The New York herald., 1921-12-24
2DETECTIVESS
BANDIT IS KILLED In
CIGAR Store BATTLE
Robbers Holding Up Clerk
as Officers Enter and All
Start Shooting.
POLICE FALL FIRST
Firing From Floor, Wound
One and Drive Both Men
From Shop.
ONE SLAIN IN STREET
Other Escapes When Mccarthy
and Connell Can No
Longer Fight.
ONE SLAIN IN STREET

A customer went into the United
Cigar store at $50 East fremont ave-
nue., The Bronx, last night about 8
o'clock and asked the clerk. John w.
Michaels of SS1 East 10th street, The
Bronx, for package Of cigarettes.
He had known Michaels for a long
time, and it seemed to him there was
something wrong with the clerk. Mi
chaels looked nervous and barely an
swered the customers greeting. glanc-
ing sideways at another man who
stood behind the counter with his coat
off and his cap pushed back on his
head.
The customer looked at this clerk
and saw something shining in his
right hand. which was beneath the
counter. This shiny thing looked like
q revolver, but the customer was not
certain and he did not make inquiries.
But he looked at Michaels again as
the clerk handed him his cigarettes.
He saw Michael's lips moving as If he
was counting change. He watched
the clerk closely and made out that
Michaels's lips were forming this
word, without sound:
"IIoldup!"
The customer put the cigarettes In his
pocket and walked out of the store. Half
a block away he found Detectives Ran
dali Mccarthy and Timothy Connell OF
the fremont station. He told them there
was a holdup IN the cigar store and the
detectives started there. They went in
side. They saw Michaels and another
man behind the counter and they could
not tell which was the clerk and which
was the bandit. So they told both to
hold UP their hands. Michaels did so,
but the bandit jumped for tho door OF
the stores back room, yelling as he did
SO. Another man appeared at the door
of this room, where 1t was found later
they had tied the manager Of the store,
Garry F'ryfeld, to chair.
Bandits Begin Shooting.
The bandits began shooting. They
stood in the doorway of the back room
and blazed away, with Mccarthy and
Connell returning the fire. Connell was
soon hit, falling to the floor with a bullet
through his left jaw. He was not able
to get up but lay on the floor and shot
at the bandits. while Mccarthy fired
from the counter. Another shot hit Nc
Carthy and then the detective sent bull
let into the chest OF the bandit who had
come from the back room at the call Of
tho other.
But the shot that hit Mccarthy had
broken his cheek bone and had staggered
and bewildered him SO the bandits. one
OF them badly wounded. ran from the
store Mccarthy. however, got to his
feet and followed. firing as ne lurched
through the door. One of the bandits
jumped into taxicab, pointed his pistol
at the driver, and forced him to drive
through Southern Boulevard. The other,
not able to get into the machine on ac-
count of his wound, stood his ground
and began to shoot at Mccarthy. But
when the detective kept going steadily
toward him, shooting as he went, the
bandit turned and ran.
Bandit Falls Dead.
Mccarthy tried to follow but was so
weak from his wound he could not So
he fired two more shots. the last he had
In his magazine. and one of them went
through the bandits heart. The man
fell, killed almost instantly, at the cor
ner Of Hunneweil and fremont avenues.
The detective collapsed unconscious.
He was carried into drug store at
fremont avenue and Southern Boule-
ward and surgeons sent him to Fordham
Hospital. Connell. picked UP from the
floor of the cigar store. was also sent to
the hospital. Both are seriously hurt
but will recover.
The corner OF Southern Boulevard
and fremont avenue is one of the busiest
In The Bronx. Two crosstown car lines
pass there. and the corner is always
crowded. The pistol battle between the
bandits and the detectives created such
excitement that traffic was stopped for
a time.
Michaels and F'ryfeld told the police
they were alone In the store when the
two bandits came i'm about o'clock and
ordered them into the back room. There
they tied Fryfeld to the chair and gagged
him. One OF the robbers remained with
the manager while the other. removing
his coat and showing his cap back on his
head. went into the store with Michaels.
There he stayed for half an hour. help
Ing the clerk wait on the trade and
taking out money every time he opened
the cash register to record a sale. He
also tied up bundles of cigarettes and
put them In his pocket or handed them
TO his confederate In the back room.
All together about 800 had been taken
from the cash register.
The police say that tho bandit who
escaped got away with the money, but
that some of the stolen cigarettes and
cigars were found In the pockets OF the
dead man. The finger prints OF this
man were taken and at Headquarters II
was said that they corrcsponded with
those of man known to the police as
Continued on Page Three.