The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-27
COPS MEET
AND BATTLE
5 BANDITS
Loot Recovered; Robbers
at Bay in House; Gun
Fight Follows.

Pittsburgh, Pa. Jan. 27.-Ffve
men walked into the First National
bank of Grafton, a suburb. this
morning, and after killing Harold
Moss, assistant cashier, forced five
clerks and a woman customer into
vault. They robbed the bank OF
approximately $1,000 in cash and
$40, 900 in Liberty bonds and escap-
ed in an automobile toward the open
country.
Within an hour after the robbery
a party of city detectives on their
way TO the bank met an automobile
filled with men on the north side.
The order to stop was answered by
a fusillade of shots and the car
kept going. The detectives lost a
little time in turning, but soon
overlook the bandits, who abandon
ed their car and scattered. They
dashed into buildings in the yiCin-
ity with the detectives close in
pursuit
Crowd Watches Battle,
While some of the officers fol
lowed the fleeing robbers, who were
answering their firing. shot for
shot, others took charge OF the car,
and found what they believed to be
all of the loot stolen from the
bank.
Meantime the bandits had run
through the buildings facing the
street and out Of the back doors
into by-ways and alleys They were
so closely followed by the police,
! nov ~.einfOrced by all available re-
serves and motorcycle men from
! the downtown district that they
took refuge in a house on Pennsyl-
! vania avenue.
Stationing themselves at advan-.
tageousIy located windows they
/ fired on the police, who prepared
to rush the building.
| A great crowd, attracted by the
/ firing, gathered in the vicinity and
watched the fight.
! Grady Bishop. the night clerk.
/ told the police that he was con
/ fronted about 2:30 a. m. by two
masked white men at the point
of their revolvers, who forced him
/ to open the office cash register.
Locking him in a closet, Bishop
said. the robbers then forced the
/ safe and pried open the inner doors.
I Officials of the company said that
while none of the stocks and bonds
were negotiable, some were not
listed and might not be easily re
| placed.
Robbers Escape.
After an exchange of shots be
tween the house and policemen in
the street, firing from the house
slackened and finally ceased The
suspicion grew that the bandits had
escaped and made their way through
railroad yards nearby A Gordon OF
police was thrown around the en-
tire section
The automobile used in the rob
berry was riddled with bullets. II
cantained two pistols of heavy cal
ibre, and a package believed to be
the loot from the bank, but the con
tents of which the police refused
to make public
AS the surrounding OF the district
proceeded, police heads said that
they believed the bandits had es-
capped.
First news of the robbery was
sent out by Miss Margaret Grier. Il
CLERK Sne was waking from tUe
vault where she had been at work
when a bandit approached her, and
pointing a pistol ordered her to
line up against the wall" She was
standing within reaching distance
of the elctric button controlling the
burglar alarm and pretending To
swoon, she threw out her arm in
such manner as to touch the button.
/ Instantly, the bell sounded, in the
police station.