Wichita Falls Bank Robbery of 1896
Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On the afternoon of February 25, 1896, two cowboys, Foster Crawford and Elmer "Kid" Lewis, robbed the City National Bank, then located at Ohio and 7th Street (2 blocks east). They killed cashier Frank Dorsey, took about $410 cash, and fled on horseback. A posse of citizens and Texas Rangers captured the pair that night hiding in a thicket outside of town. The next day, after the Rangers departed, the anger of the townspeople turned to violence. On the night of February 26, a mob dragged the prisoners from the jail and lynched them in front of the bank building. (1978)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On a February afternoon in 1896, cowboys Foster Crawford and Elmer "Kid" Lewis robbed the City National Bank in Wichita Falls, killing cashier Frank Dorsey and fleeing with about $410. A posse of citizens and Texas Rangers ran them down that night, but the law's work was undone the next evening when a mob dragged the pair from jail and lynched them before the bank. The episode captured the raw and volatile justice of the frontier town.
Why it matters
The robbery and lynching lay bare the fragile line between law and mob violence in a still-untamed Texas, a recurring shadow over the frontier's story.
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Related people
- · Foster Crawford
- · Elmer "Kid" Lewis
- · Frank Dorsey
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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