The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1912-03-01
HEART OF NEW Works. FINAN.
GAL DISTRICT is SCENE OF
DARING HOLDUP,
VICTIMS D BEATEN
'nree 7~'ghwaymen Leap Into Machine
ecu Loot and Then Make
Their Escape In a Waiting
Automobile.

New York, Feb. 16. - TWENTY-FIVE
thousand dollars in currency was stol.
en- from a taXicab in the heart of the
nnanclal district by three highway
men. who sprang into the vehicle and
oVerpoWered w. +. Smith and Frank
warden, messengers of the East River
National bank. Both messengers were
badly injured and the robbers escaped
with the money, $4,000 in S. bills
and $4,000 in $500 bills. The cur
rency was being transported from the
Produce Exchange bank in the lower
part of the city.
The taXicab had proceeded up Broad
way without mishap when, for some
unexplained reason. the chauffeur
turned west on Rector street into
Church street, skirting the side and
rear OF Trinity c%hurchyard.
About midway Of the old cemetery
three men sprane from the curb. One
jumped on the chauffeur's seat; the
other two got into the vehicle. The
man on the seat pressed a revolver in
his overcoat pocket against the side
OF the chauffeur, Gino Martini, and
commanded him to drive swiftly on
without making an outcry.
Messengers Badly Beaten.
inside the vehicle the two robbers
were belabOring the bank messengers
over the head. Smith, one of the mes.
sengers. is 81 years old. and he was
bleeding, and almost unconscious
when the taxicab reached Park place.
a few blocks north. Wardell was bad
~ beaten about the head, but was not
so seriously hurt.
AT Park place the h~ighwaymen
Jumped from the taXicab, bearing a
tin box which they had wrested from
the messengers, and which contained
the currency. In a flash they had
sprung into a big black automobile
which appeared to be awaiting their
coming and were quickly lost in the
maze of traffic.
Martini, the taxicab chauffeur. con-
tinued to run his machine until he
found a policeman. Here he gave the
alarm INT the two injured messengers
were taken to a police station. Smiths
condition was SO serious that he was
to a hospital. Wardells
scalp was badly laverated, but because
OF his youth he stood the fight we'll.
Chauffeur Tells Of Robbery.
The taxi was owned and driven by
Gino Martini and had been used many
times by the officials of the East River
bank to transfer cash and securities.
Martini told the police that he did
not suspect any danger, ever when the
men leaped into the cab, as he thought
they might simply want to ride.
The man who got by me-" he said,
"Jabbed the gun into my side. Keep
on a-going.' he Kissed at me, and if
you make a sound or turn, I'll fill you
ruil oil lead. When | felt the gun
against my ribs, | gave the car the
power. Then | heard the door slam.
and | could feel the struggle going on
inside the cab, but | did not dare look
around.
we Whizzed past two policemen,
but was 50 scared that | was afraid
to make a sound. AS ! neared Park
place the man beside me said: Sl0w
down and stop at the corner | did as
l was told and he jumped off and
streaked for the black automobile that
was standing there. | felt the door of
the taxi open and | saw the other two
men jump out and run over to the car,
the engine of which had been started.
lhey disappeared before | could ell
anybody what had happened"
After questioning Martini at length.
the police took him and his taxicab to
headquarters There the fi%ngerprint
experts OF the department went over
the machine in an effort to find finger
prints which might give them a clue,