Location: Cisco, Texas, USA (December 23, 1927). 🇺🇸
Story: Desperate for a foolproof disguise to rob the First National Bank, career criminal Marshall Ratliff hatched a twisted plan. On December 23rd, he donned a full Santa Claus suit. Walking through Cisco, he delighted children, who followed him right into the bank. Once inside, "Santa" pulled out a pistol, and his gang stormed in, taking hostages and money. Their escape, however, was foiled by a broken getaway car and a massive civilian posse armed under Texas's "dead bank robber" bounty law. đź’°
Twist: The heist descended into a farcical tragedy. Their car stalled, forcing a violent carjacking. In the chaos, they left the money behind in the first car. After a shootout and chase, the gang was captured. The final, grim twist came when an enraged mob stormed the jail and lynched Ratliff, the "Santa Claus Bandit." The incident left the town's children traumatized, forever changing their view of the jolly Christmas icon and cementing the day as one of the most bizarre and brutal crimes in American history. 🔫