On Saturday, July 26, 1924, cashier I. Leroy Burns of the Railroad National Bank in Roseville sorted currency. It was 12:45 p.m. and the morning rush was over. It was then, according to the July 30, 1924, Roseville Tribune and Register, that a man entered the bank and calmly passed through a doorway that led to the backside of the counter where Burns worked. He drew a revolver with his right hand and threw down five coin bags with his left. “Fill ‘em up,” he reportedly said.
The robber made off with nearly $7,500. A short car chase ensued, but the thief got away. Placer County Sheriff Elmer Gum hunted the thief for months. At one point he believed the man was in Oregon, then tracked him to Fresno, California. He informed the bank personnel in late October that the man was headed north again and would be in custody soon.
William P. Richards was arrested in front of the Biltmore Hotel in Sacramento on Oct. 31, 1924. Though later charged with robbing the Railroad National Bank in Roseville and the Bank of Western Placer in Lincoln, he was ultimately tried in Woodland at the Yolo County Courthouse for the theft of $12,142 from the National Bank of Italy in Woodland.
Richards owned and operated a successful hotel in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and had owned a large ranch near Yuba City. It is unclear if he simply loved the thrill of robbing banks or if he was prone to temporary fits of insanity.
He was sentenced to five years to life, but after two unsuccessful escape attempts, the first from the Woodland Jail and the second from Folsom Prison, his sentence was fixed at 25 years. He was initially sent to San Quentin State Prison but was transferred to Folsom State Prison five days later.
Photo: The San Quentin mugshot of William P. Richards.
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