05/26/2026
Sulphur Springs in 1925 - complete with bank robbers, running gun battles, and two little boys who accidentally changed the course of events by building the Mosier Dam.
In a 1986 issue of The Benton County Pioneer, Hazel M. Stotler told the story of the Sulphur Springs Bank Robbery of 1925. According to Hazel, those involved said they had “never, ever read an accurate written account of this robbery.” So she decided to fix that.
Hazel interviewed surviving eyewitnesses, including Elmer Johnson - who lost an eye pursuing the robbers—and Dick Stout, whose father was killed in the attack. She also spoke with Willard Mosier, who was only five years old at the time of the robbery (but still played an important role.) Hazel’s account is fascinating, but it’s also 10 pages long. So - here’s the abridged version.
The story began before the robbery happened. A deputy sheriff from Adair County, Oklahoma wrote to Storm O. Whaley, the cashier at the Bank of Sulphur Springs. The deputy warned that “bad actors” were planning to rob the bank in May or June. Storm, L.M. Stout (the bank president), Sheriff Gailey, and the entire town all took the warning seriously.
So they prepared and waited, and waited, and waited. But when the robbery finally came, it caught the town unprepared. It seemed the “bad actors” had been watching and knew exactly when to strike.
Axel and Della Johnson, owners of the Johnson Garage, Electric, and Plumbing Shop, had gone to Joplin, MO that day leaving their son Elmer in charge. Elmer was 23 years old, and very dependable.
Over at the bank, Miss Clara Abercrombie and Storm Whaley planned to close up at noon so they could go home for dinner. But, Storm was a talker and at dinner time he was talking with a customer (Mr. C.A. Swarens, manager of the lumber yard). So, Miss Clara left alone.
As Miss Clara left the bank, she met two men coming in. Outside was a Model T with two more men in it. As she passed by them, she heard one say "Just let her go". Miss Clara had been through bank robberies before, and she knew what the men were. So she left - walking very fast and heading for Stout's Grocery.
Mr. L.M. Stout and his sons, Louis and Dick were in the back of the store when Miss Clara came hurrying in saying "Mr. Stout, they are robbing the bank."
Meanwhile, at the bank the two robbers told Storm and Mr. Swarens to "Stick 'em up quick” - which they did without any hesitation. Storm had a gun in his cash drawer but handed over the money without any fuss. The robbers emptied the safe, then put Storm and Swarens in it.
What the robbers didn’t know was that there had recently been a telephone installed inside the vault, just in case the bank got robbed again. (The phone was a well-kept secret -only Elmer and Storm knew about it.) Storm called Johnson's Garage and told Elmer about the robbery.
Storm knew the leader of the gang and knew he was no good. "Mean clear through." The leader was John Burchfield. The rest were: Boyd Jewell, Tyrus Clark, and Elva McDonald.
Back at the Stout Grocery Store, L. M. Stout grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun and ran out the back door to confront the robbers saying “You fellas halt!” Tyrus Clark was in the back seat of the Model T, and shot Mr. Stout in the stomach with a load of buckshot. Louis and Dick Stout returned fire, wounding two of the robbers (Jewell and Burchfield) before the gang took off in their Model T.
Then came one of the best parts of the story. While trying to escape town, the robbers accidentally took a wrong turn onto Duff Avenue—a dead-end street.
At the end of Duff Avenue, two little boys, Paul and Willard Mosier, had been pretending the road was a river and had built a “dam” across it. The fleeing Model T struck the Mosier Dam, swerved, and crashed into a tree.
At that point, the robbers abandoned the car and fled into the woods on foot.
Two of the robbers (Jewell and Burchfield) were captured shortly after the crash and brought back to town under guard by Elmer Johnson, who rode on the running board holding his .45 revolver. The other two fled across the railroad tracks and through barbed-wire fences (which tore off their pockets and scattered stolen silver along the way!)
Late that night, Elmer Johnson and Jim Mosier (father of Paul and Willard) caught up with the fugitives. Elmer attempted to persuade them to surrender, but instead Clark opened fire and the robbers took off running. Elmer got a load of buckshot in the face and chest. Jim was shot in the wrist. Elmer would lose his right eye and carry bullets in his head, neck, and chest for the rest of his life.
Five days later, Clark and McDonald were captured near Claremore, Oklahoma by Sheriff Gailey after a chase stretching more than 125 miles.
Tragically, L. M. Stout would die from his injuries on June 12, 1925.
As for the robbers: one turned state’s evidence and went free, two received life sentences, and Clark was sentenced to death by electrocution for the murder of L.M. Stout..
It’s an incredible story that Hazel Stotler worked hard to preserve through the memories of the people who lived it.
Sources:
Hazel M. Stotler, “Sulphur Springs Bank Robbery,” The Benton County Pioneer, Volume 31, Issue 4, Winter 1986
