The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-12-30
BANK BANDITS
KILL z, WOUND |
Girls Footsteps Scare Desper-
ate Robbers Away.
SOUGHT IN NORTH JERSEY
Pearl River Fire Trucks and Citizens
Motor Posse Aid Police in Man.
Hunt

Motor Posse Aid Police in Man
Hunt.
Pearl River, n. Y, Dec 3O.-Four
armed bandits sWooped down on Pearl
River, failed in an attempt to rob the
First National Bank, and fed in their
automobile after Staying two men and
probably mOrtally wounding another.
One robber, wounded by one of his
victims, left a slight trail Of blood In
the snow, but this was lost when he
entered the machine. The town fire
department in their trucks, citizens
in private machines, and police af0Ot
and mounted secured the countryside
for trace of the robbers.
1t was 1885 O'clOck-the lunch hour
when the robbers appeared To carry
out what was evidently :; carefully
planned hold-up. Driving their ma
chine into a lumber yard behind the
bank, they left two of their number
in the car. The other pair opened a
back window of the bank with Il pen
knife and slipped inside
Just what occurred waS told the
district attorney by Otto Miller, il rail-
road flagman, who was comforting in
an inner office with James T. Moore
assistant cashier, when the robbers
appeared, and who lay critically
wounded in the Nyack Hospital. Only
one other person was i'll the bank al
the time-Seigfried Butt, clerk,
who, with Moore, was slain.
Attracted to the bank by the pros
pect Of obtaining a $1,000 pay roll for
the Dexter Folder company plant
across the street, the robbers, without
any preliminaries, began shooting.
Butt was the first TO fall. When
Moore and Miller appeared from the
inner office, the rain of bullets cOntin-
ued Moore returning the fire and
wounding one Of the bandits. Even as
he fell. with a bullet wound over the
heart, the assistant cashier pressed
the trigger twice again. but the shots
went wild.
The shooting was heard by girls in
offices over the bank and it was be-
caused the bandits to flee through the
window they had left open. with a
chair in position to assist them to
climb to the ledge.
Investigation showed the robbers
had obtained nothing. The payroll
had been taken to the factory before
their arrival and the inner doors to
the vaults were locked.
In a moment this little town of 800,
located in Rockland county near the
New Jersey line, was in turmoil. The
fire whistle was blown, and as soon
as the trucks appeared, they took up
the chase, assisting the state cOnstab-
ulary of both states. The last report
on the robbers was that they were
heading for Orange county.
While an excited crowd appeared In
front of the baak, an inquest was held,
and the district attorney adjourning
the grand jury! then in session, hasten
ed to Nyack 70 obtain a statement
from Miller
Two pistols, one of German make,
were found in the bank Miller's
weapon was missing.
The police believe one of the bandits
was man, whose name they did not
disclose, who came to the bank We'd
nesday and said he wanted to rent a
safe deposit box.
1t was said he returned, asked the
clerk TO get the box and while in the
rear room, presumably inspecting the
contents, may have opened the window
and let in his confederates. The box,
it was reported, contained only few
empty envelopes and two door hinges.