Detective Robert Cline had just completed his 11th year on the Columbus police force, when he was shot in the abdomen and killed while pursuing four bank robbers on Feb. 5, 1938.
One day prior, the suspects held up the Hilltop branch of the Ohio National Bank for the alleged amount of $3,500. The four men were found hiding-out in a boarding house on Guilford Avenue, when Detective Robert Cooke led his fellow officers and cornered the suspects in the two-story residence.
The suspects included Cleveland natives Carl Boettcher, Vincent Grinkowicz, Stephen Figuli and a gangster only known as “Mac.” They were spotted by a motorcycle officer who observed the suspicious men entering the rooming house.
Initial reports thought “Mac” was infamous bank robber Charles Bird – called public enemy No. 2 by federal agents – but it turned out to only be a case of mistaken identity after fingerprint analysis.
The early morning manhunt quickly escalated into one of the fiercest firefights between officers and bank robbers in the city’s history. The 20-minute gunfight resulted in two suspects being shot and killed and two other officers, Detective Leo Phillips and Detective William Danner, were badly injured.
Neighbors recalled the incredible sight of police detectives swarming the building, then the near immediate sounds of gunfire and pandemonium.
Danner was shot in the gut by a stray bullet, and Phillips was grazed by a bullet to the eyelid. Bystander Eva Watring was also caught in the crossfire and suffered a shot to the thigh. The only officer to leave unhurt was Cooke, according to reports.
“Everybody was shooting. I felt a stinging sensation under my eye and blood began to trickle down my face. Then I hit one of those fellows,” Phillips reported.
Grinkowicz was struck through the chest and killed, and the unidentified man known as “Mac” was also slain. Boettcher was apprehended and hospitalized for a punctured lung.
Cline, 42, was quickly transported to a local hospital where his fellow officers and the community waited anxiously as doctors attempted to save his life via blood transfusions donated by his brothers in blue.
U.S. District Attorney Francis Canny told media that if any of the wounded officers died, he’d seek the death penalty for the suspects.
Figuli claimed he never fired a single round. He was the only perpetrator to walk away unwounded, mainly to the fact he spent the duration of the gun battle hiding behind a couch.
Boettcher, 24, and Figuli, 21, were charged and convicted with first-degree murder and sentenced to death by electrocution. However, Boettcher died from medical complications April 6, 1938 just two weeks prior to his execution date.
“I’m sorry I plugged those guys, but that’s all I could do,” Boettcher said in a jailhouse interview.
Figuli was strapped to the electric chair and executed at 8 p.m. on Dec. 21, 1938. His mother, Susanna, camped outside the office of Gov. Martin Davey earlier that day in hopes of convincing him to award a stay of execution, but the attempt was futile.
In one bizarre interview, Figuli told reporters the only reason he joined the gang was to get close to Grinkowicz; “The only thing I cared about was getting Vincent. I wanted to kill him. That’s the reason I joined the gang.”
The Columbus Dispatch reported the Figuli held onto a prayer book when seated in the electric chair and his face did not show “the slightest trace of fear.” He also left behind a note for Gov. Davey thanking him for reviewing the case. It was closed by wishing the governor the “Merriest of Xmas.”
Sean V. Lehosit is a freelance journalist and local history writer. He is the author of Images of America: West Columbus, which was released earlier this year by Arcadia Publishing.
The Evening Ravens 
Wonderfully written….
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