Evening star., 1922-12-18
Thieves Attack Money Wagon
Guards in Front of Gov
ernment Building.
TRIO ESCAPE IN AUTO
AFTER DARING EXPLOIT
Police, Armed With Riot Guns,
Take Up Trail Of
Highwaymen.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
DENVER. December 1s.-Scarcely
waiting for their snorting car to halt,
two masked bandits jumped out In
front of the United States mint here
poured forth a volley Of bullets at
the guards around wagon hlled
with currency destined for the local
federal reserve bank and escaped
with 100000.
Charles Linton. a guard. was shot.
He probably will not recover While
the two were grabbing up the con-
tents of the money wagon a third
member of their band sat at the steer
ing wheel of their car. ready for the
hurried escape. BY the time the as
founded mint employees realized what
was happening and could get their
rifles into action the car was tearing
away.
Bandits Work Quickly.
So quickly did the bandits work
that persons in the immediate vicinity
were unaware of what had happened
until guards from within the mint
rushed to the windows and out Of the
main entrance. firing at the escaping
highwaymen. Linton. who was assist
ing in guarding the currency, fell at
the first shot from the bandits guns.
The robbers described by guards at
the mint who saw them. were ap-
parently about twenty-eight years of
nj h1
the Federal Reserve Bank for many
years as a guard.
Every policeman in Denver has been
armed with riot guns. and an inten-
sive search of the hospitals of Denver
and suburbs now is under way in An
effort to locate the bandit, who is be-
lieved to have been shot as he was
entering the waiting automobile to
make his escape. All roads out OF
Denver are being guarded, ana word
of the hold-up has been sent to all
outside counties. The car bore Colo
RADIO license No. S100l.
The money was the property Of the
federal reserve bank. and was being
transferred from the mint to the main
bank office here for distribution to
Denver, Colorado and Wyoming
banks. according to r. J. Grant. di-
rector of the mint.
The funds of the reserve bank are
held in vaults at the mint for the
bank because of the lack of secure
bank vaults in the headquarters
bank. 1t is released to the bank on
instructions from the Secretary of
the Treasury. The time for the
transfer for the money is very ir-
regular. according to Director Grant,
sometimes three and four releases
being made in a. week, and then
again no money being released over a
period Of two weeks.
Thirty Shots Fired.
As the car came to a stop the guards
removed the paddock from the door
of the grated wagon and proceeded
into the mint. where. they secured the
100000. The money had been trans
ferred from the custody Of the mint
to the federal reserve bank. a receipt
for the consignment having been
given by ]. E. Olson, according to Di-
rector Grant.
Emerging from the front entrance
of the mint, the guards and men car
rying the money met with the COM
mand to Throw up your hands," At
the same time the command was
given the two bandits who had left
their car started firing.
At the first shot Linton fell wound
ed. The bandits continued their. fir
ing at the windows in the second
story of the mint as though to keep
employees inside from rushing to the
window and opening fire upon the
robbers.
More than thirty shots were fired
by the bandits through the transom
of the mint. Immediately over the
main entrance of the building. and
several shots went through windows
ON the second floor.