Millard had
killed two men in his life.
Two, anyway
he was sure of. In the war, sometimes you didn't know who's bullet hit who.
The first
was in Italy. Three skinny and gaunt eyed Germans were rummaging through a
turned over supply truck. He didn't recall years later if the truck was German,
US or Brit, and figured it didn't matter.
Anyway, the
4 Americans walked up behind them, and when the cry "Handen Hoch" was
yelled, 2 of them did so, immediately, and with no reluctance. They still had
Mausers hanging off their backs on slings, but no one made any effort to get to
them.
The third
guy had his head further under the canopy of the truck, he figured, and
apparently had an MP 40 in his hand when they found them.
The two
surrendered men yelled something tothe third partially inside the canvas, who
emerged with a loaf of white bread in his left hand, and the subgun... still in
his right, stock unfolded...and he turned toward the Americans.
"DROP
THE GUN" was yelled in English. The German registered shock, but retained
the gun. still at the low, but still in his hand.
His eyes
shot toward the loaf of bread, toward which he seemed very protective, and the
muzzle of the gun moved toward them 5 or 6 inches.
Millard had
his M1 aimed at the German about one second later. He recalled hearing neither
the shot, nor yet feeling the recoil. He did recall the German pitching forward.
The other
two threw their hands above their heads, pitched forward onto the ground, and
lay in the frozen dirt, still as the dead one. They were disarmed without
incident.
The dead
man, a 19 year old named Hein Eckenwald, was partially deafened from a shell
bursting near him, and never heard the Americans or his comrades.
The second
man was in 1974.
Two men
tried to rob the Oregon County Bank branch at Iron Bridge.
Every now
and then, someone seemed to approach bank heists like a Commando. Maybe they'd
read about too many '30s gangsters.
Anyway, the
two men burst in the bank, armed with a Hi standard semi-auto shotgun, and and
M1 Carbine. The shotgun man had a .357 Colt under his topcoat, the M1 Carbine
guy had a Browning Hi-Power. both carried lots of spare ammunition.
They'd
staked the bank out, but were unaware it normally had an armed guard. Don Carson
was out with the flu when the two came in the week before.
Carson
appeared from his corner, drew his .38 Hand Ejector and got Mister Carbine in
the thigh with his first and only round. Mister Shotgun whirled around, and 2
double ought buck hit him square in the forearm. His revolver fell to the
ground, and he followed it down. Mister Shotgun kicked it to the side.
Mister
Carbine yelled that he was hurt bad. They grabbed the money, stuffed it in a
canvas duffle bag, and headed for the door. Around this time they noticed the
first of two police cruisers blocking the parking lot.
Now sensing
that it was getting complex. One of them was damaged, the cops were there, and
the way to the car was threatened.
Sandy Keel
was a heavyset 19 year old teller, and as the person closest to Mister Shotgun.
They exited
the door, Colt pointed at the teller, Mister Carbine now limping badly.
Millard was
outside. Off to the left, hidden behind a bill dropbox at the Municipal Water
Works, and only 30 or so feet away.
The cops
behind the parked cars in the lot yelled to the men.
At that
moment, the teller fainted dead away, hitting the sidewalk hard.
The getaway
car, a Chrysler Newport backed into its parking place was enticingly close.
Perhaps he would drive over the lawn, or ran the police cars, no one would ever
know. Mister Shotgun lunged toward the car, and the first cop fired at him.
The door of
the Chrysler was in line with Millard. He'd grabbed a Stevens riot gun out of
the trunk of his cruiser, but decided when he found his concealment, that
quarters were too close, and laid the shotgun on the sidewalk. it was a Model 10
Smith he thrust just past the edge of the box, two handed, and fired twice into
Mister Shotgun. At the first round he raised the shotgun slightly, when the
second round struck him just about square in the heart. He was dead within 5
minutes.
After it
all, he played the events through his mind. He thought he'd fired the gun double
action. He'd stayed under concealment, mostly. He was darned sure he'd used the
sights. He didn't rush the man after he was down, either.
He never
told anyone, but afterwards, for a good 2 days, he felt fantastic. Not because
he'd killed the man, but because he'd emerged from danger unscathed. He hadn't
felt better for years.
