Thursday, January 2, 2025
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The Great Stagecoach Robbery
Editor’s note: The following article was published Oct. 8, 2016, in our former weekly, Saturday Shelby. I recall some follow-up conversations with additional details from those involved later, but this is the only documented version on file.
Gun-slinging bandits, wild horses, stagecoaches. Nothing unusual for a 1960s Western flick, but how about in the 1960s Midwest? Better yet, try right here in Shelby County.
The 1960s were a time of prosperity and change. With new and neat gadgets being invented every day, the globe raced toward a chrome-colored lifestyle. As Shelbyville continued to transition from a farm community to an industrious and modern town, shops beyond the classic “mom n' pops” began to appear. The Belaire Shopping Center opened on June 10, 1960. Located along State Road 44, it was the first strip mall to inhabit Shelby County.
To celebrate the grand opening, local U.S. Postal Service (USPS) postmaster Bob Meltzer decided to have that day's mail delivered specially. Friends with Max Bansbach, Meltzer was able to borrow a classic stagecoach. In a time when the automobile revved alive and well, it might have seemed a bit odd to deliver mail via stagecoach, but special occasions called for the fanciest forms of transportation.
At the same time, however, his employees had other plans. Don McVey, now 84, had been a USPS window clerk when he formulated the prank of the decade.
A few days before Belaire's opening, McVey sat in a barber's chair. His wife's cousin, Gael Coulston, was routinely cutting his hair. Like friends do, the pair were chatting when McVey joked, “Boy, I'd sure like to hold that stagecoach up.” In a moment of pure genius and impulse, Coulston boldly replied, "Let's do it." And thus, a master scheme was born.
First on their agenda was calling in the cavalry. Like all good bad cowboys, the men needed horses. Because, let's face it, what's a holdup without a horse?
Coulston already owned one, but the pair were still in need of more. Coulston's friend, Paul Gobel, provided another three on the condition that both he and his son, Don, could also participate.
McVey recalls Coulston and Gobel as natural tricksters in their youth, the stagecoach heist being the perfect prank for the pair. The only thing standing in their way being the challenge of keeping the secret.
Early that summer morning, the stagecoach left the post office. Led by a team of four horses, Bansbach sat in the driver's seat, serving as the "whip." Next to him sat Maurice Cooper, a USPS worker.
Inside the coach was postmaster Meltzer, ensuring the mail would be delivered safely.
On the opposite side of town, the merry band of outlaws lay in wait. They met at a drive-in theater and hid within the surrounding trees, planning to ambush the stagecoach as it passed. Saddled up and ready to ride, the “robbers” wore bandanas and cowboy hats - save for McVey, who wore a Civil War era forage cap.
They each carried a cap gun, the simulated gunshot sound effect providing an authentic, yet harmless, experience.
When the stagecoach finally approached, the wait was over, and the plan was thrown into action.
“The boy (Don Gobel) stopped them there, and we rode out to the back and the side of the stagecoach,” McVey said.
Unbeknownst to McVey and the rest of the bandits, however, the stagecoach crew had somehow caught wind of the mock holdup prior to that morning. Anticipating the ambuscade, they arrived armed with their own defense.
Before the “robbers” could take the stagecoach hostage, Cooper stood from his seat in the box. He pointed his muzzleloader to the sky, firing blanks.
Spooked by the sounds, the raiders' horses scattered, running for the hills. Or, in McVey's case, down SR 44.
“I didn't ride much...but I held on, and he went all the way down to the shopping center," McVey said.
Soon after, the stagecoach and the bandits joined McVey, sharing a laugh before doling out the day's mail.
For years to come, all involved would look back on June 10, 1960, fondly. Passing it down through generations and reminiscing during class reunions, the mock robbery was a reminder of the good ol' days.
Today, the story serves as a small slice of Shelby County history. Endearing, amusing, and simply strange, the Great Stage Robbery of 1960 will never be forgotten.
NOTEBOOK:
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HOOSIER NEWS: A recent test conducted on Monroe County’s wastewater shows that flu, RSV, Norovirus and SARS-COV-2 levels are all on the rise. Graham McKeen, the Director of Public and Environmental Health at IU, said that levels for Norovirus, or stomach flu, in particular are at an all-time high. McKeen also said that flu levels are near peak and already higher than they were last season. While the height of the numbers is a concern, the timing comes exactly as expected. (Indiana Public Media)
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Anniversary Notice
Kenny and Gail (Leininger) Zauss, Waldron, will celebrate 54 years of marriage this month. They were married Jan. 16, 1971, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Kokomo, Ind. They have two children, Emily (Daniel) Colpi and Laura (Robert) Bossingham, and five grandchildren. Mrs. Zauss is retired from Triton Central schools, and Mr. Zauss works at Cunningham Gardens and Roberta’s Gardens in Waldron.
SHS ‘Scurrier’ Archive Photo
April 1979
SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
Feb. 14, 2011
Leann Haddock wrote about athletic traditions. Senior gymnast Ashley Allen described the “pinky prayer,” in which gymnasts circled after the national anthem and locked pinky fingers. She then did two back walkovers on the beam to warm up. She also noted that the coach wanted them to be aggressive, so she growled before getting on the block. Senior Hannah Smock ate goldfish before every competition. The team had “Jesus cake” after each meet, which was similar to peanut butter bars. And braided hair gave them all good luck.
Seniors were asked about future plans. Josh Haus said he was debating which college to attend, and threw in that joining the CIA might be a possibility.
Students were asked their thoughts on Valentine’s Day. Sophomore Grace Dillow said “expectations are too high these days” for the holiday.
“The Biggest Loser” TV show was holding a casting call for Season 11 at Indiana Live! Casino in Shelbyville. Contestants had to be at least 18 years old and at least 100 pounds overweight. Directors expected 500 to 1,000 people to attend the audition. The Courier said it would be a long day of casting and recommended bringing snacks.
In response to the question, “What do you want to do before you die?”, Shawna Phelps said she would like to marry Justin Bieber.
Mr. Lux sent his Environmental Science students to the outdoor lab to count birds for the 14th annual Backyard Bird Count, organized by Cornell and the National Audubon Society.
This Day in Shelby County History
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: The Flat Rock River staged a glacial-type show that threatened to re-landscape anything in its path, LuAnn Mason reported for The Shelbyville News. An unseasonable warming trend had weakened the thick layer of ice that covered the river from an area known as the Flats, past homes lining its banks toward the Geneva bridge.
1995: A $125,000 gift to the Self Shelbyville Boys Club expansion and new Girls Inc. building in memory of the late John C. and Martha Jane DePrez was announced. The gift was made through the Blue River Foundation and established a permanent fund for maintenance of the Girls Inc. facility.
1985: Elected Shelby County officials had been sworn in during a ceremony at the Shelby County Courthouse. They included Judges Jack Tandy and Jonathan Palmer; Commissioners Robert Newton and Kenneth Nigh; and Councilmen John Thomas, Robert Laird and Glenn Perry.
Long lines were outside the license branch due to a four-day holiday weekend and the need to purchase 1985 plates.
1975: A vehicle smashed the glass in the double doors of Open Pantry Market, 415 N. Vine St., after the driver’s foot slipped off the brake and onto the gas.
1965: Armie Lewis, 87, one of the 14 patients who escaped death in the fire disaster which had swept the Maples Convalescent Home in Fountaintown that claimed the lives of 20, died in a nursing home in Franklin. The cause of death was listed as heart failure. Lewis and others had been taken to Major Hospital for a period. One of the patients was still at Major recovering from minor burn wounds. Lewis had formerly operated a shoe and harness repair shop at 16 N. Harrison.
1955: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stephens’ new daughter had been the first baby of the year in Shelby County. The couple, who lived at 104 W. South St., had not yet named the child.
The IHSAA took the sectional basketball tournament away from Shelbyville for the first time since the set-up was started in 1926. Columbus and its modern new 7,042 seat gym was awarded the sectional. The local Paul Cross Gym seated 3,475. Columbus’ old gym had 1,800 seats.
1945: Letters from Capt. Armit Lewis to his family stated he had safely reached his base after 40 days of walking from behind enemy lines. Lewis, who had been advanced to commander of a fighter squadron with the Chinese-American Composite Wing of the 14th Air Force, had previously been reported as Missing in Action. (Lewis passed away in 2010.)
The Kennedy Car Liner and Bag Company closed for a couple of days due to a coal shortage. The firm had just enough coal to prevent a freeze-up until a new shipment arrived.
1935: The number of fire alarms, 154, received by the Shelbyville Fire Department in 1934 was the largest on record. But it was the second smallest total loss in at least 30 years. Property loss had been $7,463, more than the lowest loss year in 1933. Losses in 1928, when there were 120 fires, had been $327,896, with the old city hall and the Fame Canning Factory both burning.
Warned they would be subject to arrest for operating vehicles without 1935 plates, motorists crowded the local license bureau branch. Manager Raymond Peters said at noon that about 3,600 of the 5,000 license plates allotted for Shelby County had been sold.
1925: There had been sufficient precipitation in 1924, totaling 36 inches, weather observer George Meltzer reported. He noted that each of the 28,000 residents in Shelby County would have had enough for 464 barrels. There had been 102 rainy days.
With snow on the streets, sleighs were out in full force.
1915: The fire wagon overturned after skidding on ice at the corner of Broadway and Miller streets. William Neu Jr. had been on the truck at the time and was badly bruised. Firemen got the wagon right-side-up only to have the wagon skid when turning onto Colescott at Harrison later that morning. The wagon collided with a buggy, creating minor damage. Firemen asked city council for skid chains.
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OBITUARIES
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