Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-05-13
P00LROOM ROBBERS
MAKE THEIR ESCAPE
No Trace Is Found, Notwithstanding
DraSnet Set Out by
Police.
ALL ROADS BEING WATCHED
witnesses, However, Are Not Even
Certain That Holdup Men Left in
Motor Car, or Whether They Went
Out by Front or Rear Door.

Local police and Pinkcrton detectives
have been unable to get a trace of the
Iour men who raided a poolroom at
s2S East Main Street. Saturday night
and got safely away with cash and
diamonds to the value OF nearly $4,000.
"hen the stick up" came to the at
tention of the police, Immediately af-
ter 1t happened, Captain c. a. Sherry.
OF the First Police District, went to
the poolroom. Soon afterward Captain
Alexander 5. Wright, chief of detec-
tiVes. was there. and steps were taken
70 notify surrounding towns and cities
10 DC on the outlook for such car
as the holdup men were believed to
nave Early yesterday morning search
ing parties were dispatched by auto
mobile. Carrying riot guns and usual
ponce pistols, they secured the roads
leading from the city. Railroad sta
tions were watched TO prevent depar-
ture by train.
The searching party which went to-
ward Petersburg had as one OF its
members Sidney Wiibon, one OF the
firm OF Sampson & Wilbon, which
runs the poolroom. Although a mes
sage had been sent to Petersburg to
stop all cars arriving there. this party
drove UP to the police headquarters at
Petersburg without being accostcd. II
developed to-day that Sidney wilbon
was one OF the men who the trio
hoped to get in the raid. but at the
time 1T happened he was standing at
Ninth and Broad Streets He. with
William Sampson. went out afterward
with searching parties.
NOT EVEN CERTAIN
AUTOMOBILE WAS USED
While various reports came to the
police here yesterday Of the seeing of
swift automobiles believed to be the
one which the thieves used, no accur-
ate Information was received In fact
men who were in the poolroom when
1t was raided could not state with GER
tainty whether an autom o5ile was
used. Moreover, il was said by tho
same men that they did not know
whether the holdup men went out tho
front or back door OF the place, and
one advanced the idea that car Nigh.
have been waiting in the rear OF the
building. When asked how the three
strangers would know enough about
the rear Of the premises to go cut that
way. he said that the little guy" who
took part in the raid had made a
practice of coming to the poolroom
early each morning for the past week
just as small negro boy was sweep
ing the place. and in that way knew
the layout of the building No one
was found by the police who could
say positively that car left the front
OF the place. The cashier in the lunch
room, which is underneath No. S2S,
saw none and noticed no disturba nee
Whatever. A clerk in a nearby drug
store said that he saw q car drive
away about the time the raid is said
to have been made. and remarked.
business must be dull they are clos
ing up early" This clerk could not
describe the car he saw
While many theories have been adj
vanccd. the fact remained last night
that nobody knew where the four
"stick-up" men had gone. Some could
not even say that there were four:
nobody saw them leave the place, and
the identity of the car in which they
were believed to have escaped arose
only from n deduction that they had
used such car as the short, keen
eyed and apparently "dope"-crazed
member Of the gang had been seen
10 drive during his stay here
search of local garages by the police
yesterday uncovered no such car