The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-12-14
ROB SAVINGS
BANK AND KILL
TWO OFFICIALS
Holdup Men Get Sl3,l12 in Day
light Robbery
GET AWAY IN A TAXICAB
East Brooklyn Institution Is Visited in
One Of the Boldest Holdups in
Recent Years.

New York, Dec. 1.-Two robbers
entered the East Brooklyn Savings
Bank at Franklin and Myrtle Avenue
yesterday afternoon at 2.2O clock.
shot and killed De Witt c. Peal, the
paying teller, and Henry w Coons,
the Assistant Treasurer, stole sl3,112
in currency and checks. mostly in
banknotes, and escaped in a taxicab
after slightly wounding Detective Al
bert Doody, who exchanged shots
with them in the street.
At the time of the robbery there
were eight bank officials and employ
es and three depositiors on the main
floor of the bank building, an old
fashioned three-story brick structure,
which has been occupied by the bank
since shortly after the civil war. The
bank was incorporated in 1860, when
II began business in smaller build
ing on the opposite side of the street
and its career as quiet savings In.
stitution was unbroken during the
fifty.eight years up to yesterday.
The two men walked up three steps
into the front entrance at 643 Myrtle
Avenue and then quietly along the
corridor in front of the wooden and
brass grill partition which separated
the bank staff from its customers and
the public The brass grill runs to
the high ceiling with several openings
where money and pass books are re-
ceived and returned. These wicket.
ed openings are all very small with
the exception OF one aperture over
which is the legend New Accounts" :"
The New Accounts" wicket Is IA
inches wide and 80 inches high At
each end OF the lobby or vestibule is
door entering into the large room
occupied blythe bank employees, where
the money and accounts are handled.
The two robbers either studied
these details for the first time or re.
freshed their memories concerning
\ them while they wandered in the lob
/ by for a minute or two after entering
Then the man who is known in the
public reports as No walked to the
wicket in front of the paying teller's
cage. He held out a pistol and said
in low voice to Mr. Peal. the paying
teller
Hold up your hands"
No | repeated his command. and
without waiting for Peal TO obey
shouted to others in the bank to open
one of the doors leading inside the
main cage OF the bank. Without hold
ing up his hands. the paying teller
who had been looking down at the
money he was counting. turned tow
ards the burglar, according to those
near him, and was instantly shot. The
bullet. perfectly aimed, went through
his heart killing him instantly.
Henry w. Coons, the assistant
treasurer, who was at desk near By
ran towards Peal after the shot wa,
fired. He was dropped with a bulle
through his body near the heart
/. which caused his death little later
No l then aimed his pistol at AL
bert G.. Freeman, the assistant teller
calling Hands up" but Freeman
jumped behind a steel letter case. Th,
robber tried to shoot him through II
: but the steel turned the bullet. whicl
, was found later on the nocr Of tn
bank.
No. /, who was seeking all this tim
q to force some one to open door an
let his partner at the money, the
picked out David Morehousc, Treas
urer OF the bank. who had risen fror
his seat In the rear OF the large roor
:. and ordered him to open the doc
Morehouse. who was edging toward
- rear door, did not obey but plunge
= through a door into the Liberty Bon
. Department and out of another doc
i. into Franklin Avenue.
. No. | fired shot after him, bl
l. missed, and then. from his position
q the tellers window. where he ha
- every one covered except the man hi
- ing behind the steel case, swung h
: revolover barrel slowly to and fro,
. prevent any one from moving 4
~ fred two shots at random by way
warning when he saw signs OF re
tlveness.
In the meantime. No. had draw
pistol and lined up three deposition
one woman against a wall In q
ae corridor
After No. / had wasted nearly
m minute. fred six shots and killed "
n. men. without getting either of {
al doors opened. No. 2 threw a satcl
m. through the opening marked New 1
Is. counts squeezed his body throu
he after It, walked past the two dyi
ie. men. opened a drawer In the payi
ar teler's cabinet and swept the Ct
tents into the satchel a check OF
counts later showed that he had q
en- checks and money worth Sl3.l
the bulk OF It being currency in 81,
nm $40 and $50 notes The checks, in
m. probability. will prove yalueless to
In robbers.
In the meantime Treasurer Mo
house was running along Franl,
Avenue shouting Tor help, and No
I8 in his operations had set Oft a b
glar alarm gong, which was max
q. tremendous clamor IN the street
side the building These two thli