It’s not every day a customer walks into a bank and sees the bank president carrying around a Tommygun in the bank lobby. But customers may catch a peek of that every now and again at First Newton National Bank, which celebrated its 75th year in business earlier in 2007. No, it’s not the latest in bank security measures, but it does invoke one heck of a story that President Gary Kahn shares from the days of the FBI G-men and the time Newton almost became a stop on John Dillinger’s path to infamy as a bank robber. “During the Depression, it became known that the famous gangster John Dillinger was going to rob the bank,” said Kahn, who has worked at the bank since 1977 and served as bank president since 1989. In the spring of 1934, the FBI moved into Newton for several months to capture the gangster, but Dillinger learned of the FBI’s plan and never showed up, Kahn said. Realizing Dillinger was not going to try and rob the bank, the FBI pulled out but before leaving town they left the bank president means to secure himself, his employees and the bank. “When the G-men left town they gave the president, H.C. McCardell, a Thompson machine gun,” Kahn shared. “They said ‘If he shows up, shoot him!’ He never showed up so he never had to shoot him.” The bank still has the Tommygun safely stored in the bank vault and puts it on display during special occasions. Kahn said the bank is getting a glass case made for the piece of historical memorabilia. #Bank #First_National_Bank #Newton
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