New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-12
Quintet Rob Horton Co.
Cashier at Entrance to
Plant, Escape in Auto
After East Side Chase
Sentinel Covers
Their Getaway
Ex.Service Men Unable
to Capture the Fugitives
for Lack of Firearms

Five automobile bandits shortly be-
fore noon yesterday held up two en-
nloyees of the j. Nj. Horton Ice Cream
Company as they were leaving the COM
cany's central plant at 205 East
Twenty-fourth Street. They relieved
them Of canvas bag containing
$4,000 in cash and checks, which were
to have been deposited in the Second
National Bank. Fifth Avenue and
Twenty-eighth Street, and fled to
safety through one of the brslest dis
uicts Of the city. In the chase which
followed the robbers several of the
pursuers narrowly escaped being shot
by the thieves.
The bandits timed their operations
with the care of men thoroughly ex-
perienced in the business. A careful
watch was maintained in front of the
Horton plant for three hours prior to the
time OF the hold-up. Only one of the
quintet was in view, however, and en-
ployees of the shipping department who
sere busy loading the company's
trucks at the driveways and front
platform thought he was a detective.
They saw him walking up and down
the street in front of the six-story
building and they noted that his hip
pocket bulged with the weight of
pistol.
Five Act in Concert
At 1880 a. m. George Schneider,
cashier of the company, and Washing
ton La Frazier, negro chauffeur, en-
tered small automobile in front of
the building carrying the bag of money.
hc hor L..
sitions One stood in the middle of
the street, revolver in hand, to pro-
tect the two who showed revolvers in
the faces of Schneider and La Frazier,
and commanded them to throw up their
arms. Another sat at the wheel of
fve-passenger automobile, drawn up
at the curbing directly opposite the
plant. The fifth stood guard on the
sidewalk near the car in which all were
to make their escape.
Neither Schneider nor La Frazier
was armed. They complied when
ordered to put up their hands. One
Of the robbers then reached in and
seized the bag which lay between
Schneider and La Frazier. The other
saw that the occupants of the car
made no move, and as the one who had
seized the bag made for the bandits
across the street, keeping his revolver
leveled. The four then leaped into the
waiting machine.
As they got in one of the quintet,
apparently believing that George Lam
dis an employee in the shipping de-
partment, who had started to cross the
driveway at the front of the building,
was intent upon intercepting them,
hred shot which barely missed Lam
diss head and lodged in the wall be-
hind him
Ex-Service Men in Pursuit
Floyd Bates and Milton McRoberts,
also of the Horton company, and both
ex-service men, drew up in front of
the building in a small motor car just
as the bandits were departing. They
mad heard the shot and set out in pur-
suit, although they were not armed.
They were Joined in the chase by
Schneider and La Frazier.
The robbers sped east on Twen-
W-1ourth Street to First Avenue,
north to East Twenty sixth Street,
vest to Second Avenue, thence to
A%enty-seventh Street, and, turning,
started east again. Between Second and
FIRST avenues they saw they were be-
ing pursued They stopped their car
and jumped out
BY this time the car occupied by
Bates and McRoberts was almost
alongside that of the bandits. Four of
the quintet fired, three Of the bullets
Passing through the top of the car and
one tearing hole through the wooden
rim OF the steering wheel held by Bates.
heailzlng that it would be futile to
Storm the bandits unarmed, Bates shot
ms car ahead at full speed in the hope
ol sighting policeman. BY the time
= policeman had been found and they
nad returned to the scene Bates and
mat had collected that the fugitives
mad disappeared in the direction of
sifst Avenue and Twenty ninth
street Both of the pursuing cars re-
ssewed the chase, but were unable to
hnd the robbers.
ABOUT $4,000 of the $34 900 in the
usg was IN cash and the rest in checks
whicn are not negotiable, OF the
:.ash, Si,lO0 in small bills was wrapped
~ Drown paper. Several hundred dol
'ars was in silver.
n. Is. Lewis, president of the COM
pany' SAID he did not believe any en-
ployee was involved He knew of no
She to suspect, he said. He spoke
fe"i5 OIL tne courage shown by the
iour employees who had sought to
osertake the bandits without the aid
guns or police.
!. hecelpts of the company over Satur-
Ssy and Sunday had made the Monday
IWtposits unusually large. None of the
Mtorton employees ever went armed,
~. Mt Lewis declared, although trips to
sas oank with large sums of money
we're daily occurrences.
License No. 103,505 on Car
the car used by the bandits was
Ee-passenger machine painted green
3no carrying the New York license No
tVo'o0o. Mr.. Lewis said the police
Gere authority for the statement that
rhe car had been stolen recently from
resident OF Mount Vernon.
across the street from the Horton
GUIDING is the Polmer garage. A
S.TeK away and during the time of the
aseiu-up ~ an auction sale was in progress
=. ~ the Fiss, Doerr & Carroll horse ex-
shange Many persons were in the
TTasee. Th ~ and vehicular traffic was heavy
ms Third Avenue 81" crosses within a
nunared - feet of the Horton plant and
=, ~ .he east is the Second Avenue a."
srasI, aneIe are horse markets, factories and
la,, pai hoteis in the neighborhood.
is ohce investigation of the robbery
u ~ "a cnarge Of Captain George Busby,
~, me East Twenty Street sta.