Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-25
POLICE SEEK CLUES
FOR AUTO BANDITS
IN PAYROLL HOLDUP
George R, Black, Armour Pay
MASTER Was Going to Plant
in Taxi Driven by Harry
Young

Police of both the city and county
are working vigilantly with only a bare
clue to aid them in an endeavor to run
down the three automobile bandits who
held up George r. Black, paymaster of
the Armour Fertilizer works and Black $
chauffeur in broad daylight Saturday
afternoon and robbed Black of $1,000 IN
cash.
The hold up occurred at the intersec-
ton of the Boulevard road and the Rock
Springs road, one-quaI ter of a mile west
of Piedmont road, at about 1890 o'clock
Mr. Black was forced at the point of
a gun to surrender a hand satchel con-
tanning the $1,000 and representing the
pay roll of the fertilizer plant for the
week. Securing their loot, the bandits
bound Mr. Black and his chauffeur with
a heavy rope, jumped into an automobile
and made their escape.
The bare clue the police have are tins
gained from several persons who said
they saw a car, resembling the one &C.
scribed by Mr.. Black as that belonging
to the bandits, travelling toward the city.
Mr.. Black says the bandit car was a
Ford.
The police hope to follow from these
tips the destination of the car and to
gain information as TO who were the oc-
cupants.
1t had been the custom of Mr.. Black
each Saturday afternoon at about the
same hour to drive in an automobile from
a downtown bank to the fertilizer plant
with the weeks pay roll.
On Saturday he employed Harry
Young, who operates an automobile for
hire from his office on Walton street,
to drive him from the bank to the fer
tilizer plant Young, according to Mr..
Black. had made the trip each week
with him for the last eight or ten weeks
SLOWED AT MUD HOLE.
On account Of heavy rains the roads
near the scene of the hold up were IN
usually muddy. Dense shruobery also
abounded on either side of the road. In
order to avert running into a mud pud-
die. the chauffeur of the car containing
the pay roll stopped his car with the
intention of changing the gear
Just as he did this, according to Mr..
Black, a man of medium height jumped
from the bushes. He had a mask fitted
tightly to his head and face. The masked
man Jumped on the running board of the
automobile containing the pay roll
Hold up your hands and be QUICK
ABOUT II, ne COnIldhuSu VI AAA'
and Young.
Mr. Black said he was so amazed that
hs- hardly realized what he ought to do.
GRABBED BANDITS GUN.
az first made a grab for the barrel
OF the gun and caught it," said Mr..
Black. "The masked man then jerked
it from my grasp. There was nothing
for me to do but to submit. held
up my hands"
The bandit, after securing the satchel,
gave a whistle and two other masked
men jumped from the bushes. Bandit
No. 1 held the gun on Young and pro-
ducing rope, commanded young TO
bind and tie Mr. Black securely.
Young did as he was commanded.
Another of the bandits took long pair
of sheers. lifted the hood of the ma
chine occupied by Mr.. Black and cut
the electric wires of the motor. One
of the other bandits tied and bound
Young.
Without uttering any further remarks
the three bandits with the payroll
satcheI fled to their automobile park
ed in the bushes several hundred feet
from the road In a few moments, Mr..
Black and Young, still bound in Young $
car. saw the car run out of the woods
onto the road and disappear in the di-
rection of the city.
EXTRICATED THEMSELVES.
1t was fifteen or twenty minutes be-
fore Mr. Black and Young were success
full in extricating themselves. When
they did, they FASTENED to the fertilizer
plant about a half mile distant and notl-
fed the police.
Young was questioned at some length
Saturday evening by both the county po-
lice and city detectives.
1t is evident to the police that the
bandits knew at what hour TO expect
Mr.. Black The robbery, unquestionably,
was carefully premeditated
Mr.. Black has been paymaster at the
Armour plant for about seven years
He does not own a machine himself
and the company does not own one.
Each Saturday, the paymaster had hired
a taxicab or an automobile to make the
trip.
Within the last few months, Mr.
Black said, at least a half dozen dlf-
ferent taxicab drivers had driven the
car containing the payroll.
The police believe a valuable clue
might be gained after an examination
of some of these drivers.
Mr. Black noticed that the bandit who
acted as spokesman had blue eyes,
which he detected through small Sits
in the mask.
In the satchel was about 40 silver
dollars; about $50 in small change and
the remainder in bills of five dollar de-
nominations.
Mr.. Black has been a trusted employe
of the Armour plant for seven years
He is thirty-five years old. He lives at
II East Ninth street.