The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-15
FEARS FOR BANKS
Chicago Police Are Guarding
All Financial Centers.
Wild West Outbreak of Bandits
Alarms Officials.
THREE GANGS ARE BALkED
Bank Cashier Kills One and
Captures Three.
S63S.0OO in Checks Taken From
Messengers.
THREE GANGS ARE BALkED

Chicago. April 15.-The once wild
west broke loose in Chicago again to-
day. r brought:
A revolver battle in the streets be-
tween Cicero State bank officials and
robbers in which one bandit was
killed, a policeman wounded and three
robbers captured.
Robbery of two messengers for the
Chicago clearing house in which four
bandits escaped with $638,000 in
negotiable paper.
A wild chase of bandits on the city
streets by the rifle squad of the police
department.
Fearing a general drive on banks in
the city by the underworld, Chief of
Police Fitzmorris ordered all financial
institutions carefully guarded. Re
serves We're called out to aid in pro-
lection of the city's banks.
Get Uncashable Loot.
Four bandits held up two messen-
gers for the Chicago clearing house
today and escaped with $638,000 in
negotiable checks.
The two messengers left the clear
ing house officials at 9 a. m. to carry
the checks to outlying banks They
boarded an Illinois Central suburban
train at Van Buren street, planning
to go first to the Woodlawn Trust
company.
The four bandits, who apparently
had followed them from the clearing
house offices, boarded the train i'm
mediately after the messengers.
When the train reached Twentieth
street, all four bandits pulled re-
volVers, two covering the five passen-
gers and the other two covered the
messengers. The satchels containing
the checks were snatched from the
messengers hands.
Payment Is Stopped.
The conductor entered the car and
the bandits ordered him to stop the
train Immediately. AS the brakes
were applied and the wheels of the
train ground to a stop, the bandits
leaped from the train, jumped over a
fence and hailed a passing taxi.
One of the passengers attempted
to follow the bandits but he gave up
the chase when one of them emptied
his revolver as he boarded the auto
mobile.
The messengers were Eugene Old
enwald. IS, and Edward Sunder-
macher, IS. Officials of the clearing
house said that all checks were signed
by the Chicago clearing house and
could be cashed at any bank unless
officials had been informed of the
robbery.
Word of the holdup was broad
CdSleu IHruOuI the country ana WARM
ing issued to banks not to cash the
checks.
Bandits Lose Battle.
One bandit was killed, three cap
tured and a policeman shot when five
men attempted to hold up the Cicero
State bank of Cicero, ILL.,, a Chicago
suburb, today.
The five men drove up to the bank
in an automobile about $50 a. m.
Four bandits entered the bank, COW
cred four employees with revolvers,
swept all cash in sight into bags and
started returning to the automobile.
S. B. Witoska, cashier of the bank,
proved his courage when he followed
the bandits and started a revolver
battle before the robbers entered the
automobile. The chauffeur, left sit
ting in the machine, started the auto
noble and fled, leaving his pals.
Witoska's shots killed one bandit
He held the other three off until rein
forcements arrived from the town hall
police station nearby, and the remain
ing robbers were captured. One po-
liceman was shot but not seriously
xronndad in the fight