The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1912-11-20
MANIAC HOLDS UP
POLICE STATION
Threatens to Blow Up Building
With Dynamite.
TIE PRISONERS TAKEN OUT

Holds Out Against Police Officials For
Over an Hour, Until FelIed by Blow
From Behind.
Los Angeles, Cal, Nov. 20. - Gro
tesQuely masked in a false face that
gave him the appearance of demon
and carrying an internal machine con-
tanning forty sticks of dynamite,
bottle of nitro-glycerine and loaded
revolver, Albert Davis, of Long Beach,
entered the central police station, ter.
rorized the station force for more than
an hour, caused the hasty removal of
prisoners in the city jail, and drew to
the scene thousands who packed the
roped off stress in dense masses, mo-
mentarily expecting the police station
to be blown to atoms.
And the demented man was deter
mined. During the hour he sat In the
Office of C. e. Sebastion. chief of pc
lice. a finger rested constantly on the
trigger OF the machine. During the
tense wait plan was evolved.
Davis had demanded that Paul
Shoup. president of the Pacific Fec
trio company, be brought in, as he in
tended to blow him to hell" AS he
waited patiently he was engaged in
conversation by c. E. Sniyely and De-
tective James Fitzgerald. AS they
talked Detective James Hosick and
Samuel Browne opened the door be-
hind the man. stepped noiselessly
within striking distance. and as Ho-
sick struck Davis with his club
Browne seized the Internal machine.
Quick as they were, Davis pressed
the trigger and the Kissing of sput-
,ering fuse showed that the machine
was working. Browne ran. into the
street. dashed it to the pavement and
stamped the mechanism to pieces be-
fore it could complete its work.
Davis was taken into the receiving
hospital. where, after regaining con-
seriousness he sullenly refused to talk.
The police say he was member OF
the 1 w. w.
Davis walked quietly into police
headquarters. He wore yellow mask
that covered his entire head. Through
green goggles. sewed into the yellow
material. cunning eyes peered. His
arms were barred. and his hands, scar
ed to the wrists with an application OF
iodine. were inserted in the machine
He announced his intention of blowing
up the building. but wanted Shoup
hnn a mi
was touched off. He ordered the police
to get Snoup, and there was hasty
exit Of police, reporters and marons
from the building-all except those in
upon the capture.
While Davis sat crouched over his
machine a council of wal: was being
held among the police officers outside.
The dynamite was in plain sight of
the men. So were the guns. and So,
too, were the mans hands tied fast to
the trigger.
Davis left hand was passed through
q moose that encircled his wrist. This
moose was bit of rope that led to
the trigger. 1t was cunningly de-
vised continuance designed to set off
the fuse by a sudden jerk, whether he
made 1t voluntarily or had the arm
been jerked.
Chief of Police Sebastion ordered
the prisoners removed from the Jail.
There were more than seventy-five Of
them, and they were marched out
quietly. while outside the officers had
commandeered a street car and herd
ed the prisoners into 1t. None es-
capped.
Davis defeat was made possible by
his mask. This not only restricted
his range of vision, but 1t deafened his
ears to the approach of the officers
from behind.
As Davis appeared at the station
house he had most terrifying aspect.
His head was inclosed in large vel
low mask, not unlike the helmet Of a
deep sea diver. The eye holes were
long and covered with green celluloid.
A large amount of black hair was fas-
tened to the outside Of the mask, max.
ing him appear like a demon.