In 1921, the front page of the Bemidji Pioneer reported a robbery at the P. M. Dicaire store.
Local authorities have as yet found no trace of the hold-up man who entered P. M. Dicaire’s store on Irvine avenue about 10:25 Saturday night and robbed the till and the proprietor of about $25. The robbery was at once reported to the police but as yet no clues as to the identity of the robbers have been found, Chief of Police Bailey stated this forenoon.
Mr. Dicaire was marking goods at the time, and with a rush the two men threw open the door, entered the store and ordered Mr. Dicaire to throw up his hands. A chair happened to be close by and Mr. Dicaire grabbed it with the intention of throwing it at the intruders but in some way the chair struck an object as it was being hurled at the robbers, consequently missing its mark.
One of the robbers, who was dressed in a soldier’s uniform with collar turned up and slouch hat drawn down over his eyes did the ordering. The other was a tall slim man with mackinaw who shielded his face with his elbow, and after the first man had pushed Mr. Dicaire down, his accomplice struck him over the head with a hard object thought to have been a gun, knocking him out.
One stood guard while the other relieved Mr. Dicaire of the cash in the till and also on his person, getting about $25 in all, and taking a valuable wallet and some French money at the same time.
There was thought to have been a third man outside, as Mr. Dicaire heard conversation between one of the men inside and one outside while the money was being extracted by the second man inside, who was being told by the others to hurry up. (Bemidji Daily Pioneer, Feb 8, 1921)