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Tui Snider

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Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True Crime Saga in Texas Kindle Edition

by Tui Snider (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 58 ratings

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Think you know all about the Santa Claus Bank Robbery in Cisco, Texas? Think again!

True Crime in West Texas

Marshall Ratliff thought robbing a bank dressed like Santa at Christmastime would be easy. He didn't expect the citizens of Cisco to come at him with guns blazing! But in 1927, a $5000 bounty was offered to any citizen who killed a bandit while the crime was in progress. Tui Snider's new book follows the true-crime action from this wild shootout with vigilantes to its tragic conclusion.

Fake Names in “Official” Accounts

Most “official” versions of the Santa Claus Bank Robbery (including magazines, websites, & even printed books) use fake names for key players. This keeps readers from knowing the truth.

Learn the Truth - Read Tui Snider's new book!

Read Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True-Crime Saga in Texas by Tui Snider to learn the true tale behind the infamous West Texas bank robbery that led to the biggest manhunt the Lone Star State had ever seen. Only then can you decide whether or not a mysterious blonde was involved - and if so, did she get away with murder?

Santa Claus Bank Robbery by Tui Snider - On sale now at Amazon.com!!!

Print length

154 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

December 8, 2019
File size

3496 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0818DGZ5B
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Castle Azle Press; 2nd edition (December 8, 2019)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 8, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3496 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 154 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1707187800

Best Sellers Rank: #729,626 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #22 in Texas Travel Guides (Kindle Store)
- #29 in General Texas Travel Guides
- #53 in West South Central U.S. Regional Travel

Customer Reviews:
4.5 58 ratings

About the author

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Tui Snider

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Tui Snider is an inquisitive world traveler who believes that "even home is a travel destination.” Whether researching forgotten history, unusual destinations, or historic cemetery symbolism, Tui writes books with an eye for quirky details and a touch of humor. Her work has been featured by Coast to Coast AM, LifeHack, WFAA TV, The National Museum of Funeral History and Cult of Weird, among many other outlets.

Tui lives in a goth/tiki castle with her mad scientist husband and a stray tabby who adopted her while traveling. When not on the road, she composes music, sings karaoke, watches birds, and practices poi ball routines in her backyard.

As to what her next book will be, even Tui is not certain. "I've always got three or four book-length projects going," she admits. "It really just depends which one makes it to the finish line first!"

If you're fascinated by historic cemeteries and offbeat travel, join her private newsletter and grab her guide at TuiSnider.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

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Lisa L.

Fun, Interesting Holiday (or anytime) Read!

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

I was looking for some new and different holiday reads to add to my collection. Tui Snider's Santa Claus Bank Robbery did not disappoint! I knew nothing about this event, but it looked interesting and it delivered. The story it fascinating. The "bad santa" element is a fun spin on things, even though the crime and its effects are nothing to laugh at. The story is fascinating and Tui's telling feels like sitting at a table with her, enjoying a hot mug of something to drink, and listening to a freind say "you won't believe this story!" It's a great addition to your holiday reading list.

3 people found this helpful

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Happylee

Fascinating story!

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2021

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I truly enjoyed this little book. Having grown up in West Texas in the 80's and 90's, I had never heard the story of the Santa Claus Bank Robbery. Such a fascinating tale for those who know the area, but an interesting read for anyone!

One person found this helpful

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Russell A.

Thorough Coverage of a Strange Crime!

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2019

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This bizarre crime has intrigued me since I first heard about it years ago. I really enjoyed the first edition of this book but Tui Snider has added more information and illustrations in this second edition. She covers it thoroughly and with an entertaining style. Read it and enjoy!

2 people found this helpful

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Tracy

Fun read!

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

I like Tui Snider's books so it was no surprise that I liked this one too. It's a fun page-turner of a book. It strikes me as a book for everyone, regardless of age or gender. The included photographs were interesting to see. I recommend this book!!

One person found this helpful

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Linda S.

Love this book!

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020

Verified Purchase

A very entertaining read. Sad moments along with happy ones. Well researched and written. Very Texas. Thank you Tui Snider!

One person found this helpful

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D H

Enjoyed tremendously

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

Really enjoyed this book. Since reading it, I have met the family of the Blasingames.

One person found this helpful

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Maryann Miller

A Fascinating Book

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2019

I decided I would really love this book from the very opening when the author talked about going to that delightful restaurant that serves family-style meals. She and her husband sat down next to a cowboy who passed them a bowl of fried chicken and told them that they had to try the fried squash, too. "It's grown fresh by the owners outback."

One can learn so much about a place by sitting down at a restaurant like that.

When first hearing about this book, I thought it was going to be a farce, or perhaps a fun illustrated children's book, and what a surprise it was to find out that it's based on real incidents. The author did extensive research to ferret out the story of the robbery and the attempts to catch the robbers.

While the book focuses mainly on one robbery, Santa Claus Bank Robbery has other interesting historical facts about bank robberies in Texas, one of which is the fact that more bank robberies occurred during the 1920s than in the era of the wild West. I did not know that. The legend of Jesse James and his gang had me believing otherwise.

Scattered throughout the book are images of clippings from newspaper stories about different bank robberies, as well as photographs of key people involved with either one of the gangs or somebody who worked in law enforcement at the time. These images add another layer of interest, especially for people like me who love to dig through musty old photographs to see the people and places of long ago.

In addition to all the fascinating glimpses into what life was like for the people of the time, was reference to the book by A.C. Greene, written about the robbery and events surrounding it. Tui Snider points out that much of Greene's accounting was fictionalized, and he failed to include important facts in his recounting of the robbery.

According to documentation that the author found, the Santa Claus Gang was comprised of four men, and the leader wore a costume to look like the Jolly Old Elf when robbing banks. A six-year-old girl and her mother foiled one robbery when they came into the bank and the mother saw what was going on. The mother continued to walk toward the back of the bank, ignoring the shout from one robber to stop. When guns were pulled, the girl cried out, "They're going to shoot Santa Claus."

Continuing to ignore the robbers, the mother walked through the bank and out the back door. She told people on the street that the bank was being robbed, and those people ran to get help. Afterward, the little girl told reporters that she knew, "That wasn't really old Santa Claus, for I saw his pants and they were just like Papa's."

I thoroughly enjoyed the Santa Claus Bank Robbery. It has the history that always interests me, and the added element of looking at a true crime. Readers who enjoy the same elements in a book, will want to grab this one.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Truth Stranger than Fiction!

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2019

There is truth stranger than fiction, an old saying which aptly describes the larger-than-life accounting of Tui Snider’s Santa Claus Bank Robbery. I grew up near Ft.Worth, Texas, to a family with deep Texan roots. No matter how much I’ve read, or road trips to one-stop towns I’ve made, I’m constantly learning something new about my home state. This is the first I’ve heard of this historic event, and I’m very pleased to have been indoctrinated by Tui Snider.

I was pulled into Santa Claus Bank Robbery, as I’m sure many of you were, from the title. The idea of Santa robbing a bank is so hilarious and absurd, I couldn’t help opening the cover. While the exterior design isn’t as strong as it could be, the title is enough to pull you in, and sepia-toned photographs easily convey the time period. The interior design is excellently done; with images merging past and present without detracting from the narrative.

Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True Crime Saga in Texas, begins by setting the stage for the lives and times of its people. The 1920s: prohibition and a post-war economy mark a period of transition from the older stricter regime into a more modern world. Folks cling to religion, while constantly bending the rules. West Texas is a curious blend of lawlessness and faith in human goodness. It’s also a time rife with robberies and bank heists, and like today, many shades of moral gray.

With the setting firmly in mind, Snider introduces our four burgeoning bank robbers. Three are career criminals, with another simply looking for an opportunity for a better life. One of the criminals was so well known to the town, he needed a clever disguise. With Christmas approaching, Santa seemed like the obvious solution. Were they bad men? Did they mean for anyone to get caught in the cross-fires? And most compelling of all, what happened to their mysterious blonde accomplice? Snider attempts to answer this and more as she describes the events surrounding the robbery with well-researched facts and eye-witness accounts. What should have been a simple heist, turned into the shoot out that became a legend. It’s difficult to imagine modern law officers arming the public to prevent a bank robbery. Yet this is precisely what occurred as Marshall Ratliff and his gang robbed the Cisco, Texas bank in 1927.

Non-fiction isn’t for everyone. All too often the genre’s authors relate the past like stuffy college professors repeating another lecture. Tui Snider is one of those rare non-fiction authors who spins truth with the same finesse as a master storyteller. Before you know it, you’ll be a living spectator among the historical (hopefully dodging all the bullets). Snider’s retelling of Santa Claus Bank Robbery allows you to peek into a tumultuous time when Texas was still wild, and the people willing to risk it all in the name of prosperity.

**I was provided with a copy of Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True Crime Saga in Texas by the author and this is my voluntary and honest review.**

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Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True Crime Saga in Texas Kindle Edition

Think you know all about the Santa Claus Bank Robbery in Cisco, Texas? Think again!

True Crime in West Texas

Fake Names in “Official” Accounts

Learn the Truth - Read Tui Snider's new book!

Santa Claus Bank Robbery by Tui Snider - On sale now at Amazon.com!!!

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Tui Snider

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Santa Claus Bank Robbery: A True Crime Saga in Texas Kindle Edition

Think you know all about the Santa Claus Bank Robbery in Cisco, Texas? Think again!

True Crime in West Texas

Fake Names in “Official” Accounts

Learn the Truth - Read Tui Snider's new book!

Santa Claus Bank Robbery by Tui Snider - On sale now at Amazon.com!!!

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Tui Snider

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