On December 23, 1927, the downtown area of the small north-central Texas town of Cisco, in Eastland County, was busy with last-minute shoppers tending to their final preparations for upcoming holiday celebrations. The citizens of this small, 8,000-person town had no idea that the man in the Santa Claus suit ambling down the street had anything other than good intentions.


 
 

photo Gallery

Show Notes

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley 

Researched and written by Gemma Harris

Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner 

Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio 

Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley 

  1. Bedichek, W, ‘NINE WOUNDED IN STREET BATTLE…’, Abilene News-Reporter, 1927

  2. Evans, S, ‘PATROLS ARE FLUNG WIDER;...’, Fort Worth Record Telegram, 1927

  3. Evans, S. ‘ARGUMENTS TO BEGIN TODAY…’, Fort Worth Record Telegram, 1928

  4. Floyd, N, ‘JAILER DIES OF INJURIES…’, Abilene Daily Reporter, 1929

  5. Friend, D, ‘The Santa Who Tried To Steal Christmas: A Story of A Failed Texas Bank Robbery’, The Texan, 2019

  6. Hollister, S, ‘Texas History 101’, Texas Monthly, 2022

  7. House, B, ‘Santa Claus Bank Robbery’, Startling Detective Adventures, 1930

  8. Lumpkin, J, ‘Sinister Santa: A Look at the 1927 Cisco Bank Robbery’, Texas Highways, 2017

  9. Rossen, J, ‘Criminal Kringle: The Santa Claus Bank Heist of 1927’, Mental Floss, 2019

  10. Sault, S, ‘The Santa Claus Bank Robbery: This Texas Town’s Bloodiest Crime’, Texas Hill Country, 2019

  11. Pierce, B, ‘WOUNDED CISCO BANK BANDIT BROUGHT HERE’, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1927 

  12. Spiars, J, ‘Off the Beaten Path’, Under The Lone Star, 2017

  13. Stowers, C, ‘Santa Got a Gun — and a Rope’, Fort Worth Weekly, 2007

  14. Taylor, M, ‘The Year Santa Robbed The First National Bank’, Texas Living 

  15. ‘New novel is based on Cisco’s 1927 Santa Claus bank robber’, Texas Star Trading, 2023

  16. Van Ostrand, M, ‘The Night the Posse Chased Santa’, Texas Escapes, 2006

  17. Walker, L, ‘The Santa Claus Bank Robbery: How Christmas went terribly wrong for some Wichita Falls bandits’, Times Record News, 2022

  18. Whitaker, W, ‘The Man Who Foiled Santa Claus’, Abilene Reporter-News, 1977

  19. ‘City of Cisco’ 

  20. ‘Cisco, Texas’ Cisco Chamber of Commerce

  21. ‘Santa Claus Bank Robbery’, Texas State Historical Association, 2019

  22. ‘The Santa Claus Bank Robbery’, UNT Press

  23. ‘Henry Helms on his way to the electric chair, September 6, 1929’, Texas State Library & Archives Commission, 2016

  24. ‘The day Santa Claus robbed a Bank’, The Light & Champion, 2022

  25. ‘National Affairs: String Him Up’, TIME Magazine, 1929

  26. ‘SANTA CLAUS ROBS HOMETOWN BANK’, Martin County Messenger, 2022

  27. ‘Brown County Gleanings: Cisco’s “Santa Claus” Bandit’, Brownwood News, 2017

  28. ‘TWO POLICE, BANKER & BANDIT HURT’, The Waxahachie Daily Light, 1927

  29.  ‘Man Dead Following Robbery…’, Associated Press, 1927

  30. ‘Three Alleged Robbers Are Dead…’, The San Angelo Daily Standard, 1927 

  31. ‘4 SHOT IN CISCO BANK ROBBERY’, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1927 

  32. ‘2 Girls Taken By Cisco Bandits…’, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1927

  33. ‘Four Cisco Bank Robbers Still At Large’, Wichita Falls Times, 1927

  34. ‘WICHITAN SHOT IN CISCO BANDIT RAID’, Times Record News, 1927

  35. ‘CHARGE CISCO BANK ROBBER WITH MURDER’, The Marshall News Messenger, 1927

  36. ‘BLOODHOUNDS ON TRAIL OF BANK BANDITS’, El Paso Evening Post, 1927

  37. ‘WICHITA FALLS MAN REVEALED…’, Times Record News, 1927

  38. ‘Cisco Bandits Expected In Wichita Falls Area’, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1927

  39. ‘One Bandit Wounded…’, Associated Press, 1927

  40. ‘SHOT VICTIM FORMERLY IN TEXAS PRISON’, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1927

  41. ‘MAN HUNT LED BY RANGERS…’, Abilene Daily Reporter, 1927

  42. ‘Eastland County Pays Final Tribute…’, Abilene Reporter-News, 1927

  43. ‘WOUNDS, HUNGER DRIVE PAIR…’, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1927

  44. ‘WOUNDED & ILL ARE EASILY CAPTURED…’, Associated Press, 1927

  45. ‘George Carmichael…’, Associated Press, 1928

  46. ‘NEW CHARGES OF MURDER…’, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1928

  47. ‘Death Penalty Asked For Third…’, The Austin American, 1928

  48. ‘DECLARE HILL MAY BE STATE WITNESS HERE’, Abilene Daily Reporter, 1928

  49. ‘Last of Four Youthful…’, The Marshall News Messenger, 1928

  50. ‘Ratliff Verdict Is 99 Years’, Wichita Falls Times, 1928

  51. ‘Bank Robber Gets Death Sentence’, The Whitewright Sun, 1928

  52. ‘ROBBER MAKES PLEA TO JURY…’, Associated Press, 1928

  53. ‘RATLIFF MAY GO TO TRIAL FOR MURDER’, Abilene Reporter-News, 1928

  54. ‘CISCO BANK BANDIT LEADER…’, Abilene Daily Reporter, 1928

  55. ‘Ratliff Given Death in Slaying’, Associated Press, 1928

  56. ‘MEETS DEATH KICKING & STRUGGLING’, Victoria Advocate, 1929

  57. ‘GUARD SHOT IN ATTEMPTED PRISON BREAK’, The Waxahachie Daily Light, 1929

  58. ‘Marshall Ratliff is First Victim…’, The Waxahachie Daily Light, 1929

  59. ‘Fanous ‘Santa Claus Bandit’...’, Associated Press, 1929

  60. ‘MOB HANGS SANTA CLAUS…’, Associated Press, 1929

  61. ‘First National Bank’, Historical Marker Database

  62. ‘Last Mob Lynching in the State of Texas’, Historical Marker Database

  63. ‘George Emory Bedford’, WikiTree

  64. ‘George W Carmichael’, Find a Grave

  65. ‘Lewis Elmore Davis’, Find a Grave

  66. ‘Henry Helms’, Find a Grave

  67. ‘Robert Hill’, Find a Grave

  68. ‘Thomas Alexander Jones’, Find a Grave

  69. ‘Edward Paxton Kilborn’, Find a Grave

  70. ‘Marshall Fields Ratliff’, Find a Grave