Valley Girl Views: Milton's Bathing Suit Bandit Captured While Sleeping In A Canoe

Every year for a decade, under Historical Notes in the Miltonian each August, there is a line that reads: "1920 - Paul Karpoff, Milton's 19 years old bandit, captured by state police after a months chase."

"The 18 year old bandit, who had terrorized the Susquehanna Valley for six weeks", was taken into custody at 5 am on August 17, 1920." His name was Peter, not Paul, and although he had quite the adventure that summer, escaping from jails, breaking back into jails, stealing canoes and hiding out along the rivers, stealing from homes in three counties, and even shooting at police officers... it appears that once he was apprehended, he was repentant. A month after his capture, he was described as the best behaved prisoner the deputy Sheriff had ever taken away. After serving his minimum sentence, he applied for, and had his sentence commuted. He then appears to have worked hard for the rest of his life, settling in Milton, and staying out of trouble for the rest of his days.

But on August 17, 1920, In Fishing Creek near Bloomsburg, Peter Karpoff was found sleeping in a canoe he had stolen recently, under a tarp, also recently stolen, rigged as a tent over the top. He slept with a loaded revolver in hand, and a loaded rifle under his pillow. Pillows lining the boat covered more guns, and rounds of ammunition.

Bloomsburg had been the site of Karpoffs most recent escapade. At Finch's bathing house, he had stolen one of the "finest canoes of the boat house", pillows, and other articles, valued at over $400.

But Karpoff's spree began long before. By the time he was captured that August, the charges against him included burglary, larceny, assault with intent to kill, and jail breaking. Thought to be responsible for more than 50 burglaries over three counties, he had not only broke out of jail after being captured, but he broke back in to jails, taunting the jailers with notes left behind, on at least two occasions.

BREAKS OUT OF JAIL

An article in the Lewisburg Journal reported that Karpoff had been committed to the Huntingdon Reformatory after being engaged in a number of thefts in Berwick. On the morning he was to be taken from the jail to the reformatory, he removed his clothes, squeezed through a small opening in the door of his cell, and then hid behind the main entrance door. When Sheriff Hidlay opened the door to take Karpoff and several other prisoners to the reformatory, Karpoff escaped. He was captured in Wilkes Barre, and served his reformatory sentence.

Today, SCI Huntingdon is Pennsylvania’s oldest State Correctional Institution in continuous operation, having opened its gates in 1889. Originally intended to reform and educate young male offenders, inmates were schooled in the trades which included, painting, plumbing, carpentry and cabinet making, electrical, masonry (stone and brick.). The school included a foundry, blacksmith shop, lime kiln, brick ovens, saw mill, lumber kiln and planing mill. The farm operation supplied meats, dairy, poultry and vegetables for the kitchen. Electricity generated in the power plant and water supplied by springs on the property made the Institution almost totally independent from the outside world.

But the reform school was not able to reform Karpoff. Paroled in April 1920, the police were looking for him by early June 1920.

BREAKS INTO JAILS

On August 6, Karpoff then broke into the jail at Nescopeck, stealing a fruit cake, ginger snaps, canned fruit, eggs, and the sheriffs badge, which was in the kitchen at the time.

According to the Wilkes Barre Times Leader, that was not the only time Karpoff borrowed a prison bed. In early August, a boy of about 19 appeared at the police station in Sunbury. He gave a fake name, and claimed to be from Massachusetts, just passing through. The chielf allowed the boy to sleep in an unlocked room at the jail, for the night, In the morning, the boy was gone and in his place was a note that read "Thanks Chief, for the bed. Peter Karpoff". The papers reported that "this incident was characteristic of Karpoff"

THE BATHING SUIT BANDIT

In Mid July, Karpoff stole a canoe from Miss Margaret Wolf, of Front Street in Milton. A few days later, on July 19th, the canoe was found pulled on an island in the river near Winfield, and Karpoff was spotted swimming nearby. Trooper Daniels, Robert Hafer, Fred Wolf, and Fred Jr headed for the island by automobile.

The men caught Karpoff in the river and tossed him into the canoe. Daniels and Hafer were at the front of the canoe, and as they pulled it onto the shore, the burglar was thrown forward, "his hand coming in contact with a revolver hidden under his clothes".  Karpoff aimed at Hafers head and pulled the trigger. The gun failed to explode, but Karpoff turned it next on Daniel's and fired again. This time the gun worked, but the boys aim was off, so that the bullet merely grazed Daniel's head, putting a hole in his hat. Karpoff fired three more times as he backed away, holding the men at bay with his leveled gun.

When the youth made a turn to enter a clump of bushes, Daniels drew his gun and fired four shots. All of them missed, as Karpoff was by then too far away. The fugitive, clad only in a bathing suit, ran through a cornfield, waded through the river to the Northumberland side, hen made his way down through the Mertz farm, next making an appearance at the western area of the classification yards.  There he was spotted by several railroad men, including car inspectors. Stuart Gaugler, one of the inspectors, noticed Karpoff just as he was told to throw up his hands and back away. With a revolver pointed in his face, Gaugler did as he was told.

The fugitive then made his way through the yards, several times flashing his gun. From there, various witnesses spotted him, and from their accounts it was pieced together that he ran up the high flight of steps to the trolley tracks opposite the freight transfer, crossed the state road, and then ran into the woods on the other side.

Police officers from Milton and Mount Caramel canvassed the area, and farmers throughout the region laid in watch with shot guns at the ready, but the fugitive was nowhere to be found.

Among his belongings back at the Winfield Island, a valuable diamond ring and other jewelry was recovered. The Railroad men also reported seeing a flashy diamond ring on one of the boys fingers.

Over the next days, the newspapers branded him the Bathing Suit Bandit, saying
"The escaped desperado, when last seen, was attired in a white undershirt, blue trunks, blue socks, and russet shoes"

THE CAPTURE

Karpoff had clearly been using young boys nearby to deliver notes, and supply him with food, throughout the summer ordeal. In August, he attempted to deliver a note to a former inmate at the Huntingdon Reform School. The boy who was to deliver the note took it straight to the state police.

The officers knew Karpoff was well armed, and by this point, they knew he was not afraid to shoot. Daniels and Heintz, who had both been shot at by Karpoff near Winfield 6 weeks prior, were members of the force that captured Karpoff on August 18th.

When they arrived at the creek, the officers split and advanced slowly. Corp. Stevenson and Private Heintxe advanced on their hands and kneew until they reached the canoe. Then they made one leap, landing on the sleeping occupant. The attack was so sudden, Karpoff had no time to resist. Once he was placed in irons, he announced that "It's a good thing I was asleep or you would have had to shoot."

When they pulled him from his stolen bed, under the pillows that lined the boat they found an arsenal including two revolvers and 500 rounds of ammunition.

After being captured, Peter Karpoff confessed to his crimes. For a week, he was kept in a steel cell in Sunbury, having told Warden Calhoun he'd "bet a suit of clothes he could escape." Karpoff asked to appear before the court quickly, declaring he would be glad to get it over with.

September, 1920

In August of 1924, the Shamokin News Dispatch reported that ten prisoners from the Eastern State Penitentiary were being send to county prison, under arrangement with the county commissioners. Among the prisoners was John F. Daugherty, "Sunbury Wife Slayer", Elmer Halderman, a notorious safe cracker, and "Peter Karpoff, shifty youth who terrorized the North Branch Valley until caught in 1920 and sent up from seven to twenty eight years"

In 1931, The Danville Morning News reported that Karpoff had been released from the county jail "several years ago" (likely 1927), having served his minimum term. He was to be on parole for 21 years following his release, but in 1931, Karpoff was seeking Pardon, or commutation of sentence. At that time, his residence was Milton PA.

In December of 1935, his sentence was commuted.

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