The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-02-16

ProduCe fxCnanRe BANK clerks, turned
into Morris street from Broadway, the
intention being to run up Trinity place.
thence into Church street and through
rortlandt street or Park place into Broad
way. The explanation for the circuitous
route is that since the fire in the Equitable
Building when traffic was diverted from
lower Broadway. it has been customary.
According to the messengers and the Prod
uce Bank officials the taxicab left the
bank about 1850 o clock.
For about "A half hour before this five
men had loitered at Edgar street which
Is the shortest block in the city and the
only one without a house number, and
Trinity place. One Of the men. who was
rough looking and shivered as though
from the effects of a debauch. stood in
front Of the storehouse Of Batter 4 Co..
Wholesale liquor dealers, at rs Trinity
place and just across from where Edgar
street runs into Greenwich street. An
other man, who wore brown raglan coat
OF good fit and material and cloth cap.
stood at a railing just south Of the store
house.
On the west side Of Trinity place at the
north corner Of Edgar street is building
apparently unoccupied but sometimes
used as a barracks for strike breakers.
One man stood here and he also wore a
zap. At the south corner was another
man. and,below him. in front of barber
shop. about twenty-five feet away-a
point from which good glimpse could
he obtained Of an incoming cab from
Morris street-was the fifth man.
These observations were made by John
Huber. bookkeeper for Batter 4 Co..
and Henry F. Markwalter. manager for
the concern. They s.ood in the doorway.
and Markwalter noticed that the rough
looking man stopped a passerby for a
light for cigarette. Huber, who is
younger and interested in such things
admired the brown raglan coat of the man
with the cap and thought he would like
10 have. one himself. Perhaps they would
not have paid much more attention to
what had been going on had not taxicab
with the windows shut slowed down be-
hind heavy truck with steel girders.
which blocked most of the street.
As the taxi shut of speed the five men
rushed it. One man hoped on the seat
with the driver. He wore a cap. Then
Rman on either side OF the cab pulled open
the doors. Each of them had a COM
panion who helped boost him into the
cab and slam the door. Instead of the
cab stopping it swerved to the left of the
Truck and jumped ahead of it. Huber
thought the whole proceeding very
strange and suggested following the cab.
especially as the two members of the
quintet who had been left in the street
hustled after the cab afoot. Markwalter
suggested that ne had better mind his
own business The two returned to the
storeroom
From the viewpoint of Wardle and
Smith-the latter was not able to tell
much about it because he got a nasty
blow on the head which sent him to the
hospital--and also for Montani. the
driver. things moved quickly after the
five men tackled the cab. Wardle was
sitting on the right side. On drop seat
in front of il was the bag with the SIS 600.
One OF the men struck Nardle on the head
with hlGckjack The other hammered
Smith, but more viciously. Wardle
said after he had been struck twice the
cab got dark and he knew nothing more.
Montani. when first questioned by the
police before his arrest, said that the
man who jumped on the seat with him
pushed a revolver against his side and said
keep right on or / will Ali you full of
lead The man shielded the revolver
with his hand. He also showed a knowl-
edge of how to run an automobile. When
Montani would shift from high to low
speed or vice versa because OF the press
Of traffic the man with the revolver would
remind him of what he was doing.
Il knew that struggle was going on
inside Of the cab. / could hear il" said
Mantni. IL was scared | felt empty
inside. We passed policeman at Liberty
street lit is here that Church street begins
and the street becomes narrower than
n.l hav
policeman at Cortidndt street. As we came
up Park Place the man beside me said
Slow down here, and as | came to the
corner he jumped off and streaked for the
black automobile"
Montani ran his auto To West Broad
way and Park Place. There he met
Policeman Daniel Donohue. who looked
into the cab and saw the two unconscious
men. Wardell was soon revived, but
Smith was uaken To the Hudson street
hospital and the police were unable to get
information OF value from him.
A bloods tanned COPY of an evening
newspaper Of saturday with an account
Of the holdup OF Beckerman was found
at Liberty and Church streets Amat eur
de. ectives came to the conclusion that.
IL might have been wrapped around
weapon USED by one OF the men in yester.
day 5 holdup and thrown ont of the TAXI
cab window.
IL the holdup caused any excitement
in the neighborhood it was not noticeat
a few minutes after Montani's taxica
had been driven to the Greenwich str, -,
station. The ticket seller AT the uptown
platform of the Park place elevated sta
tion said that about II o'clock three
men hurried M tn his window and one
of them. calling for three ickets. showed
in quarter, The man didn't wait for
his change, but he and his two compan-
ions hoped on train When the ticket
seller heard about the robbery he thought
the three men must have been the ones
who were concerned in it, Commissioner
Dougherty was inclined to believe this
at the start, but last night he said he had
found business man in the neighbor-
hood who had seen the three men leave
the taxicab and jump into the waiting
black touring car This man, the Com
missioner said, could not give a descrip-
tion of the men, but he confirmed the state
ment Montani made of what happene d
when the cab got to the corner of Park
place and his three unlimited passengers
left him
The Commissioner said that Mon tani' s
reputation was good Up to n short time
ago he owned three taxicabs. but recently
he went into business with an under
takcr and lost about 81 800. Since then
he has had two cabs. For number of
yeors M0ntani was truckman for the
Underwriters Salvage Company in Sulli-
van street,
while do not care to commit myself "
said Commissioner Dougherty. II am in
clined to h,li-r" that the two robheries -
the one to-day and that of Beckerman on
Ant l.x ~sVtr MI