On the night of December 2, 1937, the State Bank of Lapel in Madison County, Indiana, became the target of a burglary that would spark a months-long federal manhunt and result in a violent confrontation. Intruders gained access to the building by prying open a rear window grate and attempted to breach the vault using an acetylene torch. Though the burglars ultimately fled with only a trivial amount of cash and left their equipment behind, the crime fell under federal jurisdiction, drawing the
attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation, conducted in close coordination with the Indiana State Police, eventually identified a group of career criminals—Joe Earlywine, John Hulett, and Fred Steffler—as the primary suspects responsible for the Lapel break-in and several other safe burglaries across the region.
By May 1938, authorities tracked the suspects to a farmhouse near Penfield, Illinois. On May 2, a team of law enforcement officers, including 34-year-old White male Special Agent William R. Ramsey, descended on the property to execute the arrests. As the agents approached the residence, they quickly apprehended John Hulett in the yard without incident. Ramsey, along with other officers, then entered the farmhouse to locate the remaining suspect, Joe Earlywine. Upon being discovered and ordered to surrender, Earlywine refused to submit to custody, instead drawing a concealed handgun and opening fire at close range.
Agent Ramsey was struck multiple times in the chest and abdomen but managed to return fire before collapsing. His shots struck Earlywine in the forehead, killing the suspect instantly and ending the firefight. Ramsey was critically wounded and was rushed to a local hospital in Champaign, Illinois. Despite emergency medical treatment, he succumbed to his injuries the following morning, May 3, 1938. His death marked a significant loss for the Bureau, occurring just a few years after he had joined the service following his graduation from the University of Colorado.
The aftermath of the raid saw the successful prosecution of the surviving accomplices. John Hulett, who had been captured at the scene before the shooting began, was taken into custody. The third suspect, Fred Steffler, was subsequently apprehended and faced charges for his role in the criminal ring. The investigation into the burglary at Lapel not only dismantled the gang responsible for a spree of crimes throughout the Midwest but also stood as a solemn reminder of the dangers faced by agents enforcing federal law during the gangster era.
