New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-22
Bank Bandits.
With $4,000 i'm
Loot, Trapped
Fugitives Had Stolen Money!
in Connecticut, Holding
Up Employees at Pistol
Point; Fled to Bay State
Caught Near Springfield
Driven From Auto by Fire
of Pursuers, and Are Held
at Bay i'll Patch of Woods

SPRINGFIELD. Mass. Aug. 21.-
Five men who held up the Portland Ma.
tional Bank, of Portland, Conn, and
shot up the village this morning were
driven from their automobile by
policemen's bullets, about three miles
east of this city this afternoon, anc
are believed to be at bay in a patch
OF woods beside the road.
Twenty patrolmen with state detec.
tlves and state police, who are armed
with riot guns, surrounded the woods
and have started to close in on the
tugitives. The automobile. which hao
three tires ripped by bullets in the
running fight carries a New York
license plate.
1t drew up in front of tho bank
building in Portland, a village nea,
Middletown, Conn, and more than
hfty miles south of this city, soon
after the doors were opened this morn
ing. Early as it was, the cash ordi.
narlly withdrawn Saturday morning to
meet the, pay rolls of shops in the
vicinity already had been given to the
messengers and the bandits got onlv
about $4,5cO
Men Saunter Into Bank
The car was large and powerful
with its wheels strikingly decorated in
yellow and black. The man at the
steering wheel remained at his post
and the engine continued to throb as
the other four men got out and
sauntercd into the bank.
Tho only persona n the tellers' cage
were George F. Cramer, cashier of the
bank; Mrs. Edwards, a clerk, and Oil
yer Ellsworth, cashier of the Fraestone
Sayings Bank, which is in the same
building. One of the visitors walked
10 o the window where Cramer sat.
"Change that for me, will you?" he
asked, showing a bill through the
window.
Cramer reached for tin box where
currency for such transactions is kept.
His movement was halted halfway bv
crisp command from the man at the
window:
Hands up!"
Cramer's hands went up. So did
Ellsworth's. He and Mrs. Edwards were
covered by the revolvers of the other
three men, one of whom was approach
ing the glass paneled door leading into
tho cage. Mrs. Edwards, who was near
the door, reached out and slammed it
IN his lace Then she put her hands up.
Glass Cuts Robbers Hand
The man who was making for the
door reversed his revolver and smashed
the glass in the door with it's butt. The
blow cracked the rubber grip on the
butt Of his weapon and a piece of it
was found on the floor Falling glass
gashed his hand.
Blood dripped from the wound to the
counter as he gathered up the bills on
Cramer's desk. He went to the vault,
the door of which was open, and stuffed
into his pockets all the currency he
found there. He ignored several pack
ages of securities.
"All right" he said to his compan-
ion as he emerged from the vault.
They entered the inclosure and drove
Cramer and Ellsworth into the vault.
Mrs. Edwards was not in sight She
had managed to get into the directors
room while the attention of the robbers
was focused on the men. Alarmed by
her disappearance, the bandits slammed
the door of the vault and started out.
AS they departed they began shoot
ing, some of their bullets breaking one
of the bank windows and others scor-
ing the walls. They were still firing
into the air when they walked down
the steps of the building and got into
their car. 1t is said that at least
twenty-five shots were fired in pure
bravado before the car sped out of
town. Mrs. Edwards released the pris-
oners from the vault, the haste Of the
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