texas, experienced a different kind of Christmas. Instead of celebrating goodwill towards men, the Texas town would become the site of one of the state’s most unusual crimes. The story involved two homicides and a Santa with a pistol.
On December 23, 1927, Cisco, Texas, was busy preparing for Christmas. Christmas trees were up and presents were wrapped. Christmas was just two days away. However, not everyone in Cisco was getting together with families and preparing for Christmas dinner.
Consider the case of Marshall Ratliff, a career criminal and loser. The guy just couldn’t stay out of trouble. He wasn’t exactly a smart criminal, and that was his problem.
Originally from Cisco, he was just released from prison. But he was not going straight. He planned a heist with three other men. His plan was to rob the First National Bank of Cisco dressed as Santa Claus. Ratliff borrowed a Santa Claus suit from the woman who rented him a room in Wichita Falls.
When you’re going to rob a bank in broad daylight, why would you dress like Santa Claus? The local children began approaching Ratliff as he walked towards the bank. If you are a child and see Santa walking down the street, you will want to get close to him. During his walk to the bank, Ratliff engaged with the children. There were even a handful of children who accompanied him into the bank he was about to rob.
Upon entering the bank, Ratliff met with his three accomplices. Their names were Henry Helms and Robert Hill, whom he knew from prison. Louis Davis, a last-minute replacement for a safe cracker, joined them. The four men pulled out their guns and announced it was a robbery. While Ratliff’s accomplices held their victims at gunpoint, Ratliff began stealing the loot. Just imagine how the customers and kids in the bank felt. Two days before Christmas, Santa is armed with a gun and robbing a bank.
It was reported to Police Chief George Bedford that a robbery was taking place. A group of officers, including Chief Bedford and Officer George Carmichael, surrounded the bank in an attempt to capture the bank robbers. Ratliff and his gang exchanged gunfire with Cisco lawmen after attempting to escape. It is unknown who fired the first shot. In Cisco, bullets began flying after someone fired the first shot.
Because it’s Texas, you can just assume that most citizens were armed. Many of them would join in and assist Officer Carmichael and Chief Bedford. In addition to bank robber Davis, several bank employees and customers were shot during the chaos.
After escaping, Ratliff and his crew climbed into their car. They had taken two children, Laverne Comer and May Robertson, as hostages. In their attempt to escape, the robbers shot Bedford and Carmichael.
Sadly, Bedford died from his injuries on Christmas day after being shot five times. Officer Carmichael was also killed in the attack. Approximately one month later, he passed away.
As the four robbers drove off, other police officers and citizens followed in their vehicles. Ratliff and his crew stopped their car and attempted to steal another car from a teenager. However, the wily teenager outwitted the men. They took the boy’s car, but he removed the keys from the ignition and fled. As a result, they would have to escape in their shot-up vehicle. During the escape attempt, lawmen shot and wounded Hill.
Helms, Hill and Ratliff left Davis and the money behind. Armed citizens and law enforcement officials found the money and captured Davis, who died shortly after.
On December 30th, Helms and Hill were captured in Graham, Texas, while Deputy Cy Bradford captured Ratliff. Helms was sentenced to death for his involvement in the flawed bank robbery. It was his fate to die in the electric chair. Hill was sentenced to nearly 100 years in prison. After he was paroled, he would never cause any trouble again.
Marshall Ratliff was convicted of killing Officer Carmichael and Chief Bedford. He received the death penalty for the killings.
Don’t forget that this was Texas in the 1920s. An officer and the town’s beloved police chief were killed. A vigilante mob had formed, demanding that Ratliff be turned over to them. They weren’t waiting for his execution to take place.
On November 19, 1928, an angry mob stormed the Eastland County jail and pulled Ratliff into the street. A mob took him behind the Majestic Theatre and hanged him. As I mentioned earlier, this was Texas in the 1920s. Mob members were not charged. Mob justice was served by Cisco residents.
As a result, the crime became known as the Santa Claus robbery. I found it interesting that the bank still exists today. It’s now called First Financial Bank and remains in Cisco, Texas. This is probably one of the more unusual Christmas stories you’ll read this year. I hope you enjoyed this little history lesson and wish you a Merry Christmas!
Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.