River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-02-22
ROBBED OF $4,000.
HEART OF NEW YoRK'S FINAN.
CIAL DISTRICT is SCENE OF
DARING HoLDUP.
VICTIMS BADLY BEATEN
Three Highwaymen Leap Into Machine
Secure Loot and Then Make
Their Escape In Waiting
Automobile.

NEW 1OTk, IN. 4. - twenty-five
thousand dollars in currency was stol
en- from a taxicab in the heart of the
financial district by three highway
men, who sprang into the vehicle and
overpowered w. F. Smith and Frank
Wardell, messengers of the East River
National bank. Both messengers were
badly injured and the robbers escaped
with the money, $4,000 in So 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 churchyard
About midway of the old cemetery
three men sprang from the curb One
jumped on the chauffeur's seat; the
other two got into the vehicle. The
man on the seat pressed revolver in
his overcoat pocket against the side
of the chauffeur, Gino Martini, and
without making an cutlery.
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,
few blocks north. Wardell was bad
Iv hootoo n ho,1t tho bcod h,,t woe not
SO seriously hurt.
At Park place the highwaymen
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 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 policeman. Here he gave the
alarm and the two injured messengers
were taken to a police station. Smith s
condition was so serious that he was
removed to hospital Wardell's
of his youth he stood the fight we'll.
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, even 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
full of lead When l felt the gun
against my ribs, gave the car the
power. Then l heard the door slam,
and l could feel the struggle going on
inside the cab, but did not dare look
around.
eve whizzed past two policemen,
but / was so scared that | was afraid
to make sound. AS I neared Park
place the man beside me said: Slow
down and stop at the corner | did as
/ was told and he jumped off and
streaked for the black automobile that
was standing there. felt the door of
the taxi open and I saw the other two
men jump out and run over to the car,
the engine of which had been started.
They disappeared before | could tell
anybody what had happened"
After questioning Martini at length,
the police took him and his taxicab to
headquarters. There the fingerprint
experts of the department went over
the machine in an effort to find finger
prints which might give them clue.