The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-06
Nineteen Y ear Old Prisoner Closely Chilled By Police on Details of Hold Up in New Jersey Cranberry District When 12 Bandits Attacked Pay Car.
Philadelphia Authorities
 Hold Three Under Arrest and Tighten Dragnet on Four More-Mrs. Smath-
 CTS, Heroine of Hold Up is
 Recovering from Wounds.

W Philadelphia, Oct. 6.-Tnree persons are under arrest in Philadelphia today in connection with the hold-up by 12 armed bandits of the pay car for Hampton Park, 8 cranberry district, near Atsion. N. h., yesterday after noon, when Mrs. Elsie Smathers, aged 26., of Hanmonton. plunged her car through the group of firing highway men after one of the occupants of the car had been killed. and her father. a chauffeur, and herself wounded. The, police say their dragnet Is closing in on four, others of the band, who were hunted all night by 200 arm ed citizens, stirred to action by the lboldness of the hold-up and the brav- cry of Mrs. Smathers.
 Mile DeMarco, aged 19, is alleged to be the chief of the robber band. She is detained by the police.
 Mrs. Smathers displayed great forti- tude despite her injuries,
 "She,s the games, patient we've mad in years" was an atlmiring comment of physician. Mrs. Smathers smiled and held her hand up deprecatingly, :as if her heroism in saving the money and lives, although twice wounded, was nothing unusual. 2 Notwithstanding her weakened con- dition she drove her fathers big tour- ing car at racing clip for more than 10 miles from the scene of the shoot ing, to Hammonton.
 Two suspects were arrested at the Pennnsylvania railroad terminal in Camden, fg. J.. early today as they stepped from . train they had board cd at Hamm0nton. v
 s,t The automobile in which the, IF persons travelled, drowned by Frank vsssela- He toldB detectives today that he had rentA 1t to Guisseppa Russo last wedns6day at SIS day. He declared he carried woman named DeA6arco, Ru4so and Frank Iadpna, friend of his not known by ithe other two, to Hammonton yester- day morning. He said he waited there several hours with the woman while the othep men who were picked up in Camden, were absent.
 He declared they returned excited. and that they talked in low tones. He could not hear what they said. All tho persons mentioned are under ar- rest The DsMarco girl and Russo are held on saspicion of murder and Wo others as material witnesses.
 Subjected to questioning at de- tective headquarters, Mile DeMarco made damaging admissions today. ac- cording to Captsin Tate, of the de- tective bureau. The girl admitted that she and three men companions had motored from this city and were at Atbion, N. J.. at the time of the shoottng. < She admitted she heard shots and the chauffeur stopped his car not far 7from the spot where number of men. said to have been masked, held up Riders car In an attempt to steal { $5,000. the payroll for 300 employees at Riker's cranberry bogs.
 Russo. an intimate friend of the DeMarco girl. the police say. vessela, the chauffeur. and Ladona, the three other prisoners held here, were sim- rlarly grilled today and admitted they had taken an early morning ride from this city to Hammonton.
 They also admitted they had been at the spot indicated by the DeMarco girl. M