Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-28
Council Bluffs Prudential Of.
flee Cleaned Out-$800 ano
$2,500 Diamond Ring Meek
Iy Given Masked Bandit.
LINES UP FORCE WHILE
MANAGER OPENS SAFE
Pursuers Calmly Threatened
With Death-Act Stuns Wis.,
iting Britisher-Believe Car
Found and CuIprit Known.

A boy bandit, not more than 20 !
years old, the lower part of his face
covered with a handkerchief, coolly
walked into the Council Bluffs Of
flee of the Prudential Insurance {
Co. at OILS last evening, held up nine
men with a gun, robbed the office
and all present, getting $500 in cash I
and diamond ring worth Sz,50O.
He chat:ed pleasantly with them
all the time, and with equal non
cfalauce left the Office after COM
manding them to remain standing in
the lineup with the assurance OF
certain death if they attempted to
follow him.
The robbery was timed to coin
eide with the report Of the collect i
ors, who had just finished turning
in their money Much of this was
still scattered on the table, behind
which sat N Bailac, local manager. Il
The bandit came in with noiseless
tread, and his presence was not not
ed until he thrust out his revolver ar
the men. \
Believe Gun and Car Found.
At o:l5 last night, the strenuous ef- Z
forts of the exasperated police force.
began to produce startling develop-
ments, a car being found in a
Seventh street garage, back of the
postofhee, which was identified BY
men who were standing in front Of
| the building at the time of the rob-
berry as the one in which the robber-
and his supposed companion made,
their getaway.
The car is Chalmers, and is
thought to be one for which the po-
lice have been searching for several
days, it being alleged to have been
stolen from w. Lotz of Omaha.
On searching the car nickle-
plated revolver was found under the
cushion in the back seat. and en-
ployes of The Prudential Co. are said
by the police to have identified it
as the ore the robber pointed al
them.
They stated that. they had good
opportunity to take close notice of
the gun, and were positive of it.
Want Man Named Murray.
As result of this alleged identi-
fication Of the car and the gun the
police are searching for an Omaha
chauffeur named Murray, from
whom they would like some explana-
ton.
Murray is said to have been seen
driving the Chalmers car Monday
morning
Employees at the garage said that
the car was brought to the place
about IS minutes after the robbery.
This, say the police, indicates
that the men, despairing of get
ting to Omaha in the car, which
might have been recognized as il
crossed the bridge, drove direct
to the garage. and, leaving the car.
either made their way into Omaha
afoot, or remained in hiding in
Council Bluffs.
Omaha Police Called In.
. With this development the Omaha
police were called in, and il was
stated that several detectives were
Immediately dispatched to Council
Bluffs. the detectives knowing the
man Murray
Search of Omaha was also started,
it was stated, in the hope, of To-
eating Murray.
In addition to having been seen
driving a Chalmers car. it is al
legged at the Prudential offices that
Monday afternoon Murray called
at the offices and paid an assess
ment on an insurance policy.
Immediately after enterisg the
room, and lining up the nine men
of the office with their hands above
their heads, the robber placed
hat on the collection table.
Line up there and turn out all