New-York tribune., 1920-10-02
Thugs Beat 2,
Get Pay Roll,i in
Noon Hold-Up
Motor Bandits Get S8.877:
Attack Paymaster of the
Factory and Bodyguard
Near Plant ON East Side
-Four Flee i'm Automobile
Woman and Children See
Fight. but Mistake 1t for
an Ordinary Street Brawl

Joseph Newman, paymaster of Fac
tory No. 80, of the American Cigar
Com pany, at A49 East Fifty-second
Street, and his guard, Edward Bohnlo-
fink. of els East Sixty-sixth Street,
were robbed of SS,S77, the weekly pay
roll OF the factory, by four armed
auto bandits yesterday in daring
noon-day hld-up in the East Side
manufacturing district. Children play
ing in the street and several women in
nearby houses witnessed the robbery.
The hold-up occurred in front of 242
East Fifty-second Street A brief fight
ensued and before Bohnlofink or New
man could raise cry the bandits were
fleeing down Second Avenue in a stolen
automobile They were not captured.
Newman and his guard left the Corn
Exchange Bank az Fifty-second Street
and Park Avenue at 11:2O o'clock. New
man carried the bills. which COM
prised the bulk of the payroll, in two
paper packages. Bohnlofnk. who was
armed, was carrying two bags of silver
The men walked east on Fifty-sec-
ond Street toward he factory which is
located at the foot of Fifty-second
Street on the north side overlooking
the East River
Robbers Tait for Victims
AS they crossed Third Avenue. on
the south side of Fifty-second Street,
they Nv four men standing before a
house i'll the middle of the block Two
of them We're leaning against the
low iron railing, which inclosed
"a ,Nln of+ ~ 4.
appeared to be in earnest conversa-
ton.
When the paymastcr and his guard
came abreast of the men the four
bandits crowded around them One of
the bandits drew pistol and beat
Newman on the head. The paymaster,
who IS forty-fve wears Old and of
slight physique, >oon was overpowered.
The bandits had moee trouble with
the guard, however Bohnlotink rushed
one assailant, p-shed him back over
the low iron railing, and was pummel-
ing him when, with a cry of Get
him. Get him." another bandit came
to his companions rescue The second
man reached ondcr Bohnlofinks coat,
disarmed him, and then attacked him
from behind. Newman had succeeded
in dragging his assailant into an
areaway by the side of the house but
pie which knocked him unconscious.
AS Newman dropped to the pavement
he released his grip on the packages
containing the money. His assailant
grabbed the money and ran quickly 10
an automobile which was standing at
the corner of Fifty-second Street and
Second Avenue. The three men who
had been beating and kicking Bohnlo-
fink then made q dash for the machine.
which turned the corner and sped
down the avenue.
Woman Thinks Hold-up a Brawl
1t was not until q few minutes later
when a passerby found the two pros
trate men that it was realized what
had happancd. Several children were
at play near Third Avenue, but they
had no inkling as to what had hap
pened. A woman witness in a house
opposite said that she thought the
robbery was just street brawl.
Newman and Bohnlofink were car
ried to a nearby drug store, where
they were treated by Dr. Frankel, of
severely cut on the head He left for
home after first aid treatment The
guard, who was suffering from contu-
sions of the body, returned to the fac
tory
The two men were unable to give q
very complete description of the rob
bers to detectives. Newman has been
III the employ of the company for nine
teen years. Officials of the American
Cigar Company were agreed that the
robbers were evidently familiar with
the weekly visit of the paymaster to
the bank. Newman said later that
he recalled seeing two men lettering
in the vicinity of the factory on sew
eral successive days last week.