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By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA.
January 26, 1923: Fred Becker, a soldier in World War I, was returning from Reading at 1:30 in the morning when he had a narrow escape from a hold-up attempt on the “cement road” (Route 562) at Yellow House.
He was alone in the car and came upon a touring car parked crosswise in the middle of the road with a “colored gentleman” standing in front of it signaling him to stop. Instead, Becker stepped on the gas and in passing, the man fired at him three times with a revolver and then jumped into his machine. A high-speed chase ensued. Becker had a good lead and was not caught.
When he arrived in Boyertown, he gathered several young men and with guns they returned to the scene, but the would-be bandit could not be found. Becker believes that the culprit had turned off at Morysville and headed for Pottstown.
More News from Boyertown
- July 27, 1907: With No Prior Notice Farmers’ National Bank of Boyertown Closes Doors The Farmers’ National Bank of Boyertown, founded by Dr. Thomas J.B. Rhoads, closed its doors while directors review the accounts and affairs.
- "I AM: Proud" -- "B Inspired" Encore Episode Features Police Chief Barry Leatherman "Make America Kind Again" serves as Police Chief Barry Leatherman's motto.
