The New York herald., 1922-01-01
FINGERPRINTS give
BANKBANDIT'S TRAIL
Pearl River Slayer Identi-
fled as Drug Using Crook
With Il Record.
ONE MAN JOB, is BELIEF
Rogues' Gallery Picture Is
That OF Man They Saw,
Two Women Say.
ARREST rs EXPECTED SOON
Culprit Wounded When He
ARREST rs EXPECTED SOON
Culprit Wounded When He
Drove Away in Automobile,
Assert Police.

The bandit, who now it appears
played a lone hand at Pearl River
n. Y, on Thursday. shooting and kill
ing two men and wounding third in
an attempt to rob the First National
Bank, has been identified from finger
prints and is one of the most notorious
criminals in the rogues' gallery at
Police Headquarters. it was announced
last night. Fingerprint records and
the photograph in the rogues' gal
Iery, inspected yesterday afternoon by
Misses Dorothy Rowland and Julia
Allen and Postmaster A. e. Blackwell
of Pearl River, are said to have made
the Identification virtually complete.
Agency detectives who accompanied
the two young women to Police Head
quarters said afterward:
There's doesn't seem to be any
doubt but that this is the man. Every
thing points to him. Even if we didn't
have the fingerprints we would be cer-
tain of it,
Search for Culprit Starts.
A wide search has been begun for this
man. He Is said to be a thief and drug
fiend. according to the long record of
ters. and until recently was operating
in this city. He is alleged by the police
to have executed one daring robbery
here only a few weeks ago. The man
sought is the one who rented safe de-
posit box at the Pearl River bank a
month ago and made two calls there
within the last fortnight to examine the
box and transfer some papers.
The young women who identified the
photograph. according to Robert A.
Jones. a former captain of the Police
Department, and John Fogarty. private
detectives. saw this man enter the First
National Bank on the occasions of these
visits. In addition fingerprints have
been taken from the sheet on which the
man wrote his application for a safe
deposit box and from the window
through which he jumped after shooting
down James b. Moore. the paying teller.
with whom he had terrific struggle.
The help of Manhattan fngerprint ex-
perts was extended to the Rockland
county authorities, and these records are
clews are in the hands of the author
ities-the hat the suspect lost in his
struggle with Moore. and a rubber over
shoe that came off as he dashed from
the bank.
Morton Il. Lexow. District Attorney
of Rockland county. announced yester-
day that he was positive the attempted
robbery and the two murders were done
by one man only. This bears out what
the authorities suspected after the first
excitement had passed. People in the
vicinity of the bank declared they had
seen three or four men.
In reaching this conclusion Mr..
Lexow was guided by statements made
yesterday by Adolph Miller. the rail-
road crossing watchman. who heard the
shot that killed Siegfried Butz, the
boolkleeper. and who ran into the bank
where Moore and the bandit were bat
Ting. Miller was wounded in the right
leg and the groin and was able to tall,
yesterday at Orange Memorial Hos
pital.
After taking Miller's statement. Mr.
Lexow pieced together the execution OF
che attempted robbery and the murders
as follows:
The man was seen to enter the bank
at IL 80 o'clock Thursday. He asked
Moore. tho teller. for his safe deposit
box. Moore took him to a rear room
where IL was customary for patrons OF
the bank on similar missions TO be re-
celved. Tho bandit drew the revolver
when Moore set the box down in front OF
him.
Runs for His Revolver.
Instead OF throwing up his hands
Moore turned and ran toward the front
OF the bank. got to his cage and seized a
revolver. Butz. the bool<keeper, stepped
out into the hallway at hearing the
sound, and two shots were fired. Both
entered BUTTS body. lie was instantly
killed.
Gripping his revolver Moore started
for the bandit. More shots were fired
but they went wild. Moore clinched
with the bandit. whose German Mauser
pistol had jammed, and the bandit sue
ceeded I'm wrenchlng away Moore s
weapon and shooting the teller with It.
Moore fell just as Miller entered the
door. The bandit fired two shots al
Miller. wounding him. The last Miller
saw before losing consciousness was the
bandit leaping through the rear window
From the accounts i'm Mr.. Lexow's
possession It is apparent that only one
man was in the automobile that dashed
away from the street behind the bank
That man was bleeding from wound
In the head
The private detectives, Capt Jones
and Mr.. Fogarty. were reluctant TO dis
cuss last night the Identity of The BAN
dit from the deductions made at head
quarters. They were confident. how
ever, that they have made no mistake
and have hopes of catching the man
soon. Announcement was made by the
bank yesterday that reward OF $3.50
ia offered forth ca pttire of tho futr.
derer.