Fleagle Gang Buried Cache in Kansas
The American West, particularly in the early 20th century, was a landscape etched with tales of daring outlaws, audacious heists, and the allure of hidden riches. Among the many stories that linger in the annals of criminal history, the saga of the Fleagle Gang and their alleged buried treasure holds a prominent place. This article delves into the history of the Fleagle family, their descent into criminality, and the persistent rumors of a hidden cache of stolen money somewhere in the heartland of America.
The story begins in the late 1800s when the Fleagle family migrated from Iowa to the expansive, flat plains of western Kansas. Like many families seeking opportunity and a fresh start, they hoped to carve out a life in this burgeoning region. The family consisted of four sons, whose paths would diverge dramatically. While the two eldest were known for their diligent work ethic and responsible nature, the younger pair, Ralph and Jake Fleagle, would ultimately choose a life of crime, becoming notorious outlaws in the early 1900s.
Jake Fleagle, seeking fortune beyond the Kansas farmlands, ventured westward to the bustling metropolis of San Francisco, California. There, he honed his skills as a card shark, preying on unsuspecting individuals in high-stakes gambling dens. His illicit activities eventually led him to Oklahoma, where he was apprehended and sentenced to a year in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary for burglary. Upon his release, Ralph was waiting. Together, the brothers returned to their roots in Garden City, Kansas, setting the stage for their future criminal endeavors.
Back in Garden City, the brothers’ activities sparked curiosity and suspicion among their neighbors. Ralph and Jake were observed making frequent trips to and from the family farm, and the Fleagle family’s financial situation appeared to be improving considerably. They acquired a new house, a modern tractor, and an increasing number of cattle, all seemingly indicative of newfound wealth. To quell any doubts, the brothers attributed their success to savvy investments in the stock market. However, the truth was far more sinister. Unknown to their family and neighbors, Ralph and Jake were leading a ruthless gang of gunmen, terrorizing communities throughout the western states.
Under Jake’s leadership, the Fleagle Gang operated primarily in the Sacramento Valley of California, targeting high-stakes gambling houses and lucrative crap games. Their raids were characterized by meticulous planning and swift execution, leaving victims bewildered and law enforcement struggling to keep pace. When the pressure in California became too intense, the gang would retreat to Garden City, seeking refuge in the familiar surroundings of their family farm. Jake, despite his proclivities for drinking and philandering, managed to amass a substantial bank account from his criminal exploits. Ralph, on the other hand, was known for his frugal nature and penchant for secrecy. He preferred to bury his ill-gotten gains in various locations across California, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas, creating a network of hidden caches that would later fuel speculation and treasure hunts. Historians estimate that the Fleagle Gang was responsible for a staggering 60% of all heists committed in and around Kansas and California during the Roaring Twenties, solidifying their reputation as formidable figures in the criminal underworld. The legend of the Fleagle Gang Buried Cache in Kansas began to grow.
To facilitate their criminal enterprise, the brothers established a new hideout not far from their parents’ home, providing them with a more private space to plan their elaborate capers. In 1928, they recruited three new members to their gang: Corazon Gargullio, an escapee from San Quentin known for his casing skills; George Abshier, a hardened criminal from Colorado; and Howard Royston, a seasoned outlaw from California. Together, they meticulously planned to rob the First National Bank of Lamar, Colorado, a heist that would ultimately define their legacy and lead to their downfall. Gargullio, tasked with casing the bank, grew impatient with Jake’s superstitious delays and eventually left the gang, only to be killed by the FBI shortly thereafter.
Despite the setbacks and delays, the day of the robbery finally arrived. The four remaining members of the Fleagle Gang stormed into the First National Bank of Lamar, their sacks ready to be filled with the bank’s riches. In their fifteen years of criminal activity, the Fleagle brothers had never resorted to violence, preferring to rely on intimidation and stealth. However, the Lamar bank robbery would mark a turning point. As the gang began to fill their sacks with $220,000, bank president A.N. Parrish bravely confronted them, firing at Royston with a .45 caliber pistol, striking him in the jawbone. Jake retaliated, fatally shooting Parrish. The bank president’s son, J.N. Parrish, rushed to his father’s aid, only to be gunned down by Jake as well. The Fleagle Gang Buried Cache in Kansas was now stained with blood.
The shootings triggered a chaotic panic within the bank. The alarm was activated, and the gang was forced to flee, taking two bank employees, Everett Kessinger and Ed Lungren, as hostages. As they sped away, Sheriff rushed behind them. A shot from the gang hit the sheriff’s car radiator, the gang sped away, leaving the lawmen behind. Once outside of town, they released Ed Lungren, the bank teller, but kept Kessinger, the bank cashier, as a shield in case they encountered more law enforcement.
With Royston writhing in pain from the bullet lodged in his jaw, the gang raced through the back roads of Colorado, eventually crossing into western Kansas. Upon reaching their ranch, they tied up Kessinger and proceeded to bury the stolen money, ensuring its safekeeping. Later that night, they roused Dr. W.W. Wineinger from his sleep, forcing him at gunpoint to treat Royston’s injury.
The disappearance of Dr. Wineinger sparked an exhaustive search by the townspeople. The doctor was eventually found dead beneath his old Hudson automobile, bound, gagged, blindfolded, and shot in the back at the crisscross of a cowpath. A few days later, Kessinger’s bullet-riddled body was discovered in a weedy patch north of Liberal, Kansas, also bound, gagged, and shot in the back. These heinous acts ignited public outrage, with the town newspaper calling for revenge. Law enforcement launched a massive manhunt, but the Fleagle Gang had already fled to St. Paul, Minnesota.
However, Jake Fleagle made a critical error that would ultimately lead to his capture. He left a single fingerprint on Dr. Wineinger’s old car, a seemingly insignificant detail that would prove to be his undoing. In those days, fingerprint analysis was still in its early stages, and obtaining a match from a single print was a long shot. But fate intervened when a transient named William Holden was arrested on suspicion of a train stickup. While Holden was eventually cleared after providing a solid alibi, the sheriff, acting on a hunch, sent his fingerprints to Washington D.C. for comparison. The prints were identified not as belonging to William Holden but to Jake Fleagle, whose fingerprints were on file from his previous incarceration in the Oklahoma Penitentiary. The print matched the one found on Dr. Wineinger’s car.
Sheriff’s deputies immediately descended upon the Fleagle ranch, where they obtained Ralph’s address in Kankakee, Illinois. Chief Harper swiftly traveled to Kankakee, taking Ralph by surprise and bringing him back to Garden City in shackles. Ralph, facing the weight of the evidence and the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence, began to cooperate with authorities, providing valuable information about the gang’s activities.
Royston, still bearing the scar from the Lamar bank robbery, was apprehended in San Andreas, California, where he had been living a quiet life as a father and husband. He provided information on George Abshier, who was subsequently arrested.
With no leads on Jake Fleagle’s whereabouts, law enforcement distributed over a million posters featuring his prison photograph to cities and towns across the nation, offering a reward of $25,000 for his capture. Finally, Jake Fleagle was cornered and killed in a gunfight with police in Branson, Missouri, bringing an end to his reign of terror.
Ralph Fleagle, Royston, and Abshier were all convicted of their crimes and sentenced to death. They were hanged in the Colorado State Penitentiary at Canon City, bringing a definitive close to the Fleagle Gang’s violent chapter in American history. The Fleagle Gang Buried Cache in Kansas became a point of interest.
The question that lingered long after the Fleagle Gang’s demise was the fate of their stolen loot. It is believed that Ralph Fleagle buried hundreds of thousands of dollars across several states. One cache was discovered in Nebraska in 1952, another in Kansas in 1961, and yet another near Murrieta, California. The persistent rumors of the Fleagle Gang Buried Cache in Kansas continue to fuel treasure hunts and spark the imaginations of those seeking to uncover a piece of history.
It is said that a cache of $100,000 taken from a bank in Nebraska remains hidden in one of two locations: either in the area of Battle Canyon, nestled in the rugged badlands of the Logan-Scott County area, or on Ralph Fleagle’s ranch, where he resided before his capture near Branson, Missouri. The Fleagle Gang Buried Cache in Kansas represents a tantalizing mystery, a symbol of the lawlessness and hidden riches that defined a bygone era in the American West. The legend of the Fleagle Gang Buried Cache in Kansas endures, enticing dreamers and adventurers to search for the lost treasure of a notorious outlaw gang.