St. Ansgar Boy Pleads Guilty to Robbery of Bank Reuben Perau, 20, Given Indeterminate Sentence at Anamosa. OSAGE, Feb. 27.—Reuben Perau, St. Ansgar youth, pleaded guilty Wednesday in. district court to bank robbery charges and was sentenced to an indeterminate imprisonment at the state reformatory at Anamosa. He robbed the Carpenter Savings bank at Carpenter on Nov. 20. Perau, who robbed the bank alone, at about noon, was captured by a marshal at Stacyville, 10 miles away, where his automobile ran out of gasoline. He told officers he was working under orders from George "Baby, Face" Nelson and authorities from half a dozen counties waited at Cresco for the notorious bandit. Later Perau admitted this story was false. A group of citizens from St. Ansgar appeared to ask leniency today for Perau, who has been held in the Osage county jail since his capture. Judge Cutler explained, however, that he had no choice in passing sentence. Under the Iowa statutes bank robbery carries a mandatory life sentence, subject to a shorter term only on. action of the state board of parole. Perau, who is 20 years of age, was a leader at the St. Ansgar High School when he attended that institution and ranked high in athletic and dramatic circles. His act in robbing the bank provided a surprise to many of his friends; who stated they had never known him to do anything with criminal tendencies. [ Mason City Globe-Gazette - Wednesday, February 27, 1935

Perau, Bank Robber From St. Ansgar, Gets Parole DES MOINES, (AP) — Reuben Perau, 26, St. Ansgar, whose life term for bank robbery was commuted by former Gov. Nelson G. Kraschel in December, 1938, was one of eight men paroled Friday by the Iowa state board of parole. Perau was committed to the Anamosa reformatory in 1934 for robbery of a bank at Carpenter, in Worth county. He was transferred to Fort Madison the following year. His life sentence was reduced to 25 years by Governor Kraschel. Other paroles ordered Friday included that of George Turner, 40, Nora Springs, Cerro Gordo county, 1935, possession of burglary tools, 15 years. [ Mason City Globe-Gazette, Friday, July 11, 1941 ]

Perau, St. Ansgar, Takes Part in Shuttleraid on Germany Flyers Report Plan of Shuttling On to Africa Saved Many Lives London, AP -— Among the flying fortresses that participated in the England to Africa shuttle-raid on Regensburg, Aug. 18, was the fortress "Flak Happy" piloted by Lt. Richard A. McGibney, Fertile, Minn., arriving well ahead of the main body of bombers that flew on to Africa after the raid. When a fortress was crippled before reaching the target the pilot tried to drop his bombload on the best available spot before he fell, they said. "This plan of shuttling on to Africa after a mission deep into Germany saved a lot of lives." McGibney reported. "We were on oxygen for 6˝ hours and we landed on vapor rather than gasoline after one of our Tokyo tanks was shot out, but it still was easier than turning around and coming back across Germany." "These African buses are all right." added Technical Sgt. Harold N. Parsons, Baltimore, Md., engineer of "Flak Happy." Staff Sgt. Wilburn L. Bornschein, Des Moines, Iowa, waist gunner, reported a considerable number of German fighters destroyed on the ground at Regensburg, adding. "I saw at least 40 in one group wing to wing all wreathed in smoke." "We saw a plane peel out of formation and dart down," Wade said, "but the pilot managed to level off and glide over the target to get rid of his bombs." McGibney reported his bombardment group lost no planes and no men on the 2,800 mile round trip. This gave the flyers under the command of Col. Archie Old Jr., Atlanta. Texas. One of the best records in the 8th airforce for the highest number of missions completed successfully with the smallest number of casualties. Other members of McGibney's crew included Staff Sgt. Reuben W. Perau, St. Ansgar, Iowa, waistgunner. [ Mason City Globe-Gazette - Wednesday, August 25, 1943 ]

St. Ansgar — Staff Sgt. Reuben Perau, now in England, has recently been granted a brief leave, which he is spending sight-seeing. Sergeant Perau, formerly of St. Ansgar, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for outstanding performance under fire, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters which means he actually won the medal four times and he has a Bronze Star; for being in major air raids over enemy territory after July 14, 1943. Sergeant Perau has written relatives that he has gone through eight months of bitter warfare but has come through without a scratch. He said, "Fortress wings have seen me in action over 15 different countries on this side of the waters. My trail goes to the furthest corners of Adolph's Acres and covers a distance of 3,000 miles. Most of this mileage was made up by many important raids and the whole distance marked by hellish air battles." Sergeant Perau has been retired now from combat duty. [ Waterloo Daily Courier, Sunday, January 23, 1944 ]

AIRMAN CLOSES CAREER IN ARMY T. Sgt. Reuben Perau of St. Ansgar Discharged St. Ansgar, Iowa — T. Sgt. Reuben Perau, 36, arrived home with an honorable discharge from the army air corps, which lie receive at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., May 30. Sgt. Perau, a waist gunner of a B-17 Flying Fortress, has 12 points. He was awarded the distinguished flying cross and the air medal with 8 oakleaf clusters for meritorious achievement of 45 missions over German territory bombing military targets He was a member of Col. Chester C. Cox's 38th bomber group, a unit of the 3rd air division cited by the president for its shuttle mission to Africa when Messerschmitt plants were bombed. He is the son of Mrs. Elsie Perau of St. Ansgar and before entering the service was employed by H. L. McKinley. [ Mason City Globe-Gazette -Monday, June 4, 1945 ]

Sara Rath of Charles City and Reuben Perau of St. Ansgar were married June 17 in the Bethel English Lutheran Church at Rochester, Minnesota. [ The Nashua Reporter, Thursday, July 16, 1964 ]