The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1920-03-17
BANDITS ROB SEVERAL
yfWELRY STORES
Broadway Thrown Into Greatest Ex-
element as Daring Robbers
Smash Big Windows and
Grab Diamonds.

New York, March 12--While Broad
way tonight was crowded with thea
ter goers, three armed bandits
smashed in the windows of a jewelry
store at Thirty-scventh street, kept
the crowds at bay with their revol-
vers until they lad en1pticd the con-
tents of several trays into their pock-
cts and then escaped, shooting one
pedestrian who attempted to stop
them.
A few minutes later three men en-
tered another Broadway jewellery
store few blocks uptown and after
throwing pepper in clerks eyes,
grabbed some trays of jewclry and
ran from the store. The men, alleged
to be members of the trio, were ar
rested by the police after chase.
Both robbcries, committed in the
heart of the white light district, were
witnessed by thousands Of persons.
Broadway was thrown into the great
est excitement as police reserves ar
rived on the double-quick, and work
on the theory that the robberies
were committed by two different
bands, raced up and down side streets
and secured the subway for the four
missing bandits.
In addition to the pedestrian who
was shot, but not seriously injured
one other memcber of the crowd sue
cecdcd in getting his finger on a fu--
gitive. He was rewarded by crack
on the wrist from revolver butt
which caused his arm to fall HELPLESS
ly to his side.
Proprietors of the two stores esti-
mated that thousands Of dollars worth
of jewelry had been stolen.
The first robbery, in which
Schwartz Brothers were the victims,
was engineered with great daring.
While rubbing elbows with passing
pedestrians one of the bandits slipped
an iron\ bar through the handles of
the door so that it could not be open
ed from the inside. Then brick,
wrapped in cloth, was hurled through
the window.
Al the jingle of falling glass, Frank
Schwartz ran excitedly to the. door
and tried to pull it open as he shouted
for help. The crowd, also attracted
by the crash, swarmed about the rob-
bers two Of whom continued at their
task of raking diamonds and rubies
out of the window, while the third
member of their party kept specta-
tors at bay.
Seeing the crowds halt and form in
a semi-circle around the store, Pa
trolman Welgan came racing to the
scene. Just as he arrived and began
to fight his way through the excited
throng the robbers called it days
work, packed the last of the gems into
their pockets, parted company and
started each for himsel to carve a
way through the human semi-circlc.
Then came gun play. Sighting q
man breaking away from the crowd
and darting up Broadway, Welgan,
with drawn revolver, gave chase.
The crowds took to cover as they
heard the crack of revolver, but
Weigan had missed and the robber
sped on. In front of the fugitive was
subway air hole with the cover off,
and through this hole the bandit
jumped to the subway tracks fifteen
feet below. He narrowly missed be-
ing struck by a passing train, for the
roar of it's progress was heard on the
street above a few seconds after the
robber played his last card and won.
But after reserves had assembled
in full force and searched the subway
from Fortysecond street dwon to
Thirty-fourth street up they found
no trace of the daring bandit and
were forced to admit that he had
strolled to the nearest station, jumped
upon the platform and escaped
The second robbery occurred in the
store of Marcus Feldman, between
Forty-fifth and Forty-sixth streets,
where the theater throngs are thick
est.