The New York herald., 1921-12-19
BANDITS GET $4,000
AT CAPITOL THEATER
And ESCAPE in TAXI
Three Armed Men Lock En-
ployecS in StOrerOOm and
Take Contents of Safe.
FLEE BY FIRE ESCAPE
Trio Last Seen Driving Toward
Ninth Avenue With the
Cash in Bag.
FLEE BY FIRE ESCAPE

Three masked bandits entered the
office of the auditor of the Capitol
Theater in the office building section
OF the theater building at Broadway
and Fifty-frst street last night about
1880 o'clock. held up the auditor,
Louis Faulkner, and three other en-
ployees Of the theater and escaped
down a fire escape with $4,000, which
they took from the safe. The bandits
locked Mr. Faulkner and his assist
ants in a store room. and got out Of
the building and into a taxicab in
F'ifty-first street without being stopped,
although Broadway was crowded.
Mr.. Faulkner's office is in a room
25X25 feet on the third floor rear o.
the building. 1t has two windows
that look out on a court, and to q roof
that covers the lobby of the theater.
Across this roof about thirty feet is
fire escape leading into fire tower
that in turn leads into Fifty-first
street.
1t was down this tower that the ban
dts went. They We're seen by two en-
poyees OF the theater as they entered
the street The employees thought some
thirg was suspicious about them be-
cause they were In "A hurry. and one of
them carried black leather bag The
bandits. however, entered an automobile
near Eighth avenue and went west.
Counting Days Receipts.
The other persons in the office be-
sides Mr.. Faulkner were the theater
cashier. Miss Pearl Courtwright, OF 81
East Eighty-fourth street; John Mat
thews, house manager, and William
Maher. watcbman. Faulkner and
Miss Courtwright were at a high desk
counting the days receipts. part OF
which they had finished tabulating and
put in the safe. Matthews and Maher
sat at a table by the door going over
the used admission tickets that had
been sent up from the ticket office.
Suddenly the door ratified, but no one
paid much attention TO it. because il
was thought that II was some other
employee of the theater entering 20 help
them. Then the door opened and re-
volver was pointed at the four through
the opening in the glass wall Of the
vestibule which separates the interior
OF the office from the hail doorway.
Lined Up Against Wall.
The man who held tho gun told
Faulkner and the others that they
would be killed IL they made a sound or
moved. They kept quiet. Two other
men entered the Office and the bandit
who held the gun stepped from behind
the glass partition. He seemed to De
the leader. He commanded
Lime them up against the wall and
search them
The three mon were lined up with
their faces against the wall and two OF
the bandits went through their pockets.
The personal money and jewelry were
not touched. but from Faulkner pock-
cts they took some keys.
The bandits tried the keys in the safe.
which stood in corner, and one Of
them opened It. They took the money
sacks from the safe and jammed them
In a bag belonging TO the theater. and
then turned to their four captives
Faulkner. Miss Courtwright and the
others were pushed into a storeroom that
adjoins the auditors office. and from
there into a smaller storeroom which had
only one door. and that locking from the
outside. The bandits locked this room.
threw the keys into corner out of sight
and then fled through the office onto
the roof OF the lobby and then down the
lire escape and the fre tower.
The two employees who saw them
leave the bottom of the fire tower hur-
ried into the theater and told Edward
Bowes. the managing director. what they
thought might have happened Mr..
Bowes and n policeman went at once
TO tho auditors office. arriving just rs
Faulkner and Maher and Matthews had
kicked a hole In the door Of the store
room Detectives OF the West Forty
seventh street station were sent 20 the
office. but they said later that they had
obtained no evidence which might help
them 10 identity the robbers.
Officials OF the Capitol Theatcr said
the bandits overlooked about $4,000 in
small bills which was lying on the high
Il. q hfN