Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-28
AL|b|
WHEN CHARGED IN
BANK HOLD-UP
State Closes Case Against
One of Two Indicted for
Sandy Spring Crimes.

INEbC1ItlCh, MI, otplSHlOeT 20
The state today closed its case against
Clarence j. Adams. Camden, n j.. in
dicted with j. Thomas Penderghast
and John w Mitchell of Philadelphia,
for looting the Sandy Spring, Md,
Bank and for the murder of Francis
NJ Hallowell, director. 1t required
almost day and a half to examine
the witnesses, the majority of whom
Identified either Adams. Penderghast
or Mitchell. Now the life of Adams
hangs on the proving of an alibi
showing that he was in Philadelphia
April 20, the day of the Sandy Spring
crime.
AT noon John W. Hesser. jr sales
manager of John H. Jolley & Co..
Philadelphia. timers, was on the
stand Hesser testified that Adams
personally appeared in the J. II. Joi-
ley Co plant April rs and pur-
chased piece of zinc, Hesser said
that the store had been closed be-
tween IL and 1 O'Clock. the lunch hour,
ana that Adams appeared Immediate
ly after the reopening of the store.
purchased the piece of zinc and asked
that ii be cut up for him.
AS the firm does not work I'D it's
own material, Adams cut the zinc
Adams told Hessed to keep the re-
malnder of the zinc and that he would
call later. Adams wrote his name in
pencil on the zinc, which was thrown
INTO a bin. The zinc with Adams name
thereon in lead pencil was exhibited
in court.
TO Photograph Fingerprints.
Handwriting experts will compare
the name on the exhibit and make a
photograph of fingerprints, which will
De compared with Adams criminal
| record. These two features will play
an important part in deciding the
case. Adams explained that he pur-
chased the zinc to make fictitious au-
tomobile license tags for an automo-
! bile he stole in Camden, n. j.
The state closed it's case with ex-
animation of witnesses residing near
| Mount Airy, Md. All testified that
Adams had been in that section of
Howard county three days before the
Sandy Spring crime. Mrs. Mary Pick
EFT. Mount Airy. proprietress of a
boarding house, testified that Adams
stopped at her home on the night of
April "a. Adams represented TO Mrs.
| Pickett that he was an organist in a
Presbyterian church of Pittsburgh.
Pa He also exhibited road maps and
| asked directions of roads leading to
| and from Sandy Spring. Nd. The
court next adjourned for lunch.
In opening the case Attorney John
A. Garrett, Rockville, named by the
court as Adams counsel. said that
| he expected to be able to present
several witnesses who would be able
to prove an alibi for Adams, showing
! that Adams was not in Montgomery
| county the day of the crime.
Adams Is Identified.
Alvin B. Thomas. president of the
| bank. and Miss Sally Brook. book
l keeper in the bank, were positive in
4 their Identification of Adams. Miss
| Brook said she had not seen Adams
! since the robbery. but when confront
ed with him in the crowded court
room yesterday she, without any
hesitancy, pointed him out as having
been one of the bandits.
President Thomas made a dramatic
witness. Over seventy-seven years of
age, his answers under severe cross
examination were crisp and positive.
He could not be shaken in his asser-
ton that Adams was one of the four
men who had held them up. He men,
toned that he had identified John KEEL.
ly, also indicted for the crime. Kelly
escaped from the Baltimore Jail.
| Il pleaded with Adams not to shoot"
said Mr.. Thomas. Il told him to take
| what he wanted. but not to kill. am
! sure Adams is the man who held me
| covered. / could never forget his
| face. his eyes or his voice. No, never
in my life. l am positive he is the
man
Penderghast Not in Bank.
While several witnesses identified
Adams and Mitchell as having been
bank and killed Mr.. Hallowell, Joe
Thomas Penderghast. the third man
on trial, was not identified as having
been in the bank. However, several
witnesses said that he was the man
who drove the car.
In the afternoon Penderyhast
created the sensation. When w. H.
Burres of Montgomery county testi-
fed that he had pulled what is be-
lieved to be the bandit car from a
mud hole and that Penderghast was
one of the men and was about to
touch him on the shoulder in identi-
fication when Penderghast said in an
undertone: You never saw me be-.
fore, keep your hands on me-"
Francis Miller, assistant cashier of,
with the bank for over ifty-three
years. were unable to identify any of
the men here. They stated they had
positively identified Kelly.
Margaret Thorne. a negro woman.
who lives near Dayton, and George n.
brown. who conducts a garage at
Dayton. Howard county. were unable
to say whether Adams or Mitchell
were in the bandit car, but both
identified Penderghast as the driver
when the machine stopped in front Of
their home.
Robert Lee Williams. negro, a black
smith, Atholonee, Howard county.
told how he saw the men in front OF
his shop on the morning of the rob-
berry. He identified Adams.
Stanley Mitchell. who lives within
three miles of Sandy Spring, and Rev.
Lawrence B. Propst. pastor of Fulton
Church, identified Adams.
Every precaution is being taken to
prevent Jail delivery or an escape.
"A guard of about twenty-five men
has been provided and the three pris-
oners are entirely surrounded on the
trip to and from the Jail.