Louis Gorman, 51, builders’ supply dealer, saved Robert P. Cordes, 23, truck driver, and six other men from being shot, Jerseyville, Illinois, October 10, 1959. As Gorman, Cordes, and six other men arrived in turn at a builders’ supply firm, a gunman, who was sought by police for murder and who was hiding in the one-story building, forced each man at gunpoint into a small private office. He then held them captive with a semi-automatic rifle which could fire 19 shots without being reloaded. Under threat of death, the man required Gorman to place a sign in the window stating that the establishment was closed, forced another man to get him the money from the safe, collected the money from the wallets of the eight men, and ordered the telephone wire cut. He then told Gorman to tie up the other men; but he could find no ropes except two hanging from an elevated sand bin 30 feet from the building. Forcing the others to lie face down on the floor, the gunman ordered Gorman to leave the building, climb a ladder alongside the bin, and obtain the ropes. The man stood so that he could see Gorman as well as the others, stating that he would shoot anybody who did not cooperate. Gorman climbed the ladder to 36 feet above the ground and stood inside the open topped bin on the sand to cut the ropes. Because he feared the gunman would kill the other men in retaliation, Gorman ignored the chance to save himself by remaining inside the bin. He cut the ropes, descended the ladder, and returned to the private office. Following instructions, he began tying the hands and feet of the prone men. When he had tied the third man, Gorman pretended to lose his balance and feigned a fall toward the gunman. Stepping over the tied men, he lunged at the gunman and struck the rifle barrel upward with his arm. He then drove his fist into the man’s face, struck a hard blow against the arm holding the rifle, and seized the man by the throat. The gunman, who had a knife in his belt, dropped the rifle and grappled with Gorman. The four untied men then came to Gorman’s aid, subdued the assailant, and turned him over to police. The gunman pleaded guilty to murder. 44871-4301
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