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The early 20th century brought prosperous times to Indiana. As people’s wallets grew fatter, new banks began to pop up everywhere. Automobiles were no longer a novelty, and they kept getting faster.

In rural states like Indiana, local law enforcement quickly found itself outpaced by the citizens it served. Taken together, these factors laid the groundwork for what some might call The Golden Age of Bank Robbery. “Give me the money!” became a phrase bankers knew all too well.

Banks had to get creative to protect their interests. If the law couldn’t protect them, they figured they’d have to do it themselves. Like many of his counterparts around the state, Lake City Bank’s executive vice president, Elmer B. Funk, took matters into his own hands. He set up the Kosciusko County Vigilantes and trained local citizens to help keep the county safe.

Vigilante groups became so important in protecting banks that they were sanctioned by the Indiana Bankers Association. In many cases, members were even deputized by the local sheriff. And like their counterparts around the state, the Kosciusko County Vigilantes stood ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. As people would come to find out, “When an emergency arises, you may depend on it that there will be a vigilante on every corner.”

Learn more about Funk’s vigilantes in John Dillinger Comes to Town.