Santa Claus Bank Heist Chronicles

In the midst of the Great Depression, Marshall Ratliff, a notorious bank robber in Texas, desperate for cash, devised a daring plan. He and three accomplices decided to dress him as Santa Claus for a bank heist in Cisco, Texas, scheduled for December 23rd, a time when a Santa costume wouldn't raise eyebrows. On the day of the robbery, Ratliff interacted with children, blending in as Santa, but his plan unraveled when a woman and her young daughter inside the bank inadvertently alerted the police. A shootout followed, resulting in the deaths of two police officers and one of the robbers.

The gang fled with two young girls as hostages, leading to a massive manhunt. Eventually, the trio was captured after another shootout, in which all three were wounded but survived. Ratliff was sentenced to death but attempted appeals, leading to his lynching by angry citizens. In a bizarre twist, a copycat Santa Claus bank robbery occurred in 2009, with the thief telling bystanders he needed money to pay his "elves."