LA SARGE FAMILY.

                                                            Arkansas City.

[Note: Isolated stories told about this family via 1920s newspapers. Have never had time to research the family. MAW]

Arkansas City Traveler, Friday, December 16, 1921.

                                           BOLD HOLDUP AND ROBBERY

                        Virgil La Sarge is Relieved of Diamond Ring and Money.

                     Two Men Awaited His Coming at Garage Early This Morning

                                     And Compelled Him to Give Up Valuables.

Virgil “Fat” La Sarge, of this city, was the victim of a bold hold up at an early hour this morning; and as a result of the affair, he is the loser of one diamond ring valued at $1,200 and four or five dollars in money. The bold hold up occurred at the garage back of the William Bunnell residence at 306 South Second Street, at three o’clock this morning; and the victim had no chance to protect himself, as he carried no revolver and would not have had the opportunity to use it even though he had had one. There were two men, both white, in the affair; and they relieved La Sarge of his valuables without a great deal of ceremony. One of them held a flashlight and a revolver on the victim, while the other “fleeced” him.

At the first command of the men for La Sarge to throw up his hands, he thought perhaps that it was some sort of a joke being played on him by some of the boys and he was slow to stick ‘em up, when commanded to do so. The man with the revolver then stuck the point of the gun so close to his face that there was a slight wound inflicted on his lips. Following this demonstration on the part of the hold up men, La Sarge at once stuck up his hands and acceded to the demands of the robbers. One of them quickly removed the ring from his finger and went through his pockets, securing the money as stated above.

La Sarge told the officers that the two men appeared in the garage behind him, after he had turned the lights out on the car, and was preparing to leave the building. It is the supposi­tion that they were in waiting for him upon his return home. He had been out late on account of having driven Rex Garris and his bride to Mulvane last night, where they caught the train going away on their honeymoon trip.

La Sarge resides with his mother, Mrs. William Bunnell, and her husband at the above address and he keeps the car in the garage there. He was acting as quietly as possible at the time, in fear of awaking the family who resides in the flat over the garage. Both his mother and Mr. Bunnell heard him drive into the garage. They thought he was an unusually long time in getting the car put up and coming to the house, but they had no idea that he was being held up and robbed. The victim secured a very good description of the two men in spite of the fact that he was at a great disadvantage on account of the fact that they held the light in his face. After slamming the door of the garage shut on the victim, the two men ran south down the alley; and as soon as La Sarge thought it was safe for him to move, he left the garage and went into the house, where he reported the case to Mr. and Mrs. Bunnell. Mr. Bunnell at once called the police and three of them went to the house. They took the city bloodhounds there and put them on the trail leading from the garage, to the south. Twice in rapid succession the hounds took the trail in the same direction, and the trail ended at a point on Madison Avenue.

The general supposition is that the robbers got into an auto at that point. The officers have been at work on the case all day, and they are running down several clues that may yet develop into some arrests.

La Sarge offers a reward of $200 for the arrest of the thieves and the return of the diamond ring.

Arkansas City Traveler, Saturday, December 17, 1921.

                                                        STILL AT LARGE

                         Three Men Detained at Enid, But Have Been Released.

The city officers report that the two men who held up and robbed Virgil La Sarge Thursday night as he was placing his car in the garage at his home on South Second street are still at large today and there seems to be no real clue upon which to work on the case at the present time. Yesterday the local officers caused the detention of three men from Enid at that place, as they were in Arkansas City that night, but they were later re­leased. La Sarge does not have a complete description of the two men as they held a flashlight in his face at the time of the robbery. In the holdup La Sarge was relieved of a $1,200 diamond and about $5 in money.

City officers are at present working on several clues on this case and they may yet find some tangible evidence as to who the robbers really were.

Arkansas City Traveler, Monday, December 19, 1921.

                                                  STOLE CADILLAC TIRE

                           Thieves Enter Bunnell Garage—Atempt Theft of Car.

Thieves again raised a disturbance on the residence premises of William A. Bunnell, at the corner of Second street and Wash­ington avenue, when they entered his garage Saturday night and stole the spare tire from Virgil LaSarge’s Cadillac car. En­trance was made through the garage door and it is sup­posed the thief or thieves must have had a key that fit the lock on the door. The car was locked, but it had been jostled back and forth with the evident intention of getting it out of the garage, and a pile of lath was knocked down, and it is supposed that the noise thus made frightened the thieves away. However, the loss of the tire and the attempted theft of the car was not discovered until next morning.

The same garage was the scene of the recent holdup when two men stuck a gun in Virgil LaSarge’s face after he had driven into the garage and turned off the light and robbed him of his $1,200 diamond ring and got about $4.00 in change, then disap­peared down the alley. So far no one has been apprehended in connection with either the ring, robbery, or the tire theft.

Arkansas City Traveler, Friday, January 6, 1922.

                                                   FAILED TO GET RING

                              Virgil LaSarge’s Cadillac Car Wrecked Near Enid.

Some time ago, Virgil LaSarge had the misfortune to have an expensive diamond ring stolen from him. A few days since, a couple of young fellows with whom Mr. LaSarge is ac­quainted, came to him and intimated to him that they knew where his ring was, and would help him recover the same.

Wednesday the trio got in Mr. LaSarge’s Cadillac and drove to Enid and put up at a hotel there. The young fellows who were to aid in the recovery of the ring told Mr. LaSarge to remain at the hotel and they would go out and get the ring, and would use his car to go where they had to go.

Mr. LaSarge remained at the hotel for some time, but the young men who came with him did not return. After waiting all day for his companions to show up with his car, he returned home this morning. At noon he received a telephone call from the police of Enid, informing that his car had been located near Enid, and had been wrecked. Mr. LaSarge will go to Enid tomorrow and make investigation.

Arkansas City Traveler, Saturday, January 7, 1922.

Policeman Ed. Pauley went to Enid over the Frisco this morning to look into the matter of the theft of the LaSarge auto at that place.