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100 years ago, bank robberies in North Dakota sparked a massive manhunt

On July 27, 1926, three armed men robbed the State Bank of Davenport, located about 25 miles southwest of Fargo, escaping with more than $1,300 in cash and nearly $260 in postage stamps.
Authorities identified the suspects as Meloy Brandum, 23, his younger brother Currie Brandum, 18, and Peter Stodolka, 18, all from Perham, Minn., triggering a two-day manhunt involving about 30 officers and bloodhounds.
By Wednesday morning, officers surrounded the Brandum farmhouse and captured a sleeping Stodolka inside; the Brandum brothers escaped into woods but were later discovered hiding behind a pile of boards in the attic.
Meloy Brandum was sentenced to 22 years in the North Dakota State Penitentiary, Currie to 20 years, and Stodolka to 10 years; authorities recovered all but $17 of the stolen funds.
After their release, Currie Brandum served honorably in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II before becoming a carpet layer, while Stodolka reinvented himself as a musician and shoemaker.

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