The New York herald., 1922-02-21
Companions Wait Near BY
and Pick Up Holdup
Man at Curb.
CHAUFFEUR HAS RECORD
Mario, Carrying Greenwich
Bank Money, Has Been i'm
Penitentiary.

Michael Mario of 10 Spencer Court,
Brooklyn. chauffeur employed by
the E. S. Danta Trucking Company Of
35h Greenwich avenue, was arrested
early this morning and locked up in
the West Thirtieth street station
charged with completely in the koldup
of two bank messengers riding on his
truck by lone bandit armed with a
revolver yesterday morning at Sew
enth avenue and Nineteenth street,
and the theft of $4,000 from them.
An hour after the arrest of Mario,
which came when he lad been ques-
toned for several hours by Detectives
Corcoran and Flood. the detectives
went to 7S1 Second avenue and ar
rested Frank Flanagan, chauffeur
of 342 East Forty-eighth street. He
was locked up also. and both men
were charged with robbery and with
acting in concert with. others to COM
nit the holdup The police did not
say just what part Flanagan played
in the robbery.
The robbery was one of the most
daring daylight holdups New York has
had in. months, but the bandit did his
work so efficiently and so quickly that
not one of the scores of passersby had
an idea of what was going on vixen
the truck stopped at the curb and one
OF the three men sitting on the front
seat handed u bag to a man standing
on the sidewalk.
None Of them noticed the man on the
sidewalk had his hand in his pocket and
none noticed the round muzzle OF re-
volver outlined against the cloth. One
woman told the police she felt some
thing was wrong. but thought il was
perhaps moving picture and looked
for the camera. BY the time she got
through looking the robber was gone
The $4,000 was the property Of the
Greenwich Bank. but according to
Charles +. Vineyard. vice president, the
loss is fully covered by Insurance. The
two bank messengers who were on the
truck with Mario are William Russell
OF 2s Maple avenue. Montclair. n. j..
and Clarence Brown OF 154 East 139th
street. both negroes.
Itss Criminal Record.
But the one the police became inter-
ested in al once. they said. was Mario.
who nrst attracted the attention of the
police eleven years ago when he was
convicted as a package thief. Three
years later. in 1914, he was charged
with grand larceny and received sus-
pended sentence. as on the former occa-
sion
Later. in 1916, he was again con-
victed OF grand larceny and sent to
Elmira Reformatory. That was the last
the police knew OF him until yesterday.
for when the war came Mario served in
the army. got an honorable discharge.
married. became a father. and a year
ego got a job driving motor truck for
r.. s. Banta OF 35la Greenwich avenue
While Marro's record Is against him.
he has been carrying large sums OF
money. probably much larger sums than
the $4,000 in paper and $4,000 in silver
he carried yesterday. In fact. he was
assigned to the bank run by Mr.. Banta
when the truck owner, an old depositor
first got the contract
Yesterday Mario. as was usual on
Monday, drove to the Greenwich bank
branch at Herald square and Thirty
fifth street. where Russell. who has been
with the bank fifteen years and draws
a salary OF SIS n week. and Brown. who
has been employed four years. busted
themselves loading the silver into tho
body of the truck. which Is inclosed
by a wire mesh. II was TO be carried to
the Sub-Treasury. Then Russell. with the
bag containing the s22, 900 in bills. took
a seat beside Mario. and Brown sat
inside with the silver. They started
down Seventh avenue.
As the truck passed through the twen-
Confined on Page Three