The Washington herald., 1920-04-29
MEN GRILLED
FOR EVIDENCE
OF HUGE PLOT
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said the father. "and II would not
have been much of an effort for the
men to induce him to drive to New
York"
Mrs. Mamie E Ashton. rs Fifth
street northeast, mother of George
Ashton. said:
My boy knows how to drive au-
tomobiles, and when he told me
Monday that he had been hired for
New York trip 1 was not alarmed.
He promised to write when he
reached New York, and I wasn't
worried. He has always been a
good boy and never was in any
gang. He never mentioned having
friend named Parks. I'm sure
George could not be mixed up in
any bank robbery or auto stealing"
Inhabitants Of the little Quaker
village of Sandy Spring continued
throughout yesterday to scour the
countryside for clues which might
set them on the bandits trail. The
excitement of Tuesday. which ex-
pressed itself in a nervous tension
over the community following in
the wake OF Mondays crime, had
subsided somewhat; the cry of the
villagers for the blood of Director
Hallowelfs slayer had gradually
changed to a desire for court pun
ishment for the gunmen.
Mrs. Newton Stabler. a sister OF
Mr.. Hallowell. and. like her brother
a member of the Society of Erie ends
said yesterday she was glad the
bandits were not captured by the
posses, because there would, surely
have been b1oodshed.
Religion In Business.
That the Quakers carried their
religious beliefs into their business
dealings was shown by the fact
that only one of the directors OF
the bank-one who was not present
during the robbery-had ever car
ried a gun in performance of his
duties at the institution.
George E. Crook. the only direct
or who believed in armed protec-
tion. was an inspector of arms a,
Camp Meade during the war. and
a crack pistol shot. He said yes
terday the only gun kept at the
bank was an old musket used by
the grandfather of Alban G. Thom-
as during the Revolutionary war.
Il always wanted steps taken to
protect the banks money and the
lives of its officers" he said, but
the Quaker spirit prevailed, and the
ofhcials argued that it was better
to have a little cash taken than
to keep firearms. On the days il
is my duty to be present at the
bank I always carry a pistol in a
holster concealed under my left
arm. but 1 was the only one who
took such nrecantion."
Neishbors Still Excited.
But those in the neighboring viii
lagos are still in earnest and they
are prepared to shoot to kill. This
was manifested when a party of
Rockville citizens were only stopped
in the nick of time from shooting
into an automobile which drove into
that town carrying a posse from
Sandy Spring. Guns were leveled
and fingers on the triggers when the
auto was brought to a stop.
( Stories which came in from the
surrounding country yesterday con-
tinued to tell of men who answered
the description of the gunmen hav-
ing been seen at various points.
One said a party had spent Sunday
in the vicinity of Fulton In Howard
County. that the party had cooked
and eaten a meal in the woods, and
had afterwards practiced pistol
shooting.
Another clue came to EIIicott
City. from Atholton, in Howard
County. seven miles from EIIicott
City. in q report that Tuesday
morning five men in a Hudson car
had stopped at the blacksmith shop
of Robert Williams. colored, and
had asked for a hammer and a
tire tool.
Console With HalIoweIIs.
Friends of the Hallowen family
called at the home yesterday to
offer words of consolation to the
aged mother of the bandits victim
and his widow.
Mr.. HaIlowelI came from a dis
tinguished family. all of whom
were members OF the Society OF
Friends. His grandfather, Benjamin
Howell. was teacher at the school
in Alexandria. Va, which bore his
name. and was a noted mathema-
.tician. Among the pupils of his
gah