#stolen from mr bruce campbell himself

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Bank Bandit Suspect Held,” Windsor Star. October 18, 1938. Page 3 & 6. ---- $2,000 in Cash, Two Revolvers Are Recovered ---- Melvin Campbell, 35, and Attractive Young Woman Companion Captured in Windsor Apartment Building Hide-out ---- Tries to Leap From Window --- Accused in Mount Brydges and Richmond Holdup; Rated as Ontario's No. 1 Badman; John Donaghue Is Arrested for Investigation ---- Provincial Police raiding squads surrounded an apartment hide-out on Park street west early this morning and arrested Melvin Campbell, 35, rated by police as Ontario’s number one badman. He is charged with two bank robberies, that of the Mount Brydges branch of the Royal Bank on October 13 and a bank in Richmond, Ont., last July. 

Katherine Byrne, 22, Campbell’s attractive companion who was living with him as his wife, was arrested and charged with receiving stolen goods. 

Campbell and the girl were in bed when the officers, equipped with a key to their apartment, walked in. Campbell leaped out of bed and dashed for a rear window. He kicked out the screen arid was about to leap to the ground when he was forced back by officers stationed below the window. Their terse order to stay where he was, backed up by the menace of their revolvers, convinced Campbell that he was trapped, so he submitted to arrest. 

Two loaded revolvers, one believed stolen from Mount Brydges bank, and $2,000 in currency were found in the apartment. 

John Donaghue, 32, of 137 Bruce avenue, is held for investigation. 

Caught Early Today CAMPBELL and his girl friend were arrested in a two-roomed apartment in an apartment building at 450 Park street west, at 1:30 a. m. by a squad of Provincial Police headed by Inspector Hammond of Toronto. 

This morning the prisoners were rushed by automobile to London for a line-up at 2 p. m. when members of the Mount Brydges bank staff were to attempt identification of the two armed men who robbed the bank of approximately $4,000. 

Campbell was already wanted for the robbery of the bank at Richmond, near Ottawa, before the Mount Brydges bank was held up. A warrant was out for his arrest and it is understood that provincial police were informed by a devious route of communication that he was prepared to give himself up on that charge some time last week. About 20,000 was obtained In the Richmond robbery and Campbell's brother, Oscar, went to Kingston just a week ago to start serving a 12-year term for his participation in the job. 

Here Since August Campbell and his attractive brunette companion have been living in the Park street apartment since August 22 as Mr. and Mrs. N. C. Thompson. When Campbell rented the apartment he told the caretaker he was a plumber by trade. When the police squads burst into the apartment they found Campbell and Miss Byrne in bed and found a loaded .38 calibre revolver under Campbell’s pillow. The other gun was found in a dresser drawer. 

The apartment was in an extreme state of disorder, indicating the couple had spent much of their time indoors, hiding out. The rooms were littered with beer and whisky bottles and the makings for cigarets, indicating they rolled their own. 

A pair of very expensive silver fox furs indicated that Campbell had parted with a considerable sum of money in order to satisfy the fashion whims of his companion. 

Was Wounded Campbell’s face shows only slight evidence of the gunshot wounds he suffered last August when police fired from ambush as he drove away from his brother Oscar’s hide-out near Ottawa. At that time it was believed he was badly wounded, but his appearance today indicated he" had received good medical attention for the removal of dozens of pellets that hit him in the face and body when the police opened fire. 

It was learned this morning that Inspector Hammond and his squad expected to have Campbell in custody last week because word reached them from his friends that he intended to give himself up because of the warrant charging him with the Richmond bank robbery. 

He was expected to surrender last Thursday; then on Friday, but when the week-end passed and he had still not come out from cover, the police struck. His comely companion is believed to have dissuaded him from giving himself up, with the result that police descended on their hide-out and arrested her too.

Campbell is considered by provincial police, and particularly by Toronto police, as one of the most dangerous members of a family that has continually been fugitive from justice. There are five brothers and Melvin is known as one of the most desperate. When Oscar went into Kingston last week another brother was just being released after serving a term. 

The provincial officers scoured Campbell's apartment this morning before they found the $2,000. allegedly part of the haul from the Mount Brydges bank, stowed away in the water tank of the bathroom closet. 

Failed to Turn Up When they learned last week that Campbell was ready to give himself up, police were not too optimistic about it because a little more than a month ago they received similar information but he failed to turn up. At that time word reached provincial police in Toronto that Campbell was prepared to surrender and offer proof that he was not connected with the Richmond robbery. At that time he was also quoted, by indirect sources, as stating the police put more shotgun pellets into him than they had estimated. 

When he was examined today at police headquarters he was found to bear the marks of about 40 pellets that hit him in the face, shoulders and upper torso. 

Mt. Brydges Holdup The Mount Brydges branch of the Royal Bank was held up and robbed by two masked men who walked in at 2 p.m. last Thursday and ordered Manager J. W. Flett and Teller Richard A. Norman to put up their hands. Both men wore masks fashioned, from dirty handkerchiefs. One earned a long-barreled black gun and the other had a smaller pistol. 

While one gunman covered the two hank employes the other hopped over a low counter and ordered the teller to open his rage. The bandit then picked up a metal box that was in the cage, filled it with all the money in the teller's drawer and moved on to the vault. 

After removing all the money he could find in the vault and placing it in the box, the gunman walked out of the bank. His confederate kept the manager and teller covered until he was safely out. then ordered them to lie down on the floor of the vault and closed the door. 

Fired After Car The bank men waited only until they heard the last bandit close The front door of the bank and then they dashed out of the vault. Flett grabbed a gun kept in the vault and ran outside. pumping a few shots at the fleeing car while Norman called police. 

The bandits’ waiting car was headed north but while the last man to leave the hank was still on the running board it swung around in the street and headed south out of town. Manager Flett fired several shots at the fleeing machine and believed that he struck the ear at least once. 

The car, a 1937 sedan, answered the description of a car which had been stolen from Windsor the day previous. It has not yet been located and it is believed the bandits abandoned it en route to Windsor. 

Brother Arrested TORONTO. Oct. 18. Howard Campbell, brother of Oscar Campbell who recently was sentenced to 12 years in penitentiary at Ottawa for bank robberv. was arrested here today and held on a vagrancy charge. Police refused to discuss details of the arrest. A third brother. Melvin, was arrested at Windsor and charged with robbery of the Mount Brydges branch of the Royal Bank of Canada last week.

//// Alleged Robber and Companion Caught in Windsor TWO bank robberies are charged against Melvin Campbell, 35, lower left, who was arrested early this morning in an apartment at 450 Park street west. At the left, above, is a view of the window of his apartment, where he kicked out a screen in a move to escape. Provincial officers below the window forced him back at gun point. At the right, above. Inspector E. L. D. Hammond is seen going through luggage found in the apartment. Below at the right is a view of the interior of the two-roomed suite where Campbell had been hiding out since August 22 with Katherine Byrne, 22, an attractive brunette. Inset is John Donaghue, 32, of 137 Bruce avenue, who also was arrested and is being held for investigation. (By Staff Photographer.)