The New York herald., 1921-11-20
MASKED MAN ROBS
SIX ON 14TH FLOOR,
ELUDINGDETECTIVES
Enters Park Row Build
ING and Suddenly Bursts
In On Card Game.
ESCAPES WITH $500
Whole Building Illuminat.
Ell While Police Search
the Floors.
PASSES ARMED GUARD
Department. of Justice Offices
Close NeighbOr Of Victims
Of Holdup.
PASSES ARMED GUARD


Row Building, IS Park Row, just be-
fore 10 o'clock last night to search
for q masked robber who had held
up six men in an office on the four
teenth floor and robbed them of 5000.
The man was still being sought at
an early hour this morning. but it
was believed he had escaped from the
place by climbing out a window on
the sixth floor and sliding to the
roof OF an adjoining building. He
evaded more than a dozen detectives
and policemen and special agents of
the Department of Justice, the offices
of which are OH the floor where the
robbery was staged.
The bandit appeared few minutes
before . O'Clock at the rooms of the
Neptune Association, an organization
comprising captains and master mates
of seagoing vessels. He kicked open
the door, levelling revolver as he
did so.
Six members of the association were
seated at a table playing cards. it was
said. AS the man swung open the door
the six players leaped back from the
liable, intuition telling them they were
about to be held up.
Lined Men Against Wall.
The bandit lined them against the wall
OF the room, threatening those who did
not move quickly. They were ordered
then to step forward. one at a time, and
empty their pockets on the table.
Just how much money was placed in
each OF the robber could not be learned,
but it was said the sum was close to
$1,000 The bandit gathered it up and
then backed toward the door. still men,
acing the players with his gun.
'Give me ten minutes to get away"
ne told them ''If one Of you makes a
move I'm going to shoot to kill"
AS the robbers footsteps were heard
cetreating down the corridor past the
entrance to the Offices of the Department
of Justice. where armed agents sit on
duty all night, the players who had just
given him their valuables rushed for n
telephone. They heard HIN stop and
they hesitated then until he could be
heard going further away.
Louis Snyder whose home is in the
Cosmopolitan Hotel, Chambers street
and West Broadway, ran into the hall
shouting "Stop thief! His cry was
taken up by the others in the room and
ir moment the halls Of the big build
ing were resounding with calls for help.
Detectives Hurry to Building
Snyder used the elevator bells to call
help from the first floor and then tele-
phones were used in the Office of the De-
Headquarters and the Old slip station.
Detectives we're rushed to the build
ing from police stations i'm the lower
part os the city and presently the thou
sands OF homcgoers passing through
Park row were startled to see the entire
building become q. mass of brilliant
Illumination. Lights were flashed on in
Railways and Offices and the man hunt
was under way.
Reserves from the Oak street police
station surrounded the building. going
10 the roofs of buildings adjoining to
block the mans escape from windows.
Detectives Howard O'Leary. Joseph
Kemp. Walter Coffey and a dozen uni
formed policemen entered the building
and began a search of one floor at q
time, guarding the elevator shafts and
the stair-ways to prevent the mans
escape to lower floor The height of
the building twenty-six floors-rnade
the task an extremely difficult one
More policemen were sent for TO help
simplify IL.
After two hours search the police con-
Guided the bandit had escaped probably
through q window which was found open
on the sixth floor. a search of the roofs
OF adjoining buildings proved fruitless.
Rupert Baird. night elevator operator.
told the detectives he took a stranger TO
the fourteenth floor few minutes before
o'clock. The man rushed into the
building. mentioned the Neptune Asso-
citation and seemed in such hurry that
Baird. 1t was said. failed to have him
sign his name 10. the building register.
When the lift reached the fourteenth
floor. Baird found Edward Jordan,
member of the association. waiting to be
taken to the street. He was going for
cigarettes aud sandwiches for the card
players.
The stranger spoke TO Jordan, Baird
said. asking II the game was still going
on. Jordan answered ip the affirmative
and stepped into the car. Baird took II
TO tho first floor and nothing more was
heard OF the stranger until the ringing
or bells and shouts for help brought
Baird TO the upper Aoor again,