New-York tribune., 1918-12-17
Boys Find Little
Black Bag Used by
Brooklyn Bandits
This Gives Police First
Definite Clew to Move
ments of Men Who Killed
2 and Fled With $4,000

The finding Of the little black bag
In which the two highwaymen who
raided the East Brooklyn Savings Bank
carried away their loot, set the New
York police to work yesterday on their
first definite clew to the movements of
the bandits Immediately after the
holdup last Friday afternoon that
ended in the killing of two bank
officials and the theft of $4,000.
The bag, cheap imitation leather
affair, with one end ripped open, was
found late Sunday afternoon by three
boys gathering mushrooms in a Brook
lyn lot at East 1O4th Street and the
Long Island Railroad tracks, few
blocks from the New Lots station OF
the Carnarsie 81" line.
The finding of the bag in Canarsie
upsets the police theory that the
bandits on abandoning their car near
Knickerbocker and Myrtle avenues had
boarded Myrtle Avenue elevate d
train and fled into the Ridgewood sec
tion of Brooklyn. George H. McCul-
Tough, driver of the taxicab used bv
the hlghwaymen, who is being held in
connection with the hodup, told the
police the bandits left him near Knick-
erbocker Avenue.
Doubled Oh Their Tracks
1t was pointed out last night that to
have reached Canarse the highway
men must have doubled back on their
tracks by taking Myrtle Avenue train
to Broadway, short distance from
the scene of the holdup, and there
r m
Canarsie.
The East New York station of the
Long Island Railroad is only about g
mile from where the black bag was
found. At this station the bandits
might have boarded train for Allan
tic Avenue, Brooklyn, or one for ia
maica, whence they could have pro.
ceeded to the Pennsylvania Station
Manhattan, whore they could have
caught trains for Philadelphia, Chi
cago or other out-oftown points. The
police admitted last night that there
was strong probability that the ban
dlts took this latter course and had
fed the city.
The entire detective force of the
greater city was concentrating last
night on the search for the store
where the black travelling bag was
purchased. The satchel was new
sixteen inches long by ten inches
high. On its bottom was the stock
mark "649"
Inspector John J. Cray, commanding
the detective bureau, who is directing
the search for the bandits, said his
men had found several stores in Man
haitian and Brooklyn where bags bear
ing this stock number were handled
At late hour. however, no definite
7 information as TO where this porti icuJa a,
bag was purchased had been obtained
Contents of the Bag
The brass fittings on the bag were
new and bright, indicating, according
to Inspector Cray, that it had never
been used before. Inside was white
silk mutfler, similar to the one found
in the black and white taxicab used b,
the bandits; d pair Of gray kid gloves
size nine; three soft collars, with imi-
tation silk facings, size Is, and dozen
torn paper bands, marked east Brook
lyn Savings Bank" which had been
used to pack the bills in bundles
Three of the paper bands were marked
$50" three $3.50" and seven "S25."
The collars were soiled and bore nc
laundry marks. The gloves, accord
ing to Inspector Cray, were spotted
with oil.
The robbers were drug adde's. in
the opinion Of Inspector Gray.
we still stick to our theory that
the bandits were inexperienced
criminals and we believe that they
were drugged at the time thev stageG
the raid" he said last night. But we
are checking up on every crook on our
visiting lists. Now that we have tn,
bag and some definite clues, we lool
for early arrests