The sun., 1919-02-05
MOTOR CAR BANDITS
ROB TROLLEY CARS
Waylay Crews in Flushing,
Take Money, Watches and
Pair Of Gloves.
ONE VICTIM LOSES $87
Village Greatly Excited-COps
Set Trap, but 1t Fails to
Get Thieves.

| A touring car full of robbers without
respect for the conventions. including the
rule that automobiles used In illegal
forays shall be painted like a fire engine.
worked steadily eastward through the
savory Flushing meadows before dawn
yesterday. Every half hour or so the
tourists stopped. got out their pistols.
held up a trolley car and looted the con-
ductor and motorman and a sleepy pas
| senger or two.
When they quit for breakfast they had
sacked three trolleys. one OF them at
Sanford and Parsons avenue, which spot,
as everybody knows. is the very bulls
eye Of "F'lushing's fashionable residen-
tisl district" The combined proceeds
amounted to: Cash. $l4325: watches
three gloves, one pair. pulled from the
hands Of a motorman. with the COM
ment; They look good and warm to
me"
There were four robbers and they rode
In a green touring car. After the last
robbery they forced the trolley cre% to
teach them how to run the car and then
fred the crew, after which the highway
men themselves drove the trolley for six
blocks and deserted II in Main street
near the Long Island Railroad station.
Presumably the green automobile picked
them up there.
Naturally the cherished old town OF
Flushing Is no end OF excited, for II
was supposed TO have been made burglar
PROOF by net OF goats feathers woven
in his spare moments by a young recluse
OF the community named Ellis Parker
Butler.
One Of the fabbergasted motormen
thinks he remembers that the first three
numerals on the license plate OF the
pirate car were Sal. II il also recalled
that the robbers were all young and
wore peaked caps and looked like Ital-
ians."
When the first OF the three trolley cars
was attacked two men with pointed
pistols stepped into the car and said
Hands up" to the conductor, Olaf
Henricksen. and the motorman. Carl
Klein. Then two more men entered and
ROBBED the crew. while the first pair kept
them covered. From Henricksen they
got $40, from Klein watch Then. with
their guns still aimed. they backed out.
AS soon as the conductor could reach
a telephone he told detective headouar-
ters at Long Island City. and while
Capt. Graham and several Of his men
were getting the names and addresses
few miles to the east episode 2 had
been run of. Sprinting on eastward the
detectives no sooner got more names of
trolley men and descriptions OF the same
set OF highwaymen than news OF the
third holdup exploded from the heart OF
Flushing itself
one Passenger on the second trolley
was Corporal Day. stationed at Fort
Hamilton. From him they got IS From
the conductor. Frank T. Smith they took
SIS, and from the motorman. George
Difanti. nothing. which was all he had.
rackety veteran of the New York
and Queens Railway Company was tho
third and la/t trolley to be waylaid
The motorman was John Thompson. the
conductor John Rauch. When they had
the trolley pole reversed lone pas
senger got aboard-Charles North OF
Flushing. himself a motorman on the
Third avenue line in Manhattan. and
on his way 10 work. The conductor
gave up 1925 and a cheap watch. the
motorman a watch and his new gloves
North. who doesn't believe in banks
had sS7 pinned beneath the lining OF his
coat The robbers fingers felt there and
got H.
II Is the motorman OF the third holdup
who says the first three figures on the
license plate of the automobile were s4l.
All the train crews agree that the &C.
cupants OF the automobile were young
men, rather short but husky. and that
all wore overcoats and the peaked caps
appropriate for such occasions.
Three heavily coated men wearing
caps pulled well over their faces visited
three sections OF The Bronx last night
and In less than an hour made three
holdups. escaping in a motor car. Their
total loot was Sl06 in cash. a watch and
a ring Two cafes and a shoemaker were
robbed. In each case the men drew re-
volvers.