Lot # : 26bv - Historic Masonic Grand Master 14K Gold Medal
Online Only Auction
Price Realized:
2,056.01 USD
Shipping Available
Date(s)
10/29/2024 - 12/13/2024
Bidding Notice:
A 13% buyer's premium will be charged on all winning bids. 3% discount for cash buyer that contact us by phone or email us BEFORE 12:30 p.m. on the auction closing day. Items are sold as-is, where-is, and buyer is responsible for inspection and evaluating condition.
Information
Lot # | 26bv |
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Group - Category | Antiques & Collectibles - Militaria & War Collectibles - Medals / Badges / Insignias |
Lead | Historic Masonic Grand Master 14K Gold Medal |
Description |
This medal belonged to Storm Onus Whaley, an historical figure from our local Sulphur Springs community. Top is marked 14K and all other parts test electronically as 14K or more.
Storm Onus Whaley was born in Mount Vernon Missouri on 31 May 1882. He married Mabel Prater in 1910 and they gave birth to a son, Storm Hammond Whaley, who also gained some prominence, being the acting director of the University of Arkansas from 1959-60 and from 1970-92 served as the communications director for the National Institutes of Health.
The senior Storm was a banking man. After marriage, he and Mabel moved to Sulphur Springs, where he accepted a position of bank teller at the Bank of Sulphur Springs. He was eventually promoted to Cashier, a position he held until 1927. During his time as the cashier at Sulphur Springs, Whaley and his bank were robbed four times in five years, and in 1926 he authored "The Thrills and Chills of a Much Robbed Banker" for the American Banker's Journal, detailing his experiences of being held at gunpoint and described advice for how to best conduct oneself in the event of a robbery.
Survivor of Four Holdups Gives Advice on How to Treat Bandits...
“If a bank robber walks into the Bank of Sulphur Springs, presents arms, and tells Cashier Storm O. Whaley to "Stick ‘em up" Whaley loses no time in complying. "Fine day, isn’t it?" Whaley remarks to the bandit, with a cheerful smile. Mature experience has taught Whaley the advisability of such etiquette. Four robberies in five years Is the record of the bank he helps run, and Whaley, along with his assistant, Miss Clara Abercrombie, didn’t miss a one of them. The bandits who participated in the four robberies totaled 15, with some very notorious desperadoes included. The robberies caused five lives, including that of one of the bank’s presidents, LM Stout.
Thus the matter of having to face six-shooters has become rather commonplace to Whaley and Abercrombie. They believe they know more about the bank robbing industry, from the standpoint of victims, than any other two bank employees in the country. Tranquil obedience to all orders served by their desperado visitors was the first lesson they learned, and they have observed it fully.
Once, admits Whaley, he was badly frightened. After covering Whaley with a pistol, a bandit himself became so terrified that his hand shook like a leaf and he couldn’t speak above a whisper. "I was afraid he would pull the trigger unintentionally," said Whaley, "But I was lucky. He didn’t. It was the tightest place I ever was in." John Birchfield was the robber who figured in this episode. Later he became one of the Southwest’s most feared desperadoes, destined to die within a few years at the hands of the law he flaunted. He was shot down by guards as he tried to escape from prison at McAlester, Oklahoma.
The first robbery which Whaley and Miss Abercrombie experienced introduced them to Buck Davis. Buck carried away practically all the portable resources of the bank save a bundle of Liberty bonds. Whaley, bandying small talk with Davis, persuaded him the bonds were worthless oil stocks and the bandit flung them to the floor. When the cashier tried to induce him to leave behind some of the other securities, Davis wheeled around and cocked his pistol. "See here young man," he snarled. "I’m running this bank now. You can run it after I get out the door." Whaley thereupon inserted in his notebook a rule about not getting too persistent with hold-up artists.
Out of one robbery, Whaley got a laugh. He had been invited to address the Benton County Bankers Association, and when a bandit walked into his private office with a leveled gun, Whaley was at work on the manuscript of his speech. It was entitled ‘The Thrills and Chills of a Much Held-Up Banker.’ Whaley expanded the speech considerably the next day.
For LM Stout, president of the bank, came a tragic climax. "These hold-ups must stop," Stout declared after the third one had been perpetrated. He bought a shotgun and loaded it with buckshot. A few months later, Whaley, sitting in the director’s room in the front part of the bank, noticed Miss Abercrombie walking through the lobby toward the front door, powdering her nose. Whaley stepped out to investigate. A gruff voice commanded "Stick ‘em up." Whaley did. Miss Abercrombie had reached the street. She smiled at two other bandits seated in an automobile outside. They paid no attention to her. She walked slowly down the block to where Stout, the bank president, ran a small store. "They’re here!" she gasped as she entered the store. "Two are in the bank. Two more are out there in the car." Stout seized his shotgun. He watched through a window. Two men came from the bank, their pockets stuffed with cash, and walked to the car. Stout kicked open the door. "Hold up there fellows!" he shouted, aiming the shotgun. A moment later Stout dropped; his abdomen riddled with buckshot. His 17-year-old son, Louis, dragged him back into the store while the bandits were starting the motor of their car. Stout handed the gun to the boy. "Here Louis," he said. "I am all shot to pieces." The lad took the weapon and stepped into the doorway as the bandit car went by. His shot wounded the driver and another bandit so severely that they drove down a blind street and deserted the automobile a few minutes later. The two wounded men were arrested by a posse after a short chase and the two others were captured a few days later in Oklahoma. Stout died the day following the robbery.
Fate of the 15 robbers who have robbed the Bank of Sulphur Springs from time to time indicates anew that bank robbing doesn’t pay. Only two have escaped capture. Four have been killed and the rest are serving long prison terms. "But others will call on us some day no doubt," said Whaley. – The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin, 09 April 1927”
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In 1924 Whaley entered Arkansas politics for the first time when he was selected as part of the Arkansas delegation to the 1924 Democratic National Convention in New York City that nominated former U.S. Solicitor General John W. Davis for the presidency. An active Mason for years prior to his service as a delegate, Whaley was elected as Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Free and Accepted Masons of Arkansas in 1925 for a one year term.
Active in other areas of public service in his state, Storm O. Whaley was for six years (1927-1933) treasurer of the Ozark Playgrounds Association, an organization established in 1919 to promote tourism throughout Northwestern Arkansas and parts of Missouri and Oklahoma. In this post, Whaley was responsible for originating the Ozark Smile Girl contest and the Flaming Fall Revue, and during this time earned a reputation as a leading orator in his state, "with heavy demands made on his time by calls from many places." In November 1927 Whaley was invited to broadcast from the University of Arkansas' radio station KUOA, and his address, titled The Ozarks and Opportunity, touched on business, agriculture and tourism opportunities for the area. In the address, Whaley related that:
"The steady growth, evidenced during the last few years, is largely a direct result of the effort made by the Ozark Playgrounds Association to sell not only the visitor the wealth and beauty of this region, but in making the resident cognizant of Ozark possibilities."
A founding organizer of the Bank of Bentonville in the early 1930s, Storm Whaley would serve as that bank's cashier until his death and in February 1930 announced that he'd be seeking a seat in the Arkansas Senate. He would win election that November and at the start of the 1931-35 session was named to the following committees: Claims, Confederate Pensions, Finance, Public Service Corporations, Mines and Mining, Revenue and Taxation, Roads and Highways. He would also hold the chairmanship of the Banking, Building, and Loan committee.
Elected for a four-year term that was to conclude in 1935, Storm O. Whaley died in office on June 16, 1933, having succumbed to injuries he received in a car accident the day prior. He had been traveling with some prominent Bentonville men when the accident occurred.
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Auction Information
Name | December G. O. A. T. Estate Auction- Green-Woods, Moinke+ |
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Auctioneer |
Barber Auctions
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Type | Online-Only Auction |
Date(s) | 10/29/2024 - 12/13/2024 |
Auction Date/Time Info |
Lot one hits the virtual auction block at 9 a.m., Friday, December 13th.
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Preview Date/Time | Thursday, December 12th from 4 pm to 6 pm. |
Checkout Date/Time | Saturday, Dec. 14th from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. or Monday, Dec. 16th from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. @ 219 Butler Creek Road, Sulphur Springs, AR. Northwest Arkansas |
Location |
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Buyer Premium | 13% on every item. Thank you. |
Description |
We have more great items from the Green-Woods estates and other select items from the Moinke, Williams, Baum, Benson and Reiger estates. There will be a choice selection of antique furniture beloved in the home for over 48 years, a selection of Native American items from two of the estates, a good group of firearms and extensive ammunition, as well as great wood-working shop tools. As always, you can expect gold & silver, coins, jewelry, automobiles, equipment, antiques, collectables, furniture, household, tools, firearms and specialty items. Our public preview is Thursday, December 12th from 4 -6 p.m. at the gallery, or by appointment.
This catalog will be built from October 29th through December 10th, 2024. It is always our goal to answer any of your questions via pictures so be sure and click through each picture pack as we load. Thank you!
Please read the categories below about our Terms and Conditions, Bids Increments, Payment Information, Shipping/Pick up.
479-298-3034
Barberauctions@gmail.com
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Terms and Conditions
* Large purchases of over $500 or more, especially for Gold, Autos, Firearms, etc. may require payment by cash, cashier's check or wire transfer only, epecially if you are not known to the company or have a low bidder reputation score.
* All items sold "AS IS, WHERE IS" with all faults.
* All descriptions believed accurate but not guaranteed.
* Bidder inspection is encouraged.
* By placing a bid, bidder signifies they have examined the items to their satisfaction, or have chosen not to personally examine them.
* Buyer's premium of 13% is in effect . There is 3% discount if paying by cash or check. Must call or email to request this option by 12:30 on the Thursday before the Friday sale.
* We reserve the right to cancel and/or reopen this auction in the event of computer system or internet problem, or to pause it until problems are rectified.
* Payments will be automatically charged to the card you have on file with HiBid.com at the close of each auction, unless you have called or emailed to request to be on the Cash Pay list. Cash buyers must pay and pick up their lots on the scheduled pick up dates. If cash buyers fail to pay on the scheduled pick up dates, Cash Pay will be removed and automatically charged to your card on file with Hibid.
* Auction company may bid on behalf of any reserves set by seller though these are limited generally to items of significant value wherein the seller must realize a reasonable return on investment.
*Shipping will be handled by a third-party shipping company, Wacky Pack. See the shipping details for more information..
*If your bids show as "pending", it means you have a zero or negative reputation feedback score in the HiBid system and you will be unable to participate in this sale without making personal arrangements with management.
*If you may be bidding in excess of $2,000 you will need to get approval prior by 12:30 CST, the Thursday before the Friday sale.
*If you do not pay for or pick up your items for any reason other than health or death, you will be charged a 20% restocking fee and/or will be blocked from bidding in future sales.
Bid Increments
Your bid must adhere to the bid increment schedule.
Bid Amount | Bid Increment |
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0.00 - 30.00 | 2.50 USD |
30.01 - 200.00 | 5.00 USD |
200.01 - 500.00 | 10.00 USD |
500.01 - 2,000.00 | 20.00 USD |
2,000.01 - 9,999,999.99 | 50.00 USD |
Payment Information
Currency | USD |
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Buyer Premium | 13% on every item. Thank you. |
Payment Terms |
All payments are automatically charged to your card on file with HiBid at the close of each auction.
A 13% premium is in effect on all purchases unless otherwise stated.
There is a 3% discount for cash buyers. Call or email BEFORE 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 12th to be placed on the cash list. Our office will be closed after 12:30 and we will not be taking any calls or emails during the live auction.
This privilege means you will need to make payment and pick by Monday, December 16th @ 3:00 p.m.
Unpaid invoices with no communication by Monday, Dec. 16th will be removed from cash pay list and automatically charge to your card on file with Hibid.
Call 479-298-3034
Barberauctions@gmail.com
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Shipping / Pick Up
PICK UP DATES:
Saturday, Dec. 14th from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. or
Monday, Dec. 16th from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m.
@ 219 Butler Creek Road, Sulphur Springs, AR.
Northwest Arkansas
SHIPPING: All addresses that are 150 miles and further from us will automatically ship. Shipping is handled through our third-party partner,
• Pickup of merchandise, packing and shipping is handled by Wacky Pack & Ship. PLEASE NOTE: The request for shipping incurs a minimum handling fee due without exception. If a customer requests shipping and the items are picked up and packed, the handling fee is due whether the customer follows thru with shipping or not. The handling fee is for the service requested
and received.
• Shipping is available on items that can be boxed and shipped thru USPS or UPS. Keep in mind
that large, heavy or oversized items are expensive to pack and ship (i.e. Framed pictures with glass,
golf bags with clubs, etc) and we do not regulate or have any control of the shipping rates. Furniture
is not shippable.
• Wacky Pack & Ship can pick up and hold your auction items if you cannot make pickup for
whatever reason. If you are long distance or out of state and want to pick up your item(s) but just
cannot do so during the specified pickup times we can help with that as well. Call or text Suzanne at
417.223.7447 for more information.
• Call for shipping estimates PRIOR to bidding so as not to be surprised by the rising and changing
cost of shipping recently.
• Any packing/shipping requests or address changes should be sent directly to Wacky Pack & Ship
at sendit@wackypackandship.com to guarantee attention to your requests.
• Wacky Pack & Ship is a 3 rd -Party shipper and not directly associated with the auction house or
HiBid but we work hand in hand in order to get your purchase to you. All shipping expenses are
invoiced to the customer directly from Wacky Pack & Ship and never auto-charged.
Automobiles and other large freight-only shipping is the buyer's responsibility to arrange, and needs to be done by December 18th.
Items not paid and/or picked up by December 16th, with no communication, will be forfeited and become property of Barber Auctions unless special arrangements have been made with us. We do not have the space to hold the sold lots. Everything must go!
479-298-3034
Barberauctions@gmail.com.