Davis County Clipper, June 6, 1898

Springville Bank Robbed. One Robber Killed, the Other Captured and Money Recovered. Captured Robber is a member of the Robbers Roost Band and Has a Price on His Head -- One of the Posse Seriously Wounded.

Springville, May 30 -- Springville has experienced the sensations of a bank robbery, a hard, but successful chase after the robbers, the surrounding of them in a patch of thick brush, the killing of one and the capture of the other. And to use ht expression of the live robber after he had been jailed, the old town is not as sleepy as it looks to be.

The robbery occurred at 10;05 a.m. Saturday. Two men walked into the Springville Bank and presented a check as follows:

Springville, Utah May 28, 1898. On sight pay to the order of T.S. Cerswell the sum of $200. C.H. Charter. By T.C. Burton.

They asked the bookkeeper, Mr. Packard, the only person there was in the bank at the time, if Mr. Carter had left any money there to pay the check with. He replied that he had not. Then turning to his books Mr. Packard was startled with, “Look here young man” in a commanding tone, and looking up found himself covered by two revolvers.

The robber who was afterward killed kept Packard covered while the other robber went behind the railing and began gathering up all the money he could find. While thus engaged he dropped a stack of twenties, and while picking them up Packard lowered his hand and touched an alarm button. The robber on guard noticed the movement and exclaimed: “G -- d -- you! put that hand up and keep it there!”

The alarm is connected with Mr. Reynolds’s store. On several previous occasions the alarm had been accidentally sounded and this was thought to have been the case again. So Mr. Reynolds stepped up to the telephone, and rung up the bank to ask if anything was wrong. Receiving no reply he realized this was no false alarm. He grabbed two Winchesters and rushed for the street, but the robbers were turning a street corner a block away. Messengers were started on bicycles, on horseback and on foot to raise the alarm, and in an incredibly short time a large posse was in pursuit.

The robbers after securing all the money in sight, $3020, jumped in a buggy they had near the bank and started on a dead run for Hobble Creek canyon. Near the outskirts of the city they met Mr. Snelson riding a fine horse. They took his horse from him and threw him $16. One of the robbers mounted the horse and the other continued by buggy. By this time Mr. Reynolds in his delivery wagon was within 150 yards of them, and fired two shots which were not noticed by the robbers. Soon afterward the robbers, seeing they were being overtaken left their buggy and took to the brush at the mouth of the canyon. In 20 minutes 100 horsemen were on the ground and had the robbers completely surrounded so that escape was impossible.

A consultation was held and Joseph W. Allen proposed they close in on the robbers. This was adopted. In a few minutes one of the robbers was found covered with leaves. He surrendered on demand and was handcuffed. He was unarmed, having lost his revolvers in the brush. The other man was seen by Mr. Allen who said to him: “Now don’t you move or I’ll get you.” “I’ll get you while you’re getting me,” the robber replied and fired, striking Allen in the left leg. Allen returned the fire killing his man instantly. It was five minutes before any of the posse came up, when the robber was found dead.

Allen was tenderly cared for and sent to a Salt Lake hospital where his leg was amputated. The thigh bone was shattered.

Most of the money was recovered on the robbers or found buried near their hiding place.

The live robber was landed in the county jail at Provo, where he has been positively identified as C.L. Maxwell, a member of the Robbers Roost band, for whom a reward was recently offered by Governor Wells. He refuses to give the name of the dead robber, but says he was a married man with a family.

It was a Robbers Roost raid, and from a remark dropped by the captured robber, it is believed men were waiting with horses at a point further up the canyon, but the robbers were too hard pressed to reach them. The pursuit was too swift.

Emery County Progress, September 28, 1907

Bad Man Maxwell Makes Gun Play. This Apostle of Ugliness Breaks Loose at Helper.

Chas L. Maxwell better known as Gunplay Maxwell got his at Helper at an early hour Sunday morning last when L.C. Reigle a D & R G fireman put a couple of bullets into his dirty body. Maxwell has been acting ugly for several months and the wonder is that the people of Helper and Price didn’t put a stop to his raw capers long ago. On Sunday morning he started in to vent his spleen on a young named Mack who was soliciting funds for the striking telegraphers. He asked Maxwell to contribute, Maxwell refused and made the request and his refusal a text to preach a sermon on labor organizations and strikes. His words were resented by Mack which seemed to be what Maxwell wanted. He was half drunk and the bad man idea was uppermost.

Harsh words passed between the men and Maxwell whipped out his revolver and told Mack the thing could be more easily settled with pistols than with words.

“I have no gun,” said Mack, “but if you put up your gun, I’ll take a chance with you.”

“If you haven’t got a gun,” said Maxwell, surveying the group, “maybe some of your friends have.”

Instantly Reigle took a pistol out of his pocket and laid it on the counter. As he did so he said, “There is my gun on the counter. Put yours along side of it if you are not a coward, and I’ll whip the h -- l out of you.”

Maxwell's reply was a shot. The ball struck Reigle in the right breast. But he did not falter. He reached for his weapon and Maxwell fired again, this time probably to demonstrate his gun play was accurate and wounded Reigle’s right hand. But it did not maim it.

Reigle seized his gun and fired every chambers at Maxwell who sank to the floor with three wounds, two in his body and one in his arm. Maxwell tried to hide behind the counter. The bad man had been dosed with his own medicine.

Reigle was hurried off to Salt Lake City on a special and placed in a hospital where he seems to be getting along nicely. The bullet that did him the most damage passed through his right lung and lodged back of the shoulder blade.

Maxwell was arrested and got out of town in a hurry to prevent a lynching bee(?). He was later brought before a justice and liberated on a $5000 bond. His sureties are Mark Braffitt and Chub Milburn. Maxwell's real name is said to be Bliss. He is a member of a Boston family. Years ago Maxwell killed a friend in the east and skipped out coming west. First he went to Texas then he came to Montana. He was in the sheep and cattle war there. Later he came to Utah.

A few years ago Maxwell and a man named Johnson robbed the Springville [Utah] bank. Johnson was killed and Maxwell wounded because the man who was to have held their horses stationed up Hobble creek in readiness getting cold feet and turning the horses loose. Maxwell was sentenced to a 15 year tem. He had served part of that time when he planned a jailbreak and in this affair Maxwell turned traitor and aided the guards against his pals. For this Maxwell was granted a pardon and came into Emery county to locate ozokerite land for some of the penitentiary officials. In this respect Maxwell ran a bluff for he knew nothing about mineral land in this county.

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