Fifty-seven miles north of Great Falls a gravel road led westward through the foothills from the main highway between Great Falls and Shelby to the farming community of Valier (pronounced Val-eer). The State bank there was housed in the semi-basement of a two storey brick building located on the north-west corner of the main intersection. Business access to the premises was gained by a sunken patio at the front of the structure with a rear entrance from the side street. He vault was located in the basement towards the rear. This vault was to be the first target of the Davis gang for 1923.
On the night of Tuesday April 17, 1923, Arthur Davis and four cronies arrived in Valier driving a borrowed Cadillac and made an unauthorized withdrawal from the bank to open their new shopping season. Among his accomplices was the ex-railway man, Roy Haugen. It was suspected that William Coffron and Doc Walkup were also present. The fourth man was an unknown. While outwardly successful, this job was ultimately to prove a major disaster. . . |
