Officer Leo Pavlak

Officer Leo Pavlak

On August 30, 1933, at approximately 9:10 a.m., Officer Pavlak accompanied two 21-year-old messengers from Stockyards National Bank—Herbert Cheyene and Joseph Hamilton—to the South St. Paul Railway Station to retrieve a payroll shipment. The funds, delivered via train from the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis, were intended for Swift and Company employees, as was routine on Wednesdays.

After picking up the payroll, the men returned to the post office, placed the money into bags, and departed for Swift and Company at approximately 9:45 a.m. At that moment, a black sedan pulled up to the post office with a siren blaring and smoke trailing from the vehicle. Obscured by the smoke, multiple armed assailants exited the car.

Two gunmen, one wielding an automatic and the other a shotgun, confronted Officer Pavlak and the messengers. Shouting “Stick 'em up,” the man with the shotgun held them at gunpoint. Officer Pavlak complied without reaching for his weapon. The messengers dropped the money and hid beneath a nearby truck.

As chaos unfolded, Officer John Yeaman approached the scene in his squad car. A gunman opened fire on him, hitting him in the head. The assailant then took Yeaman’s weapon and began firing at the post office and surrounding buildings, breaking windows and causing panic.

One bandit fatally shot Officer Pavlak at close range with a shotgun. Witnesses described the blast as nearly decapitating him. During the shootout, one suspect appeared wounded but was helped into the getaway car, which then fled north on Concord Street.

It was later reported that the suspects may have been in the area two hours earlier and had visited a beer parlor at 244 North Concord Street.

Officer Yeaman survived his injuries, despite being struck in the face by machine gun fire. Before joining the police force, he had served for 12 years with Armour and Company.

Officer Pavlak, age 38, had joined the department in April of that year. He was survived by his wife, Pauline, and their two children, Eleanor and Robert. His funeral was held on September 1 at St. Augustine’s Church, and he was buried at Calvary Cemetery.

Story courtesy of We Will Remember by Lisa Lovering, published by .38 Special Press.